Twins Minor League Report (5/13): Jose Salas Pops for Cedar Rapids, But The Kernels Get Burned

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Jose Salas)

TRANSACTIONS

• The only move in the system on Tuesday was the Minnesota Twins sending RHP Michael Tonkin on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints.
• The Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were busy on Monday however, as C Luke Napleton and LHP Brennen Oxford were signed out of the Atlantic League and assigned to their roster. They joined RHP Ruddy Gomez who was promoted from the FCL Twins.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 6, Iowa 4
Box Score
Jose Miranda led off this one with a single for his first hit since returning to the Saints lineup. He and Edouard Julien, who drew a walk, came around to score on a double from Mike Ford for an early 2-0 lead.

Starter Andrew Morris promptly gave those runs back with three singles and a double in the bottom of the first, but like he has been doing so far on the season, went on to work around threats to limit damage in each of his next four innings. He did so by inducing three inning ending double-play balls, and in total was charged with three earned runs. This was somewhat miraculous as he gave up nine hits and two walks in his five innings, while striking out just one.

The Saints added two runs in the top of the fifth after a Mickey Gasper single and Julien double brought up Carson McCusker. It wasn’t a(nother) home run, but his double off the center field wall was enough.

They added single insurance runs in the sixth and seventh innings to keep their lead intact. A walk to Emmanuel Rodriguez and his fourth stolen base put him in scoring position. Ryan Fitzgerald then brought him in with a double that made it 5-3 in the sixth. In the seventh it was a Julien double followed by a ball hit so high into the air by McCusker that the defense lost sight of it, and it fell harmlessly just outside the infield grass for an RBI single and three-run lead.

That lead held up as the bullpen trio of Jacob Bosiokovic (IP, 2 K), Richard Lovelady (2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, 3 K), and Brady Feigl (IP) held the Cubs to just one run over their four innings. Morris picked up his first win of the season, while Bosiokovic and Lovelady picked up holds, and Feigl his second save.

The middle of the Saints lineup did most of the damage. Gasper (2-for-5, R, K), Julien (2-for-3, 3 R, 2 2B, 2 BB), McCusker (3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K), and Ford (2-for-5, 2B, 2 RBI, 3 K) collected nine of their 11 hits in the game.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Arkansas 6, Wichita 5
Box Score
The Wind Surge lineup got to work quickly in this one, scoring two runs in the bottom of the first for an early lead. Tanner Schobel led off with a double, and Ricardo Olivar promptly brought him in with an RBI single. After Olivar stole second base, Kala’i Rosario delivered a single to bring him home for a 2-0 lead.

Starting the first game of their series with the Travelers at Equity Bank Park in Wichita, was right-hander Trent Baker. He faced the minimum through two innings thanks to a double-play ball in the second, but Arkansas got him for a two-run homer in the third to tie the game at two. Those were Baker’s only runs allowed, as he went on to finish five innings, exiting the game with the Wind Surge up 3-2. He gave up four hits, walked none, and struck out five.

Wichita took that lead in the bottom of the fifth inning thanks to catcher Noah Cardenas. He smoked a full-count pitch onto the berm in left field for a solo home run.

They added a run in the seventh after Ben Ross led off with a single. He came around to score on a triple from Tyler Dearden to make it 4-2.

Reliever Mike Paredes came on to start the sixth inning and delivered two scoreless frames. Back out for the eighth, it went sideways with two outs. A single, double, walk, and another single tied the game at four before he got out of it. In all, Paredes was charged with two runs on four hits and a walk, while striking out three.

Wichita went back out front in the bottom of the frame after Rosario reached on a walk, moved to third on a Kyler Fedko single (and an error), and scored on a passed ball to make it 5-4.

Joel Cesar was brought on to close it out in the top of the ninth, but fared similar to Paredes in the eighth. With two outs and a runner on first, an RBI double followed by an RBI single put the Travelers in front by one before he picked up the third out with a K.

