NEW YORK -- When the Twins claimed Ehire Adrianza on waivers in February, they added him to the roster mostly because of his elite infield defense, as he'd never played in the outfield in the Majors or Minors and was a career .220/.292/.313 hitter in parts of four seasons with the Giants.
But Adrianza has been a better hitter than expected, thanks to some mechanical changes such as the addition of a leg kick early in the season, and he's filled in capably in left field, getting playing time over Max Kepler against left-handed starters.