Bartlett to AAA

The Twins announced this evening that Jason Bartlett has been optioned to AAA.

Reflexively, when I first heard the news, I felt like screaming until my head spun. Why? What does the poor kid have to do to convince Ron Gardenhire that he's better than Juan Castro?

However, a few moments later I found this note in a report at MLB.com:

OPENING DELAYED
Jason Bartlett will likely start the year on the 15-day disabled list due to a strained left hamstring. His status could very well depend on how well Castro is playing at the shortstop spot. If Castro plays well enough to keep the starting role, Bartlett could wind up back in Triple-A Rochester at the end of his disabled stint since he plays only the shortstop position.

So it seems that maybe Bartlett will go to Rochester to nurse a tender hamstring. I hope that's the explanation, and we'll be seeing Bartlett in the Twins starting lineup as soon as he's feeling well enough to play every day. Either that, or we can hope this is just Terry Ryan's idea of an April Fool's joke.

If there is any other reason behind the move... well, let's give Gardy the benefit of the doubt for once and not dwell on that possibility. It would be a shame to let such ugly speculation spoil a beautiful Spring weekend that brings us the opening of the baseball season.

Happy thoughts!