Jharel Cotton, Ian Hamilton, Mark Contreras returned to Triple-A St. Paul; Bailey Ober placed on 15-day injured list
MINNEAPOLIS/ST. PAUL, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have reinstated outfielder Max Kepler, right-handed pitchers Trevor Megill and Emilio Pagán, and left-handed pitcher Caleb Thielbar from 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-high-tying 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 make room on the 26-man roster, the Twins have returned right-handed pitchers Jharel Cotton and Ian Hamilton, and outfielder Mark Contreras to Triple-A St. Paul. Additionally, they have placed right-handed pitcher Bailey Ober on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to June 2) with a right groin strain.
Cotton appeared in two games during his most recent stint with the Twins, going 2-0 with 3.0 perfect innings and three strikeouts over the weekend in Toronto. Hamilton made his Twins debut on Saturday in Toronto and appeared once, allowing two runs on three hits in 2.2 innings pitched, with one walk and no strikeouts. Contreras played in one game in his most recent stint, going 0-for-4 with one RBI on Saturday.
Ober has gone 1-2 with a 4.01 ERA (33.2 IP, 15 ER), seven walks, 29 strikeouts and a 1.28 WHIP in seven starts for the Twins this season. This is his second stint on the Injured List this season after missing 20 games from April 29-May 21 with a right groin strain.
