Twins Minor League Report (5/15): Payton Eeles Rehabs; Khadim Diaw, Gabriel Gonzalez Power Kernels Offensive Explosion

[Seth Stohs]

Image courtesy of David Malamut (photo of Gabriel Gonzalez)

The Twins streak now stands at 11 consecutive wins, and they have had contributions from more than just the current 26-man roster. St. Paul played two games in Des Moines. You'll want to see how #McCrusher did. You may not want to see how Marco Raya did? Wichita got some solid pitching, but very little offense. Speaking of offense, you will definitely want to see how things went in Cedar Rapids on Thursday night.  An "electric" prospect began his rehab assignment with a couple of hits for the Mighty Mussels. And, a rough streak came to an end in the FCL. It was a busy day in the Twins organization on Thursday. 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 24-20
St. Paul Saints: 21-18
Wichita Wind Surge: 20-16
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 21-14
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 16-20
FCL Twins: 5-3
DSL Twins: Scheduled to start on June 2.  

TRANSACTIONS
On Thursday morning, the Twins optioned RHP Simeon Woods Richardson to St. Paul. LHP Kody Funderburk, who was the Twins 27th man for Wednesday’s double header, will remain with the team on the 26-man roster. 

Infielder Armando Alvarez was activated by the Saints before their Thursday afternoon doubleheader.  

Infielder Payton Eeles begins his rehab assignment following offseason knee surgery with the Mighty Mussels. 

Unfortunately, Fort Myers put their top hitter, Jay Thomason, on the 7-Day Injured List with a right ankle sprain. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
Game 1: St. Paul 3, Iowa 8 
Box Score
Marco Raya needed 35 pitches to get through the first inning in his previous outing. Was Thursday’s start any better? 

Matt Shaw singled to lead off but was erased on a fielder’s choice. He walked Jonathan Long, but Carlos Perez struck out. A walk to Christian Franklin filled the bases. James Triantos came to the plate. With a 2-2 count, on Raya’s 28th pitch, Triantos doubled to empty the bases. One pitch later, Raya was out of the inning. 

In the bottom of the second inning, Raya got a groundout to start things. A walk to Shaw was followed by a strikeout and a pop out. 

Raya started the third inning. He gave up a leadoff double but then got the next two batters to ground out. He walked a batter, and that was it for his day. Travis Adams came on and got the final out without any further damage. 

Raya was charged with three runs on three hits and five walks in 2 2/3 innings. He had two strikeouts. He reached 67 pitches, but just 32 of them were strikes. 

Adams had a rough fourth inning in which he gave up four runs, but with the doubleheader, he had to work through it and, to some degree, had to eat some for the team. He went the final 3 1/3 innings and gave up five runs on five hits and a walk.

Down 7-0 going into the fifth inning, the Saints tried to mount a comeback. Emmanuel Rodriguez led off with his fifth double. Jair Camargo followed with his second home run of the season to cut the deficit to 7-2.   

Those two hits accounted for two of the Saints six hits in the game. Carson McCusker went 3-for-3 in the game. 

Game 2: St. Paul 7, Iowa 8
Box Score
The Saints got out to an early lead in the second game, but the late-inning bullpen struggled to close the door in the bottom of the seventh and then again in the bottom of the eighth. 

Let’s start with the positive, at least from the pitching standpoint. Darren McCaughan started and gave up one run on six hits over five innings. He walked one and struck out five batters. The lone run he gave up was on a Matt Shaw home run in the bottom of the first inning.

The Saints took the lead in the second frame. With two outs, Will Holland doubled to drive in Jeferson Morales. Holland scored on a wild pitch. 

St. Paul added two more in the third inning. Carson McCusker led off with a double. He scored on a Mike Ford single. It was a bit station-to-station with Ford leading the way. Armando Alvarez singled Ford to second. Jair Camargo singled Ford to third. Next, Morales hit a sacrifice fly to left field, deep enough to score Ford from third. 

Fast-forward to the top of the seventh inning. The Saints were ahead 4-1 and added one more for insurance. Mike Ford doubled and scored on an Emmanuel Rodriguez triple to make it 5-1. A good lead with just three outs to go.   

Jacob Bosiokovic came in to replace Ryan Jensen who pitched a scoreless sixth inning despite giving up two hits and two walks. The I-Cubs came out attacking the zone. Just eight pitches into the bottom of the seventh, it was a one-run game at 5-4. Owen Caissie doubled. Jonathan Long switched places with him. Reese McGuire hit a two-run homer. 

