Abel optioned to Triple-A for more chances; López nearing return

MINNEAPOLIS -- Traditionally, Sept. 1 means bringing up players from the Minor Leagues for roster expansion. This year, the most notable move the Twins made prior to their 6-5 loss to the White Sox at Target Field was in the other direction.

Minnesota optioned right-hander Mick Abel to Triple-A after two rough appearances. The rookie, who is Minnesota's No. 6 prospect per MLB pipeline, will start regularly for St. Paul, whereas that opportunity would not have been available with the Major League club.

“I’d say that’s probably the most important part of it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Obviously as the manager and Pete [Maki] as the pitching coach, we would love to continue to watch Mick pitch at the big league level but keeping him in a rotation, keeping him getting regular work, keeping his in-between start work consistent, sending him down and allowing him to do all those things and work on a few key areas of focus I think makes the most sense right now.”

In his last outing, Abel pitched in a “piggyback” capacity behind starter Taj Bradley and struggled through one-plus innings. He allowed 11 runs on 14 hits over four innings in two appearances. Bradley struck out three and walked three. He is working on developing a sweeper and needs to show more ability to finish off hitters.

“There’s specific things … that he’ll be thinking about and refining,” Baldelli said, “and getting his new sweeper where it needs to be and continuing to see that pitch evolve will be something that we’re watching. It’s a weapon. It’s something that we think can get a lot of good results for him, but it’s a brand-new pitch. And allowing him to continue to work with that pitch and figure it out is really important. Getting his two-strike pitches and his two-strike plan and the execution of those pitches more where he wants them to be, I think, will help him out a lot, too.”

With Abel, the Twins had six starters on their Major League roster, and they’re about to add another when Pablo López returns from injury. The club wants Abel to start so that he can continue developing after he was acquired from the Phillies in a trade for closer Jhoan Duran.

In addition to sending Abel down, the Twins recalled righties Travis Adams and Noah Davis and outfielder Dashawn Keirsey Jr. from Triple-A. Baldelli indicated that those would likely not be the final moves before the end of the season. The Triple-A season goes for three more weeks.

López ready to return

López made what is expected to be his final Triple-A rehabilitation start on Sunday for St. Paul at Toledo. He pitched 5 2/3 shutout innings with four hits, one walk and seven strikeouts. He said he was pleased with how it went. Nothing has been announced or confirmed yet, but the expectation is that his next start will come with the Twins, either on Friday or Saturday in Kansas City.

The veteran right-hander has not pitched in the Majors since June 3, when he suffered a strain of the teres major muscle in the back of his right shoulder.

“So much has happened in these last three months,” he said. “But it’s one of those things that ironically goes both fast and slow because I always had something to look forward to. But as much as I had something to look forward to, the season was still happening. So my rehab timeline was moving fast, but I knew that the calendar kept turning and turning. Here we are almost three months later, but I’m excited for it, getting back to a big league mound.”

Mixed results for Ober

Bailey Ober endured a rough second inning before lasting five, needing only 69 pitches to get 15 outs in taking a no-decision. He allowed two homers on poorly located breaking pitches and averaged 89.8 mph on his four-seam fastball.

Ober’s results had been trending better since his return from the injured list due to a hip injury, but Monday marked the second straight game in which he was tagged for two homers and four runs. He said he believes he’s still trending in the right direction in his attempt to rebuild his delivery.

“I think so,” he said. “It’s kind of hard to tell just because the results aren’t always backing it, so it sometimes can be frustrating. But I felt good in the first two innings. … I just wasn’t able to maintain the velocity. But I still pitched OK, regarding even the velo drop a little bit.”