Calling up Jackson to replace Martin?

[HarmonK03]

17 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I guess I should've listed Fedko, too. He's probably the one who's really the most slighted here. They could argue they don't want GG in that small of a role, but it's likely the only role Fedko will/could ever fill in his career. And they went with a catcher who can maybe kinda play OF, too, instead. This was Fedko's death blow. 

But I don't think it's crazy to not replace a part-time, short-side platoon player with Emma or Jenkins. Unless you're going to truly move to the 2027 and beyond emphasis. Which I wish they would. But they aren't calling those guys up for a part-time role. And they aren't sitting Larnach, Buxton, Keaschall, or Bell on a regular basis for either of them. 

Jackson is weird, but I don't think Jenkins or Emma not coming up is what makes it weird.

There would be plenty of AB's for Jenkins between the other 3 outfielders and Bell.  Everyone sits one day and there is 4 days, finding a fifth wouldn't be difficult.  Even if you had to play Keaschall at 2B a couple of days a week, Clemens has gone into his slump, so you could sit him a day or two as well.  Managers do this all the time, you find ab's for good players, not the average ones like Bell and Clemens.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

7 minutes ago, Vanimal46 said:

Getting swept by the Phillies might have been the dagger for the 2026 season for Zoll as well. Maybe they're moving on to tanking the rest of the season for the best draft pick possible. Idk, that's all I can think of as a reason to calling up Jackson over any other OF option in the minors. 

I am generally thinking tank as well which is weird with only being 1 1/2 games out.  Zoll and Tom have been extraordinarily optimistic on this season and has wasted opportunities to add pieces to the team in trading Jeffers and or Larnach.  

[HarmonK03]

4 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

It's really hard to give the front office the benefit of the doubt on this one but that is from my issues with platooning.  

Others who support the platoon logic utilized by the Twins and most of the the MLB clubs really can't complain about this one. 

My suspicion and I believe that my suspicion is correct: 

We will be facing two left handed starting pitchers this series. Perez tonight and Sale on Wednesday. On top of that the Braves house 4 left handers in the bullpen. 

We will face all right handed starters against the Padres

Followed by two left handers against the A's following the Padres. 

This is a platoon decision. Jackson was added back to the 40 man and chosen over GG who is on the 40 man and also chosen over Sabato who like Jackson was not on the 40 man. 

Wallner, Erod, Jenkins, Mendez are all left handed hitters. Along with the other consideration Tristan Gray. 

Now... if we ever get healthy. Jackson will have to go through this exposure process again if we send him back down. 

I'm not a fan of platooning... and here it is. Calling up players that they don't intend on utilizing just in order to make sure they stand in the correct batters box. 

If any of you don't think they will platoon Jenkins or Erod when they finally get the call. All I can say... I see no evidence that won't and this call up strongly indicates such. 

 

 

Agree with everything you say, but I am afraid Jackson will be here to stay now.  He will basically the 14th player in September and still be a wasted roster spot.  They are so afraid of losing this superstar they won't expose him again.

[Rodney29]

No Jenkins called up because of next season’s suspected lockout. The reason for not calling any of the 3 other outfielders already on the 40 man roster?

Makes no sense whatsoever.

Someone in Twins media coverage, please ask the question. 

 

 

[HarmonK03]

5 minutes ago, C-Gangster said:

I mean I get it but to be fair they did make some solid deadline moves probably our best in a few years and we're still somewhat in playoff contention. Also Martin isn't really a key contributar. I don't care for the move but I don't think it will make much of a difference

 

When you don't call up a potential difference maker of course it won't make a difference.  They made moves at the deadline and then stopped making moves.  That makes them even more inept and they make moves like this and I don't know how much further down the inept scale they can go.

[Riverbrian]

2 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

Agree with everything you say, but I am afraid Jackson will be here to stay now.  He will basically the 14th player in September and still be a wasted roster spot.  They are so afraid of losing this superstar they won't expose him again.

It's possible. My prediction is not the September Call Up. My prediction is that there will be more injuries to...

Someone... Somewhere that will keep him in the bigs. 

 

[Saxophone Joe]

I'm gonna say it again, just because: If guys on this team had simply done their job, if Joe Ryan doesn't waste three starts by trying to pitch through an obvious injury, if if if...we'd have 3-4 more wins and we're at .500 or above and Zoll/Pohlad's gamble doesn't look like a bad bet at the moment. Alas, that didn't happen. Which...is a bummer. 

 

 

 

[howeda7]

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Jackson is a confusing move, but GG is the player I think that should most be slighted by this.

The Twins are either still selling the "this team is good enough to compete" narrative, or at least acting like they believe that. Larnach is going to start in LF vs every righty. Buxton is going to start in CF more often than not. Keaschall is going to start in RF every day. Bell is going to DH every day. Whether we agree with any of that or not, that's what the Twins are going to do. And in that case, Jenkins and Emma aren't a fit. Gonzalez was the fit as a short-side platoon partner with Larnach.

