The Twins Need to Make Room for Walker Jenkins Before the Trade Deadline

[DJL44]

20 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

A better idea is to get the best 26 players on your roster and I see a few players that Jenkins probably should be playing over.  Everything else is just noise.

So call up Jenkins and have him ride the bench while Larnach, Buxton and Keaschall get the playing time?

[HarmonK03]

18 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

So call up Jenkins and have him ride the bench while Larnach, Buxton and Keaschall get the playing time?

You can play everybody 4 to 5 days by including the DH slot.  Bell doesn't need to be in the lineup every day.  This is what a good manager would do.

[chpettit19]

I don't think Jenkins has kicked the proverbial door in, but I think he's getting close to having answered every question he can at AAA. In watching him play, he looks like he could hold his own in the majors. But he's not so dominant that I'm in any rush to call him up before the deadline. You're talking 2 weeks. No need to make roster moves to get him here now. I'd give him until I know I won't lose his rookie eligibility to put him in the driver's seat for RoY and an extra pick next year. Mid- to late-August, or a September call-up would be my timeline.

If you call him up, it's to play every day. Not DH, but play the field. That means there's 3 spots for him. LF, CF, RF. The Twins currently have Larnach-Martin, Buxton, and Keaschall in those spots. You're not replacing Martin with a lefty hitting Jenkins to be the short side of a platoon with Larnach. You're not replacing Bell on an everyday basis at DH to put Larnach there and get Jenkins every day ABs. 

There's no easy fit at this point. And if part of your plan to get him playing time in the big picture is to trade Larnach or Bell, you really don't want to bench them in the middle of a huge stretch for your team. Not exactly selling the "he can help you get to, or win in, the playoffs" narrative by benching someone while attempting to get to the playoffs.

I see no real reason at all to force Jenkins into a Twins jersey before the deadline. Or even after it if there isn't an injury. Get him a month+ to get his feet wet at the end of the year. That's a plenty reasonable amount of time for a guy who hasn't done anything crazy at AAA, but is clearly a large part of your future and is answering every question in AAA to this point.

[IndianaTwin]

38 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

...If you call him up, it's to play every day. Not DH, but play the field. That means there's 3 spots for him. LF, CF, RF. The Twins currently have Larnach-Martin, Buxton, and Keaschall in those spots. You're not replacing Martin with a lefty hitting Jenkins to be the short side of a platoon with Larnach. You're not replacing Bell on an everyday basis at DH to put Larnach there and get Jenkins every day ABs. 

There's no easy fit at this point....

(Bold highlight mine.)

You've also identified another variable -- where does Jenkins play?

Injuries change things, I recognize -- Keaschall wouldn't have played CF recently had Buxton not been hurt. But if Buxton is healthy and able to play defense, he will be in CF. I'll buy the approach that says Buxton will eventually move to a corner spot, but I don't see that happening midyear.

So for now, Jenkins could play CF on days Buxton is off and corner spots on many other days. However, Jenkins hasn't played an inning in the corner since May 2. I suspect we'll get a clue on the likelihood of him coming up when he starts to get some time in corner OF spots in St. Paul. 

[chpettit19]

2 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

(Bold highlight mine.)

You've also identified another variable -- where does Jenkins play?

Injuries change things, I recognize -- Keaschall wouldn't have played CF recently had Buxton not been hurt. But if Buxton is healthy and able to play defense, he will be in CF. I'll buy the approach that says Buxton will eventually move to a corner spot, but I don't see that happening midyear.

So for now, Jenkins could play CF on days Buxton is off and corner spots on many other days. However, Jenkins hasn't played an inning in the corner since May 2. I suspect we'll get a clue on the likelihood of him coming up when he starts to get some time in corner OF spots in St. Paul. 

Totally with you. I'd bet there's a week where he plays a corner 4 or 5 times and he's up the next week. Or maybe it'll be like a 2-week stretch. But, barring injury, there'll be a very clear sign he's on the way when he starts playing in a corner.

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

(Bold highlight mine.)

You've also identified another variable -- where does Jenkins play?

Injuries change things, I recognize -- Keaschall wouldn't have played CF recently had Buxton not been hurt. But if Buxton is healthy and able to play defense, he will be in CF. I'll buy the approach that says Buxton will eventually move to a corner spot, but I don't see that happening midyear.

So for now, Jenkins could play CF on days Buxton is off and corner spots on many other days. However, Jenkins hasn't played an inning in the corner since May 2. I suspect we'll get a clue on the likelihood of him coming up when he starts to get some time in corner OF spots in St. Paul. 

It's interesting he's played no corner OF, given Buxton isn't going anywhere soon. You may have hit on a clue. 

[IndianaTwin]

2 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Totally with you. I'd bet there's a week where he plays a corner 4 or 5 times and he's up the next week. Or maybe it'll be like a 2-week stretch. But, barring injury, there'll be a very clear sign he's on the way when he starts playing in a corner.

As a hint toward that, here is his game log before getting hurt: 

At that point in the season, it was worth it to consider not playing the rookie-status game if he was pounding the door in. At this point, I don't see them ignoring that factor. 

 

[HerbieFan]

They won't bring him up and start his major league service time clock unless he's going to play everyday....and they shouldn't.  With the uncertainty surrounding whether there will be baseball in 2027, I fear they won't bring him up at all and keep from starting that clock until 2028.

[Mike Sixel]

mike sixel

2:53

Do the Twins, or other teams, keep Jenkins down all year, so he's not in the 40 man of there's a stoppage? Or because, in this case, he might win rookie of the year in their mind?

 

Brendan Gawlowski

2:53

I suspect he'll be up soon

 

[TheLeviathan]

If the Twins think he's ready...ok.  But then you have to ditch Larnach and Bell and open up some playing time for guys.

What I don't get is the narrative to force him up to save this season or boost some false notion of a playoff run.  Do what is right for his development, everything else should be ignored.