Twins' Michael Pineda: Set to return next week

Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Tuesday that Pineda (suspension) is expected to join Minnesota's rotation next week, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

After having the 80-game suspension he received last September reduced to 60 games earlier this year following an appeal, Pineda isn't eligible to join the Twins until after the club's 36th game of 2020, since he already served the first 24 games of the ban in 2019. While he's been serving the suspension, Pineda has been pitching at Minnesota's alternate training camp, and Falvey said the right-hander has reached 94 miles per hour with his fastball. With Jake Odorizzi on the injured list, Pineda should be set for a regular spot in the rotation in the short term, though he may be subject to a restricted pitch count initially.