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CEDAR RAPIDS Hi there, I’m….
Tait, Eduardo.
Vincent Valladares.
Dasan Hill.
Bohorquez, Adrian.
Gomez, Ruddy.
The new players on the Cedar Rapids Kernels’ current active roster are included when you add seven more names. Twelve of the 27 players who were on it for the Kernels’ last homestand two weeks ago were absent for Wednesday’s doubleheader against Quad Cities at Veterans Memorial Stadium.
A change occurs, followed by another change.
Brian Meyer, the manager of Kernels, whose team won the first game 3-0 and lost the second game 9-3, said it has been frantic. All we’re trying to do is keep the guys that have been here going. After that, you’re attempting to get the clubhouse back up and the guys to blend in with one another. Guys are going through an adjustment period because their lives have been uprooted and relocated. We’re attempting to determine who is capable of what.
It’s not common to see this much activity this late in the minor league baseball season, but there are explanations.
Injuries come first. With 14 players on the injured list, including important position players Andy Lugo, Khadim Diaw, and Billy Amick, Cedar Rapids has had a ton of them over the spring and summer.
When he finally returned last week, poor Diaw tore his hamstring racing to first base in only his second at-bat after missing more than two months due to a broken thumb in late May. Additionally, ten pitchers are on the injured list (IL), with left-handed reliever Samuel Perez being the most recent addition on Monday.
When it comes to pitching, Meyer stated that you are putting players in situations and observing how they respond. All you’re trying to do is discover what you have.
Although the Kernels acquired pitchers Garrett Horn and Matt Mikulas in trades the parent Minnesota Twins made at the MLB deadline a week and a half ago, the majority of the replacements have come from low-Class A Fort Myers. In the surprising Carlos Correa deal, Horn joined from the Texas Rangers organization, and Mikulas joined from the Houston Astros.
Although LSU catcher Luis Hernandez was signed as a free agent following the draft, the Kernels have not yet received any 2025 Twins draft selections.
Meyer, who skipped the Mighty Mussels before moving to Cedar Rapids, stated, “It’s a little different than in Fort Myers when you have the draft guys.” Together, they enter. Although they are coming from separate regions, these guys are actually arriving together as well. meeting and getting to know a lot of new people. attempting to establish a rapport with them. In that sense, it’s comparable. However, it has undoubtedly been novel.
The Kernels’ 12-game road tour to Lansing and West Michigan the previous two weeks ended with a 3-9 record, which may come as no surprise. They defeated Quad Cities 5-2 on Tuesday night, ending a seven-game losing streak.
The good news is that Cedar Rapids (61-49 overall, 21-23 in the second half) has already won a Western Division first-half championship, guaranteeing a postseason berth in the Midwest League. Keep in mind that anything can happen in a brief postseason series, so try to find the appropriate blend in the final stretch.
Ty Langenberg, a former University of Iowa pitcher, recorded his longest professional appearance in Game 1 with a three-hit shutout in seven innings. The right-hander struck out seven and walked two.
At 6:35 p.m. on Thursday, the teams will play again.
