3 Surprising Twins Players Battling for Roster Spots This Spring

[Cody Pirkl]

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images

The Twins stated their intention to contend in 2026, but they did so a bit late, and their offseason was troublingly quiet for a mediocre team aspiring to a big improvement. They’ve mostly added on the edges of the roster, rather than making notable upgrades. As a result, it looked as though there would be plenty of incumbents on the Opening Day roster. Early on, however, a few players appear to be in unexpectedly perilous positions.

Kody Funderburk

The Twins spent much of the offseason with Funderburk as the only left-handed relief option on their roster. Then, they signed Taylor Rogers, traded for Anthony Banda, and inked Andrew Chafin to a minor-league deal. Their bullpen remains less inspiring than it was for the last several seasons, and is now also extremely left-handed.

 

Funderburk ended 2025 as one of the only relief pitchers to make the most of the opportunity they were afforded at the trade deadline. From Aug. 1 forward, he allowed two earned runs in 24 innings and struck out 28% of hitters. It appeared he was a lock to make the roster as one of the more intriguing options in a bullpen that was ripped apart. Instead, he may serve as Triple-A depth, as the Twins can only afford to carry so many left-handed relievers, and Funderburk is the only one with minor-league options remaining. Especially if Chafin makes the team, Funderburk may not make the Opening Day roster, even if it’s easy to argue he’s earned it.

Austin Martin

The disjointed roster has left the Twins with some difficult decisions to make. Because of their lack of quality options to fill in at shortstop and center field, as well as their self-inflicted surplus of left-handed hitting outfielders, they may have to get creative in a way that results in Austin Martin being left off the roster. Eric Wagaman is splitting time between first base and the outfield, giving the team another option for a right-handed hitter to mix in. Martin suddenly has competition for a role that looked all but locked down.

Martin finished 2025 with a 113 wRC+ and appeared to make strides defensively in left field. He also offers some much-needed speed to the roster. Unfortunately, the versatility that he was once praised for has become purely theoretical. The Twins clearly don’t trust him in the infield, and things appear to be headed in that direction regarding his center field defense. The team may be stuck choosing to fill out their bench with a goal of covering as many positions as possible, rather than choosing the best player, and that would be bad news for Austin Martin.

 

Alan Roden

Roden’s roster battle has less to do with whom the Twins brought in this winter and more to do with whom they didn’t part ways with. The decision by the front office to target Roden at the trade deadline made it seem like a given that they would non-tender Trevor Larnach, as they already had a logjam of left-handed-hitting corner outfielders and needed as much financial flexibility as possible this winter. Instead, they kept him and barring a last-minute trade to dump his salary, they appear to have no choice but to carry him on the roster. There's probably only one roster spot for Roden or James Outman, the latter of whom is without minor-league options and has more experience in center field.

To be fair, there isn’t much of an argument to make for Roden based on his offense at the big-league level. He hasn’t produced, although that's in an extremely small sample. He may be the best defensive option in the outfield outside of Byron Buxton, and has nothing to prove in Triple-A after posting an OPS of over .900 across parts of two seasons. It seemed that Roden became a part of the Twins’ future when they targeted him in the Louis Varland trade. If he doesn’t begin the season with the team as a 26-year-old, it will be difficult not to further question their decision-making at last year’s trade deadline.

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There are plenty of roster battles going on this spring, but these are just a few of the more surprising ones. Are there any others that are particularly worth keeping an eye on? Let us know below!

 

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[Cory Engelhardt]

Martin should start the year in the outfield. Larnach should be moved. The others I agree with 

[rdehring]

Martin and Roden both not only belong on the opening day roster but also starting.  Should the Twins decide to use them as a left field platoon, Martin will not be in the lineup as much as he should.  The Twins need Martin and Keaschall at the top of their order for their speed to put pressure on the opponents.  My hope is that Martin is in left and Roden in right on opening day.  That puts at least one of Wallner or Larnach playing for another team and the other in the DH mix. 

[DFlow]

The Twins need to commit to tanking this season. It is not enjoyable to say; however, the Twins had an extremely narrow path pre-Pablo injury to make a playoff run. Post Pablo injury- looking at trades for Joe Ryan and Trevor Larnach (from this article) are way too logical to ensure we build the next wave of talent. Feeling a roster squeeze for Austin Martin and Alan Roden seems ridiculous to trot out guys like Larnach and Waggaman who do not have long term futures with the organization. 

