Twins Minor League Report (8/12): Adrian Bohorquez Dazzles in Cedar Rapids, While Kyler Fedko Smashes For St. Paul

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Kyler Fedko)

TRANSACTIONS

• OF Carson McCusker and C Jhonny Pereda were optioned back to St. Paul from the Twins. RHP Cole Percival was moved from the 7-day injured list to the 60-day.
• Down in the Midwest League, top pitching prospect LHP Dasan Hill was promoted to the Kernels from Fort Myers. RHP Xander Hamilton and UT Jay Thomason were placed on the 7-day injured list. C Luis Hernandez was also promoted from the Mighty Mussels on Tuesday, and LHP Samuel Perez was placed on the IL.
• In Fort Myers, OF Angel Del Rosario was released.

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 7, Omaha 8
Box Score
The Saints, or more specifically Kyler Fedko, wasted little time getting the scoring started in this one. Fedko batted second in the lineup and sent the third pitch of the game out of the stadium on a solo home run to center field.

Taking the bump for the Saints for the second time in the Twins organization, was right-hander Taj Bradley. He gave up a pair of singles in the first, but struck out the other three hitters he faced. In the second he allowed another single, but struck out two more for five K’s out of his six outs. Unfortunately in the third, that contact got a bit louder. A leadoff double, single, and three-run homer put the Storm Chasers in front 3-1.

In the top of the fight the Saints retook the lead behind a two-run homer from DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and solo shot from Jose Miranda two batters later to make it 4-3 good guys.

Bradley was back out for the fifth after a one-two-three fourth inning, but allowed Omaha to tie it back up while responsible for two more runners before his night was done. John Klein came on in relief and allowed both those runners to score to put the Storm Chasers up by two. Bradley finished with a final line of 4 2/3 IP and six earned runs on eleven hits, while striking out six.

Klein would go on to finish 3 1/3 innings, allowing just one hit (that scored the two runs charged to Bradley) and two walks, while punching out six of his own.

In the top of the sixth after Omaha had taken the lead, the top of the Saints lineup again came through. Payton Eeles led off with a walk, and Fedko followed with his second home run of the game, and 23rd of the season to tie it at six.

Still tied in the top of the eighth, the first three St. Paul hitters drew a walk to load the bases with nobody out, but they only managed one run on a James Outman grounder before a hot liner from Gabriel Gonzalez turned into a double-play ball to end the threat.

Jarret Whorff came on for the save opportunity and despite showing a very good instinct for challenging pitches, getting three ball calls overturned to strikes that probably caught less than a half-inch in total of the strike zone, he wasn’t able to get those turned into enough outs. A leadoff double followed by a single tied the game at seven, and with two outs another single walked it off for the Storm Chasers. 

In addition to Fedko’s power outburst, the Saints got two hits from Miranda (2-for-5, R, HR, RBI) and doubles from Gonzalez and Patrick Winkel. Four of the nine hitters in the lineup also drew two walks, but as a team they finished just 1-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 11 men on base.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 2, Springfield 4
Box Score
The teams combined for just nine hits on the game to open their series at Hammons Field in Springfield, Missouri on Tuesday, a place that is one of my personal favorite MiLB stadiums that I’ve had the pleasure to visit.

The Wind Surge sent C.J. Culpepper to the bump and he had a mix of good and bad against the Cardinals lineup. He finished four innings, and allowed just two earned runs on two hits, but also walked three and struck out only one. Of his 73 pitches, just 39 went for strikes (53%) but still exited the game in a no-decision situation thanks to his lineup.

Down 2-0 in the top of the third, Ben Ross delivered a leadoff double, and thanks to a wildly overthrown ball on a popout in foul territory behind first, was sent home for Wichita’s first run of the game. In the fourth a Kala’i Rosario walk was followed by a double from Jose Salas, before a Nate Baez groundout tied the game at two. Unfortunately, that would be all the Wind Surge could muster as their big bats were kept silent the rest of the way by Springfield pitching.

Relievers Michael Martinez (1 IP, 2 BB), Darren Bowen (2 IP, 2 H, ER, BB, K), and Hunter Hoopes (1 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, K) kept the game close, but Wind Surge bats found only two hits from the fifth inning on. They finished 0-for-7 with runners in scoring position as a team, and left five men on base.

