Twins’ Jorge Polanco is rooted in the present, even with an uncertain future

MINNEAPOLIS — His manager describes him as invaluable and a dream. Jorge Polanco is quietly proving it once again.

Polanco’s third injured list trip of the season ended July 28. The Twins have played 39 games since and Polanco played in each of the previous 38 (he started 36) until sitting out Sunday’s series finale against the New York Mets after being placed on the bereavement list.

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And Polanco is making his presence known. He entered Sunday hitting .269/.380/.470 with seven home runs and 25 RBIs since late July, delivering big moments for a team trying to chase down its first division title since 2020.

Finally healthier after a laborious, frustrating 10 months full of knee pain and tight hamstrings, Polanco is demonstrating his value to the Twins again at a critical point in their relationship. This offseason, the Twins decide whether or not to pick up the first of two very affordable team options on Polanco. Their decision comes at a time when the team’s middle infield depth is extremely strong, with Edouard Julien showing well and 2022 first-rounder Brooks Lee knocking at the door.

Despite the uncertainty of his future with the only club he’s ever known, Polanco is merely trying to enjoy playing in a pennant race just one year after his body denied him a similar opportunity. He can’t completely tune out where he may end up, but Polanco is doing his best.

“I just want to live in the present,” Polanco said. “I don’t worry about what the future is holding. I think that’s a waste of time thinking about the future. I’m not going to lie. Sometimes we think about it. But I try to avoid it. I just want to be the best I can every day and live in the moment.”

Polanco’s living pretty well right now.

Not only are he, Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis providing the Twins with their best infield defense in years, but Polanco’s bat once again is the rug that ties the whole room together.

When the Twins looked to increase their lead over Cleveland last week at Progressive Field, Polanco was at his best.

On Monday, his solo homer opened the scoring in the team’s 20-6 blowout victory and he drew a bases-loaded walk ahead of Lewis’ grand slam. A day later, Polanco appeared to blast a go-ahead home run in the fifth inning, only to be shorted by a bad call (the ball was improperly ruled a double). Not to be denied, Polanco delivered the game-winning sac fly a few innings later.

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“He takes us to a different level,” Correa said. “When he’s healthy, he gives consistent at-bats. … He’s always raked. It doesn’t surprise me the success he’s having of late. That comes with consistency at the plate, just getting your reps. The guy’s just talented. He gets deep into counts and battles at-bats and wins a lot of them. That’s very valuable.”

Throughout his time with the Twins, Polanco’s value has rarely ever come into question. Even this season when he’s played a total of 68 games, Polanco still ranks among the team’s top 10 in Wins Above Replacement.

Polanco is earning a career-high $7.5 million this season, the final guaranteed year of an extension he signed in 2019. His $10.5 million team option for 2024 would automatically vest if he reached 550 at-bats. The team also holds a $12 million club option for 2025.

Polanco delivers with two outs!! #MNTwins strike first! 💪💪

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) August 30, 2023

Since he won’t qualify for the vesting option, it’s up to the Twins whether or not to bring Polanco back. What complicates the matter is whether the Twins believe Polanco — who missed only 20 of 384 games from 2019-21 — can stay healthy in the future. He’s missed 132 games the past two seasons, which opened up playing time for Julien.

Julien’s bat is valuable enough that after Polanco returned to the lineup last month, the Twins asked Polanco to play third base to keep the rookie in the lineup. Polanco accepted the challenge, and it’s one of the reasons Twins manager Rocco Baldelli continues to write Polanco’s name into the lineup every day.

“It’s a manager’s dream to have guys that just show up every day, give you everything they’ve got, work incredibly hard and just play the game,” Baldelli said. “That’s Jorge Polanco. Even the games he did play (in 2022), he could barely walk. He could barely swing the bat. And he would still say, ‘I’m good. I don’t feel great, but I’m good to play.’ He’s tough. When he’s not here, we have to find ways to carry on and try to find a way to win. But having a guy like that feeling good, playing good like the way he’s playing now, it’s invaluable.”

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Polanco doesn’t mind playing every day.  He’s worked tirelessly to return to this level and dealt with numerous frustrations along the way.

There was the day in Chicago last September when Polanco tried to push through intense knee pain during an on-field test only for athletic trainers to quickly wave him off. He didn’t play the rest of the season.

Still bothered by knee pain this spring, Polanco had another setback in late March that forced a two-week shutdown and a stay in extended spring training as the team headed north to start the season.

Even in June, after he rushed back from a hamstring strain, Polanco was disappointed once again when he pulled the same hamstring in Tampa Bay only eight days after returning, an injury that forced him to miss 41 games.

“It’s hard dealing with those,” Polanco said. “It’s something we can’t control, but what we can control is trying to get healthy, putting the work in and trying to get back. … We just have to get better mentally, get stronger mentally and get stronger physically. It’s a lot of work.”

After putting in the effort, Polanco doesn’t want to sit. He’s paid his dues to reach this point. Even if it’s at third base, where he struggled defensively before Lewis’ return, Polanco is ready.

“I love to play,” Polanco said. “I don’t think I will ever ask for a day off in my career. I don’t like to ask for a day off. If they give me a day, I take it — it’s something I can’t control. That’s the manager’s job. I just like to play.”

(Top photo of Jorge Polanco: Ron Schwane / Getty Images)