One Surprising Veteran Triple-A Performance May Force the Twins’ Hand

[JD-TWINS]

On 5/16/2026 at 10:20 AM, jkcarew said:

Who you gonna drop from the 40-man?

OUTMAN off 40 Man …….. Lewis goes down to do some serious work on himself. I’d rather have “average defense” from Arcia and solid potential to hit .240-.250 rather than Lewis at barely average D and a .165 hitter.

Gotta have a reasonable replacement for Outman’s OF spot. Kreidler probably would suffice in the OF role that Outman has been filling?

[Brandon]

On 5/16/2026 at 7:49 AM, strumdatjag said:

At this point, look at Orlando Arcia and ask why the Twins shouldn’t prefer him over (In order of being controversial):

1. Tristan Gray as Utility Infielder 

2. Royce Lewis at 3B

3. Josh Bell at DH (maybe he can learn  how to play 1B)

4.  Cody Clemons at 1B (if he can learn 1B)

5. Luke Keaschall at 2B (moving Luke to utility infielder)   

 

Does Royce Lewis have options left?  And how is Keaschall trending?  He hasn't hit yet this season.  Those are the two notes le holes that could go down for a two week stint.  

Clemens has been hitting so I wouldn't mess with him right now, Bell would need a DL stint or be released.  But he is a hot/cold type of player.  I hope he goes on a hot streak soon or I am fine cutting the cord if he doesn't pick it up soon. 

Gray is heard to say.  There is no real attachment there.  He had a good run.... Outman is hitting .333 (8 for 24) after starting 0-18.  So he is on the upswing.  

My overall assessment is Keaschall goes down and Arcia and Gray handle 2/3 of SS and 1)3 of 2B time and Lee gets 2/3 of 2B time and 1/3 time at SS.  Arcia can also give Lewis some bench time if his numbers don't improve soon.  

[karcherd]

46 minutes ago, Brandon said:

Does Royce Lewis have options left?  And how is Keaschall trending?  He hasn't hit yet this season.  Those are the two notes le holes that could go down for a two week stint.  

Clemens has been hitting so I wouldn't mess with him right now, Bell would need a DL stint or be released.  But he is a hot/cold type of player.  I hope he goes on a hot streak soon or I am fine cutting the cord if he doesn't pick it up soon. 

Gray is heard to say.  There is no real attachment there.  He had a good run.... Outman is hitting .333 (8 for 24) after starting 0-18.  So he is on the upswing.  

My overall assessment is Keaschall goes down and Arcia and Gray handle 2/3 of SS and 1)3 of 2B time and Lee gets 2/3 of 2B time and 1/3 time at SS.  Arcia can also give Lewis some bench time if his numbers don't improve soon.  

Why are you moving Lee around, he has been hitting better.  Keep him at SS until you have a permanent solution and reason to move him to another position.  Neither Gray or Arcia is an upgrade over Lee at short.

[karcherd]

1 hour ago, JD-TWINS said:

Lewis goes down to do some serious work on himself. I’d rather have “average defense” from Arcia and solid potential to hit .240-.250 rather than Lewis at barely average D and a .165 hitter.

Arcia hasn't hit like that in 3 years, he has a career batting average of .239.  What makes you think he will hit anywhere better than he has the last few years.

[JD-TWINS]

13 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Maybe, just maybe, it is a lot easier to hit in AAA than in the major leagues.

Arcia is likely to give the Twins below average performance at the plate and in the field. 

I thought this article was going to be about Bowman when I read the headline. Bowman has a 1.69 ERA in a hitters league with good strikeout and walk numbers.

I agree completely on Arcia ……. the bad news is that he would be a significant step UP from Royce. Sometimes (often) the lesser of two evils makes the most sense.

[JD-TWINS]

11 minutes ago, karcherd said:

Arcia hasn't hit like that in 3 years, he has a career batting average of .239.  What makes you think he will hit anywhere better than he has the last few years.

I referenced his slash line to date at AAA (‘26) from the article above (then I reduced his average by 80-90 points)………. if Culpepper had Arcia’s stats people would take to the streets to have him promoted.

If he was “good” he wouldn’t be on our AAA roster ………. my point is he’s gotta be better than Lewis!

[karcherd]

27 minutes ago, JD-TWINS said:

I referenced his slash line to date at AAA (‘26) from the article above (then I reduced his average by 80-90 points)………. if Culpepper had Arcia’s stats people would take to the streets to have him promoted.

If he was “good” he wouldn’t be on our AAA roster ………. my point is he’s gotta be better than Lewis!

If you can't bring in a known commodity that will have an impact, then bring up Culpepper.  If I am going to see mediocre results I would rather see it from someone who has a chance to be with the Twins in 27 and might learn from the experience.  We already have two utility players on the roster, we sure don't need another.

[DJL44]

42 minutes ago, karcherd said:

If you can't bring in a known commodity that will have an impact, then bring up Culpepper.  If I am going to see mediocre results I would rather see it from someone who has a chance to be with the Twins in 27 and might learn from the experience.  We already have two utility players on the roster, we sure don't need another.

Clemens, Lee, Gray, Outman, Kreidler. They have five utility players on the roster.

[Linus]

4 hours ago, karcherd said:

How many more wins will Arcia really mean for this team, maybe two and that is being generous. So we would be at 70 wins instead of 68.  He has done nothing in the major leagues the last two years, why do you think he had to settle for a minor league contract this offseason.  The love for the aged vets with either no track record or recent success is unbelievable. And yes I know he is doing better in St. Paul against lesser competition in a hitters league.  Let's raise the bar at some point and expect some real quality play.

The point was the Twins aren’t serious about winning. I want nothing to do with a good chunk of this roster. 

[RpR]

3 hours ago, DJL44 said:

Clemens, Lee, Gray, Outman, Kreidler. They have five utility players on the roster.

You forgot Lewis and Martin.

[JD-TWINS]

17 hours ago, karcherd said:

If you can't bring in a known commodity that will have an impact, then bring up Culpepper.  If I am going to see mediocre results I would rather see it from someone who has a chance to be with the Twins in 27 and might learn from the experience.  We already have two utility players on the roster, we sure don't need another.

Would love to see Culpepper but the organization has deemed he needs more time SO , AS A BRIDGE, Arcia is still better than Lewis……….today in 2026.

[Motherhen]

On 5/16/2026 at 7:20 AM, jkcarew said:

Who you gonna drop from the 40-man?

Move Roden to the 60 day.

[Motherhen]

On 5/16/2026 at 7:20 AM, jkcarew said:

Who you gonna drop from the 40-man?

Move Roden to the 60 day.

[Motherhen]

On 5/16/2026 at 7:20 AM, jkcarew said:

Who you gonna drop from the 40-man?

Move Roden to the 60 day.