Twins Minor League Report (8/4): St. Paul Bludgeons Louisville

[Steve Lein]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Aaron Sabato)

TRANSACTIONS

• The St. Paul Saints made several moves in advance of their Tuesday tilt against the Louisville Bats. The Minnesota Twins optioned LHP Kendry Rojas while RHP Woo-Suk Go was activated from suspension. Kala’i Rosario was assigned from the Wichita Wind Surge, and RHP Eduardo Salazar was placed on the Development List. 
• To take Rosario’s place on the Wind Surge roster, OF Graham Brown was assigned from the Cedar Rapids Kernels.
• The Kernels also received reinforcements from the roster of the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. RHP Mike McKenna, 1B JP Smith II, and RHP Merit Jones were all assigned to Cedar Rapids. RHP Nolan Santos was also placed on the 7-day injured list.
• With the Florida Complex League season completed, several players were brought up to the Mighty Mussels roster to continue their campaigns. They included RHP Brad Rudis, RHP Melvin Rodriguez, OF Yovanny Duran, and RHP Cristian Hernandez. They also were assigned undrafted free agent OF Bryce Fowler. Heading to the injured list were RHP Jonathan Stevens and RHP Billy Oldham .

SAINTS SENTINEL
Louisville 5, St. Paul 15
Box Score
The St. Paul Saints wasted little time getting to work against Louisville Bats pitching, which is nothing new for them this season as they lead all of the minor leagues in first inning scoring.

Walker Jenkins led off with a single into right field. Kaelen Culpepper followed with a walk. Matt Wallner then turned on a fastball and sent it out down the line in right for the early 3-0 lead. It was Wallner’s 20th home run of the season with the Saints.

Mr. Consistent Aaron Rozek made the start for St. Paul. He was charged with two earned runs on five hits and a walk in his four innings. He struck out one and needed just 47 pitches (27 for strikes).

Ben Ross added a solo home run in the bottom of the second, his 10th of the season, and an RBI single in the fourth that made the score 5-2 Saints.

Alejandro Hidalgo entered the game to begin the fifth inning and the Bats closed to within one. Back out for the sixth he delivered a one-two-three inning. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits in his two innings, striking out one. Jack Anderson allowed an unearned run in his lone inning on two hits. After returning from his suspension for a foreign substance, Woo-Suk Go was finally able to make his debut with the Saints. He walked one but was able to erase the runner with a double-play ball (he also had a brand new glove).

The bottom of the seventh is when the floodgates opened at CHS Field. Jenkins got it started with a one-out double. Louisville decided to intentionally walk Wallner, and Aaron Sabato made them pay with his 20th homer of the season to make it 8-5.

Hendry Mendez and Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a pair of singles, Cody Morissette an RBI double, and Ross an RBI single to make it 11-5 Saints. They continued adding on in the bottom of the eighth after Culpepper launched a triple off the wall in left-center. Wallner was hit by a pitch and Mendez cashed them both in with a hard liner for a double into right center. Gonzalez followed with a two-run homer to make the final 15.

Garret Acton closed out the ninth with a clean inning, punctuating the victory with a strikeout to end it.

The Saints had 17 hits on the night, with Jenkins, Culpepper, Gonzalez, and Ross all collecting three apiece. Six of their nine hitters scored two or more runs. Wallner, Sabato, and Ross each drove in three.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 6, NW Arkansas 7 (10 innings)
Box Score
Starting pitcher Chris Vallimont has been on a good run, allowing just two earned runs in his last three starts and fourteen total innings. He’d allowed just four hits and four walks in those games, while striking out 15.

Unfortunately for him in this one, he exceeded both those totals in four innings. The Nationals scored runs in each of the first three innings, and four total on six hits and a walk. He did strike out six but when he left the mound the score was 4-2 in favor of NW Arkansas. Paulshawn Pasqualotto came on for the fifth and allowed a leadoff single and home run that made the score 6-2. He gave up three hits in his lone inning.

The Wind Surge scored their first two runs in the top of the third inning thanks to a solo homer from Khadim Diaw and a bases loaded walk.

