Twins' Hughes to be skipped in rotation, may pitch out of pen

Phil Hughes' first start since August 9 didn't go according to plan.

On Tuesday against the Detroit Tigers, Hughes took the mound for the Minnesota Twins and wasn't his usual self, giving up three runs in just three innings.

To get him some extra rest and to help him recover, manager Paul Molitor told the media that his next start will be skipped - and he may get some innings out of the bullpen.

"I think I had to find out where Phil was at," Molitor said via the Pioneer Press. "Given the fact he probably hasn't had the opportunity to get back to form 100 percent in terms of preparation time, it's probably not fair to him or probably the team, so we're going to run [rookie Tyler] Duffey out there Sunday.

"He won't pitch in the Cleveland series (Sept. 22-24). I'm going to ask him to go out in the bullpen for a couple days over the weekend until we decide when he's going to get another opportunity."

Hughes hasn't pitched out of the pen since September 6, 2013 when he was a member of the New York Yankees. In that appearance, he gave up four runs in just 1/3 of an inning.

In seven starts this season, Duffey owns a 3-1 record with a 3.72 ERA.

(h/t Pioneer Press)