Twins taking patient approach with Wallner; Oliva, Hrbek return to Target Field

MINNEAPOLIS -- Yes, Matt Wallner is absolutely raking so far at Triple-A St. Paul. No, that’s not going to affect his timetable for returning to the active roster as he recovers from a strained left hamstring.

Wallner hit two homers in his first game on Thursday, then followed that up with a double, two singles and three RBIs on Friday. He played right field for seven innings Thursday, then a full game at designated hitter. The slugger was in the Twins’ clubhouse at Target Field on Saturday before returning for another game at St. Paul on Sunday.

“Honestly I feel really good,” Wallner said. “A little bit more tired after the game than I would normally be, but that’s totally expected. But other than that, I feel good.”

Wallner said he expects to play at least a couple more games on his rehab assignment after Sunday. The club’s stated preference is for Wallner to play back-to-back full games before he is activated, so one plausible scenario would be for him to play Tuesday and Wednesday before joining the Twins on Friday in Seattle during the second part of the upcoming road trip.

Regardless of how it turns out, his output at the plate won’t dictate the plans.

“We don’t change the medical staff’s plans because a guy has two or three hits in a few games,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “When he comes back, he has to play. He’s going to have to be on his feet and he’s going to have to go 3-2 and steal a base. He’s going to have to play in the outfield, more than a couple days in a row. And you don’t just skip all of those steps and have guys do that in the big leagues. That’s how you end up back on the IL with further issues. I’m not even talking just Wallner, just in general.”

Oliva, Hrbek back at the ballpark

Twins legends Tony Oliva and Kent Hrbek were back at Target Field on Saturday for the first time since both suffered strokes in April. They appeared on field during pregame ceremonies as part of Stroke Awareness Day at the ballpark, and both visited manager Rocco Baldelli in his office prior to the game.

Oliva and Hrbek are both members of the Twins Hall of Fame. Both played their entire careers with the Twins and live in the Twin Cities. Oliva, who serves as part of the team’s Spanish language broadcast team, was elected to the Baseball Hall of Fame in 2022.

Correa sits
A day after his return to active duty from the 7-day concussion injured list, Carlos Correa was held out of the lineup on Saturday. That was planned all along as he works his way back to full speed -- despite his homer on Friday. He is expected to play Sunday, and if that goes well, he should be considered a full go after that.

“[He] came out great,” Baldelli said. “Obviously had a really nice day yesterday. He was going to play, have the day today where he’s not starting. I think he’ll be available to come in, and then play again tomorrow and beyond. He should be, I think, for the most part, good to go once we get back to the field tomorrow and he’ll be in the lineup.”