Kaelen Culpepper finished 0-for-4 with a pair of K’s, while Walker Jenkins managed a single in four at-bats, striking out once.

KERNELS NUGGETS
Quad Cities 2, Cedar Rapids 5
Box Score
Right-hander and rising prospect Adrian Bohorquez made his second start with the Cedar Rapids Kernels since being promoted from Fort Myers on Tuesday. While he was good in his first turn, he was close to excellent in his second.

A one-two-three first, including a strikeout, paved the way for fellow new Kernels recruit Eduardo Tait to give the home team an early lead in the bottom half. Tait sent an 0-2 offering on a line at 108 MPH to leave the yard.

Bohorquez cruised from there. Through the first five innings he sent seven River Bandits back to the dugout from the batters box, including erasing a leadoff triple in the second by retiring the next three hitters without a ball leaving the infield.

The Cedar Rapids offense gave him more support in the bottom of the fourth thanks to a two-run Danny De Andrade homer, and an RBI triple from Maddux Houghton to score Kyle Hess who had doubled in front of him.

The River Bandits finally got to Bohorquez in the sixth, scoring one after a leadoff single, one-out double, and a sac fly that made it 4-1. After the sac fly Bohorquez’s night was done. He finished 5 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on four hits, no walks, and striking out seven in total. He picked up 15 swings and misses and threw 87 pitches, with 60 going for strikes (69%). 

The Kernes added another insurance run in the bottom of the seventh after Houghton led off with a walk, and Jefferson Valladares brought him in with a double.

The bullpen locked it down enough after that as Nick Trabacchi (1 1/3 IP, 3 H, ER, BB, 2 K) and Ruddy Gomez (2 IP, H, K) closed it out from there.

Tait (2-for-4, R, HR, RBI, 2 K) and Kyle DeBarge (2-for-4, K, SB) each had multiple hits. DeBarge stole his 60th base of the season to hit an unheard of milestone for Twins prospects.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 6, Daytona 7
Box Score
The Mighty Mussels got a fantastic effort from starting pitcher Jason Doktorczyk who completed the first six innings, but what happened after that wasted everything he gave them.

Fort Myers wasted no time getting this one going as Marek Houston led off the game with a single and Dameury Pena followed with one of his own, before Yasser Mercedes clubbed his 10th home run of the season to put them out front 3-0 early.

It stayed that way until the bottom of the fifth inning, as Doktorczyk cruised through the first four innings, allowing only a single hit while striking out seven of the first 13 hitters he faced. He retired nine in a row to start the game, before giving up a double to lead off the bottom of the fourth. The Tortugas got on the board with a solo home run in the fifth, but that was all they would manage against the Mighty Mussels starter. He finished six innings, giving up one earned run on three hits and one walk, while striking out eight in total.

In the top of the sixth the Fort Myers offense added three more runs to their total to take a 6-1 lead thanks to an RBI double from Houston and two-run single from Pena.

But as soon as Doktorczyk left the game, the Tortugas came alive. Dylan Questad came on to start the seventh, but he would record only one out. Daytona got him for four earned runs on two hits and three walks before Zander Sechrist came on to stop the bleeding. Unfortunately for him, he also allowed two earned runs of his own in the eighth to take the loss. He gave up two hits, walked two, and struck out one.

Houston (2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, K) and Pena (2-for-5, R, 2 RBI) each had multiple hits in the loss.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
Monday: DSL Twins 1, DSL Phillies Red 3
Box Score
The Phillies scored two runs in the first inning against Twins starter Omar Montano, and that ended up being all they would need in the game.

Montano finished four innings and fell to 0-6 on the season. He was charged with three runs (one earned) on four hits, while striking out three. His defense let him down a bit in the first and fourth innings where those runs were scored, as they committed three errors in the game.

Relievers Juan Figaro (1 IP, H, 2 K) and Agustin Campusano (3 IP, H, 4 K) held the Phillies in check the rest of the way, but their lineup wasn’t able to muster much offense themselves.

