Twins Minor League Report (6/3): Charlee Soto Returns to the Mound

[Matt Braun]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Ryan Gallagher)

TRANSACTIONS
RHP Nolan Santos activated from 7-day IL (Cedar Rapids)
3B Murphy Stehly retired (AA Wichita)
RHP Charlee Soto sent to A Fort Myers on MiLB rehab
RHP Hunter Gregory signed to a minor league contract

Hunter Gregory?
Yes, the Twins dipped into independent reserves once more. This time, they looked to the mound: former Blue Jays farmhand Hunter Gregory inked a deal to join Minnesota’s farm system. Darren Wolfson of KSTP reported he’ll join the Wichita Wing Surge.

Gregory was a four-year player at Old Dominion between 2018-2021, starting the majority of his senior season to great results (a 2.95 ERA over 79 1/3 innings with more strikeouts than frames). Following that year, Toronto selected him in the 8th-round. He reached AAA in 2025, but was roughed up, and the franchise decided that a 26-year-old who walked more batters than he struck out wasn’t worth a roster spot. The York Revolution came calling, and he has been excellent for them: hitters who talk about destruction were counted (called) out, as he racked up 20 strikeouts across 13 2/3 innings. We shall see what he can do in the Twins system.

Saints Sentinel
St. Paul 10, Indianapolis 1
Box Score
Ryan Gallagher: 5 IP, 2 H, 0 ER, 4 BB, 4 K
HR: Hendry Mendez (4), Matt Wallner (2), Royce Lewis (10)
Multi-hit games: Kaelen Culpepper (2-for-4, 3 R, BB), Hendry Mendez (2-for-5, HR, 2 R, 3 RBI), Royce Lewis (3-for-5, HR, 2 R, 5 RBI), Matt Wallner (2-for-4, HR, R, 2 RBI, BB)

The St. Paul Royce Lewis’s stomped their opponent on Wednesday.

At some point, it actually becomes difficult to capture a performance like this in writing: purple prose and exasperation isn’t a happy combination. Lewis is a supernova. He’s played 11 games with the Saints since being demoted and has eight homers. His AAA OPS in 2026 is literally nearly triple his major league mark. And Wednesday’s blast was of the ilk that made him a once-foreseen superstar many moons ago—a grand slam. What he’s doing in St. Paul is unbelievable. 

He wasn’t the only Saint in a hitting mood on Wednesday, as everyone in the lineup accrued a base knock. More blasts came from Hendry Mendez, who smoked a gorgeous shot to center with a slight fade, and Matt Wallner, who thundered a signature mutant flyball that refused to return to earth. 

Ryan Gallagher authored five shutout frames on the mound, occasionally giving in to temptation with a walk or two—or four, but who’s counting—yet never budging from his goal to stop Indianapolis from scoring. In fact, only twice did a runner even reach second base. 

Indianapolis’ leadoff man Termarr Johnson likely caught your eye. The fourth overall pick in 2022, Johnson earned overtures for being unusually “hitterish” at such a young age; his time in the minors has been beset by more ordinary play and a jump in strikeouts (and walks). He’s no longer a top 100 guy, but he’s Pittsburgh’s fifth-ranked prospect, and he singled and walked in five plate appearances. 

Wind Surge Wisdom
Wichita 7, San Antonio 6
Box Score
Cory Lewis: 4 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 3 K
HR: Andrew Cossetti 2 (4, 5), 
Multi-hit games: Andrew Cossetti (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 6 RBI)

The Wind Surge eked out a win on Wednesday.

It’s good to have a big dude who can hit the ball far. Just ask Earl Weaver. That’s what Andrew Cossetti is here for. He stepped up to the plate in his first at-bat with the bases loaded—an ultimate chance to give his team an early advantage—and walloped a mammoth 452 foot grand slam to spearhead a five-run frame before returning in the seventh to blast a two-run shot that catapulted the Wind Surge back into the lead.

That’s also, by the way, how a team can score seven runs despite going 1-5 with runners in scoring position. Sometimes, home plate is scoring position.

The Missions started Ethan Salas at DH on Wednesday. MLB.com’s 51st-ranked player walked twice in five plate appearances.

Kernels Nuggets
Cedar Rapids 4, Wisconsin 10
Box Score
Dasan Hill: 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
HR: Yasser Mercedes (3)
Multi-hit games: Eduardo Tait (2-for-4, 2B, BB, R), Khadim Diaw (2-for-4, R), Yasser Mercedes (3-for-4, HR, R, 3 RBI)

The Kernels were out-slugged on Wednesday.

All remains unruly in Dasan Hill’s 2026 season. He struggled to find the strike zone consistently, walking three as just 42 of his 70 pitches went for strikes. He surrendered four hits. The young lefty has flashed tantalizing ability at times, yet an affliction remains that causes the strike zone to often appear like a mustard seed. Hopefully he can figure things out soon.