Emma and Jenkins don't have a role on this team until an everyday OF job opens up. Whether that be by injury to Larnach, Buxton, or Keaschall, or by Bell no longer being an everyday DH. The Twins simply aren't going to play either of those guys over any of those other 4. Kreidler may be taking that platoon partner role with Larnach now. Or Jackson, who was drafted as an OF. But GG was the prospect that would've fit the current roster.

Until Larnach, Buxton, Keaschall, or Bell lose their place on the roster, Jenkins and Emma are staying in St Paul.

Clemons doesn't need to play every day. He's been mostly terrible for 2 months. Put Keashall back at 2B. Problem solved. Or just IL Buxton again, since he's clearly not right.

[howeda7]

19 minutes ago, Rodney29 said:

No Jenkins called up because of next season’s suspected lockout. The reason for not calling any of the 3 other outfielders already on the 40 man roster?

Makes no sense whatsoever.

Someone in Twins media coverage, please ask the question. 

 

 

It's senseless to apply this logic to Jenkins but not Culpepper. And no other team is hoarding prospects in AAA over fear of a lockout. 

[Mike Sixel]

3 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

It's senseless to apply this logic to Jenkins but not Culpepper. And no other team is hoarding prospects in AAA over fear of a lockout. 

Also true. 

[HarmonK03]

8 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

Clemons doesn't need to play every day. He's been mostly terrible for 2 months. Put Keashall back at 2B. Problem solved. Or just IL Buxton again, since he's clearly not right.

Be careful, Clemens is a sacred cow and can do no wrong, facts are irrelevant.

[ashbury]

51 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

Someone... Somewhere that will keep him in the bigs. 

Seems like the least controversial statement of the day.  We just saw him brought to the majors to replace an injured corner outfielder.

[chpettit19]

57 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

There would be plenty of AB's for Jenkins between the other 3 outfielders and Bell.  Everyone sits one day and there is 4 days, finding a fifth wouldn't be difficult.  Even if you had to play Keaschall at 2B a couple of days a week, Clemens has gone into his slump, so you could sit him a day or two as well.  Managers do this all the time, you find ab's for good players, not the average ones like Bell and Clemens.

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I also think assuming Jenkins or Emma would be any better than "average ones like Bell and Clemens" in the immediate future is assuming a lot.

There are actually not a lot of teams that sit each of their 3 starting OFers and DH once a week. There's actually like 0 teams that do that. Do you have an example of a team that would openly sit Larnach, Buxton, Keaschall, and Bell type players once a week just to play a rookie in what they claim is an attempt to make the playoffs in August and September? 

You seem to care more about not "wasting" roster spots than actually playing to win. Which is fine. But the Twins are 1.5 games out of the wild card and have spent the entire season saying they're good enough to compete and make the playoffs now. You don't sit Keaschall, Buxton, Larnach, and Bell (who has a .933 OPS this month) once a week just so you can call up Jenkins or Emma and hope they're good right out of the gate.

They're trying to make the playoffs whether anyone likes it or not. You don't sit 4 of your 5 best hitters once a week if that's the case. I want to see Jenkins and Emma as much as anyone else does, but I don't know why they'd sit everyone at the top of their order just to force one of them in there right now.

[HarmonK03]

2 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I'm not saying it's impossible, but I also think assuming Jenkins or Emma would be any better than "average ones like Bell and Clemens" in the immediate future is assuming a lot.

There are actually not a lot of teams that sit each of their 3 starting OFers and DH once a week. There's actually like 0 teams that do that. Do you have an example of a team that would openly sit Larnach, Buxton, Keaschall, and Bell type players once a week just to play a rookie in what they claim is an attempt to make the playoffs in August and September? 

You seem to care more about not "wasting" roster spots than actually playing to win. Which is fine. But the Twins are 1.5 games out of the wild card and have spent the entire season saying they're good enough to compete and make the playoffs now. You don't sit Keaschall, Buxton, Larnach, and Bell (who has a .933 OPS this month) once a week just so you can call up Jenkins or Emma and hope they're good right out of the gate.

They're trying to make the playoffs whether anyone likes it or not. You don't sit 4 of your 5 best hitters once a week if that's the case. I want to see Jenkins and Emma as much as anyone else does, but I don't know why they'd sit everyone at the top of their order just to force one of them in there right now.

That is the question are they really trying to make the playoffs, calling up Jackson is not a signal of trying to make the playoffs.  So there are conflicting signals there.  I get what you are saying but how many players play 162 games any more and I do believe Buxton will not be in CF every day.  Larnach and Clemens can easily sit a couple of days a week and Keaschall can play 2B.  It can be done, and trying to provide a spark for the team is worth if you are truly trying to win.  This offense needs a jolt and whether ERod or Jenkins can provide it, but try something.

[chpettit19]

44 minutes ago, howeda7 said:

Clemons doesn't need to play every day. He's been mostly terrible for 2 months. Put Keashall back at 2B. Problem solved. Or just IL Buxton again, since he's clearly not right.

I have no desire to ever watch Luke Keaschall play 2B again for the rest of his life. Well, at least not until he retires and joins a beer league softball team. 

