Mizzou Baseball in the Minors: Kyle Gibson added to Twins 40-man roster

♦ Former Missouri Baseball pitcher Kyle Gibson was moved from the AAA Rochester roster to the Minnesota Twins' 40-man roster on Tuesday.

Outfielder Aaron Hicks and right-hander Kyle Gibson were among eight players added to the Minnesota Twins' 40-man roster on Tuesday. (1500ESPN.com)

Tuesday was the deadline for teams to add players to the 40-man, protecting those eligible from the Dec. 6 Rule 5 draft. Beyond Gibson and Hicks, the Twins added six others: catcher Josmil Pinto, shortstop Daniel Santana, starting pitcher B.J. Hermsen and relievers Michael Tonkin, Caleb Thielbar and Tim Wood. (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

Each Major League Baseball team maintains both a 25-man roster and a 40-man roster of players. Players on the 25-man roster are eligible to play in official major league games throughout the season. The 40-man roster includes the players on the 25-man roster plus as many as 15 players who are either on the team's 7- or 15-day disabled list (see below), who are on paternity leave for up to 3 days, or who are in the team's minor league system. From September 1 through the end of the regular season, any player on the 40-man roster (also referred to as the "expanded roster") is eligible to play in an official regular season game. Many young players make their Major League debuts in this way, as "September call-ups." (Wikipedia)

♦ Kyle Gibson discusses the long road to this point, including his decision to play baseball at Mizzou, in  Kyle Gibson: Ready to prove he has the right stuff (Minneapolis Star Tribune)

"I was really skinny and didn't really throw that hard," Gibson said. "I think senior year, I was throwing 86-91 [miles per hour], so it wasn't like I was a super prospect."

Gibson chose to attend Missouri, defying his father, who thought he should sign with the Phillies.

"I was so upset with him," Harold Gibson said. "We hardly talked for a week. I said, 'Do you know how many kids would kill to be in your position?' He said, 'Dad, I don't want to go to the minors. I want to go to the majors.'"

Gibson knew he wasn't physically ready for professional baseball. He got taller and filled out his slender frame at Missouri. By his junior year, he was listed as a potential top-10 draft pick.