The Twins matched the Phillies six hits in the game, but finished 1-for-9 with runners in scoring position, and left six men on base. Catcher Aaron Salazar scored their lone run of the game in the top of the eighth inning after leading off with a walk and stealing second base. Yovanny Duran then singled into center to get them on the scoreboard. Jhomnardo Reyes added his sixth double of the season to the effort.

Tuesday: DSL NYY Yankees 0, DSL Twins 9
Box Score
While the major league Twins might have a problem with the team who may not be named, it doesn’t appear their curse stretches down into the Dominican Republic.

Jhomnardo Reyes certainly didn’t have any issues. He finished 4-for-5 with a pair of doubles and five RBI in this one. He also scored a run and stole his eighth base of the season. Santiago Leon (2-for-3, 4 R, 2B, 2 RBI, BB) and Joyner Perez (2-for-3, 2 RBI, BB, K) also had multiple hit days to lead the effort. Yovanny Duran also added a double, and Aaron Salazar finished 0-for-0 with three runs scored and four walks out of the nine-spot in the lineup.

The Twins outhit the Yankees 10-3 as the Twins pitching staff dominated the Yankees, racking up 12 K’s while also allowing just three walks. Rey Pacheco got the start and the first three innings, allowing just one hit, walking two, and striking out four. Nestor Cafe allowed one hit and struck out one in his lone inning. Jeicol Surumay then took the bulk of the work to pick up his second win of the season. He walked one and struck out six in his four innings. Yordi Jose finished it out with a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Adrian Bohorquez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (W, 5 2/3 IP, 4 H, ER, 7 K)
Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, BB, K)

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

#1 – Walker Jenkins (Wichita): 1-for-4, K
#2 – Luke Keaschall (Minnesota): 0-for-4, K
#3 – Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 0-for-4, 2 K
#5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, R, HR (2), RBI, 2 K
#11 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-5, 2B
#13 – Marek Houston (Fort Myers): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, K
#14 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, 2 K
#17 – Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, K, SB (60)
#18 – C.J. Culpepper (Wichita): 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, K
#20 – Hendry Mendez (Wichita): 0-for-1 (was pinch hit for in the 4th)

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul @ Omaha (6:35 PM CDT) - LHP Kendry Rojas (1-1, 5.40 ERA)
Wichita @ Springfield (7:05 PM CDT) - LHP Connor Prielipp (0-5, 3.39 ERA)
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids, Game 1 (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (3-5, 4.81 ERA)
Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids, Game 2 (30 min after Game 1) - RHP Chase Chaney (6-3, 3.89 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Dayton (5:35 PM CDT) - TBD

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

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[cmoss84]

Over basically a full mlb season, Mr. Walker has very impressive and unique numbers. 100ribs and runs. Fills up entire stat sheet.

Tait will be hitting 25+ HRs annually soon. Wherever he plays.

[David HK]

Heh... wonder of wonders, a Twins team beat a yankees team!  OK, it's the lowest possible level of the minors, but it counts!

[FlyingFinn]

Twins made need to increase the future budget for long names on uniforms - Bohorquez and Doktorcyzk (or do they just go with Bo and Dok?).

[Doctor Wu]

1 hour ago, FlyingFinn said:

Twins made need to increase the future budget for long names on uniforms - Bohorquez and Doktorcyzk (or do they just go with Bo and Dok?).

Long name or not, Bohorquez  is starting to look like a legit prospect. Good game for him, but very disappointed in the rocky outing by Taj Bradley. I expect much better from him. 

[FlyingFinn]

13 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

disappointed in the rocky outing by Taj Bradley. I expect much better from him. 

On the Twins TV broadcast last night, they said Bradley and Abel are both working on certain pitches, improving/changing/adding) so that may be why they are getting hit or walking more guys at AAA. Kind of like spring training, not being that concerned with the outcome. That's why we have Twins bullpen games and not them pitching in the bigs. Let's hope it works!

[Doctor Wu]

Just now, FlyingFinn said:

On the Twins TV broadcast last night, they said Bradley and Abel are both working on certain pitches, improving/changing/adding) so that may be why they are getting hit or walking more guys at AAA. Kind of like spring training, not being that concerned with the outcome. That's why we have Twins bullpen games and not them pitching in the bigs. Let's hope it works!

