CLEVELAND — Don’t tell Mr. October. His ego hardly needs the help.

However, something seemed to click for Twins rookie Max Kepler after he received a brief hitting tutorial from hall of famer Reggie Jackson before a June 25 game at Yankee Stadium.

Monday’s three-homer explosion for Kepler, just the fifth in 56 years of Twins baseball, gave him 12 homers, 32 runs batted in and a .649 slugging percentage in his past 31 games (114 at-bats) since he met Jackson. The message was about using batting practice to spray the ball around the field rather than seeing how far you can hit the ball to the pull side.

“I’m 70 years old and I can do that,” Jackson famously barked. “Let me see you go the other way.”

In his first 31 games (and 89 at-bats) this season prior to that summit, Kepler slugged just .416 with two homers and 12 runs batted in.

Any connection?

“It enlightened me to work on different stuff in BP which could translate over into the games,” said Kepler, who hit his 15th homer on Tuesday. “It’s not like everyday I remind myself what Reggie said, but I have a plan in BP now.”

More significant for Kepler, who leads all major leaguers in homers since June 25, has been those around him every day, especially Twins hitting coach Tom Brunansky. Second baseman Brian Dozier, by the way, is second in that span with 11 homers.

“I owe a lot to the guys on this team for pushing me,” Kepler said. “And Bruno just builds me up every day by telling me mechanically I’m good and I just have to focus on the mental stuff, which as a young player isn’t easy. But with time I think I’ll make some good adjustments. That’s all I really want to do, you know?”

Scouts are raving about Kepler’s ability to adjust within an at-bat to what pitchers are doing to him. Most young players must wait until the next at-bat if not the following game or two.

“Bruno helps me out,” Kepler said. “He’s a good speaker. Very motivational.”

Both Brunansky and Twins manager Paul Molitor have noted Kepler’s ability to impact backspin on the ball with a line-drive swing.

“My mindset is I’m just trying to put the ball in play,” Kepler said. “Hit it hard and just be thankful for the backspin that Bruno told me I was blessed with.”

SANO PLAN

Struggling Twins star Miguel Sano was back in Tuesday’s line at designated hitter after joining boyhood friend Jorge Polanco for extensive pregame fielding work with Twins infield coach Gene Glynn.

Sano, in a 3-for-23 tailspin and with 11 errors in his past 19 games at third base, isn’t necessarily at risk for a demotion to Triple-A Rochester once Trevor Plouffe (cracked rib) comes off the disabled list in the coming days.

“I haven’t thought about that as an option here for now,” Molitor said. “We’re going to have to do something when Trevor comes back, whenever that is. He’s anxious to get back quickly, and we’re going to make sure he’s ready.”

Plouffe, out since July 1, was set to start a six-game rehab assignment Tuesday with the Red Wings. He will spend time at DH, third base and first base while he’s down there.

His status will be reassessed Thursday after he plays a three-game home series against the Pawtucket Red Sox. From there, he figures to head south to face the Lehigh Valley IronPigs, a 4 1/2-hour bus ride from Rochester.

Sano sat out three of the previous five days, during which the Twins went 3-0, Molitor noted.

“I’m trying not to put people over other people just because of name and reputation,” Molitor said. “We have people I’ve been trying to get a good look at here, especially as we get into the last two months. I’d like to play him as much as I can, but there are days when it makes sense for me to get him to sit back and watch the game. Sometimes that can be good.”

Molitor went on to suggest competition is good for all involved.

“We’ve got to keep these guys hungry and not (let them) get comfortable,” Molitor said. “(Sano) is not the only one that we’re going to have to continue to do that with.”

BRIEFLY

Center fielder Byron Buxton (bruised right knee) was slated to take batting practice and go through his normal pregame work as the Twins try to determine whether he’ll be available off the bench Tuesday. Buxton had to leave Sunday’s game after feeling a pop behind his right knee, which he banged into outfield walls twice in early July.

Newly acquired left-hander Hector Santiago was scheduled to fly into town on Tuesday night and officially join the club on Wednesday in advance of his Twins debut on Thursday afternoon.

Danny Santana was back in the lineup Tuesday after hyperextending his left knee while trying to make a sliding catch in foul ground the night before. Santana brief felt numbness in his knee but after a few minutes was able to stay in the game.