Simmons, Garver return to Twins; Rortvedt, Maggi sent to St. Paul

The Minnesota Twins made some roster moves on Tuesday, reinstating shortstop Andrelton Simmons from the Restricted List and returning catcher Mitch Garver from a rehab assignment and the 10-day Injured List.

Simmons, who missed the three-game series in Toronto over the weekend due to COVID-19 vaccination rules in the country, has appeared in 122 games for the Twins this season, hitting .223, 3 home runs, 30 RBI, 36 runs scored and 31 walks.

Garver played in three games with the St. Paul Saints before making his return to the club. He was 2-for-10 in the batter’s box for the Saints. He was placed on the 10-day Injured List on Aug. 27 (retroactive to Aug. 25) with lower back tightness and has missed the club’s last 25 games. Garver has played in 61 games this season, hitting .242, 13 home runs, 29 RBI, 27 runs scored, 29 walks, a .527 slugging percentage and an .880 OPS.

To make room on the Twins’ 28-man roster, catcher Ben Rortvedt and infielder Drew Maggi were optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. Maggi’s contract was selected by Minnesota on Saturday and has yet to make an appearance with the Twins. Rortvedt has hit .169, 3 home runs, 7 RBI, 8 runs scored and six walks in 39 games across four stints for the ball club this season.

In addition to these roster moves, the Twins have also placed left-handed pitcher Lewis Thorpe (left shoulder impingement) on the 60-day Injured List to make room for Simmons to join the 40-man roster.