Minnesota Twins 2024 Opening Day 26-Man Roster: Get to Know 'Em

[Nick Nelson]

The Minnesota Twins have officially announced their Opening Day roster, with a few moderate surprises compared to expectations at the start of spring camp. Read on for a rundown of who made the team, and the roles they will fill.

As usual, the Twins will enter the season carrying 13 pitchers (five starters, eight relievers) and 13 position players, accounting for nine starters and a four-man bench. Read on for a quick rundown of where all 26 members of the active roster stand as the new season gets underway.

CATCHER (2)

Ryan Jeffers (26 years old): Looking to assert himself as catcher 1-A following a breakthrough season, in which he led all major-league catchers in OPS. Launched four homers and slugged .808 in spring training.

Christian Vázquez (33): Worked hard in the offseason following a disappointing debut. His $10-million salary as a backup catcher looms large amid payroll cuts, but Vázquez offers valuable depth and stability. He and Jeffers caught every single inning for the Twins last year.

INFIELDERS (5)

Carlos Correa (29): Can he rebound from a career-worst season hampered by plantar fasciitis? The shortstop reports that his foot feels better, and he looked pretty mobile in camp, but the proof will be in the pudding. 

Kyle Farmer (33): Looking to build off an excellent second half and fill a valuable role as the righty-swinging side of a second base platoon. Farmer's also the top depth charge behind Correa at short, and a cherished personality staple in the clubhouse. 

Edouard Julien (24): He just does not stop producing offensively – a trend that carried into his phenomenal rookie season with the Twins and spilled over to this spring, where he had a .994 OPS. Julien will lead off against righties and should be an intimidating tone-setter for the lineup.

Royce Lewis (24): Overcoming the injury hump is the only thing standing between Lewis and superstardom. For the first time in years, he is entering a season with no health issues, and looks poised to dominate the league as Minnesota's everyday third baseman.

Carlos Santana (37): Seemingly the weak link in this season-opening infield mix. Santana was once a great hitter but has been diminished in recent years, and will be valued at first more for his defense, experience and steadiness than upside. The Twins hope José Miranda emerges here at some point.

OUTFIELDERS (6)

Byron Buxton (30): It feels so good to write his name into this section once again. Buxton was healthy and extremely productive in spring training, invigorating his coaches and teammates by flying around the bases and diving for balls in the outfield. We know how fleeting this can be, but Buck is good to go in center field to start the season, and that's easily the team's most encouraging storyline.

Willi Castro (26): He's listed as an outfielder, but Castro is a true utility man, capable of plugging in all over the field. He gives Rocco Baldelli a lot of flexibility for lineup construction and in-game moves, and at 26, Castro still isn't necessarily a finished product. He was crushing the ball in spring training, where he batted .341.

Max Kepler (31): It's likely the end of an era of Kepler in right field, and he's set up to go out with a bang. If he can recapture his second-half form from 2023, Kepler will add tremendous star-caliber depth to the lineup. He'll also be in line for a pretty payday in free agency.

Alex Kirilloff (26): He'll spend some time at first base, but Kirilloff seems likely to factor more at designated hitter and the outfield early on. He was swinging the bat extremely well in spring training, which was a big positive coming off another offseason surgery. 

Manuel Margot (29): Acquired via trade from Los Angeles to provide a viable backup plan in center behind Buxton, or – more optimistically – a solid platoon bat to plug into the corners. Margot had a really brutal spring (3-for-41, zero XBH, zero walks). 

Matt Wallner (26): Was also slumping through the spring before he broke out with a couple of monster home runs at the end. Streakiness is to be expected from the young slugger, but we've seen what he can do when he's hot. It all comes down to how frequently he can get into those zones, and for how long. Expect Wallner to sit in favor of Margot or Castro against lefthanders.

ROTATION (5)

Pablo López (28): Minnesota's Opening Day starter for a second straight season, and this time there is no doubting his worthiness. López is a legit ace, one of the best starting pitchers in the league and an expected Cy Young contender. Given the October impact we've already seen, his ongoing health and success might be the single biggest factor in the Twins' championship hopes.

Bailey Ober (28): The big righty turned a corner in terms of durability and workload last year, totaling 170 innings between the majors and minors. He also pitched like a frontline MLB starter, positioning himself to step up as No. 2 behind López and play a key role in filling the void left by Sonny Gray's departure.

Chris Paddack (28): Returned from Tommy John surgery to throw fire out of the bullpen last September and October. Now he looks to transition back into the rotation, where he has the stuff to excel. The big question is how well he'll hold up; Paddack hasn't thrown more than 108 innings since he was a rookie back in 2019.

Joe Ryan (27): At his best, he looks like an All-Star. That was the case last year, before he tried pitching through an injury and started giving up home runs in bunches. He believes he's made the right adjustments to shore up his game this year, and there's buzz surrounding some enhancements to his pitch mix. With the rare fastball that can consistently induce whiffs in the zone, Ryan has a primary ingredient for sustainable success.

