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

[stringer bell]

3 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, 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.