Twins Minor League Report (5/20): Kyler Fedko Goes Nuclear (Again)

[Matt Braun]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Kyler Fedko)

 

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Matt Bowman released
RHP John Brebbia released
RHP Alejandro Hidalgo promoted to AAA St. Paul
C/OF Ricardo Olivar promoted to AAA St. Paul
RHP Ty Langenberg promoted to AAA St. Paul
RHP Cory Lewis reinstated from 7-day IL and transferred to AA Wichita
OF Jaime Ferrer promoted to AA Wichita
RHP Preston Johnson promoted to AA Wichita
INF Harry Genth promoted to AA Wichita
INF Jorel Ortega placed on 7-day IL (AA Wichita)
INF Quinn McDaniel promoted to A+ Cedar Rapids
RHP Brian Zeldin promoted to A+ Cedar Rapids
UTIL Luis Fragoza promoted to A Fort Myers

You got all that?

Oh, and for fun, when Tristan Gray goes on paternity leave in the near future, who will get called up?

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 14, Omaha 4
Box Score
Aaron Rozek: 3 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
HR: Kyler Fedko 2 (9, 10), David Bañuelos (2), Aaron Sabato (10)
Multi-hit games: Hendry Mendez (2-for-5, RBI), Gabriel Gonzalez (2-for-4, 2 R, RBI, BB), Kyler Fedko (4-for-5, 2 HR, 2 2B, 3 R, 4 RBI), Aaron Sabato (2-for-4, HR, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI, BB), David Bañuelos (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 2 RBI)

The Saints bludgeoned their opponent on Wednesday.

Most hitters would struggle to compete with one-upping a 15 total base game; evidently, Kyler Fedko isn’t like most hitters. His April 12th masterpiece that swung his season slugging .400 points forward was impeccable. On Wednesday, he was impossible, totaling a pair of homers and doubles with four RBIs. Mason Black must have been in cahoots with a warlock when he struck him out in the fifth.

Aaron Sabato’s game wasn’t half-bad either: he homered, doubled, and walked. A mere seven bases if you include the free pass. 

Ty Langenberg’s first taste of AAA ball went well, as the Urbandale, Iowa native allowed one earned run across three frames, striking out four. 

Rehabbing big leaguer Cody Laweryson allowed a pair of earned runs in ⅔ of an inning. He threw 26 pitches. 

Starter Shane Panzini ranks as the Royals’ 19th-best prospect. He allowed four earned runs in 4 1/3 frames. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 0, Tulsa 6
Box Score
Cory Lewis: 3 2/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, 6 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4)

The Wind Surge were shut out on Wednesday.

Hey! It’s Cory Lewis! 2025 was a tumultuous time for the righty as every number went in the wrong direction: his ERA; his WHIP; his innings. He probably even shrank a little. His efforts to get back off the ground in 2026 have started slowly, yet just getting back on the mound with tepid success in this start could be the start of the comeback. 

Good news in this game is self-evidently sparse, so enjoy Jaime Ferrer collecting his first AA hit.

Kyle DeBarge stole his 12th base, the 10th-most in the Texas League. 

Wondering who the next big Dodgers prospect is? Well, he played on Wednesday: outfielder Josue De Paula clocks in as the ninth-best prospect in baseball according to MLB.com. He walked twice in five plate appearances.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 3
Box Score
Michael Ross: 5 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (2-for-5, 2B, RBI), Khadim Diaw (3-for-4, 2B, R, RBI)

The Kernels won narrowly on Wednesday.

Following his worst game of the season, Michael Ross authored his best performance of the year. The righty was efficient, navigating around two hits, a walk, and an error to limit the Chiefs to just one run over five innings. He threw 64 pitches.

It helps when you never throw a pitch while behind. Three straight walks in the first loaded the bases for Khadim Diaw, now presented with a chance to damage the game before it had really begun. He did just that, driving a double deep to left field to score two. He later added two singles to earn his first 3+ hit game since April 29th.

Diaw wasn’t the only Kernel with an RBI double; Marek Houston—that’s him in the video, trust—also ripped a run-scoring two-bagger. 

Though the Cardinals enjoy yet another quality farm system, most of their prospects inhabit the upper levels of the minors, leaving just their 17th-ranked youngster—outfielder Tai Peete—as their finest player on Wednesday. He went 0-2 before leaving the game after three innings.

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 6, Dunedin 4
Box Score
Ramiro Villanueva: 3 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
HR: JP Smith II (3)
Multi-hit games: Dameury Pena (2-for-4, 2 R, BB), Jayson Bass (2-for-4, 2B)

The Mighty Mussels held on to win on Wednesday.

Platonic ideal leadoff man Dameury Pena continued his tremendous start to the season. Need a man on base? He’ll reach first. Need an extra-base hit? He’ll reach first. His small-talk skills with the opposing team’s first baseman must be major-league quality already. He’s slashing the rare “all 3’s” line in 2026—.321/.390/.368.

JP Smith II provided the big swing for Fort Myers, popping an opposite-field homer in the fourth.

Buried in the box score is Kolten Smith’s outstanding relief outing: the 22-year-old righty whiffed six over three scoreless frames, providing a crucial bridge in the middle-to-late innings. The Georgia product has 39 strikeouts in 23 2/3 innings in 2026.

Luis Fragoza made his FSL debut, playing center field for the Mighty Mussels. He doubled once and struck out three times. 

Rehabbing big leaguer Nathan Lukes started for Dunedin. He walked twice and hit a sacrifice fly before being pinch-hit for.

MLB.com’s 32nd-ranked prospect, JoJo Parker, manned shortstop for the Blue Jays on Wednesday, doubling and singling in five at-bats. He’s a 19-year-old former first-round pick from the 2025 draft. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kyler Fedko

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:
#2 – Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-4, 2B, 3 R, 2 RBI, BB
#5 – Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, R, 2 BB, 2 K
#7 – Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-5, 2B, RBI, 2 K
#10 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-4, 2 R, RBI, BB
#12 – Andrew Morris (Twins) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 0 BB, 1 K
#13 – Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 2-5, RBI, K
#14 – Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-4, 2 K
#15 – Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, BB
#19 – Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 3-4, 2B, R, 2 RBI
#20 – Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 K

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 PM) - RHP John Klein
Tulsa @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Jose Olivares
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk 
Fort Myers @ Dunedin (3:30 PM) - TBD
Fort Myers @ Dunedin (Game Two) - TBD
FCL Twins @ FCL Pirates (11:00 AM) - TBD

 

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[SteveLV]

Seems to me that Fedko should be next man up with Gray goes on Paternity leave.  Or Sabato.

[DataNerd]

Hidalgo's fastball looks legit.  96-97mph, 19"IVB.

Disappointed with Langenberg.  91-92mph fastball, down 1mph from 2 years ago at Fort Myers.  At 24, probably should move him to a 1 inning role to see what the fastball can get up to, would be surprised if it was playable currently.

Kolten Smith up to 39Ks in 23.2IP.  4.18 ERA/1.47 FIP, 93mph 17"IVB, Slider has a whiff rate around 50%