We have given Larnach substantial opportunity over four years to become a major league regular and that has not materialized. Further- he is unplayable in the field. The left handed bat is fine but it's such a narrow path for what has always been just an average to a tick above bat. 

Whether we like it or not- Martin has given this team juice multiple times in the past with his speed and on base ability. He provides complimentary baseball to our roster and there is value there. Roden has such limited MLB reps and his all around game could round out into a MLB regular with plus defense in the corner. Even James Outman has had high quality seasons in the past and deserves a look with his quality defense over Larnach(though he will have to fix that hole in his swing). To me the outfield should be:

LF: Roden/Martin Platoon

CF: Buxton/Outman

RF: Wallner

Minors: E-Rod & Jenkins will be ready this year

With a young staff - I'd rather lean more reps for Wallner in the DH role than Larnach opening up more outfield defense for our young pitching staff. Let's see what we have for long term candidates versus guys who provide little value. 

 

[Nshore]

If they keep Wagaman at the expense of Martin, then it's time to give up on baseball and become a fan of Cheese Rolling or Underwater Hockey.

[JADBP]

...it will be difficult not to further question their decision-making at last year’s trade deadline.

BEST SINGLE LINE in the entire article! 

Falvey "targeting Roden" (or Outman) at the deadline trades was inane, brain-dead thinking. 

Who in their right mind would target Roden/Outman when thinking about the team's future construction?  You have three top OFers in AAA and 2 will certainly be in MLB this year.  You are trading away highly desirable, top tier RP talent to get a 1/2 season placeholder?  What was the plan?  What possible thinking process went on here?  

The only thought process that makes any sense at all is Falvey got wrapped up in the moment, thinking everyone is on the table (well, almost, not Buxton) and just lost his mind snapping off trades with wild abandon and not thinking it through.  I still believe that other teams took advantage of his brain lapse.

[The Great Hambino]

A healthy Austin Martin gets left off the roster for a fourth underwhelming option at 1B?  I don't buy it

[DJL44]

42 minutes ago, JADBP said:

Falvey "targeting Roden" (or Outman) at the deadline trades was inane, brain-dead thinking. 

All evidence suggests Jeremy Zoll ran the trade deadline.

[TJSweens]

Come on Cody. The Twins have played a handful of games. None of the guys you mentioned are in a perilous position at this point.

[jmlease1]

13 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

All evidence suggests Jeremy Zoll ran the trade deadline.

LOL, never let accuracy get in the way of people bashing Falvey...

[Dman]

42 minutes ago, JADBP said:

...it will be difficult not to further question their decision-making at last year’s trade deadline.

BEST SINGLE LINE in the entire article! 

Falvey "targeting Roden" (or Outman) at the deadline trades was inane, brain-dead thinking. 

Who in their right mind would target Roden/Outman when thinking about the team's future construction?  You have three top OFers in AAA and 2 will certainly be in MLB this year.  You are trading away highly desirable, top tier RP talent to get a 1/2 season placeholder?  What was the plan?  What possible thinking process went on here?  

The only thought process that makes any sense at all is Falvey got wrapped up in the moment, thinking everyone is on the table (well, almost, not Buxton) and just lost his mind snapping off trades with wild abandon and not thinking it through.  I still believe that other teams took advantage of his brain lapse.

I agree I never thought Roden was a good fit from the beginning. The only thing I can think of is they maybe didn't have a ton of faith in Rodriguez or they figured they could get value from one of their other lefty outfielders in trade? 

That means the main reason for this trade was to get the younger lefty (Rojas) with potential to be a starter and Roden was just added as a lefty bat that is a better defender?  I know the Twins had been looking for better defense in the outfield and Roden fits there better than Larnach or Wallner, but Martin defended well in left the end of last year. They will have Rodriguez, Gonzalez and eventually Jenkins to find room for and all but Gonzalez appear to be good to great defenders in the corners and can even play center if needed.

The minute they traded for Roden they had to know they would need to get rid of at least one and maybe two lefty outfielders.  I assume those two would be Outman and Larnach.  I don't think I can let them live down that Outman trade.  It looks like they just gave Stewart away IMO.

