Minnesota Twins right-hander Cole Sands earned his second save of the season on Saturday afternoon in a 3-1 victory over the Boston Red Sox. Sands pitched a spotless ninth and added a strikeout in relief of usual closer Jhoan Duran, who was called upon to face the heart of the Red Sox order in the eighth inning. That left the save opportunity for Sands. With the usual setup men Brock Stewart and Justin Topa out with injuries, Sands could see himself in a higher leverage role in the short-term with lefty Caleb Thielbar and should earn holds and the occasional vulture save.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Cole Sands (shoulder) will resume throwing off a mound this week. Sands has been sidelined on the injured list since June 4 with a right-shoulder impingement, but he's beginning to make some progress towards a return to Minnesota's bullpen. Before being activated, he'll most likely need a short minor-league rehab assignment. The 25-year-old has mostly been a long reliever for the Twins this year, and he's been excellent, allowing only one run on 10 hits while walking seven and striking out 13 in 12 1/3 innings over seven appearances out of the bullpen before his injury in just his second major-league season. Sands allowed 21 runs (20 earned) on 35 hits while walking 13 and striking out 28 in 30 2/3 innings in 2022.