Yes, there are ways to get Jenkins or Emma on this team and play them. But I think people are going through a lot of mental gymnastics to find a way to do it. Martin hitting the IL is absolutely not the straightforward move that opens the door for Jenkins or Emma. 

If you're calling Jenkins or Emma up, it's to play every day. Not 4 days a week. Not 5 days a week. Every. Single. Game. Maybe 2 days off the rest of the year. They aren't guys your calling up to fill Martin's role.

You aren't sitting Larnach, Buxton, Keaschall, or Bell once a week during a wild card race just to get a rookie ABs. No matter how good you think that rookie will be long-term. That's the problem. The Twins are "in" this race because nobody else in the AL will pull away and put them to bed. They're 1.5 games back. They aren't going to spend the whole season talking about "meaningful games" in September and then start sitting 4 of their best hitters regularly in mid-August to play rookies. It isn't happening. They aren't changing their story about being competitive now. 

ILing Buxton is very different than ILing Martin. If they IL Buxton and don't call one of those 2 up, fans should burn Target Field to the ground. But they didn't. They IL'd a guy who pinch runs and hits against lefties. Jenkins and Emma don't fill that role. And they aren't going to change the roles of multiple other players that have been key to their "success" to this point in order to force a lefty hitting OF onto the roster. And they shouldn't. Until they're ready to turn the page on 2026.

[chpettit19]

13 minutes ago, HarmonK03 said:

That is the question are they really trying to make the playoffs, calling up Jackson is not a signal of trying to make the playoffs.  So there are conflicting signals there.  I get what you are saying but how many players play 162 games any more and I do believe Buxton will not be in CF every day.  Larnach and Clemens can easily sit a couple of days a week and Keaschall can play 2B.  It can be done, and trying to provide a spark for the team is worth if you are truly trying to win.  This offense needs a jolt and whether ERod or Jenkins can provide it, but try something.

There's a very big difference between not playing 162 and sitting once a week. Sitting once a week over the course of the season would be automatically limiting a guy to 136 games. Nobody is doing that with Larnach, Buxton, Keaschall, or Bell. Nobody. But, the bigger difference in this conversation is that we're not talking about 162, we're talking about 37. There is 0 reason to sit any of those guys if it isn't injury related for the rest of the season. They shouldn't miss another healthy game.

I hate the "spark" and "jolt" talk. The deadline was supposed to be a spark and a jolt. They're going for it! They believe in the clubhouse! Get excited and play well! Then Culpepper coming up was supposed to be a spark and a jolt. Emma and Jenkins getting called up doesn't make the guys in the clubhouse suddenly go "oh, now we should go, we got this kid here and he's going to carry us to the promised land!" And they shouldn't be expected to outperform Clemens or Larnach from the jump anyway.

I think that's a huge thing that's ignored. Many of you want them called up because you think they're just going to take the league by storm and carry this team or something. The other guys in the clubhouse don't care if Jenkins is a top 15 prospect. The lineup isn't going to be better just because they called up a kid fans are excited about. That isn't how MLB clubhouses work. You only call Jenkins or Emma up now if you're going to play them every day, and you expect them to outperform somebody on the MLB roster. That's a big ask of either of them.

Look, I want to see them, too. I would've had Emma on the opening day roster and Jenkins up by mid-season if I were running things. But the idea that they're doing anything crazy right now by not calling them up when there's no every day OF spot open doesn't make sense to me. They were never going to be the responding move to Martin on the IL. Buxton to the IL? Definitely. But they aren't going to start playing the guys who got them here less just to hope Jenkins or Emma is an immediate success.

[DJL44]

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Jackson is a confusing move, but GG is the player I think that should most be slighted by this.

Yes, this means they think Austin Jackson is a better RH platoon bat than Gonzalez. They’re probably right about that, Gonzalez is not hitting in AAA.

Caratini shouldn’t be playing 1B vs LHP. Kreidler shouldn’t be playing in the outfield at all. I would probably start Kreidler at 2B, bat him 9th and pinch hit Clemens for him as soon as possible. That means starting Jackson in LF vs LHP and replacing him with Larnach ASAP.

[mrmpls]

3 hours ago, HarmonK03 said:

They had to add him to the 40 man roster, so then why not Jenkins.  They have 3 outfielders and Luke, so this means more of Clemens and Kreidler in the outfield.  Whatever happened to playing players at their natural position.

Why do they have no faith in the players they develop, yes Culpepper was called up basically because they had no choice with the play they were getting at shortstop.  You do have wonder if they are sitting in St. Paul what does it take to get called up.  Will we have any real reporters ask the question why Jackson especially when they wouldn't play him before.  We have an abundance of outfielders and they call up a third catcher who nobody else wants

Zoll needs to go now, I thought the Gray for Buxton move put me over the edge but this is just as egregious.  At what point are we going to attempt to raise the talent level on this team.  Playing all these average or sub average fringe players like Bell, Caratini, Jackson, Kreidler, Clemens is why we are a sub .500 team and will continue to be.

spot on ,  is there anyone who could endorse what they did Today ?  NO