The beginning of the sixth was Preston Johnson’s time to shine. He retired the first 11 men he faced before a nine pitch at-bat resulted in a double against him in the ninth. No matter, he induced an easy ground ball to send this one to extra innings. Johnson worked four total innings, allowing just one hit and striking out five.

He got them to extra innings because the Wind Surge offense took advantage of some pitching wildness in top of the seventh. After a pair of flyouts to start the inning, Naturals pitchers walked the next six hitters, and along with a wild pitch allowed Wichita to tie the game at six.

Once it got to extra innings, the Wind Surge had runners on second and third with just one out, but Marek Houston and Khadim Diaw both went down swinging to keep them scoreless.

With Johnson done after his excellent four innings, the Naturals wasted no time, needing just three pitches to walk it off with an RBI single from the third batter of the inning (intentional walk to the second batter). Right-hander Kyle Bischoff took the hard-luck loss.

The Wind Surge were outhit 12-6 on the game, but nearly took advantage thanks to 12 walks they drew as a team. But 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position won’t get it done most games. They left 12 men on base.

Houston finished 0-for-5 but drew a walk and stole his 17th base in Double-A. Diaw was 2-for-5 with a homer, Wichita’s lone extra-base-hit of the game. 

KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 6
Box Score
The last place Kernels were shutout on Tuesday in South Bend, Indiana, by the first-half West Division winning Cubs. They actually outhit their opponents 8-6 on the game but went 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position while the Cubs bashed three home runs.

Kolten Smith got the starting nod and went the first four innings, allowing a lone run on a solo-homer and just two hits total. He walked three and struck out five. Ross Dunn allowed one earned run in his lone inning thanks to a pair of walks. Mike McKenna made his high-A debut and was charged with four earned runs on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three. Christian Becerra finished the final 1 1/3, striking out two.

Andy Lugo and JP Smith II had doubles and each finished 1-for-3. Danny De Andrade chipped in his sixth triple of the season. Jacob McCombs was the lone hitter with multiple knocks, finishing 2-for-4. Emmanuel Rodriguez was 1-for-3 with a walk to continue his rehab assignment and had a nice diving catch in center field.

MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 2, Bradenton 4
Box Score
Newly minted first round draft pick Vahn Lackey batted second in this one, and after a groundout from the leadoff man sent his first professional extra-base hit down the left field line for a double. Colby Turner traded places with him two batters later to put the Mighty Mussels on the board first.

Eric Hammond toed the rubber for Fort Myers and went the first four solid innings. He scattered four hits and allowed just one earned run while walking one and striking out four. The freshly promoted Brad Rudis was the first call to the bullpen and he worked a scoreless inning, allowing one hit and striking out one. Nick McAuliffe pitched the sixth inning and was hit with three unearned runs after a leadoff error that led to three hits and a walk. He struck out two. Brent Francisco went the final two innings, allowing one hit and one walk, but zero runs.

The Mighty Mussels offense went quiet after the first inning, as 15 hitters in a row went down before Lackey drew a walk in the sixth. Aidan Teel singled in the seventh but was immediately erased by a double-play ball. Quentin Young led off the top of the eighth with his fifth triple of the year, and scored their second run on an RBI groundout from Merphy Hernandez. Including the first inning doubles, those were all four of the Mighty Mussels hits. They went 1-for-5 with runners in scoring position, but left only two men on base for the game.

Here’s some Lackey defense for tax:

DOMINICAN DAILY
DSL Twins 6, DSL Mets Orange 14 (8 innings)
Box Score
This one was tied at six heading into the eighth inning, but as weather moved into the area Zeus himself injected his lightning into the bats of Mets players just like Homer J. Simpson’s Wonderbat.

Well, not really. 

Lightning did end the game early, but it was the Twins pitching that spelled disaster. The first six Mets in the bottom of the eighth reached base via a walk or hit-by-pitch. Then there was a two-run single, and a two-run triple that made it 13-6 Mets. They added their last run on an RBI groundout before the game was called.

Jeferson Abreu hit his second home run of the season in the fifth inning, putting the Twins up 3-0 at the time. Jhon Gonzalez led the lineup with two hits in four at-bats, including a double. He also scored two runs. Enmanuel Merlo drove in two with a single in the sixth.

