A 14th-round pick by the Braves in the 1999 First-Year Player Draft, Jones has endured plenty of ups and down in his career. Having played 7 1/2 years in the Minors for two organizations and suffering through one release just a few seasons into his career, Jones finally got the call that he had been waiting for on Sunday.

That's when Jones was pulled into the office of Triple-A Rochester manager Stan Cliburn and learned the news that he was finally headed to the Majors.

"I thought at first I had screwed up in the outfield or something," Jones said. "I didn't really react at first because I'd always imagined that kind of moment, and it didn't really hit me right away. It didn't sink in until I called my parents and told them. That's when the emotions kind of started flowing."

And it wasn't just the normal first-day jitters of being up at the big-league level for Jones. Instead, he walked into the clubhouse to find his name listed as the starting designated hitter in Tuesday's game against the Indians.

Jones expected plenty of family members in attendance for his debut. His mother and father were scheduled to take a flight in from Illinois, and his fiancée, Angie, was planning to drive from Chicago with some of Jones' friends.

It was a special day for Jones, but he didn't want the emotions to overrule the task at hand. And that is to help the Twins, who could use another power bat in the lineup. Jones has long been looked at as a player with potential. This spring, the Twins gave him plenty of chances, only to see Jones struggle with the opportunity.

But Jones feels like he's a different player than he was in Spring Training, when he hit just .205 (9-for-44) with one home run.

"I think every time, I was trying to hit a home run at the plate," Jones said. "You just can't do that. I started to get in some funks with my swing mechanically, and towards the end, I felt a little more in a groove. And it feels like night and day from spring until now."

Twins manager Ron Gardenhire said he noticed a difference in Jones near the end of Spring Training. And it's the player that he feels had emerged at Rochester, where Jones batted .305 with five home runs and 23 RBIs.

"As Spring Training went along, he relaxed a bit," Gardenhire said. "He really struggled early, trying to force it and you could see that. Once he relaxed and quit putting pressure on himself, he did well and hopefully that's what we will see now."

As for now, Jones will be limited to hitting in the DH spot, as well as backing up first base and right field. With Jones having not played much in left field, Gardenhire doesn't want to put him in a spot that he's unfamiliar with right now.

But no matter the amount of playing time, Jones is just happy to get the opportunity.

"Seven-and-a-half years is worth it just to be up here one day and be able to play in a game," Jones said. "I'm trying not to let it get to me now but I'm sure in a couple days it will be a little overwhelming. Right now I'm just happy to be here."

Limited work: The Twins signed Jeff Cirillo to give them not only a solid-hitting bat against left-handed pitchers, but also a veteran glove to backup all four infield positions.

But so far this season, Cirillo has been limited to just the role as a DH against lefties.

Cirillo has yet to play the field for the Twins. That's because his lateral movements still have not quite returned to form after he underwent arthroscopic surgery on his left knee last month. Though Cirillo said he could play the field if necessary, he admits that it wouldn't be to the level that he expects of himself.

"If you're on the active roster you want to play up to what you're capable of," Cirillo said. "It's hard to be active but yet, not be able to all the things I'm capable of doing."

Cirillo said he had a good workout on Sunday and has hope of getting back into the field soon. But the Twins aren't in a rush to get Cirillo in there.

"He's not quite there yet, and I want him to be sure," Gardenhire said. "I don't want to start him in a game, and he comes out after the second and says, 'I can't make it.' I really haven't had enough players to have the luxury to do that. But I would love to get him out there and play some defense."

Exactly when that will happen is uncertain, although Cirillo will be slotted in the DH spot for Wednesday's game against Indians left-hander C.C. Sabathia.

Work in progress: Sunday is the day when Joe Mauer is eligible to come off the disabled list. But it's still unclear whether the All-Star catcher will be ready to return then.

Mauer remains on schedule with his rehab, Gardenhire said. But Mauer still has yet to run or hit, both of which must take place before he is activated.

Mauer was able to do a different type of rehab on Tuesday, thanks to an underwater treadmill that the Indians have at Jacobs Field. The Twins are planning to have similar state-of-the-art equipment on hand when their new ballpark opens in 2010.

Cheaper by the dozen: The Twins are down to just 11 pitchers with the addition of Jones, but that will change this weekend when the club calls up a pitcher from Rochester to start Saturday's game at Milwaukee.

Gardenhire said he had hoped to have the extra bench player for the Interleague series against the Brewers, but he acknowledged he won't get that wish now.

"That's out," Gardenhire said. "We'll bring in a pitcher and make it back to 12 pitchers once again."

Twins Tidbits: The Twins' pitching staff won't take batting practice during the series against the Indians. Gardenhire said the staff did enough during the week to get them ready for the upcoming series against the Brewers. ... Justin Morneau celebrated his 26th birthday Tuesday. In games on his birthday, Morneau had gone 0-for-5 with two RBIs. ... The Twins' 22 hits in Sunday's victory over Detroit was only the 14th time in club history that Minnesota had recorded at least that many hits. But the news for the club after the success is a bit sobering. The Twins are 5-8 in games after recording at least 22 hits.

Down on the Farm: Dave Gassner gave up four runs on nine hits over 5 1/3 innings to suffer the loss as Rochester fell to Buffalo, 6-2, on Monday night. Matt Tolbert went 2-for-4 with a run scored to raise his season average to .396. ... Steve Tolleson, Erik Lis and Eli Tintor were the only three Miracle players to record a hit in Class A Fort Myers' 1-0 loss to Clearwater. Ryan Mullins gave up one run on six hits over seven innings to suffer his third loss of the season.

Coming Up: The Twins and Indians play the second game of their three-game series 6:05 p.m. CT Wednesday. Right-hander Carlos Silva will try to continue his string of good starts as he faces Cleveland ace Sabathia.