Minnesota Twins third baseman Miguel Sano has informed the club and people close to him that he's ready to make his long-awaited return, general manager Thad Levine confirmed Thursday during an appearance on 1500ESPN.
"We've been guardedly optimistic for quite some time now about him, and over the last 48 hours we've gotten the most promising news we've had in quite some time on him, and it's encouraging," Levine said.
"He's been taking batting practice a little bit more aggressively over the last two days. He's back home and called Paul (Molitor) this morning and he thinks he can help this team. Now Dr. Sano has green-lighted himself to play. We're going to have to have our doctors review."
Sano hasn't played since Aug. 19 due to a stress reaction in his left shin, and will apparently meet with doctors Friday in hopes of receiving medical clearance. It's unclear if the talented third baseman will be back in time for the Twins' wild-card game Tuesday.
"What we've heard from a recent trip to a specialist is he isn't at risk of further injuring himself, and it's a matter of pain tolerance," Levine added.
"He can play. So it's really up to Miguel to evaluate. If he does that, we can get him some live at-bats, whether it's simulated games against some of our pitchers or potentially even playing a game or two this weekend if he's able. Then we can evaluate whether he can contribute in a playoff scenario before the beginning of next week."
News of Sano's potential return comes just over a week after Minnesota manager Paul Molitor said it was unlikely the club would get the 24-year-old back in time for the playoffs.
Although Sano was putting together a breakout campaign, the Twins haven't missed a beat in his absence. Entering Friday, they've gone 21-17 without the slugger, clinching a postseason berth in the process.
In 111 games this season, Sano has posted a .267/.356/.514 slash line with a career-high 28 home runs, 77 RBIs, and 2.4 WAR.