But Bosiokovic settled a bit. He got a fly out and a ground out. The Cubs called upon Carlos Perez to pinch hit, and he hit the third pitch he saw 413 feet to tie the game at 5-5.   

To extra innings, we go, err, they went! In the top of the eighth, Jair Camargo was the Manfred Man on second base. Morales was hit by a pitch. Two outs later, there were still runners on first and third. However, Mickey Gasper came up big again for the Saints and drilled a two-run double. 

With a two-run lead, the Saints turned to lefty Brady Feigl. With a runner on second base, Royce Lewis’s high school teammate Chase Strumpf hit Feigl’s seventh pitch out of the park for his seventh home run of the season. Game tied. 

One pitch later, Matt Shaw must have been guessing first-pitch changeup because that’s what he got and he stayed back and drilled it over the wall in right-center field for the walkoff I-Cubs win. 

The Iowa Cubs are the Triple-A affiliate of the Chicago Cubs. This roster is filled with top prospects despite recent promotions of RHP Cade Horton and C/1B Moises Ballesteros to the big leagues. For more on the Cubs, check out our sister site, North Side Baseball. Here are their Top 20 Cubs prospects.   

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 3, Arkansas 5
Box Score
The Wind Surge have been a bit streaky early this season. In this game, they got some solid pitching but just couldn’t push enough runs across the plate.     

Lefty Aaron Rozek started and was charged with two runs on six hits and two walks over five innings. He had six strikeouts. John Klein came on and gave up an unearned run on one hit and one walk over his three innings. He had four strikeouts. Michael Martinez came in for the ninth inning and gave up two runs on two hits. The big blow was a two-run homer off the bat of Hunter Fitz-Gerald.

The battery did help itself a few times. Ricardo Olivar picked a runner off of third base. Rozek and Klein each picked a runner off of second base. In fact, in the top of the fifth, the second out came on Olivar’s pick off and was immediately followed by Rozek picking off a runner at second. That could be a momentum changer. 

Down 2-0 in the bottom of the fifth inning, Ben Ross led off with a walk and stole second base. He scored on a Noah Cardenas double. Aaron Sabato lined a single to left, pushing Cardenas to third base. Tyler Dearden flew out, but it was deep enough to score Cardenas and tie the game at 2-2.   

In the top of the sixth, Klein entered. With one out, an infield single with a throwing error put a runner on second base. The next batter grounded back to the mound, but a throwing error pushed the unearned run across the plate.  Klein might have been Minnesota Upset, because he got the last two batters that inning to strike out. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Kala’i Rosario doubled with one out and advanced to third on a wild pitch. Kyler Fedko drove him in with a sacrifice fly that tied things at 3-3. 

Offensively, the Kernels managed just six hits and a walk. Rosario’s double was his fifth, and Cardenas’s was his fourth. Ross was the only Surge hitter to reach twice, on a single and a walk.     

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 15, Peoria 7 
Box Score
This Cedar Rapids lineup is capable of this kind of offensive outburst on any given day or night. They have immense, and very young, talent and enjoy hitting. On Thursday night in Iowa, one of their key instigators returned to the lineup after missing a week, and things clicked throughout the lineup. 

A week ago, Kyle DeBarge was hit by a pitch and hasn’t played since. He returned to the lineup and immediately had an impression. In addition, on Wednesday night, Kaelen Culpepper took off from third base on The Contact Play ® and slid arms-first into the catcher. It appeared that he may have had a stinger, but it could have been much worse. It was good to see him atop the lineup again on Thursday.

With one out in the bottom of the first inning, DeBarge walked. Brandon Winkour followed with a double, but a perfect relay got DeBarge at the plate. Fortunately, Gabriel Gonzalez crushed a home run to center field to give the Kernels a 2-0 lead. 

High-ceiling Jose Olivares started for the Kernels. He put two zeroes on the board before giving up four runs in the top of the third inning. 

So down 4-2 going to the bottom of the third, but Kernels batters went back to work. Jaime Ferrer led off with a single. Kaelen Culpepper was hit by a pitch. Kyle DeBarge singled to load the bases. Brandon Winokur drove in two runs with his 10th double of the season. Gabriel Gonzalez drove in two more when he switched spots with Winokur after hitting his 10th double. With one out, Khadim Diaw hit a long, two-run homer, his second of the season, to give the Kernels a six-run inning, and an 8-4 lead. 

