Twins place Kepler on Injured List

Minneapolis/St. Paul, MN – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have placed outfielder Max Kepler on the 10-day Injured List (retroactive to September 3) with a left adductor strain and have selected the contract of outfielder Brent Rooker.

Kepler, who left Wednesday night’s game against the White Sox, played in 35 games for the Twins this season, hitting .220 (27-for-123) with five doubles, seven home runs, 18 RBI, 18 runs scored, 17 walks, a .322 on-base percentage and a .753 OPS. This marks Kepler’s first trip to the Injured List in his major league career.

To replace Kepler on the 28-man roster, the Twins have selected the contract of outfielder Brent Rooker. The 25-year-old played 65 games at Triple-A Rochester last season, hitting .281 (64-for-228) with 16 doubles, 14 home runs, 47 RBI, 41 runs scored, 35 walks, a .398 on-base percentage and a .933 OPS. He was selected by the Twins with the 35th overall pick in the 2017 First-Year Player Draft and played in 259 career minor league games, hitting .267 (258-for-965) with 59 doubles, 54 home runs, 178 RBI and a .861 OPS.

Additionally, the Twins have added catcher/infielder Willians Astudillo as the 29th man for today’s doubleheader with the Detroit Tigers. Astudillo played in 58 games for the Twins last season, hitting .268 (51-for-190) with nine doubles, four home runs, 21 RBI, 28 runs scored and a .678 OPS. He is a lifetime .297 hitter (84-for-283) with 13 doubles, seven home runs, 42 RBI and a .746 OPS in 88 major league games.

Lastly, right-handed pitcher Juan Minaya has cleared waivers and was assigned to the club’s Alternate Training Site.