Minnesota Twins Send Infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka Down To Triple-A

The Minnesota Twins have sent struggling infielder Tsuyoshi Nishioka down to Triple-A Rochester.

Last off-season, the Twins signed the much hyped infielder, who was a five-time All-Star, a batting champion and Gold Glove winner in Japan, expecting him to be a huge help to their sluggish infield. To this point, that has been the opposite of what he has done. Nishioka was

Nishioka was currently hitting .240 in nine games this spring.

“It’s definitely tough to swallow but it’s not like it’s getting baseball taken away from me,” Nishioka told reporters through translator Ryo Shinkawa at the Twins spring training complex. “I came from Japan for a challenge at this in this country. So I’m just going to not give up and look for the opportunity to get back up here.”

This move is a huge hit to the expected star infielder. Expect to see him up sooner rather then later though, as the Twins have $9.25 million invested in him.