Culpepper led off the fourth with a single, stole second and went to third on a wild pitch. He was still standing there with two outs, but Gonzalez came through again, driving in the Twins 2024 top pick with his 11th double.   

The fifth inning began with Khadim Diaw’s second home run of the game and third of the season, but they didn’t stop there, at 10 runs. Nate Baez singled. Caden Kendle singled. Baez scored on Jaime Ferrer’s double. It marked his fourth straight multi-hit game. Culpepper was hit by a pitch for the second time which loaded the bases again. DeBarge lined a double down the left field line and all three runners scored to stretch the lead to 14-4. With one out, Gonzalez lined his fourth hit of the game. This time it was a single to drive in DeBarge for the Kernels 15th run. All four of Gonzalez’s hits produced at least one run. 

Samuel Perez tossed two scoreless innings to improve to 2-0. Paulshawn Pasqualotto gave up a solo homer but got three strikeouts in his inning. Gabriel Yanez gave up two runs on five hits over two innings. Juan Mercedes gave up a hit and a walk but no runs in the ninth.   

• Kaelen Culpepper - single, twice hit by pitch, stole base, three runs
• Kyle DeBarge - single, double, two walks, two runs, 3 RBI
• Brandon Winokur - two doubles, two runs, two RBI
• Gabriel Gonzalez - single, two doubles, home run, two runs, six RBI
• Danny De Andrade - single 
• Khadim Diaw - two home runs, two runs, three RBI
• Nate Baez - two singles, two walks. 
• Caden Kendle - single
• Jaime Ferrer - single, double, walk, two runs, one RBI.     

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Jupiter 12
Box Score
Payton Eeles was in a lineup for the first time in 2025. He returned after having offseason knee surgery. In his first rehab game, he batted second and played second base. He went 2-for-3 and scored a run.    

Following the game, Eeles told Twins Daily, “(It) felt really good tonight, excited to be out there again. Was out for way too long.”   

Based on my DMs and messages, I think that Twins Daily readers are thrilled that Eeles is working his way back and we get to see his name in box scores again.

Maddux Houghton went 2-for-3 with two walks. He hit his first triple and scored three runs. He also stole two bases. Miguel Briceno went 2-for-4 with a walk. Peyton Carr walked three times. 

Overall, the Mussels were 2-for-15 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base.

Michael Carpenter gave up four runs on six hits over a career-high three innings. He had three strikeouts with no walks. Jakob Hall came on. He gave up seven runs on nine hits and a walk. He had five strikeouts. Ivran Romero gave up a run on two hits in his inning. He struck out two batters. Devin Kirby had a strikeout in a perfect inning.     

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 1, FCL Rays 2
Box Score
In the FCL Twins first game of the season, Eduardo Beltre hit a grand slam in his second at-bat. Since then, in these Twins Daily minor-league reports, his name hasn’t been mentioned with another hit. However, on Thursday, Beltre led off the game with a solid single, ending an 0-for-19 streak. 

With one out, he stole second base, and one batter later scored on a single by Bryan Acuna to give the Twins a 1-0 lead after a half-inning. 

Unfortunately, that was it for runs for the Twins. In fact, the only other hit was a double by Acuna. 

Melvin Rodriguez got the start for the Twins. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks. He had one strikeout. Ruddy Gomez got the next two innings. He gave up three hits, but no runs and no walks. He struck out three batters. Santiago Rojas pitched a perfect sixth inning. 

Not a lot of highlights in this one Beltre’s streak ended, and Bryan Acuna had a single and his second double.  

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter of the Day  
Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids): 4-for-6, 2-2B(11), HR(5), 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 K.
Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 5-for-7, BB, 2-2B(11), R, K.  

Pitcher of the Day 
Darren McCaughan (St. Paul): 5 IP, 6 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 1 HBP, 5 K. 85 pitches, 55 strikes (64.7%)

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

#3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 1-for-3, 2B(5), R; Game 2: 2-for-4, 2B(6), 3B(1),  RBI, K
#6 - Kaelen Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 HBP, 3 R, 2 K, SB(7). 
#9 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2-2B(10), 2 R, 2 RBI, K. 
#11 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2 BB, 2B(6), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K.
#14 - Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) - 4-for-6, 2-2B(11), HR(5), 2 R, 6 RBI, 2 K
#16 - Eduardo Beltre (FCL Twins) - 1-for-2, BB, R, K, SB(4)
#18 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 1-for-5, 2 K. OF Assist.
#19 - Carson McCusker (St. Paul) - Game 1: 3-for-3, Game 2: 2-for-4, BB, 2-2B(11), R, K
#20 - Ricardo Olivar (Wichita) - 0-for-4.  

