Helman is not a bad fielder but Rodriguez and Rosario  are very bad.

12 hours ago, RpR said:

Helman is not a bad fielder but Rodriguez and Rosario  are very bad.

Jose Rodriguez is not a very accomplished outfielder but still working on his skills. If you are referencing Emmanuel Rodriguez you have evidenced zero knowledge of his talent with the glove. I have seen him play dozens of times but will simply refer you to Eric Longenhagen at Fangraphs.

Helman is a useful player. I could easily see him making the Twins squad in a utility role.

If K Rosario was closer to MLB ready. He would have been protected. Helman would be a free agent if he were outrighted off the 40man. This way, both stay in the organization. 

Rosario’s inclusion would essentially make it a 39 man roster for much of the year and reduce his option count by 1. There is risk in putting him on the 40 man too early. The Twins will need reinforcements at time from AAA. Helman with his positional flexibility, speed and contact skills can be called on for any position other than catcher.

That said…

It really isn’t a choice between Helman and Rosario. They have a space for both on the 40 right now and can still DFA Helman later if it will improve the roster. I think this was all about their assessment of Rosario’s readiness to contribute in 2025.