Santiago (shoulder) threw a bullpen session without issue Thursday and is still in the running to start Saturday, Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Prior reports noted that manager Paul Molitor didn't expect the southpaw to be ready for action by the time the weekend rolled around, although Thursday's outing seems to have brought his name back into consideration. Adalberto Mejia is expected to take one game of Saturday's doubleheader, and if Santiago is unable to pitch, minor-leaguer Chris Heston is a candidate to fill in during this turn of the rotation. Santiago's status for this weekend should become known once he's checked over Friday and Saturday.