FRIDAY PITCHING PROBABLES
Minnesota @ Milwaukee (7:10 PM CDT) - Joe Ryan (3-2, 2.74 ERA)
St. Paul @ Iowa (7:08 PM CDT) - RHP Zebby Matthews (2-1, 1.93 ERA)?
Arkansas @ Wichita (6:35 PM CDT) - LHP Christian MacLeod (0-1, 1.38 ERA)
Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - Jeremy Lee (2-2, 8.20 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Dylan Questad (1-1, 3.86 ERA)
FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 AM CDT) - TBD  

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the roster, and discuss Thursday’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related!

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[Patzky]

What a great comprehensive review. It makes it easy to recognize and get salivating (😉) for these guys to move up the ladder. Big Eeles fan, we live right by Coastal Carolina so they talk about him too here. He'll be in St Paul by July. 

 

Thank you again for the article.

[jorgenswest]

Encouraging recent stretch for Rodriguez. Good to see Eeles back. Gonzalez looks promising again and just 21. Looking forward to seeing McCusker get a chance.

[Otaknam]

I am very excited about Eeles, Kulpepper, and DeBarge as high potential infielders. Eeles is a great story and I thought he might make the big club this season until and injury happened. Let’s hope he regains his momentum from last season. Hopefully Winoker starts rolling offensively to add his name to the list. 

[terrydactyls]

Maybe if McCusker can get his batting average above .450 and continue hitting for power, the Twins "might" consider giving him an MLB tryout.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Gabriel Gonzalez is regaining that prospect shine.   .333/.387/.550  slash line is very pretty.   He is crushing high A pitchers right now.  I had always been skeptical of how he would do as he climbed the organizational ladder, especially with just a meh season last year at A+.  He very well could push himself into the top 10 prospects again.   

[bean5302]

...and "Clayton Kershaw" is almost back for the Dodgers. Coincidence? I think not.

[bean5302]

McCusker is like that perfect doughnut sitting on the counter that I promised I wouldn't eat until I go to the gym. No. I have to go to the gym first. There's a reason I have to go to the gym first... staaaaaare.

Gabriel Gonzalez needs to be in AA now.

I like to see Will Holland starting off well with the bat. We may need him at shortstop sooner than later...

[LambchoP]

This is getting crazy, Mccusker needs a call up now. Look at what he's done in AAA, it's past time to see what he can do in the majors, especially with Bader and Buxton banged up. Good to see Gonzalez having a bounce back year. Maybe a move up to AA is in his near future. Also great to see Eeles back. Hopefully he does great on the rehab and finds his way to the Saints soon. The Twins are suddenly very short on productive infielders. Raya looks totally lost this year, not sure what to do with him. Macgaghen, however you spell it, has looked good. He could help our pen when we need an arm.

[blairpaul715]

My wife and I are headed (by car)from Minot, ND to Cedar Rapids to take in 3 games this weekend. I have been there 3 times previously, love the park and Cedar Rapids Kernals have always had good teams. First time I went was in April of 2013 when Buxton (and a few other future Twins) with the  Kernals. 

GO KERNALS AND TWINS!!!!!

[jmlease1]

It's a nice collection of hitters in Cedar Rapids right now, and it'll be fun seeing who gets tapped for promotion to Wichita in the next month or so. Right now GG has to be at the top of the list and DeBarge is definitely a contender as well. The fact that DeBarge currently has more walks than K's is pretty exciting. (the steals are fun, but the lower ranks of the minors don't exactly do a great job of holding runners on or throwing people out, so I'll hold judgment on whether he's a true base-stealing threat for a while. but it's a nice potential option)

Eeles just needs to get some swings in, show he's healthy, and get back to Saint Paul. Anything he does in FL right now is a little meaningless in terms of results. The real question is what does he look like against advanced pitching in AAA and can he repeat the great work he did last season to get a shot at MLB. He's a fun story and I'm rooting for him.

[Major League Ready]

Would like to hear from anyone that has watched enough of Olivar at catcher to offer an opinion as to his ability to stick behind the plate at least as a back-up.  I could see him being promoted to AAA mid-year and playing with the big club next year if he can catch.   His ability to play some OF would be a plus.   

Cardenas offensive numbers look good too.  Perhaps he can be the one to fill the Vazquez role next year.  Would sure like to see that role filled internally with a replacement that can provide league average or better offense.