Promotions

Following Rochester's season-ending loss to Toledo, the Twins promoted 2 players to the big leagues. One was not remotely a surprise; the other most definitely was.

First, Terry Tiffee was recalled for what may be his last stint with the Twins. He is out of options, and the Twins will have to decide what to do with him no later than next spring. If they don't cut ties with him before then, he would have to make the team out of spring training, or would have to clear waivers to be sent to the minor leagues. Tiffee won't get a lot of playing time, but he could be useful off the bench in late inning situations.

Second, the Twins decided that having another lefty in the bullpen might be nice, and called up former Gophers starter Glen Perkins. Perkins had to be added to the 40-man roster for this move to work, but so far there is no word on who was removed to make room for him. My strong guess is that it was Mike Smith, and we should know before too long. Perkins had a rough year, but pitched much more effectively towards the end, and finished his season in AAA, helping the Red Wings with their playoff run. He should make his major league debut at some point in the next two weeks, but I highly doubt that he will get a start or much action. Next year, he will probably begin the season at the AAA level, although it's possible that the Twins could decide to use him at AA to start the season. Being added to the 40-man roster was a big step for Perkins, though, and indicates that the Twins think he's close to making a breakthrough (or at least closer than he looked, based on his season stats).

Congrats to Tiffee and Perkins! Hopefully they can contribute to the playoff push.