Twins option Danny Santana to Triple-A, recall Kennys Vargas - MLB

The Twins have optioned shortstop Danny Santana to Triple-A Rochester and recalled DH Kennys Vargas, MLB.com’s Rhett Bollinger reports. Eduardo Escobar will take over regular duties at shortstop.

Santana, 24, finished seventh in American League Rookie of the Year balloting last season, but was unable to gain any traction this year. He entered Sunday’s action batting .217/.235/.291 with no home runs and 11 RBI in 184 plate appearances. He finished 1-for-4 in Sunday’s win against the Brewers.

Vargas, 24, had some struggles of his own, resulting in a demotion to Triple-A in mid-May. He was hitting a meager .248/.295/.362 with three home runs and 10 RBI in 112 PA. It appears he may have figured things out, as he was crushing minor league pitching, posting a .965 OPS with three home runs in 58 PA.

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CINCINNATI — The Los Angeles Dodgers placed pitcher Noah Syndergaard on the 15-day injured list Thursday with a blister on the index finger of his right throwing hand.

Dodgers manager Dave Roberts said the timetable for Syndergaard’s return is unknown despite the 15-day designation.

“The physical, the mental, the emotional part, as he’s talked about, has taken a toll on him,” Roberts said. “So, the ability to get him away from this. He left today to go back to Los Angeles to kind of get back to normalcy.”

Syndergaard allowed six runs and seven hits in three innings against the Cincinnati Reds on Tuesday night, raising his ERA to 7.16.

Syndergaard (1-4) has surrendered at least five runs in three straight starts.

Syndergaard has been trying to return to the player he was before Tommy John surgery sidelined him for the better part of the 2020 and 2021 seasons.

Roberts said Syndergaard will need at least “a few weeks” to both heal and get away from baseball and “reset.”

“I think searching and not being comfortable with where he was at in the moment is certainly evident in performance,” Roberts said. “So hopefully this time away will provide more clarity on who he is right now as a pitcher.

“Trying to perform when you’re searching at this level is extremely difficult. I applaud him from not running from it, but it’s still very difficult. Hopefully it can be a tale of two stories, two halves when he does come back.”