Molitor says Jose Berrios has 'responded,' will start Saturday

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Pitcher Jose Berrios is finally getting another shot.

The 22-year-old is set to start Saturday for the Minnesota Twins, his first major-league appearance since the end of his rocky rookie season.

"He responded," manager Paul Molitor said. "Just seemed like his time."



A force in the minors, Berrios struggled last year in his first season with the Twins, racking up an 8.02 ERA in 14 starts and averaging just 7.6 strikeouts per nine innings.

But Berrios' success at the Triple-A level has been too much for the Twins to ignore.

He's allowed just five earned runs in 39 2/3 innings pitched across six starts for the Rochester Red Wings and has held opposing batters to a .169 BA and a .211 OBP.

The Twins (17-14) are off to a surprising start six weeks into the regular season, and lead the American League Central thanks to starting pitchers Ervin Santana and Hector Santiago.

Phil Hughes has enjoyed a minor resurgence in the No. 3 spot despite questions about his velocity following offseason surgery, but the rest of the rotation has been a consistent question mark.

Kyle Gibson and Adalberto Mejia were both sent down recently after starting the year with the Twins, while veteran minor-leaguer Nick Tepesch struggled last week in his first start of the season.