In the bottom of the ninth the Wind Surge went down one-two-three to fall into a 1st place tie with the Travelers in the Texas League North division. Arkansas outhit Wichita 10-7 on the game, and picked up one more hit when it mattered in the same amount of chances with runners in scoring position, to make up the difference and steal one late from the home team.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 13, Cedar Rapids 10
Box Score
The Kernels lineup got a huge performance out of a forgotten prospect that should have led them to an easy victory on Tuesday, but then the eighth inning happened…

Cedar Rapids took the first lead in the bottom of the second inning after a single from Nate Baez put a runner in scoring position. Jose Salas then delivered his first big hit of the night, an RBI single. Misael Urbina followed with an RBI single of his own to put them up by two.

Getting the starting nod for Cedar Rapids was Alejandro Hidalgo and he went five innings in this one. He held Peoria scoreless for the first two, but then gave up four runs over his final three innings. In all he was charged with four earned runs on seven hits in his five innings, striking out six.

Despite giving up those runs, Hidalgo was never behind on the scoreboard as the Kernels kept pace in the middle innings. In the bottom of the third Brandon Winokur reached base on an error to lead it off. He made Peoria pay by stealing second, his eighth swipe of the year, and later scoring on a groundout from Khadim Diaw.

In the fourth Salas led off with his first home run of the season, and the game, to make it 4-2 Kernels at the time.

Urbina followed with a triple, and Kaelen Culpepper an RBI double to go up by three.

The home team made most of their hay in the bottom of the fifth. Diaw got it started with a one-out single. Then Baez drew a walk in front of an RBI single from Jaime Ferrer. That brought Salas to the plate, and he again clubbed a homer, this one of the three-run variety for a seemingly comfortable 9-4 Kernels lead.

Bullpen stalwart Spencer Bengard came on for the sixth inning and was hit for an unearned run that made it 9-5. Another error in the sixth gave him some trouble, but he induced a double-play ball for a scoreless inning. But then came the eighth inning. Rather than recap the ludicrousness in its entirety, I’ll point you to Cedar Rapids Gazette reporter Jeff Johnson.

After it was done the Chiefs led 13-9 and the air had been sucked out of the home crowd. Kade Bragg got the final two outs of the inning, but in between was charged with three earned runs on five hits of his own. Jose Mercedes pitched a one-two-three ninth. 

The lineup got one of those runs back in the bottom half, when Brandon Winokur launched a long homer to make it 13-10, but that’s as close as they could get.

The teams combined for 31 hits on the game and finished 16-for-39 with runners in scoring position. They scored more runs than they left runners on base. Diaw (2-for-5, 2 R, RBI, K), Ferrer (2-for-5, R, K), and Urbina (2-for-2, R, RBI, 3 BB) chipped in with multiple hits. Salas’ 3-for-5 effort, including two homers and five RBI, was wasted. Winokur stole two bases in addition to his home run.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 4, Jupiter 5
Box Score
On the bump for Fort Myers on the road was righty Adrian Bohorquez, who hasn’t quite yet been able to match his success of last year. He pitched into the fourth inning in this one and struck out five, but also gave up three earned runs on five hits and a pair of walks. His ERA sits at 9.00 so far on the 2025 season.

The Mighty Mussels did jump out to a 2-0 lead after the top of the second inning, where Poncho Ruiz led off with a double, and jogged home on Migeul Briceno’s second home run of the season.

Cole Peschl came on in relief in the fourth, and finished the final 4 2/3 innings of the game. He was charged with the loss, but was solid by allowing just two runs (one earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out three.

Just like the second inning, in the sixth Ruiz led off with his eighth double of the season. A walk to Briceno and hit-by-pitch on Luke Napleton loaded the bases with one out. An error off the bat of Peyton Carr allowed them to tie the game at three.

Down 5-3 in the eighth, Briceno led off with a single, moved to second on a walk to Napleton, and they both moved up a base on a Carr groundout. Angel Del Rosario then delivered an RBI single to make it 5-4, but that was all they could get. In the top of the ninth Jay Thomason reached third base with just one out, but Briceno grounded into a double-play to end the game.

Thomason (2-for-4, BB, K), Ruiz (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 2B, 2 BB), and Briceno (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI, BB, K) each collected two hits in the loss, while the rest of the lineup finished 2-for-22.

