Sano (knee) needs to be activated from the injured list by Monday or have his rehab assignment extended, which would require his permission, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli declined to indicate what the team plans to do Monday.
Sano is hitting .348 with three home runs in seven games for Triple-A St. Paul during his rehab assignment. After hitting just .093/.231/.148 in 17 games before undergoing surgery to repair a torn meniscus in his left knee in May, it's not clear the Twins have a spot for him on the major league roster. If they don't activate him from the injured list, the Twins could designate him for assignment and hope he goes unclaimed and agrees to remain in the minors. The Twins have a $3 million opt-out in the last year of his contract after the season, so it's possible they could let him go. However, he's shown enough during his rehab assignment to at least be on the bench the rest of the season in the majors.