Buster Posey’s recovery from right hip surgery might limit how much the San Francisco

LAS VEGAS (AP) — All-Star catches during spring training and at the start of the season.Posey had surgery in late August to repair a torn labrum in the hip and remove an impingement.“Certainly with a guy like Buster coming off the major surgery it might impact his spring training workload and maybe even his early season workload Matt Moore Jersey , but for now all the indications are positive that he’ll be 100 percent,” new Giants president of baseball operations Farhan Zaidi said at the winter meetings.The 31-year-old Posey played in just 105 games and his power numbers dipped with the hip affecting him all year. He batted .284 with five home runs and 41 RBIs.Right-hander Jeff Samardzija is beginning a throwing program after he was limited to 10 starts and 44 2/3 innings in 2018 because of recurring shoulder problems. Center fielder Steven Duggar, who suffered a season-ending left shoulder injury in late August from a hard, headfirst slide back into second base, also is making good progress.“As of now that group of guys are all on schedule expected to be ready for camp,” Zaidi said.Also, Zaidi further filled out his front office, hiring former Blue Jays general manager and Mets special assistant J.P. Ricciardi as a senior adviser. Zack Minasian was hired as director of pro scouting and Michael Holmes director of amateur scouting.When he left the Dodgers and joined the Giants last month, Zaidi wasn’t sure he would find a right-hand man before next season began. Dick Tidrow and John Barr will both stay in the organization.The Giants claimed outfielder Mike Gerber off waivers from Detroit. The 26-year-old brings versatility because he can play all three outfield positions, something Zaidi prefers in his players. He made his big league debut last season and went 4 for 42 in 18 games for the Tigers.Zaidi said it’s a “high priority” for San Francisco to add at least one experienced outfielder who can also bolster the offense. MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — The Minnesota Twins hired the youngest manager in the major leagues. They remade the right side of the infield. There will be a new closer, too, should rookie skipper Rocco Baldelli decide to designate a particular reliever for ninth-inning duty.Starting fresh doesn’t necessarily mean starting over, though.The Twins have quietly built a roster that, if their most important under-28 players either continue to progress or rebound from rough seasons http://www.rangersfanproshop.com/authentic-matt-moore-jersey , has the capability of at least pushing the defending AL Central champion Cleveland Indians for the division title. They made the playoffs just two years ago, after all.By inserting Nelson Cruz , C.J. Cron, Jonathan Schoop and Marwin Gonzalez into the lineup, the power-hitting potential has significantly increased. Rotation newcomers Michael Pineda and Martin Perez have made a combined 245 career starts. Blake Parker, the primary ninth-inning reliever last season for the Los Angeles Angels, has joined the back of the bullpen.There was no more notable addition than the 37-year-old Baldelli, who spent the last eight seasons in various roles with the innovative Tampa Bay Rays after his promising playing career was shortened by a rare muscular disorder.When Paul Molitor was fired last fall after four years, a tenure that featured the AL Manager of the Year Award in 2017, Baldelli was targeted as one of the final pieces in the organizational revamp engineered by chief baseball officer Derek Falvey and general manager Thad Levine since they were hired after the 2016 season.Driven by collaboration, communication and, of course, data, the Twins have enhanced their front office Bartolo Colon Jersey , adjusted roles on the coaching staff and utilized as many technological advances as possible to improve the on-field product for a team that has not won a postseason series since 2002. They identified Baldelli as the boss on the bench who could bring out the best in their ever-important younger players, several of them underperforming.The Twins have used 79 different players over the last two seasons, including 54 of them last year, so perhaps it should have been no surprise that Baldelli’s first official address to the team in spring training focused on unity.“I spoke a little bit about the importance of the Twins organization and all of the good things that have gone on here, all of the great people here and also the bringing in of some new people and some new ideas and bringing all of the best of both of those sides together to create something new,” Baldelli said last month.The Twins start the season at home on March 28 against the Indians.NEW FACESThe 38-year-old Cruz, the six-time All-Star who will be the primary designated hitter, was signed in part for clubhouse leadership. He has also averaged 41 home runs and 104 RBIs over the last five years. Cron, who hit 30 homers last season for the Rays, was claimed off waivers to replace the retired Joe Mauer at first base. Schoop is at second base, and the multi-position-playing Gonzalez will take the lead at third base with Miguel Sano out until at least early May because of a severe cut above his heel.HEALING UPThe spring training performance of Pineda has been scrutinized as much as anyone on the roster, with the 6-foot-7 right-hander having last pitched on July 5, 2017, for the New York Yankees before an elbow injury required Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. Catcher Jason Castro has also been working his way back from a knee injury that arose last April and limited him to 19 games.BOUNCING BACKCenter fielder Byron Buxton’s struggles to stay healthy and stop striking out so much Jon Niese Jersey , mirroring his friend Sano’s so-far-unfulfilled career, reached a new low last year. Angered that he wasn’t called back up from the minors in September, Buxton added muscle, ditched the leg kick in his swing and displayed a renewed sense of confidence in camp this spring.ROOKIE TO WATCHBackup catcher Willians Astudillo became a cult hero last season , and with only 97 plate appearances he maintained his rookie status for 2019. The 27-year-old native of Venezuela, who could also play third base, second base or left field in a pinch, cemented fan-favorite status with his 5-foot-9, 225-pound frame, floppy curls, aggressive style and “La Tortuga” nickname. That’s Spanish for turtle.Astudillo is more than just a lovable underdog, though. His swing-at-everything approach at the plate can give the Twins a valuable bat off the bench, as he proved by posting an .887 on-base-plus slugging percentage in 29 games. Astudillo is a .306 career hitter in the minor leagues.