Former Twins outfielder Eddie Rosario glad to be back but happy to be with Cleveland

Jun. 25—Eddie Rosario returned to Target Field for the first time since joining American League Central rival Cleveland in January.

Asked how it felt, the longtime Twins left fielder said, "Normal."

"I love playing on this field," he said.

Eligible for arbitration after last season, Rosario, 29, was in line for a raise on a $7.75 million 2020 salary, and the Twins had prospects Alex Kiriloff and Trevor Larnach waiting in the wings. He was non-tendered, and while the Twins stayed in touch with his agent, Rosario never received an offer from Minnesota.

"If they don't call you, that can't bother you; you have to go on with your career, and I'm really happy where I am right now," he said Thursday before the first game of a four-game series. "This is a great team, too, and I'm really happy to be here."

It's not that the Twins couldn't have used Rosario, who broke in with Minnesota in 2015 and played six full seasons with the Twins.

The Twins started this season with a surfeit of outfielders but have since lost Byron Buxton (fractured hand) and Jake Cave (fractured vertebrae). Injuries to Max Kepler and new addition Rob Refsnyder further thinned the position, an unforeseen issue that has contributed to the Twins starting this series last in the Central with a 31-42 record after winning consecutive division titles.

Rosario is hitting .254 with 63 strikeouts against just 17 walks and five homers. Still, his 39 RBIs are second on the team to Jose Ramirez's 44. Those 39 RBIs would lead the Twins, whose leader before Thursday's game was Nelson Cruz with 38.

Of his memories of Target Field, hitting three home runs — the last a walk-off — on June 6, 2018, stood tall. It's little wonder the Indians signed him to a one-year, $8 million deal. His .301 career average against the Indians is his highest against teams he has played more than 20 times, and before this season, his OPS in 77 games at Progressive Field was 1.031.

"He has a lot of moments. Eddie's kind of a guy of moments," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "He does a lot of big things, and you remember those things. Some of them were at Target Field. Some of them weren't."

Despite injuries to starting pitchers Shane Bieber (the 2020 AL Cy Young Award winner), Zach Plesac and Aaron Civale, the Indians started the series just 2 1/2 games behind first-place Chicago in the AL Central — 10 games closer than Minnesota.

Rosario said he's happy in Cleveland and loves playing for manager Terry Francona. He also said he wasn't surprised not to get an offer from the Twins.

"I knew it was coming," he said Thursday. "I know the system here, and they had a lot of good prospects and they weren't going to use the money for me; they were going to use the money for other guys. That's what happened."