We'll see what happens after spring training as injuries can change things, but right now the outfield looks very messy to me.

[LA Vikes Fan]

I'm going to repeat what I've said before - a roster without Auston Martin on this team is pure insanity. Not only should he make the team, he should be playing EVERY DAY to see if he can match last year's .284/.374/.365, 3 OOA in LF, and 11 SBs in 15 attempts.  If he drops off in the first 2 months, you send him down.  The idea that he should be left off of the 26 man roster in favor of a 29 year old Eric Wagaman, he of the massive .674 OPS last yar in almost 500 ABs with poor defense, or so we can keep the 29 year old Kody Clemens who hit all of .213 last year, is just crazy talk. Neither of those guys offer much upside beyond what we've seen. Martin, on the other hand is good enough to be a regular on a decent team now and if he can raise that SLG to even .400 while keeping his OPS above .360, he's an every day player for years to come. I hope this is just the Cody's attempt at humor or spitballing and isn't based on any inside information. 

Sadly, though, he may be right about Funderburk. That's pretty unfair given how well he pitched the last two months of last year. It does bother me to send him to AAA so that 35 year old Chafin can make the team. 

Guys, this team needs to move on to the next core. I can't tell you who will be on that core but I can tell you with great confidence it won't include Eric Wagaman, or Andrew Chafin, and probably won't include Kody Clemens. It might include Austin Martin, Alan Roden and Kody Funderburk, but not if we don't give them a chance to play. 

This is easy. Trade one of Wallner or Larnach and make the other a 4th OF/DH. You now have room for Martin AND Roden to start most days, improve your defense, and back up CF when Buxton needs a blow. Even better, Kreidler can back up CF if he makes the team. Clemens can be the 5th OF since all three starters can play at least a passable CF.  Funderburk is tougher because of the other 3 LH relievers but I would start with 4 LHs in the bullpen if they are among the 8 best relievers and I think they are. BUILD A TEAM in 2026, don't play a bunch of mediocre vets to win 2-3 more games. Sheesh, 

[miller761]

How can anyone in the Twin's front office leave Austin Martin off the opening day roster with what he did last year? If anything he has earned the right to play everyday until he proves he can't hit right handed pitching. Outman, Kreidler and Wagaman are AAAA ball players at best. Much rather see a young player thrown into the mix than waster at bats on these guys. 

 

[Jim H]

This is an odd article to be writing at this point of spring training. Still, none of Roden, Martin or Funderburk have anything to prove in AAA. I wonder what the long term Twins future might be for any of these guys.

If it is decided that there is no current place on the roster for any of them, they should be traded or released.  If you have 4A type players or 30 something guys on the roster ahead of them, they have little or no value to the Twins. 

This is the one point in time where the can take a good look at Martin and Roden and perhaps figure out what role they might have on a good major league team. Keeping them around as injury replacements and bouncing them back and forth to the minors would be counter productive. 

The Twins have a glut of corner outfielders. They need to make some decisions by the end of spring training. I hope they are good ones.

[Pat]

Let's collect LH hitting outfielders like stamps.  Totally inane.  

[nicksaviking]

2 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

A healthy Austin Martin gets left off the roster for a fourth underwhelming option at 1B?  I don't buy it

But he's also a third underwhelming option in the corner outfield!

[Western SD Fan]

There is a consensus that Larnach needs to be traded to free up the logjam in the outfield.  But it appears that his current value is that of a throw-in for any trade the Twins may make.  Think Dobnak or Rooker.  Larnach is likely still on the roster because nobody wants to trade for him at this point in spring training.  I would agree that Funderburk, Roden, and Martin should be on the team when they break camp.  As for Outman, I was just listening to the Twins Daily Podcast, and they conceded when the Twins traded Stewart that Outman was likely the best player they were going to get out of that trade.  Why they have held onto Outman for this long is the surprise for me.

Here may be something to consider about why we have all of these outfielders blocking the likes of Jenkins, E-Rod, Fedko, etc.  If you're looking past this year, it's possible that the organization wants to limit the service time of these prospects considering they do not know what changes will be made to service time or the arbitration process during the current CBA negotiations.