Louie Varland (26): An elbow setback for Anthony DeSclafani pushed Varland from St. Paul's No. 1 starter to Minnesota's No. 5 starter. The team will hope that some workshopping of his own arsenal leads to better results for the righty, who has a 4.83 ERA in 15 MLB starts. It seems noteworthy that all five Twins starters are between the ages of 26 and 28.

BULLPEN (8)

Jorge Alcalá (28): Has been limited to 13 total appearances for the Twins over the past two seasons, but his arm finally seems to be in a good place. Injuries elsewhere in the bullpen helped him secure this Opening Day spot. He'll likely be counted on to throw multiple innings with some frequency.

Daniel Duarte (27): Non-roster invite impressed in camp and elevated himself to the roster amidst a deluge of reliever injuries. He has the stuff to get outs, but he needs to throw it in the zone. Encouragingly, the righty didn't issue a single walk this spring.

Kody Funderburk (27): Sneaks in as the second bullpen lefty due to Caleb Thielbar's hamstring injury. Fundy impressed during his first taste of the majors, posting a 19-to-5 strikeout-to-walk ratio in 12 innings to earn a spot on the playoff roster.

Jay Jackson (36): Veteran journeyman was signed as a free agent during the offseason. Initially pegged for middle-relief duty but could be elevated into a setup role by injuries. Well-traveled righty lives and dies by his slider, which he'll throw around two-thirds of the time. 

At age 36, this is the first time Jay Jackson has made an MLB Opening Day roster.

"I’m thankful and blessed and grateful to have been able to enjoy this journey to this point, and even though it’s taken 17 [years], it’s been a wonderful 17. I wouldn’t change it for the world."

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 27, 2024

Griffin Jax (29): He was already in line for a key bullpen role before Jhoan Durán went down. Now, Jax could very well be the crux of the unit. He looks equipped to answer the call as Baldelli's late-inning fireman, armed with one of the best pitches in the league as his featured offering. Jax's sweeper somehow keeps getting better.

Steven Okert (32): In the wake of the Thielbar injury, the acquisition of Okert in exchange for Nick Gordon looks especially sage. He will likely be Baldelli's top weapon against lefty hitters, though Okert has fairly neutral splits. Twins are hoping last year's second-half struggles don't resurface.

Cole Sands (26): Posted a 5.52 FIP in 22 innings last year and was horrible this spring. He's here because the Twins simply need bodies in the bullpen with Thielbar, Durán and Justin Topa all down. Sands can provide some length and throw multiple innings, but should be reserved for mop-up duty.

Brock Stewart (32): He was the most dominant Twins reliever when healthy last year – ahead of even Durán and Jax – but staying healthy has been a constant battle for the veteran righty. He seems to be feeling good coming out of camp and is expected to serve as primary closer at the start of the season.

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Is this the right roster, given the choices the Twins were left with at the end of the Grapefruit League schedule? Do you expect them to get off to a strong start? Join the discussion below.

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[roger]

Thanks, Nick.  And isn't it great that we get to watch a meaningful baseball game this afternoon.

One question.  Do you know the corresponding 40-man roster move related to adding Duarte?  Or did they have an open spot on the 40-man?

[FlyingFinn]

9 minutes ago, roger said:

Do you know the corresponding 40-man roster move related to adding Duarte? 

DeSclafani moves to the 60 day IL.

[jmlease1]

Duarte is probably the biggest surprise, but otherwise this is pretty chalk. There are some different names in the bullpen because of injuries, but going into the year, Funderburk always looked like the LHP replacement for Thielbar (or Okert once he was signed), Alcala was already battling with Staumont for a slot, and Sands has been in the "long man" role before. 

the bullpen injuries are a bummer; I was looking forward to seeing what Topa could do, and Duran isn't replaceable. But the depth we brought in and have within the the system should be able to hold things down overall. I'm still a big fan of Alcala if he's healthy and he sure looks like he is now.

No surprises at all on the position side; kinda nice to not be battling injuries there. I'm mildly concerned about Santana being overexposed as an every day 1B, and I'd like Kirilloff to get consistent work there rather than just be a DH (I don't see him getting any real OF time unless Kepler or Wallner are injured or need a day off against a RHP, and even then we might see Castro out there). health and 2nd year regression are the biggest factors the lineup is facing IMHO; otherwise it's deep and talented with flexibility. The worst hitter by a mile is the backup catcher, who provides quality defense.

[Rhyno006]

Ober didn't look to have had that great of a spring training from what I saw, can anyone corroborate or discount that? What little I saw of him has me slightly nervous. If he and Ryan don't have average to above average seasons the starting rotation overall doesn't make me super excited.

 

Enough to win the Central? Probably... but aren't we shooting a bit higher these days? Curious what anyone with more of a brain than I have thinks. ;) 

[sweetmusicviola16]

There were zero surprises actually. Only injuries allowed Varland, Funderburk, Sands and Duarte to make the team.

[Shaitan]

Sands is still a bit of a surprise to me. But with options, I'm sure he or Funderburk will be the first to get on the Green Line.