The Minnesota Twins have more bad news to go along with their 0-7 start. Closer Glen Perkins was placed on the disabled list Wednesday with a shoulder strain, which will further thin their bullpen.
Perkins, who dealt with back issues late last season, showed poor velocity during spring training and then blew his first save of the year against the Kansas City Royals this past weekend. Kevin Jepsen is expected to take over as the team's closer in the meantime, but the right-hander is already 0-2 after allowing three earned runs on five hits and a walk in his first 2-2/3 innings of the year.
Minnesota's bullpen ranks 22nd in the league with a 4.70 ERA in 23 innings of work. It also has yet to register a save in the team's first seven games, so Jepsen's temporary stint as closer may not last if he doesn't get back on track quickly, even though he recorded 10 saves during Perkins' absence last year.
The Twins have called up left-hander Taylor Rogers from Triple-A Rochester to replace Perkins on the roster and serve as a reliever. The 25-year-old went 11-12 with a 3.98 ERA, 1.35 WHIP and 126 strikeouts in 28 games (27 starts), totaling 174 innings, last year with Rochester.
Rogers appeared in six games (one start) with the Twins this spring and maintained a 3.52 ERA and 1.43 WHIP while striking out five batters over 7-2/3 innings of work.
Speaking of the spring, Perkins' shoulder injury may have been affecting him during that time. According to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com, the right-hander was averaging 91.3 mph on his fastball (compared to 93.7 mph last year) and 80.5 mph on his slider (compared to 82.3 mph last year).
Thus far into the 2017 season, Ryan Pressly has been the most impressive reliever for the Twins. The right-hander has yet to let up a run and owns a 1.17 WHIP over six innings (four appearances). He and fellow reliever Fernando Abad are the only ones to not have given up an earned run yet.
Perhaps Rogers can provide a bit more stability to the unit. He's dominant against left-handed batters and has plus command, as well as late movement, on his fastball.
Perkins is a big loss for the Twins, but his absence will provide an opportunity for others to gain experience.
