A Hard Reckoning: Twins Option Matt Wallner to Triple-A St. Paul Amid Shift Toward New Faces

[stringer bell]

5 hours ago, Matthew Trueblood said:

Image courtesy of © Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Thursday marks the dawn of an interesting interstitial period. Martin, 27, will continue to get regular playing time, something he just achieved for the first time after last year's deadline. He's batting an extraordinary .327/.448/.416 in 125 plate appearances so far, though that's still distorted by platoon effects. Martin has faced left-handed pitchers in 49% of his plate appearances, almost twice as much as a full-time right-handed batter can expect to see them over a full season. As his role expands, he'll be tested, and could be exposed. Gray has been less impressive at the plate since his hot start, and looks like an inconsistent, Kody Clemens-style offensive contributor. However, he plays plus defense at third base, separating him from Lewis.

 

In 2026 Martin has faced righties about half the time and has an .815 OPS including a .422 OBP. There is room for quite a bit of regression before he should lose playing time. In 2025, Martin had a .668 OPS with a .361 OBP vs. RH pitching,  which would figure to an OPS+ around 90, below average but certainly not a black hole.

[karcherd]

1 hour ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

Overdue move, glad to see it made. Kreidler is just a placeholder for now, up because he's a good fielder, hits right handed, and can play SS or 3B once a week in addition to the OF. Once Emma or Roden is healthy and has his stroke back, the issue will be Kreidler or Outman for the 26th man/defensive replacement/pinch runner/occasional play guy. Hard to care who wins that competition but it's probably Kreidler based on what we seen.

It was nice to see mentioned in the article that the Twins would've already brought Emma up had he not gotten hurt. I'm really hoping to see a standard starting outfield of Martin, Buxton, and Emma come July 15 with Larnach as the DH/4th OF. I also hope I to see an IF with Culpepper at either SS or 3B. I would project a different 1B, but I think that is going to have to wait until GG or Mendez establishes that they can both play the position and hit at the AAA level or Lewis starts to hit and forces a reshuffle of the IF.  

Look, I was a bigger fan of Falvey that many here. I think he modernized the Twins operations in a way that was long overdue, had a pretty good eye for prospects in trades, and did substantially improve pitching instruction and development. His big blind spot though it was obvious - he had a very hard time moving on from players that he acquired or in whom he believed, even when the empirical evidence showed that they were not able contribute at the MLB level. It looks like Zoll is much more willing to cut bait, perhaps because of a push from Tom as the owners rep. I see this as a very good thing.

My hope for every day lineup/batting order by July 15 - Buxton (CF), Larnach (DH), Martin (LF) Jeffers (C), Emma (RF), Lee SS/3B, Keaschall (2B), Clemens/Bell (1B), Culpeper (SS/3B). Bell either hits and plays first base or he's a rarely used 1B/DH against LH pitching and/or traded. Lewis either hits and pushes Clemens out of the IF by playing 1B or 3B (with Culpeper going to SS or 2B and Keaschall to 1B in the latter case), or he's gone. Caratini is the classic second catcher who catches about 30 to 35% of the games, with Jeffers catching the rest and getting another 10 or 15% play at DH. Kreidler is the classic utility man playing OF, SS, 2B, and 3B to cover for minor injuries and give rest days to starters. Gray the same for the IF guys.    

Now don't get me started on the bullpen . . .

I do not want to see Gray, Kreidler and Clemens all on the same roster.  That is three utility players with limited upside.  Let's push for quality not quantity.

[minman1982]

I wish Wallner luck. I hope he figures it out but am not holding my breath. The Twins are in a kind of weird spot right now. I would not consider them a playoff caliber team but no one in the AL Central looks particularly impressive. There are some bright spots on the team but there are also plenty of black holes as well. I think it makes total sense to make this move both to see what Larnach and Martin can do with full playing time until Rodriguez is healthy and ready to get the call. Who knows, maybe Martin or Larnach could fetch something useful in a trade later on this season.

As for Lewis, I think his days are pretty much numbered. He has been played less and less. It is only a matter of time before he also earns his light rail ticket to St. Paul. SWR is a little bit of a different story given the injuries the Twins are dealing with. If Lopez doesn't get hurt in Spring Training, there is no way SWR is even with the Major League club. He is starting games in St. Paul. Until Bradley or Abel are ready to come back, we are probably stuck with SWR.

[rdehring]

3 hours ago, Hashim said:

Why not call up E-Rod instead of another journeyman has been? The Twins never change. 

Because he, Roden and Jenkins are all on the IL.

[tony&rodney]

2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

David Ortiz didnt fail in Minnesota. He was a good young hitter. 

He was a good young hitter. The Twins moved on. Once the players move on i follow them but don't second guess often. Ortiz was a DH as well (turned out to be a great one), which isn't my favorite position. 

[tony&rodney]

34 minutes ago, minman1982 said:

I wish Wallner luck. I hope he figures it out but am not holding my breath. The Twins are in a kind of weird spot right now. I would not consider them a playoff caliber team but no one in the AL Central looks particularly impressive. There are some bright spots on the team but there are also plenty of black holes as well. I think it makes total sense to make this move both to see what Larnach and Martin can do with full playing time until Rodriguez is healthy and ready to get the call. Who knows, maybe Martin or Larnach could fetch something useful in a trade later on this season.