Yasser Mercedes continued to be a dual-threat menace, smacking a three-run homer while stealing his 12th base of the season. He was joined by Brandon Winokur and Jay Thomason, who also swiped a bag for the 12th time on the year. Strange happenings. 

It was a good, not awe-inspiring line, but Eduardo Tait reaching base thrice without a strikeout was an encouraging sight. He hit a poor .174/.245/.315 in May, so this game could be the positive augur the young catcher was undoubtedly looking for. 

The Timber Rattlers are an affiliate of the Milwaukee Brewers, and they are the home of their most recent first-round pick, Andrew Fischer. He manned third and reached base three times in five trips to the plate. 

Mussel Matters
Fort Myers 5, Lakeland 11
Box Score
Charlee Soto: 1 IP, 2 H, 3 ER, 1 BB, 2 K
HR: JP Smith II (7)
Multi-hit games: None

An explosive eighth sunk the Mighty Mussels on Wednesday.

Charlee Soto is back! More than a year after not pitching in a competitive game, Soto took the mound and… looked like someone who hadn’t pitched in a competitive game in more than a year. Which is fine. His stuff looked good, and he topped out at 99.9 (they don’t round in Florida). 

Jason Reitz entered once the Soto fanfare died down to deliver his finest outing since joining the Twins organization, whiffing three in a trio of extraordinarily efficient innings. He didn’t even reach a three-ball count.

JP Smith hit the lone homer for Fort Myers—yet it was one of the inside-the-park variety. And it was hit to the pull-side. How is that possible? Well, the left-fielder decided that running the wall flailing would be better than playing the ricochet. He was wrong. And as a result, a rotund man had to run the bases with a vigor likely foreign to him. But what a sight it was!

Tigers’ seventh-ranked prospect, Jordan Yost, played shortstop and reached base three times, once each via a hit, walk, and hit by pitch. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Ryan Gallagher
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Andrew Cossetti

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

THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:07 PM) - RHP John Klein
San Antonio @ Wichita (6:35 PM) - RHP Preston Johnson
Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM) - RHP Michael Ross
Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM) - RHP Justin Mitrovich
FCL Twins @ FCL Braves (11:00 AM) - TBD
DSL Twins @ DSL Colorado (9:00 AM) - TBD

 

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[Dman]

I give up on Lewis.  If he is going to hit a homerun every game might as well bring him back.  AAA is not challenging enough it seems.

Nice to see Reitz with a dominant outing.  Really like that the Twins went pitching early and often in last years draft.  Even the guys in the lower rounds are pitching well.  If they are this good at finding arms they should focus on it more in the early rounds.

 

[Bangkok Twins Fan]

Even though it was a short and rocky outing, very nice to see Charlee Soto pitching again. Fingers crossed that he stays healthy for the rest of the season. Meanwhile, how about Hendry Mendez?! Man, the guy is on fire. Hope to see him called up before too much longer. 

[DJL44]

Anyone else think Royce Lewis might be a better baseball player than Orlando Arcia?

[William K Johnson]

It's time for Royce to come home and bring his "buddy" with him.    He can be Culpepper's mentor on how to break into the big leagues.

[Trov]

I would love to know what led to the complete 180 hitter in Lewis.  The difference in pitching in AAA and MLB is not generally enough to go from slash line of .163/.261/.279 to .358/.414/.981.  It is not like he was not given every chance to break out at MLB level and just kept failing.  I do think he should and will get called back up sooner than later. Hopefully he comes back and keeps on crushing.

[Linus]

The video of Smith home run is hilarious. Watch the outfielder wander around, run into the wall and then fall down. I can’t stop laughing. And nice to see the SS prospects stay hot. 

[Mike Sixel]

At some point, it's clear AAA isn't doing much for his hitting, but they may want more practice at second or first? I'd likely call him up at this point... And put him or Keaschell at first..

[ashbury]

43 minutes ago, Linus said:

The video of Smith home run is hilarious. Watch the outfielder wander around, run into the wall and then fall down. I can’t stop laughing. And nice to see the SS prospects stay hot. 

6'2", 240 pounds.  Once Smith has gotten a head of steam, he may not be fast but I would not want to stand in his way.  His running style in the video could be described as "earnest."

[DocBauer]

Various comments:

AAA: I haven't completely given up on Royce yet. But as @Trovposted, how can just look so utterly lost at the plate with the Twins and then be so tremendously good at AAA almost like a switch was flipped? He looked so awful that even mediocre AAA arms could have gotten him out the way he was NOT hitting for the Twins. I'm starting to believe more and more it was mental. I'm still in to rush to get him back as I want the Twins to really feel he's got a good approach and balanced swing. But I'm betting another week, two at the most, and he's back up.

