Miguel Sano Optioned to Single-A Amid Struggles

Miguel Sano's season-long struggles have caused the Minnesota Twins to demote the slugger to the minors. 

Per Phil Miller of the Star-Tribune, Sano has been sent to High-A Fort Myers to work on correcting his game. 

Speaking to reporters after Thursday's 3-1 loss against the Detroit Tigers, Twins manager Paul Molitor said the move is to get Sano back to being "the guy we think he can be."

Things have been off for Sano all season. He missed 25 games in April and May with a hamstring injury while posting a .203/.270/.405 slash line in 37 games prior to Thursday. 

Per FanGraphs, Sano's minus-0.2 wins above replacement rank 112th out of 128 AL hitters with at least 150 plate appearances.

After making his MLB debut in 2015, Sano looked like a budding superstar when he finished third in AL Rookie of the Year voting with 18 homers in 80 games. 

Last season saw Sano make the All-Star team for the first time when he hit a career-high 28 homers and tied for the team lead with a .507 slugging percentage.

The Twins had high hopes in 2018 after reaching the playoffs as a wild-card team last season. Their 29-36 record is third in the AL Central, six games behind the Cleveland Indians.