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Rays 7, FCL Twins 3
Box Score
Right-hander Yoel Roque pitched the first inning for the Twins in one-two-three fashion as the opener. He gave way to Miguel Cordero to start the second inning, and he had some trouble keeping the Rays off the bases. In 2 2/3 innings he was charged with six runs (four earned) on six hits and two walks, striking out one. Leonardo Rondon was summoned in the fourth inning and got them through the seventh. He allowed one earned run on two hits, three walks, and struck out three. Aiberson Ventura got the final two frames and allowed two hits and a walk, but no more runs.

The Twins offense wasn’t able to take advantage of their chances as well as the Rays, finishing 2-for-10 with runners in scoring position, and leaving nine men on base. The Rays went 4-for-15, and left only eight.

The Twins scored single runs in each of the second, fifth, and sixth innings. Luis Fragoza drew a walk and came around to score thanks to a few wild pitches in the second. Murphy Hernandez clubbed a run-scoring double in the fifth, but they weren’t able to score any others despite having the bases loaded after with one out. In the sixth, Fragoza drew another walk, made it to third after a walk to Ricardo Pena and single from Irvin Nunez, and stole home for the teams third and final run.

Hernandez (2-for-4, 2B, RBI, K, SB) led the way with a pair of hits. Daiber De Los Santos added a triple.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Trent Baker, Wichita Wind Surge (5 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 5 K)
Hitter of the Day – Jose Salas, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-5, 2 R, 2 HR, 5 RBI, K)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Tuesday.

#3 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, R, BB, K, SB (4)
#6 – Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, 2B, RBI, BB, K
#8 – Andrew Morris (St. Paul): W, 5 IP, 9 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, K
#9 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 SB (9)
#14 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, BB, K
#16 – Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins): 0-for-5
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita): 1-for-4, R, 2B, BB
#18 – Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers): 0-for-5
#19 – Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2B, 3 RBI, K
#20 – Ricardo Olivar (Wichita): 1-for-4, R, RBI, SB (1)

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Iowa (12:08 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (1-2, 8.53 ERA)
Arkansas @ Wichita (11:05 AM CDT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-2, 3.63 ERA)
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Tanner Hall (1-2, 4.81 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Michael Ross (0-0, 2.70 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

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[LambchoP]

Still waiting on the Mccusker call up......

[bean5302]

 

Still waiting on the Mccusker call up......

I'd still like to see closer to 200 PA this year. Same guy, age 26 in AAA last year in a similar sample size to what he's got right now went .286/.337/.484 wRC+ 107. McCusker's career AAA BABIP is sitting at about .425 right now. That's not going to happen at MLB with the top 10% of qualified hitters at about .340 BABIP and the leader was .370 last year. Love what he's doing, especially with the K rate continuing to drop, but I'd like him to have the adjustments made and be ready for MLB before calling him up.

It's tempting to just promote the guy making the highlight reel seemingly every day, but patience will pay dividends.

[Doctor Gast]

Saints won, but I'd like a little bit better from Morris, though. Very disappointed that the Twins aren't serious in developing Miranda & Julien at their best position, & their need at 1B.

Surge played good ball but lost a heartbreaker. 

Since Twins moved Salas off SS, I've advocated for them to try Salas at catcher. It has to be in his DNA & Twins desperately need top catchers,

[bean5302]

I was hoping those back to back home run games for Rodriguez would be the start of a hot run at the plate, but it seems probably not. Emma still struggling, even with the 2 good games recently, he's not getting hits. Last 10 games .192/.400/.423 OPS .823, wRC+ 129, 25.7% BB, 37.1% K. The 25% walk rate will not hold in MLB, it'll drop to 15% and his K rate will jump to 50%. Having a walk rate that high just says pitchers expect Rodriguez will either chase and whiff on junk or stare at balls with the lumber sitting on his shoulder looking for mistakes like Julien. Neither methodology will work at MLB, and honestly, neither is even working in AAA. He needs to show results sooner than later to remain a top prospect.

I like what MiLB rule 5 acquisition Trent Baker is doing in Wichita this year. The 26 year old should be in AAA already now that he's got his walks under control. Probably a bullpen piece with a violent delivery and 3 pitches fastball/change/slider, the latter of which was apparently pretty weak back when he was drafted in 2021. If the Twins can get something out of him, it'd be good to see.

