As predicted, Bill Hall heads to the DL and Tony Gwynn returns from Nashville. No big surprise there, especially since there are only three games until the break. Hall will be out beyond the break, but the four-day stretch with no baseball gives the brain trust an opportunity to think through their options, whether in-house or in-Minnesota's-house.
The forgotten man here is Laynce Nix. I'm not saying that's a bad thing--Nix was basically a throw-in when we got him last year--but he is yet another 4th-OF type, just like Gwynn and Gross. He's yet another lefty, and yet another guy who can play a credible center field. What disappoints me is that we don't have a corner power hitter type in Triple-A, somebody to give Mench a run for his money from the right side. It's possible that the front office thought Drew Anderson might turn into that guy, but unless you want to try Joe Dillon (or, hell, Yovani Gallardo) as an outfielder, we don't have that option.
This is a topic on which reasonable people can disagree, but I think it's a credit to the front office and Ned that they went with Gwynn as they did. TGJ was solid as a 4th outfielder when he was here, and just because he slumped in 66 ABs in Nashville doesn't mean he won't continue to produce in a carefully limited role.