MINNEAPOLIS (AP) -Minnesota Twins left fielder Delmon Young was back in the lineup against Toronto on Tuesday night after twisting his left ankle the previous night against Boston.
Young started his 203rd straight game and has made it clear early in his tenure with Minnesota that he wants to play every day. But manager Ron Gardenhire said that the Twins don’t have another Cal Ripken Jr. on their hands.
Ripken, of course, is baseball’s model for durability, playing in a record 2,632 straight games for the Baltimore Orioles from 1982-98.
Young tested out the ankle before Tuesday night’s game and told his manager that he felt fine, but got a warning to be honest when talking about his health.
“I told him I didn’t need Superman out here. We need healthy players,” Gardenhire said before the game. “I don’t need something lingering a long time because you want to set some kind of record.
“I told him, ‘You are not Cal Ripken.”’
The Twins acquired Young in a trade with Tampa Bay in the offseason. After a slow start at the plate, the 22-year-old has been picking it up lately, hitting safely in six of his last seven games and batting .348 in that span.
“I hope he does play every game,” Gardenhire said. “But if he’s hurt, he’s hurt.”
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