Good point, I hope it works too. Whatever they are doing, I certainly hope they are just experimenting and trying new pitches or something that will make them more effective. I'm glad they are doing it now and not waiting until spring training to change their pitch mix or delivery.  

[Doctor Wu]

DeBarge stole his 60th base of the season to hit an unheard of milestone for Twins prospects.

Is that true? If so, congratulations are in order!

[Doctor Wu]

7 hours ago, cmoss84 said:

Tait will be hitting 25+ HRs annually soon. Wherever he plays.

I'm quickly becoming a believer in this kid. I hope the Twins don't hesitate to move him up through the system quickly if his play warrants the promotion. 

[Dman]

No walks for Bohorquez is huge.  Nice to see him trusting his pitches in the zone.  This is what I was expecting to see more from him this year.  It took a bit longer to get there than I expected, but I'm still a believer that he can be a difference making arm.

Fedko keeps this up and he going to force the Twins to add him to the 40 man. All the numbers are solid and he's been good all year.  He's the athletic outfielder with some speed they have been looking for.  Add in the power he is showing and it seems hard to ignore his potential. 

[TwinsDr2021]

7 minutes ago, Dman said:

Fedko keeps this up and he going to force the Twins to add him to the 40 man. All the numbers are solid and he's been good all year.  He's the athletic outfielder with some speed they have been looking for.  Add in the power he is showing and it seems hard to ignore his potential. 

Why would a team in the Twins position put a 26 year old minor league player on the 40 man? (He turns 26 in just over a month) 

Unless of course they want to give him a shot this year? and if that is the case, they should go for it, at least that would help clear up some 40 man questions this winter. 

[Jasper]

Is Fedko for real? Sure seems like a pretty good ballplayer or is he another AAAA.

[DJL44]

57 minutes ago, Doctor Wu said:

DeBarge stole his 60th base of the season to hit an unheard of milestone for Twins prospects.

Is that true? If so, congratulations are in order!

Carew stole 52 with Orlando in 1965. Knoblauch was never above 40 in the minors. Cesar Tovar stole 88 in 1961 and 56 in 1962 but he was a Reds prospect at the time.

[nicholas Anderson]

In Bradley's defense, the storm chasers put out a very stout aaaa lineup last night

[DJL44]

3 minutes ago, Jasper said:

Is Fedko for real? Sure seems like a pretty good ballplayer or is he another AAAA.

Miranda went 2 for 5 last night and Dashawn Keirsey hit a HR. My guess is the opposing pitching last night was pretty lousy.

[Steve Lein]

11 minutes ago, nicholas Anderson said:

In Bradley's defense, the storm chasers put out a very stout aaaa lineup last night

There was a comment on the broadcast about how their lineup had a cumulative 10,000+ at-bats in the major leagues between them. 👀

[Steve Lein]

1 hour ago, Doctor Wu said:

DeBarge stole his 60th base of the season to hit an unheard of milestone for Twins prospects.

Is that true? If so, congratulations are in order!

Byron Buxton stole 55 bases in 125 games during the 2013 season with Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids. That was the highest I found!

[Dman]

26 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

Why would a team in the Twins position put a 26 year old minor league player on the 40 man? (He turns 26 in just over a month) 

Unless of course they want to give him a shot this year? and if that is the case, they should go for it, at least that would help clear up some 40 man questions this winter. 

Probably for the same reason they are playing the 29 year old Kody Clemens at the MLB level right now.  Fedko is a right handed bat which they don't have many of that plays better defense than Wallner or Larnach.  He can play center as well and has stolen 30 bases this year and he is younger than Outman with a much better K to BB ratio than Outman.  I'd say lot's of reasons.

[TwinsDr2021]

1 minute ago, Dman said:

Probably for the same reason they are playing the 29 year old Kody Clemens at the MLB level right now.  Fedko is a right handed bat which they don't have many of that plays better defense than Wallner or Larnach.  He can play center as well and has stolen 30 bases this year and he is younger than Outman with a much better K to BB ratio than Outman.  I'd say lot's of reasons.

