Miguel Sano will rejoin the Twins on Wednesday after successfully completing Major League Baseball's coronavirus protocols.
Sano, who tested positive for COVID-19 upon arrival in Minneapolis two weeks ago, has tested negative twice since then and was cleared on Wednesday to take part in the team's training camp ahead. He will take part in Wednesday's workout at Target Field and begin working toward being ready for Opening Day on July 24.
Sano's return means Willians Astudillo is the only player on the Twins' 40-man roster still sidelined by the virus, though three other minor league players who were invited to camp _ Wilfredo Tovar, Nick Gordon and Edwar Colina _ also have tested positive. Colina has been cleared to return as well, but so far remains at the team's offseason headquarters in Fort Myers, Fla.
The return of Sano, who did not exhibit symptoms of the virus when he tested positive, is critical to the Twins, particularly because the four-year veteran is changing positions this year. Sano, 27, agreed to move to first base when the Twins signed third baseman Josh Donaldson in January, and he had only four weeks of full-time practice at the position before spring training camps shut down in mid-March.
"He took to first base well. ... He's confident in his ability, but he knows he has things he's going to learn and pick up on, and needs to spend time on," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of Sano's transition on Tuesday. "He's been very willing to do it, which has been the most encouraging thing you could ask for."
