Molitor: Sano unlikely to start wild-card game

Still hampered by discomfort in his shin, Minnesota Twins slugger Miguel Sano is likely to start on the bench Tuesday in the American League wild-card game against the New York Yankees, manager Paul Molitor said Monday, per Jared Diamond of the Wall Street Journal.

Sano, who unexpectedly rejoined the Twins on Friday for their final regular-season series following a five-week absence, was visibly affected by his shin over the weekend - he hobbled down the line more than he ran - and he didn't impress at the plate, going 1-for-8 (.125) with three strikeouts.

"I don't think he feels great," Molitor told Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press after the hulking 24-year-old went 0-for-3 Sunday in Detroit. "I know he's still having discomfort."

Still, though he probably won't have Sano start the one-game playoff at Yankee Stadium, Molitor reiterated Monday that he will include him on the roster, which must be submitted by 10 a.m. ET Tuesday.

"I'm leaning that even just having the threat has enough value to consider it," Molitor said Sunday.

Sano, an All-Star for the first time in 2017, put up a .859 OPS (127 OPS+) with 28 home runs in 114 games this season, finishing tied for fourth on the Twins in WAR (2.3) despite spending more than a month on the disabled list.