The Minnesota Twins have sent third baseman Danny Valencia to the Red Sox. In exchange, the Twins have acquired minor league outfielder Jeremias Pineda from the Dominican Republic. The Red Sox immediately optioned Valencia to Class AAA.

The Twins placed Trevor Plouffe on the 15 day disabled list Friday night. He was initially in the lineup, but scratched after his bruised thumb acted up on him during batting practice. The move is retroactive to July 21. Filling the roster spot is Danny Valencia, who was hitting .250 with 7 home runs and 37 RBI at AAA-Rochester.

Twins' GM Terry Ryan put the team's 6-18 start in perspective by saying, "Right now, things are not going very well." After watching the Twins get no-hit by Jered Weaver, Ryan says, "Now we're in Seattle, and we have to turn the page and forget what happened."

Big moves following the Twins loss Wednesday night. Francisco Liriano was moved to the bullpen and Danny Valencia was optioned to Triple-A Rochester. Liriano has struggled with confidence and Valencia was in the midst of an 0-21 slump.

A bruised thumb forced Twins third-baseman Trevor Plouffe to miss a third straight game Monday night. He tried to take a couple of swings but was shut down after feeling discomfort. If he can’t play soon, he could land on the disabled list, paving the way for the possible return of Danny Valencia.

The Twins optioned third baseman Danny Valencia to Triple-A Rochester following Wednesday's loss to the Angels. Valencia's 0-21 slump dropped his average to .190. In another move the team designated relief pitcher Matt Maloney for assignment.

The MLB Winter Meetings concluded Thursday, meaning the Twins now have to dig through the free-agent scraps in order to upgrade the team. The digging job belongs to GM Terry Ryan, and it will be interesting to see what he does.