Twins send former UK pitcher Taylor Rogers back to minor leagues

The Minnesota Twins optioned former University of Kentucky pitcher Taylor Rogers to Triple-A Rochester after Monday night’s game.

The move was made to make room for reliever Fernando Abad, who was reinstated from the bereavement list.

Rogers pitched in one game for the Twins, his major league debut on April 14 against the Chicago White Sox. He pitched a scoreless two-thirds of an inning while giving up one hit.

“You always think about it and you’re dreaming and all of that, but it was way cooler than I anticipated,” the 25-year-old Rogers said after that game.

Manager Paul Molitor said that Rogers, who is in his first season as a relief pitcher, needs to log more innings than he’ll get in the majors right now.

“Taylor got one appearance here and it was good …,” Molitor said. “But with his transition to the bullpen, he’s not getting enough to get comfortable in that role. It would be one or two outings a week compared to down there (at Triple-A) where he can get four or five and get used to what we’re asking him to do.”

This story was originally published April 19, 2016 at 11:00 AM with the headline "Twins send former UK pitcher Taylor Rogers back to minor leagues."