Bartlett embraces demotion

BY JASON WILLIAMS
Pioneer Press

There are times when club personnel wonder how a player is going to react when he is demoted from the majors.

But that doesn't seem to be the case with Jason Bartlett, who in six weeks went from being the Twins' Opening Day shortstop to being optioned to Class AAA Rochester on Thursday.

"He's ready to go to work," said Jim Rantz, the Twins' minor league director. "I think he knows what he has to do. He's on a mission."

Bartlett, whose batting average plummeted to .242, embraced the demotion, saying he looked forward to working on rediscovering his approach at the plate in Rochester. It helped that the organizational brass communicated to him that they still view him as the shortstop of the future.

"They still believe in me," said Bartlett, who was scheduled to join the Red Wings in Toledo on Saturday.

Jones hot

Rochester first baseman Garrett Jones has continued his hot hitting. He entered Friday's scheduled doubleheader on a 14-game hitting streak and his season average standing at .328. The left-handed slugger was tied for third in the International League with nine home runs.

Jones, who is in his first season in Class AAA, might have to switch positions to give him a better chance of making the Twins' roster in the future with Justin Morneau locked in as Minnesota's first baseman.

Jones never has played another position, but he might be able to play a corner outfield position.

"We haven't talked about that, but maybe down the road we'll have to look at that," Rantz said. "He runs pretty good for a big guy."

Mauer's brother retires

Twins catcher Joe Mauer's older brother, Billy, has decided to retire from professional baseball, Rantz said.

Billy Mauer, 25, was a relief pitcher with Class A Beloit. The St. Paul native spent the offseason recovering from shoulder surgery and continued to experience pain in his recent season debut, when he allowed three runs and three walks in 1 1/3 innings. The former Cretin-Derham Hall three-sport athlete signed with the Twins as an undrafted free agent in 2003. He was 3-4 with a 3.64 earned-run average in 43 career games.

Mauer could end up pitching in independent ball, possibly with the St. Paul Saints, once he fully recovers from his shoulder problems. He is moving back to the Twin Cities where he will live with Joe while he continues his rehabilitation.

Act of kindness

Minnesota native Michael Restovich is no longer helping the Twins organization, having been waived in March and is now an outfielder for the Pittsburgh Pirates. But his family is.

Restovich's sister, Anna, moved out of her house in Rochester, Minn., for two weeks so Red Wings manager Phil Roof and his wife, Marie, could have a place to stay while Marie underwent cancer treatment at the Mayo Clinic.

"That was a pretty nice gesture by the Restovich family," Rantz said. "Phil had a connection with them because Michael played for him for a few years."

Roof, who is on an indefinite leave of absence from the team, and his wife returned home to Paducah, Ky., on Friday.