Edited February 25 by Western SD Fan
Cleaning up grammatical errors

[The Great Hambino]

2 hours ago, nicksaviking said:

But he's also a third underwhelming option in the corner outfield!

Touche, I forgot about VeRsAtIlItY

Speaking of, who is the backup 2B?  Is Martin in that mix? Clemens?  Kriedler/whomever takes the vet backup slot?  By the end of the year is it Lee?

[twinstalker]

Maybe I missed the premise, but why is it surprising Funderburke, Martin, and Roden are competing for roster spots this spring?

Far more surprising would be Austin Martin not getting one.

[mikelink45]

Lets talk about the players I want to fight for a position - Walker, Gonzales, Rodriguez. 

[twinstalker]

41 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Lets talk about the players I want to fight for a position - Walker, Gonzales, Rodriguez. 

yeah, meh, bleh

[stringer bell]

It's not the end of the world if any of these guys start in St. Paul. Based on the end of last year, both Funderburk and Martin would seem to have earned some runway this year, but the Twins' bullpen acquisitions and not trading a lefty corner outfield bat have made it crowded.

I'd like to see if Martin is a full-time player or not. I like his skill set, especially for this team. If he can't play on the left side of the infield or the right side of the outfield, he isn't that versatile and being a platoon player on the short side is very limited play.

If Roden is as advertised, he is a plus fielder with slightly above average speed and at least a platoon bat. He's was the "spring king" for the Blue Jays and he's started out strong this year. It seems he is the backup plan in case the heralded prospects fail to click, but if Larnach and Wallner (and Outman) take all the playing time, his major league ability is unproven.

It seemed that Funderburk had taken a big step forward last year and had secured a spot in this year's bullpen. Apparently, the front office doesn't think so. With three veteran lefties brought in, Fundy is on the outside looking in, but any of the three veterans could get hurt or be cooked. I'm pretty sure that Funderburk won't spend much time in ;St. Paul. 

[Greglw3]

6 hours ago, Jim H said:

This is an odd article to be writing at this point of spring training. Still, none of Roden, Martin or Funderburk have anything to prove in AAA. I wonder what the long term Twins future might be for any of these guys.

If it is decided that there is no current place on the roster for any of them, they should be traded or released.  If you have 4A type players or 30 something guys on the roster ahead of them, they have little or no value to the Twins. 

This is the one point in time where the can take a good look at Martin and Roden and perhaps figure out what role they might have on a good major league team. Keeping them around as injury replacements and bouncing them back and forth to the minors would be counter productive. 

The Twins have a glut of corner outfielders. They need to make some decisions by the end of spring training. I hope they are good ones.

I have confidence in Derek Shelton to choose the right mix. If Gonzalez, Roden or Rodriguez, as examples play lights out and Wallner strikes out his way through Spring training, I would hope that Shelty would pick the young talented and up and coming player with a multifaceted game to move into the Twins future. I actually see the outfield as competition as quite fascinating at this point.

And I agree with all those who say Martin should be a full time starter. He has much more to offer the Twins than Trevor Larnach at about an 85-90% probability, IMO.

[JADBP]

3 hours ago, Greglw3 said:

I have confidence in Derek Shelton to choose the right mix. If Gonzalez, Roden or Rodriguez, as examples play lights out and Wallner strikes out his way through Spring training, I would hope that Shelty would pick the young talented and up and coming player with a multifaceted game to move into the Twins future. I actually see the outfield as competition as quite fascinating at this point.

And I agree with all those who say Martin should be a full time starter. He has much more to offer the Twins than Trevor Larnach at about an 85-90% probability, IMO.

1.  You are assuming it is Shelton's decision to make.  Might not be....

2. Erod has been playing lights out in ST.  And Wallner has been playing LIGHTS OFF.  Even if this keeps up, I am not sure he makes the team.  I want him to make the team, but they might have to trade Wallner or Larnach. 

3. The  one thing that the Twins have always done is hang on to their first round draft picks, no matter how bad they are.  Can they ever come to grips that there is more downside to holding on to Wallner than there is upside to trading him?  Right now, he is blocking at least Emma and maybe Jenkins.  The Twins are better off with either one honing their skills on the MLB roster.  Both Wallner and Larnach will never be as good as Jenkins or Emma.  