He's working out at 1B now. And that makes a ton of sense to me. Hisnsize plays at 1B, his bat plays there IF he really has turned a corner, Lee is a better fit at 3B, K-Pepper is just about ready to lay claim to SS, so it's always made sense Royce would move to 1B. It's just the best option for the makeup of the INF.

Gallagher was pushed hard to AA by the Cubs in his debut season. And he was pushed earlier than probably wanted by the Twins to AAA this season. But he keeps answering the bell and keeps getting better.

While the injuries to Roden, Rodriguez, and Jenkins have been disappointing/frustrating, Mendez continues to look outstanding. I can see his power slowly coming around. Call me crazy, but he reminds me very much of Arraez with more power and at least a little more speed. They're going to have to find room for him soon.

AA: Just seeing Cory Lewis healthy and on the mound again makes me happy. A lot of things have gone wrong for him the last year plus. And maybe I'll be proven wrong, but I see a real future for him in the Twins bullpen as a 2 IP arm throwing as hard as he can, just his best stuff, and making batters look silly on 2 strike counts with his crazy knuckleball.

A+: I don't think we pay enough attention to Diaw. His only obstacle so far is staying healthy. While the hope is a little more power will come eventually, he can flat out HIT. I'm certain he needs more polish as a receiver, but he's a great athlete with a good looking bat. It's no wonder the Twins selected him as high as they did. He stays healthy, he's going to be part of the Twins catching group in a couple of years. 

While he's been a little slow adapting to A+, Mercedes keeps flashing his potential. And he's still quite young.

Tait had a good April, and then a horrible May. Is it my imagination, or has he been BB more recently? His OB% is .90 higher than his AVG. That's a good sign to me. Hopefully he has a good June. He's off to a good start.

Hill has a tremendous arm. All the potential in the world. Not a huge surprise to see a young HS arm struggle with control early. No need to panic. But I do wonder if skipping a turn and just working on the side for a week might give him a little mental break to just give his head a short "breather".

A-: Just seeing Soto back on the mound is a win, no matter the results. But damn near 100mph on his FB? Crazy! I know rumors have the Ft Myers gun running hot, but that is impressive as hell. Now, he just needs to stay healthy and finish out the season.

Honestly, I can't recall...in recent memory...the last time the organization had a pair of HS arms with as much pure STUFF as they have in Hill and Soto. Might have to go all the way back to the 80's, and I'm not joking.

What a great start for Reitz after being slowed by an early injury that set him back initially. The Twins did a tremendous job helping Ober iron oit his mechanics to become a quality MLP. Reitz has a long way to go, obviously, but he's off to a good start in SSS. I'm betting he's at CR before long. As a college arm, I'd expect that.

Lastly, I'm with @Dman regarding the 2025 pitchers drafted. There have been some setbacks, and a few bad days, but those recently drafted arms are looking really good so far, including the late rounders. And while the organization hasn't ignored college arms early in the draft, they've usually focused more on position players early. And I sorta get their philosophy. You can refine arms with talent, but it's harder to teach BAT to BALL hitting. I'd like to see a couple more early P drafted, as they did in 2025. You CAN'T ignore the player side, of course, but if you're good at identifying arms and developing them, just a couple more early selections like Quick and Ellwanger early can make a big difference. 

[rdehring]

So exciting to see Soto, on a mound and pitching.  He and Hill have so much potential.  Wouldn't it be fantastic should both be anchoring the Twins rotation, say in 2029.

Were the FCL and DSL Twins idle yesterday?

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Nice start for Gallagher. A few rough outings after his call up to AAA, maybe he's adjusted a bit and figuring things out. 

Good to see Wallner heating up. Finally. He was in such a bad funk even the AAA pitching was eating him up for a bit. 

Glad to see Royce moved off 3B. Get him comfortable at 2B, maybe even 1B too. 

Culpepper, Fedko, Sabato are all still looking good with the bat. Doesn't seem like there much left to prove at AAA for Fedko and Sabato. 

Hill with only 8 outs on 70 pitches. Yikes. 

 

[Matt Braun]

3 hours ago, rdehring said:

So exciting to see Soto, on a mound and pitching.  He and Hill have so much potential.  Wouldn't it be fantastic should both be anchoring the Twins rotation, say in 2029.

Were the FCL and DSL Twins idle yesterday?

Yes neither the FCL or the DSL Twins teams play on Wednesday (or Sunday, for that matter). 

[rdehring]

14 hours ago, Matt Braun said:

Yes neither the FCL or the DSL Twins teams play on Wednesday (or Sunday, for that matter). 

thanks, didn't know about wedesdays