The Minnesota Twins cut four more players from their major league camp Tuesday, reducing the number of players to 36, according to Rhett Bollinger of MLB.com.
Outfielder Joe Benson and right-hander Jeff Manship were optioned to Triple-A Rochester, while infielder Pedro Florimon and catcher Rene Rivera were reassigned to Minor League camp.
Manship was fighting for a spot in the Twins bullpen but had a rough spring, sporting a 5.19 ERA. Benson was probably the most impressive of the bunch, hitting .262 and flashing raw talent at the plate and in the outfield, Twins manager Terry Ryan, via Bollinger:
"The guy's got probably as much talent and skills as we've got," Ryan said. "He can run, he's got power, he can throw, he can play left, center and right, he can steal a bag, all that stuff. Now it's just a matter of fine-tuning. I would say strike-zone discipline would be the major area, because if you'll crack his numbers, we need more contact out of him."
The Twins plan to use Pedro Florimon as either the starting second baseman or shortstop in Double-A New Britain. Minnesota needs to cut 11 more players to get down to a 25-man roster by Opening Day.
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