Fernando Hernandez made the start and went the first two innings. He surrendered one hit, walked one, and struck out one. Camilo Made went the next two scoreless innings, walking two and striking out two. The Mets finally got on the scoreboard against Juan Collado in the fifth and he was charged with five runs (four earned) on four hits and one walk in his 1 2/3 innings. He struck out two. Herkyn Tavares allowed one earned run on a walk in his 1 1/3 innings, striking out two. Juan Germosen (0 IP, 4 ER, 3 BB) and Juan Quinones (1/3 IP, 2 H, 4 ER, 2 BB) took the shock trauma in the eighth before the teams headed to the clubhouse to escape it.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Preston Johnson, Wichita Wind Surge (4 IP, H, 5 K)
Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross, St. Paul Saints (3-for-4, R, HR, 3 RBI)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today.

#1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, K
#2 - C Vahn Lackey (Fort Myers): 1-for-3, R, 2B, BB
#3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 3-for-4, 2 R, 3B, BB
#4 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (Rehab w/Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, BB
#5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita): 0-for-5, BB, 3 K
#7 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, K
#10 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K
#11 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 2 R, 2B, HR (12), 2 RBI
#13 - C Carson Tinney (Fort Myers): 0-for-4
#14 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita): 2-for-5, R, HR (2), RBI K
#15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita): 1-for-5, R, 2 K
#17 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 1-for-3, R, 3B, 2 K

WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
Louisville @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (4-5, 6.38 ERA)
Wichita @ NW Arkansas (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (6-8, 4.64 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (6:05 PM CDT) - LHP Michael Carpenter (High-A debut)
Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Callan Fang (3-3, 4.81 ERA)

Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

 

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[wesnewy]

Are we going to just let Wallner rot down in AAA? I was very surprised they didn't throw him in one of the deadline moves. 

[TCanWins]

Hoping maybe when the boys return to Target Field they might bring one or two of these guys up for a shot. If not Wallner for another chance, Jenkins or Culpepper? Bats need something! ❄️ 

[Patzky]

4 hours ago, TCanWins said:

Hoping maybe when the boys return to Target Field they might bring one or two of these guys up for a shot. If not Wallner for another chance, Jenkins or Culpepper? Bats need something! ❄️ 

I wouldn't be surprised if it's Emmanuel Rodriguez who gets the call actually, replacing Gray or Martin. Soon to be followed hopefully by Buxton and Culpepper, removing Roden and the other of the above. Finally Jenkins in September.

[FlyingFinn]

Why do I cringe any time I read "Emmanuel Rodriguez" and "dive" in the same sentence. Just keep those thumbs safe.

[Trov]

I have watched several throws from Lachey that arm is legit and he has been nailing runners with perfect throws. 

[Steve Lein]

3 hours ago, FlyingFinn said:

Why do I cringe any time I read "Emmanuel Rodriguez" and "dive" in the same sentence. Just keep those thumbs safe.

I actually hated seeing this highlight... It's pretty much exactly the thing that has resulted in one of his thumb injuries before.

[jmlease1]

Rodriguez's diving catch made SportsCenter this morning; can't recall the last time they threw something from A-ball on there. Was a very nice catch, and I immediately thought: "oh, hell, please don't be hurt again!"

Nice day at the plate for most of the prospects (except Houston, who had a rough one, but he's been playing great overall so not worrying about 1 bad day). Just hoping that they're feeling good enough about Culpepper to get him up here. The offense needs a jolt and maybe he can provide one. (and like many, I'm just into seeing him make his debut)

Lackey seems to be passing the "Lemon Test" just fine: he looked quite good on that throw nailing the runner at 2B, and nice to see him clock a double as well. I have a feeling it's going to be hard to have any patience with him, even though he reasonably should need at least 1 full year in the minors. But he's a super-exciting prospect. No harm in dreaming.

[bean5302]

Saints nice and consistent in a way I like to see, haha.

