Jharel Cotton, Chi Chi González, Ian Hamilton contracts selected; Mark Contreras recalled from Triple-A St. Paul
TORONTO, ONTARIO, CANADA – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have placed outfielder Max Kepler, right-handed pitchers Trevor Megill and Emilio Pagán, and left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar on the Restricted List.
Kepler has hit .253 (39-for-154) with seven doubles, one triple, six home runs, 25 RBI, 23 runs scored and a .786 OPS in 47 games for the Twins this season. Megill has pitched in five games for Minnesota since joining the club on May 21, going 1-1 with a 1.04 ERA (8.2 IP, 1 ER), three walks and 12 strikeouts. Pagán has gone 1-2 with a 3.00 ERA (18.0 IP, 6 ER), 11 walks, 22 strikeouts and a team-leading seven saves in 18 games this season. Thielbar has made a team-leading 22 relief appearances for the Twins this season, going 1-0 with a 5.59 ERA (19.1 IP, 12 ER), 10 walks and 23 strikeouts.
To replace Kepler, Megill, Pagán and Thielbar on the 26-man roster, the Twins have selected the contracts of right-handed pitchers Jharel Cotton, Chi Chi González and Ian Hamilton from Triple-A St. Paul, and recalled outfielder Mark Contreras from the Saints.
Cotton is in his third stint with the Twins this season (previously Opening Day-April 13, May 10-17), going 0-1 with a 1.35 ERA (6.2 IP, 1 ER), six walks and seven strikeouts in four games. González went 2-2 with a 3.44 ERA (36.2 IP, 14 ER), 14 walks and 35 strikeouts in eight games (5 starts) for the Saints this season. The 30-year-old signed a minor league contract with the Twins in March and owns a career 9-23 record, 5.64 ERA (261.2 IP, 164 ER), 112 walks and 155 strikeouts in 61 major league games (47 starts). He is scheduled to make the start for the Twins in tonight’s series opener against the Toronto Blue Jays at Rogers Centre.
Hamilton posted a 0.71 ERA (12.2 IP, 1 ER) with five walks, 17 strikeouts and a .178 (8-for-45) opponent batting average in 10 relief appearances for the Saints this season. The 26-year-old has made 14 career major league appearances, all with Chicago-AL from 2018-20, going 1-2 with a 4.50 ERA (12.0 IP, 6 ER), seven walks and nine strikeouts. Contreras is in his second stint with the Twins, after making his major league debut on May 11, appearing in two games from May 11-14 and going 0-for-2 with one RBI, one sacrifice fly and one run scored.