[Fatbat]

The new Pohlad can’t commit to younger players because if they have speed bumps which they will, he will have to burn the team down. He is traveling the safer road of playing marginal talent in the hopes that 1 or two hit and his current stars shine bright. Sprinkle in some rookie when an injury happens, because injuries happen. Then finish a blah season by kicking the well oiled, dusty can down the road…. Again and again. 
Some kids grow up to drive cars and run professional organizations….. not here. 

[Major League Ready]

17 hours ago, JADBP said:

...it will be difficult not to further question their decision-making at last year’s trade deadline.

BEST SINGLE LINE in the entire article! 

Falvey "targeting Roden" (or Outman) at the deadline trades was inane, brain-dead thinking. 

Who in their right mind would target Roden/Outman when thinking about the team's future construction?  You have three top OFers in AAA and 2 will certainly be in MLB this year.  You are trading away highly desirable, top tier RP talent to get a 1/2 season placeholder?  What was the plan?  What possible thinking process went on here?  

The only thought process that makes any sense at all is Falvey got wrapped up in the moment, thinking everyone is on the table (well, almost, not Buxton) and just lost his mind snapping off trades with wild abandon and not thinking it through.  I still believe that other teams took advantage of his brain lapse.

I think the problem with this line of thinking is that Roden was not the target of this trade.  Rojas was the target and Roden was the best addition he could get in the trade.

[Jeff K]

12 hours ago, The Great Hambino said:

Touche, I forgot about VeRsAtIlItY

Speaking of, who is the backup 2B?  Is Martin in that mix? Clemens?  Kriedler/whomever takes the vet backup slot?  By the end of the year is it Lee?

I think Martin is a solid back up for 2nd base.  I wouldn't play him at SS or 3rd.

[LambchoP]

Martin deserves a roster spot. Both Larnach and Wallner are nothing more than DH's at this point and are definitely blocking younger more exciting outfielders. 

[Jim H]

8 hours ago, JADBP said:

1.  You are assuming it is Shelton's decision to make.  Might not be....

2. Erod has been playing lights out in ST.  And Wallner has been playing LIGHTS OFF.  Even if this keeps up, I am not sure he makes the team.  I want him to make the team, but they might have to trade Wallner or Larnach. 

3. The  one thing that the Twins have always done is hang on to their first round draft picks, no matter how bad they are.  Can they ever come to grips that there is more downside to holding on to Wallner than there is upside to trading him?  Right now, he is blocking at least Emma and maybe Jenkins.  The Twins are better off with either one honing their skills on the MLB roster.  Both Wallner and Larnach will never be as good as Jenkins or Emma.  

Traditionally, the GM decides who's on the roster in consultation with the manager. I suspect it is more complicated than that with today's front offices. Still, there is not much point to have people on the roster that the manager doesn't want to use. This assumes the manager actually gets to decide so gets to start on a daily basis.

Deciding who makes the 26 man roster based only on spring training never happens. Track record matters, as do a lot of other things. The problem here is that 40 man roster is unbalanced and without making changes to that will likely lead to decisions that many of us will not like very much.

 

 

[mickster]

On 2/25/2026 at 5:13 PM, Western SD Fan said:

There is a consensus that Larnach needs to be traded to free up the logjam in the outfield.  But it appears that his current value is that of a throw-in for any trade the Twins may make.  Think Dobnak or Rooker.  Larnach is likely still on the roster because nobody wants to trade for him at this point in spring training.  I would agree that Funderburk, Roden, and Martin should be on the team when they break camp.  As for Outman, I was just listening to the Twins Daily Podcast, and they conceded when the Twins traded Stewart that Outman was likely the best player they were going to get out of that trade.  Why they have held onto Outman for this long is the surprise for me.

Here may be something to consider about why we have all of these outfielders blocking the likes of Jenkins, E-Rod, Fedko, etc.  If you're looking past this year, it's possible that the organization wants to limit the service time of these prospects considering they do not know what changes will be made to service time or the arbitration process during the current CBA negotiations.

I know I am in the minority in that I like Larnach.   I think he will put up more total bases than Wallner will.   I think it is a great point about service time, and maybe playing the long game now with the unknown of a work stoppage and the length of it.