[rdehring]

9 hours ago, wesnewy said:

Are we going to just let Wallner rot down in AAA? I was very surprised they didn't throw him in one of the deadline moves. 

Is it possible no one wanted him, if he was offered?

Thanks for the report, Steve.  After making the playoffs seemingly every year, shocking seeing the Kernels in last place.  Interesting item for me while looking at the box scores was that Diaw not only had a home run and is hitting .290 something, but he also was behind the plate again.  A young man who can hit very well, has the athleticism to play the outfield and can catch seems like someone who belongs with the Twins a year or so from now.

Great seeing Culpepper with a big night after shaking off some of the rust.

[Steve Lein]

22 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

Just hoping that they're feeling good enough about Culpepper to get him up here. The offense needs a jolt and maybe he can provide one. (and like many, I'm just into seeing him make his debut)

My general impression of Culpepper since returning from injury is that he's been pressing. He knows the position he's in. The Saints broadcasters commented on a few swings, discussing how he's been looking like he's hunting for that first big home run and missing breaking balls low and outside.

He finally tagged one pretty good last night with his triple, it hit off the wall and bounced over the center-fielder in deep left-center (I don't think 426 feet at CHS Field to that gap is possible to stay in the park, but I digress 😅):


Had a single at 105.3 MPH in the 5th, and a 99.7 MPH groundout later. Hopefully the start of coming back around!

[mikelink45]

Wow - there is offense in the Twins system - too bad we won't bring it to Minneapolis.

And a request - I really like it when you list home runs and multi-hit games at the beginning of the summaries. 

[Connor Gould]

I understand that Wallner was unplayably bad at the start of the season, but the prior 3 seasons, he had a 130 OPS+ and we're just a different lineup when he's hot. So I think we should give him another shot, perhaps 1 final shot. He's got 20 HRs in 61 games and cut his K rate to 26.6% since the demotion. The MLB offense is stagnant, and he's been a gamechanger for us before.

[DocBauer]

Great catch by Rodriguez! He's probably a couple weeks away from a promotion, but he needs the opportunity to get hus feet wet at the ML level before the season is done. Word has it he probably doesn't get rewarded an extra option year.

It's always a little fun this time of year to see a large number of promotions for prosoects to get a taste of the next level. But keep an eye on Merit Jones, who just advanced to CR. The Twins drafted him in the 20th round in 2024 and he went unsigned. He went back to Utah for this season, actually had a worse 2025 than 2024, but the Twins grabbed the tall RH in the 14th round this season. So they really like something about him.

He had a really nice debut for Ft Myers this season and definitely flashed. 

[jorgenswest]

Bell has 4 years of an average to slightly above average bat. If Wallner can do better than that against right handed pitching he should up. They will still have a problem against left handed pitching but Bell wasn’t much help there anyway. Bell is stronger against right handed over his career and 6% better than league average this year. That is not a difficult bar for Wallner to surpass.

[DocBauer]

So Rojas got sent down? How he's going to be used is my question. Keep him stretched out? Maybe, even though Matthews is there also. Or do they begin his transition to a back end RP?

[Steve Lein]

16 hours ago, DocBauer said:

It's always a little fun this time of year to see a large number of promotions for prosoects to get a taste of the next level. But keep an eye on Merit Jones, who just advanced to CR. The Twins drafted him in the 20th round in 2024 and he went unsigned. He went back to Utah for this season, actually had a worse 2025 than 2024, but the Twins grabbed the tall RH in the 14th round this season. So they really like something about him.

He had a really nice debut for Ft Myers this season and definitely flashed. 

Indeed! He was named the Florida State League Pitcher of the Month for July: https://www.milb.com/dunedin/news/mighty-mussels-merit-jones-named-florida-state-league-pitcher-of-the-month

"Jones recorded a 0.73 ERA with 30 strikeouts across 24.2 innings of work. In six appearances (three starts) the 2025 14th rounder went 3-0 while allowing just two earned runs on 21 hits and eight walks. He led the league in innings pitched (24.2), ERA (0.73) and wins (three) and was second in strikeouts (30) and strikeouts per nine innings (10.95). He did not allow an earned run over his last four outings (18.0 innings)."