Santana, who finished 16-8 with a 3.28 ERA in 211 1/3 innings, will start Tuesday's American League Wild Card Game, likely against the Yankees in the Bronx at 7 p.m. CT on ESPN. New York is expected to counter with right-hander Luis Severino if it doesn't win the AL East.
"It was a nice tuneup performance from him," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "Hopefully it gets him ready for Tuesday."
The Twins pushed up Santana by a day to have him start on regular rest on Tuesday, and they limited his pitch count to keep him fresh.