My point wasn't why you would play him or bring him up this year, my point was if he isn't up this year why protect him on the 40 man. Is there a lot of 26 year old minor league outfielder getting drafted in the Rule 5? (IDK the answer to that, but I assume not)

I would rather see him the chance then, Martin, Outman, Roden, Keirsey, McCusker. (Because maybe he could be a starter, while the rest of those guys aren't) (Of course I rather see GG)

[Dman]

19 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

My point wasn't why you would play him or bring him up this year, my point was if he isn't up this year why protect him on the 40 man. Is there a lot of 26 year old minor league outfielder getting drafted in the Rule 5? (IDK the answer to that, but I assume not)

I would rather see him the chance then, Martin, Outman, Roden, Keirsey, McCusker. (Because maybe he could be a starter, while the rest of those guys aren't) (Of course I rather see GG)

True position players are rarely taken in Rule V and generally if taken would be younger.  I'm just thinking that the Twins did protect Severino when he led his league in HR's that year and he didn't even have much defensive value, but he was younger.  Fedko does have good 4th outfielder tools.  It would be a toss up, but to your point rare that older position players get taken.

Yeah I like GG for one of the corners as well.

[Tibs]

Yasser Mercedes has been playing ok to good since the end of May. Unfortunately his 37 games in April/May were very bad weighing down his overall season numbers. I'm very intrigued with what he can do next season

[terrydactyls]

34 minutes ago, Dman said:

Probably for the same reason they are playing the 29 year old Kody Clemens at the MLB level right now.  Fedko is a right handed bat which they don't have many of that plays better defense than Wallner or Larnach.  He can play center as well and has stolen 30 bases this year and he is younger than Outman with a much better K to BB ratio than Outman.  I'd say lot's of reasons.

Why bring up facts in this discussion? 😃

[jmlease1]

26 minutes ago, TwinsDr2021 said:

My point wasn't why you would play him or bring him up this year, my point was if he isn't up this year why protect him on the 40 man. Is there a lot of 26 year old minor league outfielder getting drafted in the Rule 5? (IDK the answer to that, but I assume not)

I would rather see him the chance then, Martin, Outman, Roden, Keirsey, McCusker. (Because maybe he could be a starter, while the rest of those guys aren't) (Of course I rather see GG)

Fedko could certainly be taken in the Rule V, especially if he's had a good run at AAA. Someone like him doesn't get picked when they're in AA or lower because the chance they're ready to contribute is simply lower and without playing a premier defensive position, you can't really commit the roster spot. But if you're a team like the Rockies, you would absolutely look very hard at a guy like Kyler Fedko in the Rule V because you might be able to throw him out in the field to start the season and see if you have something at very low risk. Here's hoping Fedko does enough in AAA to make it a real consideration for the Twins. I'm still not sure he can be a real MLB hitter (the power has been inconsistent until this season and he's historically not had the kind of BA you'd expect to see from a real prospect either) but maybe this is the season he figured something significant out and it's changed his profile.

Bohorquez did great. When he's not giving up too many free passes, his stuff really plays. Nice to see him off to a good start in Cedar Rapids. He's still got quite a way to go, but there might be something there, and he'll battle to get on the Twins top prospects list.

Nice to see DeBarge get a couple of hits. He's really been scrabbling the last couple of months, with all the pop in his bat vanishing and he simply wasn't performing well at the plate. The SB's are neat, but aggressive runners can rack them up in A-ball. As was noted elsewhere: Ed Julien racked up 34 steals and was only caught 5 times in A-ball, and he's not exactly a speedster. DeBarge needs to hit or the steals won't matter much. Hopefully he finishes the season strong.

[rdehring]

Big night on the hill for Twins lefties tonight.  Prielipp and Rojas at AA and AAA. 

Continue to be impressed from what I am seeing from Tait.  The kid is still 18 and playing at High-A with some pop in his bat.  Expect he needs a lot of work in most aspects of his game, but sure looks like he could be special.