Jay Thomason's been mentioned in comments in previous days/weeks as well. He continues to rake in Ft. Myers and it doesn't seem like there's much more reason for him to be there. He's old for the level, he's taking walks and hitting for power. The K rate is too high, but he needs to face better competition to see whether or not it's just a SSS issue. That said, Cedar Rapids is full of guys hitting well this year blocking Thomason from moving up, and in AA, there's not a ton of room, either.

I think it's time to part ways with a couple of the aging lower performers in St. Paul to allow for guys who need to move up to get some playing time at a higher level. We can't continue to log jam guys in the minors until they're entering their late 20s.

[Dantheman]

Looking at our young prospects that are in triple A, on the hitters side of the ball we got Rodriguez who is big talent just taking him some time to get the ball rollin but I have high hopes for him to make a splash this year, obviously we have the giant who needs to be called up, the guy rakes. I know his K percentage is high but we want some power up in the bigs. On the pitching side of things to me really 3 of the 4 young guys we have not been the greatest. Raya numbers are ridiculous not in the way you’d want them to be ridiculous, Lewis is pretty much in the same boat with raya, Morris hasn’t been bad but not what i expected from such a high prospect, his numbers could be a lot higher then what they are, he’s got a 1.80 whip, 15 more hits then innings pitched and strikeouts aren’t terrible but to be giving up that many hits you need to strikeout more. And last is Adams who’s been quiet the surprise to start the season, he’s been dominating, one thing maybe I’d like to see more from him is couple more punch outs but other then that he’s been nasty, he gets lots of ground balls and doesn’t walk many people which is a recipe for success. 

[Danchat]

Wasn't Tonkin already at AAA for rehab?

[quote]The teams combined for 31 hits on the game and finished 16-for-39 with runners in scoring position.[/quote]

Holy barnacles, what a game that must have been! Over 2 RISP opportunities per inning.

[DJL44]

Jose Salas is raking this spring. He's also played every position except C, P and 1B.

[DJL44]

 

I'd like him to have the adjustments made and be ready for MLB before calling him up.

Unlikely to happen. It doesn't appear that the pitchers at AAA have the ability to challenge him to force those adjustments.

[DJL44]

 

I'd still like to see closer to 200 PA this year. Same guy, age 26 in AAA last year in a similar sample size to what he's got right now went .286/.337/.484 wRC+ 107. McCusker's career AAA BABIP is sitting at about .425 right now. That's not going to happen at MLB with the top 10% of qualified hitters at about .340 BABIP and the leader was .370 last year. Love what he's doing, especially with the K rate continuing to drop, but I'd like him to have the adjustments made and be ready for MLB before calling him up.

It's tempting to just promote the guy making the highlight reel seemingly every day, but patience will pay dividends.

Suppose his batting average drops 100 points going to the major leagues. That's still a .244/.307/.564 batting line. This is a guy with an ISO SLG of 200 last season and 320 this season. If he hits .230 with a .480 SLG, he'll make an impact.

[bean5302]

 

Wasn't Tonkin already at AAA for rehab?

[quote]The teams combined for 31 hits on the game and finished 16-for-39 with runners in scoring position.[/quote]

Holy barnacles, what a game that must have been! Over 2 RISP opportunities per inning.

He was, but the Twins shut down his rehab because of biceps tendinitis just a few days ago. He got an injection and apparently, he must be doing a lot better. I think the expectation is he was going to have to go back on the IL, but the Twins need help resting the bullpen.

[bean5302]

 

Suppose his batting average drops 100 points going to the major leagues. That's still a .244/.307/.564 batting line. This is a guy with an ISO SLG of 200 last season and 320 this season. If he hits .230 with a .480 SLG, he'll make an impact.

McCusker was league average last year. He was basically Yunior Severino, but I don't recall you chomping at the bit to get Severino up on the roster in previous seasons during his hot streaks?

Not saying McCusker won't rake right out of the gate, but I am saying it's worth it to give him a chance to get some still small, but at least respectable sample sizes before projecting him as a force in the lineup.

[DJL44]

 

McCusker was league average last year. He was basically Yunior Severino, but I don't recall you chomping at the bit to get Severino up on the roster in previous seasons during his hot streaks?

Severino has never hit for power like McCusker is doing this season. McCusker will frustrate lots here with a ton of strikeouts but he'll hit the ball very, very hard when he makes contact. If France is out they'll need another bat. If Bader is out they need an outfielder.