As for Lewis, I think his days are pretty much numbered. He has been played less and less. It is only a matter of time before he also earns his light rail ticket to St. Paul. SWR is a little bit of a different story given the injuries the Twins are dealing with. If Lopez doesn't get hurt in Spring Training, there is no way SWR is even with the Major League club. He is starting games in St. Paul. Until Bradley or Abel are ready to come back, we are probably stuck with SWR.

Woods Richardson does not have an option. The Twins can trade him or lose him for nothing or keep him. It's an easy call. We don't know if any team has shown any interest in Simeon.

[CRF]

Bout time! He was starting to make Lewis look good. 

[Linus]

Another of the all bat, nothing else prospects we gathered frequently for a period of time. Even if he starts hitting he needs to be a DH. 

[hitterscount]

2 hours ago, TNtwins85 said:

I don’t believe it’s for lack of trying. I’ve always believed he’s just that bad at defense.his routes and jumps are atrocious. I don’t care about the arm. He can throw it 200mph from right field but if he can’t judge a ball in the gap or an in between dropper then the arm will never make up for that. Begs the question why he was never tried at 1B. The arm? Morneau had a terrific arm at first base and certainly wasn’t wasted. How many runs could have been saved the last 3 years just having a average defender out there?

100%

[Trov]

3 hours ago, Cris E said:

 

Enough with the "Miranda isn't any good" trope. It is utterly wrong. His career was derailed by a pitch to the head.  This is clear as day. 

Some day San Diego may end up with an excellent hitter as  a result of the chance they're taking by carrying him for a year or two. Best of luck to them.

I get he may have became a poor hitter because of a hit by pitch in the head.  He would not be the first, nor the last that a hit by pitch in head derailed a career.  However, the facts are he has not been a good hitter since then.  He had some ups and downs before then too. He was good his rookie year, then bad 2023, yes injuries may have been a big factor, and he looked like he bounced back in 2024 before the hit by pitch.

However, you can still say he is not been a good hitter lately.  It may be due to head injury it may not.  Just like Chuck Knobloch was a good defensive second base man, until he was not.  He stopped being able to make the throws from 2nd to 1st, he was in his head. He was then not a good fielder.  He quickly became not a good hitter.  

Injuries may cause a player to become a bad hitter or fielder, but it does not change the fact that they then became a bad hitter or fielder. 

[laloesch]

If Matthews hits the ground running (not holding my breath), SWR's days in the rotation are numbered.

[Cris E]

22 minutes ago, Trov said:

Injuries may cause a player to become a bad hitter or fielder, but it does not change the fact that they then became a bad hitter or fielder. 

Old age may cause a player to become a bad hitter or fielder, but it does not change the fact that they then became a bad hitter or fielder. 

That's quite a thought, everyone is bad eventually. You sound like a lot of fun. 

[h2oface]

5 hours ago, krink said:

In my opinion, while Wallner's batting has been - obviously - atrocious, it's his fielding that's been the most frustrating. At bat, he's pretty par for the course for this team - unfortunately. But in the field, he shows no hustle. I can understand being frustrated that your doing poorly when you're hitting, but the one thing you can control is how hard you try in the field. And he doesn't seem interested in trying.

Absolutely. Watching him loaf after a ball at the fence and allow a double to turn into a triple last night was a glaring window into his mental laziness. Two days in a row of 4Ks finally got the reward. This is weeks overdue. 

[Wizard11]

Not too worried about the Kreidler move.  Shelton seems to know how to get solid value out of players like him.  One likely roster (IMO) at the trade deadline will be a trade of Bell and possibly Larnach and Lewis (someone will buy the hype on Lewis).  That timing may well fit the timelines to have a healthy and rehabbed Erod and Jenkins.  Culpepper should have enough reps to be ready as well.

on a side note I may be the only one who thinks this but I believe Outman fits the role he is being asked to play.  Good Pinch runner, base stealer, late innings defender, and occasional Emergency starter.  He is doing fine in those roles none of which are appropriate for any real prospect.  

[karcherd]

25 minutes ago, Wizard11 said:

Not too worried about the Kreidler move.  Shelton seems to know how to get solid value out of players like him.  One likely roster (IMO) at the trade deadline will be a trade of Bell and possibly Larnach and Lewis (someone will buy the hype on Lewis).  That timing may well fit the timelines to have a healthy and rehabbed Erod and Jenkins.  Culpepper should have enough reps to be ready as well.

on a side note I may be the only one who thinks this but I believe Outman fits the role he is being asked to play.  Good Pinch runner, base stealer, late innings defender, and occasional Emergency starter.  He is doing fine in those roles none of which are appropriate for any real prospect.  

Don't hold out hope for Bell to be traded.  Washington tried that last year and no one wanted him, he does not have much value around the league.

Outman's role is not needed for a team in the Twins spot.  They need 13 position players to contribute in all facets of the game.

[RpR]

55 minutes ago, Wizard11 said:

Not too worried about the Kreidler move.  Shelton seems to know how to get solid value out of players like him.  One likely roster (IMO) at the trade deadline will be a trade of Bell and possibly Larnach and Lewis (someone will buy the hype on Lewis).  That timing may well fit the timelines to have a healthy and rehabbed Erod and Jenkins.  Culpepper should have enough reps to be ready as well.

on a side note I may be the only one who thinks this but I believe Outman fits the role he is being asked to play.  Good Pinch runner, base stealer, late innings defender, and occasional Emergency starter.  He is doing fine in those roles none of which are appropriate for any real prospect.  

Larnach is going nowhere, as is Bell, and sadly Lewis. Rodriguez may come up but that is all.