 

[Major League Ready]

A case could be made that Fedko is the break-out player of the year.   How could make the OF shuffle really interesting next year.  I hope to see him here in September.  That might just happen if he keeps on hitting anything like he has since being promoted.  

[DocBauer]

Bohorquez has been on a but of a roll lately and that's nice to see. Seemed to take a step backward to begin the season, but has been looking like a potential TOP prospect again.

Doktorczyk has disappointed me somewhat on his rookie season. I didn't expect greatness, but I thought he'd be a little more consistent than he's been. But about every other time out it seems he's got his stuff working well and we see results like yesterday. Again, tall kid with a good build. Between build and delivery, reminds me of a Matthews/Ober cross. I think there's potential to be a quick riser in 2026.

Bradley is oy 24yo and has a good arm. But it's his 3rd ML season and I'm seeing regression and not improvement. I'm sure the Twins are working with him and not going to give up on him so soon. But that's why I mentioned him on a recent OP as a pen candidate where he can just fling it max style for 1 inning if things don't right themselves.

Fedko has never been a high AVG hitter, but he's always been pretty disciplined and marketed a really good OB%. Now the power has kicked in. Good contact, the ability to play all 3 OF spots, a RH OF the Twins really need, 23 HR and 31 SB out of 37 attempts and still about a month and a half in the AAA season left. 

Not saying Gonzalez might not turn out to be the better player, but I think Fedko has turned himself in to a viable prospect, not an afterthought. And I'd rather have him, or Gonzalez, as the 2nd RH in the 2026 OF instead of a 34yo FA veteran on a 1yr deal.

 

[DJL44]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

Not saying Gonzalez might not turn out to be the better player, but I think Fedko has turned himself in to a viable prospect, not an afterthought. And I'd rather have him, or Gonzalez, as the 2nd RH in the 2026 OF instead of a 34yo FA veteran on a 1yr deal.

I expect Austin Martin would be the 2nd RH OF in the 2026 outfield. Fedko would be sent to AAA to wait for an injury callup.

[Major League Ready]

1 hour ago, DocBauer said:

Bohorquez has been on a but of a roll lately and that's nice to see. Seemed to take a step backward to begin the season, but has been looking like a potential TOP prospect again.

 

 

Bohorquez had a stinker in late May.  Since then his ERA is 2.23 over his last dozen starts (48.1 IP)  You would have to believe they send him to AA to start 2026.  He won't be 21 until March.  It would be nice if he were to elevate himself to be considered in the same category as Soto, Hill, and Quick.

[DocBauer]

19 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

I expect Austin Martin would be the 2nd RH OF in the 2026 outfield. Fedko would be sent to AAA to wait for an injury callup.

And that might happen. But other than base running and defensive errors and the occasional hit and SB, I just haven't seen Martin provide real value in any capacity yet. IMO, he remains an athlete, but not a baseball player.

Fedko offers better defense, and Gonzalez might as well. Those two also offer a different blend of hitting and OB ability with power and speed...in Fedko's case...and are just as inexpensive, and each offers up more upside, IMO. FWIW, Fedko is a year younger than Martin, and Gonzalez is about 4yrs younger.

I'm not kicking Martin to the curb just yet. He's got another 7 weeks to simply show he can be a good ballplayer and contribute. But I want upside on my team in this re-tool mode, not the FO desperately clinging to depth for the sake of depth.

[DJL44]

6 minutes ago, DocBauer said:

And that might happen. But other than base running and defensive errors and the occasional hit and SB, I just haven't seen Martin provide real value in any capacity yet. IMO, he remains an athlete, but not a baseball player.

Fedko offers better defense, and Gonzalez might as well. Those two also offer a different blend of hitting and OB ability with power and speed...in Fedko's case...and are just as inexpensive, and each offers up more upside, IMO. FWIW, Fedko is a year younger than Martin, and Gonzalez is about 4yrs younger.

I'm not kicking Martin to the curb just yet. He's got another 7 weeks to simply show he can be a good ballplayer and contribute. But I want upside on my team in this re-tool mode, not the FO desperately clinging to depth for the sake of depth.

Fedko has very little upside. He might be good enough to hold down a bench job for a while but unlikely to ever become a starting caliber player.