[Doctor Wu]

 

He was, but the Twins shut down his rehab because of biceps tendinitis just a few days ago. He got an injection and apparently, he must be doing a lot better. I think the expectation is he was going to have to go back on the IL, but the Twins need help resting the bullpen.

I was wondering about that too. I could have sworn that Tonkin had already started his rehab stint. Thanks for that explanation. 

[Doctor Wu]

 

Jose Salas is raking this spring. He's also played every position except C, P and 1B.

I checked his stats and he is indeed having a monster season at both levels he's played. Sure, the season is still very young, but this is a very encouraging level of play for Salas. But yeah, where does he ultimately play, or does he become the new Castro in the system?

[bean5302]

 

I checked his stats and he is indeed having a monster season at both levels he's played. Sure, the season is still very young, but this is a very encouraging level of play for Salas. But yeah, where does he ultimately play, or does he become the new Castro in the system?

The real question is what happens when Rocco's custom magic 8 ball assigns multiple players to the same position now that the extreme shift is banned. Does Rocco just shake it again or does the player get to choose?

[Major League Ready]

 

Severino has never hit for power like McCusker is doing this season. McCusker will frustrate lots here with a ton of strikeouts but he'll hit the ball very, very hard when he makes contact. If France is out they'll need another bat. If Bader is out they need an outfielder.

Two years ago Severino hit 35 bombs which might have been the most home runs in all of Milb   I seem to recall one of the Saints announcers saying his total across two levels was the most in all Milb.

[Steve Lein]

 

Severino has never hit for power like McCusker is doing this season. McCusker will frustrate lots here with a ton of strikeouts but he'll hit the ball very, very hard when he makes contact. If France is out they'll need another bat. If Bader is out they need an outfielder.

I mean, Severino led all of the minor leagues in home runs in 2023... 😉

[LambchoP]

If Bader goes on the IL, Mccusker better get the call. Starting Keirsey is a recipe for disaster. I cannot believe we pulled out a win yesterday with Keirsey, Bride and Clemens in the lineup. That's basically 3 automatic outs, we won't win many games with a lineup like that .....

[DJL44]

 

I mean, Severino led all of the minor leagues in home runs in 2023... 😉

McCusker is ahead of the pace Severino set in 2023.

Severino 2023 SLG .546, ISO SLG 274, 1 XBH every 9.6 PA, 1 HR every 15 PA

McCusker 2025 SLG .648, ISO SLG 312, 1 XBH every 7.4 PA, 1 HR every 14 PA

McCusker is on a 40 HR / 40 2B pace.

[Steve Lein]

 

McCusker is ahead of the pace Severino set in 2023.

Severino 2023 SLG .546, ISO SLG 274, 1 XBH every 9.6 PA, 1 HR every 15 PA

McCusker 2025 SLG .648, ISO SLG 312, 1 XBH every 7.4 PA, 1 HR every 14 PA

McCusker is on a 40 HR / 40 2B pace.

Absolutely you can compare these seasons and the players in this way, but your originating statement is shown here to be quite a stretch to make. That was a great season for Severino. McCusker is certainly having a great one this year, and I would agree, even arguably better in some ways. But you can pretty much insert the Spiderman pointing at Spiderman meme here.

[DJL44]

 

Absolutely you can compare these seasons and the players in this way, but your originating statement is shown here to be quite a stretch to make. 

I didn't think it was much of a stretch to point out an 80 XBH pace is better than a 55 XBH pace.

[DJL44]

 

He was, but the Twins shut down his rehab because of biceps tendinitis just a few days ago. He got an injection and apparently, he must be doing a lot better. I think the expectation is he was going to have to go back on the IL, but the Twins need help resting the bullpen.

Does that reset his 30-day clock for rehab or do they still need to make a decision by May 21?

[bean5302]

 

Does that reset his 30-day clock for rehab or do they still need to make a decision by May 21?

No idea, but they'll just slap him back on the IL if he's not ready by then, right?

[Steve Lein]

 

I didn't think it was much of a stretch to point out an 80 XBH pace is better than a 55 XBH pace.

I mean, that's not what the math says if your numbers are correct above, but I'll agree the pace is "better."