Brace Hemmelgarn-USA TODAY Sports
When the Minnesota Twins sent down outfielder Oswaldo Arcia to the minors prior to the All-Star break, they figured it was a necessary move in order to fix the psyche of one of their prized youngsters. While the team was unsure how long of a demotion it would be at first, they knew the length of the demotion ultimately would be decided by Arcia and how quickly he fixed the issues—striking out with poor plate discipline—that got him demoted in the first place. However, if Arcia’s first few games in Triple-A are any indication, the message sent by the demotion to the minors was received loud and clear by Arcia and he soon could find himself back in the majors with the Twins.
Arcia went 3-4 on Sunday, hitting his eighth homerun at Triple-A this season, which marked the second time in as many games that the left-handed power hitter hit a homerun. Arcia is now 5-8—entering play on Monday—since going back to the minors and is demonstrating that he is ready to be called back to the show. With Clete Thomas and Aaron Hicks standing as the only outfielders currently on the roster, the Twins certainly could use Arcia’s bat and presence in the lineup in the coming days. Currently Ryan Doumit has been getting the majority of the starts in right field; but with Arcia starting to hit better, that soon could change.
Arcia stands as one of the best middle-of-the-order power hitters that the Twins have currently in their system. The fact that he was marred in a huge slump before being demoted should have been nothing to be alarmed over; after all, Arcia is only 22 years old and still is a very young player. Arcia is bound to go through learning slumps, but he is also just as likely to go on a two week tear at the plate. His presence helps fill out the Twins’ lineup and his absence from the lineup has left the Twins searching for answers for how to put together their batting order.
While I understand why the Twins sent down Arcia, because he was struggling at the plate, I still feel like the Twins ought to keep Arcia in the majors to work out his issues because the team is not going anywhere anytime fast and Arcia still has a decent chance to break out in the majors at any moment. He simply was in a bad slump and needed to work out of it in the majors. Feasting on Triple-A pitchers will certainly help out his psyche—which the Twins felt was the source of all his problems—but will it truly get him out of his slump?
Eventually, the Twins won’t be able to send down Arcia every time he struggles; thus, the Twins will need to let Arcia work out his issues in the majors whenever they next occur. Hopefully for the Twins and Arcia, this will be the last time this demotion has to happen because the Twins need Arcia in the lineup if they hope to make a late-season push towards respectability.
Brian Wille is a Minnesota Twins writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @BeeWill15 or “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google
