Twins reunite with Luis Arraez in Miami

MIAMI — Luis Arraez summed up the emotions of seeing — and playing against — his former teammates quite simply.

“I’m feeling a lot in my heart right now,” he said.

The Twins reunited with Arraez, whom they traded away for starter Pablo López, on Monday in Miami. On Tuesday, with the Twins in town, he will be honored pregame for winning the American League batting title and the Silver Slugger Award.

On the last day of the season, Arraez, who was playing through a hamstring injury, sealed his batting title, finishing the season hitting .316 and denying Yankees star Aaron Judge of the Triple Crown.

The second baseman, who hit a pair of home runs against the United States in the World Baseball Classic, has picked up right where he left off, adding his 10th and 11th hits to his league-leading total during the Twins’ 11-1 win on Monday.

“He means a lot to us,” said shortstop Carlos Correa, who also said he still talks to Arraez nearly every day. “With the game on the line, he was the one we wanted at the plate. Obviously we miss him but at the same time, we understand how business works and we got a good pitcher in Pablo.”

Arraez, like López, spent Monday pregame greeting his old friends with hugs, a smile plastered on his face. The 25-year-old, who signed with the Twins as a teenager out of Venezuela, debuted in 2019, showcasing his elite bat-to-ball skills and quickly establishing himself as a major leaguer. He endeared himself to the fan base, too, and last season, was an All-Star for the first time.

“He’s a guy that people grew very close to in his time here, a guy that meant a lot to both the team and all the fans and everyone that enjoys watching Twins baseball,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “ … It’s hard not to like a guy that goes up there and just gets hits more than any other player really in the game.”

Arraez also shared a moment pregame with López, whom he recently played with at the World Baseball Classic for their home country of Venezuela. The two swapped information about their new organizations and cities while playing together as teammates.

Arraez said the two faced each other in the minor leagues and Wednesday, they should face each other for the first time as major leaguers when López takes the ball for the Twins in the series finale. But even more so than López, there’s another Twins pitcher whom Arraez expressed excitement about the possibility of facing: flame-throwing reliever Jhoan Duran.

“I still love my guys,” Arraez said. “I still love Minnesota. I miss a lot of my guys there.”

Briefly

Kenta Maeda will make his first start since Aug. 21 on Tuesday against the Marlins. Maeda missed all of the 2022 season after undergoing Tommy John surgery. He will face National League Cy Young winner Sandy Alcántara.