Minnesota Twins Prospect Retrospective: Ben Ross

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Ben Ross)

For years, Ben Ross has been one of those players sitting just outside the spotlight. He wasn't a high-profile draft pick. He wasn't a consensus top prospect. He didn't fly through the Twins' minor-league system.  Instead, Ross spent the better part of four seasons working through the organization's developmental ladder, learning how to turn a collection of interesting tools into a legitimate professional skill set. Now, he finally gets the opportunity he has been working toward.

The Twins are calling Ross up for September, giving the 25-year-old his first chance to see what he can do at the Major League level. It's a fitting reward for a player who has quietly raised his prospect stock during the 2026 season. Ross's journey to Minneapolis has been a long one.

Ross wasn't heavily recruited coming out of high school in Springfield, Ohio. That led him to Division II Notre Dame College, where he quickly became one of the best players in program history. He became the first two-time All-American in school history and finished his college career as the school's all-time leader in batting average, on-base percentage, slugging percentage and home runs. The Twins selected him in the fifth round of the 2022 MLB Draft with the 144th overall pick. He signed for $220,000, well below the pick's $398,500 assigned slot value.

He made his professional debut that summer, playing 22 games for Fort Myers and two games in the Florida Complex League. He hit .241/.354/.422 (.775) with three home runs and six stolen bases in 24 games.  It wasn't a dominant debut, but there were signs of the tools he’d show in future years.

In his first full pro season, Ross spent most of 2023 with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, and this was the first season when his power potential really became noticeable. He hit .240/.322/.455  with 19 home runs, 25 doubles and 117 wRC+ in 103 games. He also showed his defensive versatility, seeing time at shortstop, third base, first base and all three outfield positions.

Minnesota promoted him to Double-A Wichita in September, but the jump was difficult. Ross went 7-for-31 in 10 games and finished with a .531 OPS across a small sample size.  The organization had seen enough to know there was something worth developing, though. He would spend the next two seasons trying to figure out Double-A pitching.

That development wasn't linear. Ross spent the entire 2024 regular season with Wichita and struggled to make consistent contact. He hit .212/.284/.341 with 11 home runs, 18 doubles, a  73 wRC+ and 20 stolen bases in 123 games. His 136 strikeouts and 29.7 K%  were a significant concern.

When the Switch Flipped and Ben Ross Became a Legit Prospect

There was, however, an encouraging finish to the year. Ross played in the Arizona Fall League and hit .281/.390/.427 (.817) with eight extra-base hits in 24 games. That didn't erase the struggles from the regular season, but it offered a glimpse of the offensive adjustments that would eventually become important in his development.

Ross looked to build off his AFL numbers and returned to Wichita in 2025. However, the overall numbers still weren't particularly impressive. He hit .219/.308/.363 (.671) with 14 home runs, 17 doubles, an 85 wRC+ and 18 stolen bases in 120 games. His OPS improved from .626 to .671, but he was still searching for consistency at the plate.

Defensively, though, Ross continued to build his versatility. He played 65 games at shortstop, 26 at third base and 27 in center field. That flexibility was becoming a significant part of his value. Then came 2026.

Ross started the season back at Wichita, where he was over a year older than the average age of the competition in the Texas League. This time, he didn't look like the same hitter. In 16 games, he hit .424/.528/.797 (1.324) with five home runs, seven doubles and eight steals. The Twins promoted him to Triple-A St. Paul on April 24.

Ross has combined to hit .275/.380/.510 with 20 home runs, 71 RBI and 20 stolen bases in 2026. At Triple-A, he has continued to show improved plate discipline (13.4 BB%) and more impact in his contact profile.

Baseball America recently noted that Ross's average exit velocity jumped from 85.1 mph in 2025 to 88.5 mph this season, while his 90th-percentile exit velocity increased from 100.9 mph to 103 mph. That's a meaningful development for a player whose offensive game once appeared more dependent on his speed and versatility.

What Can Ben Ross Bring to the Twins Roster?

Ross isn't being called up because the Twins expect him to suddenly become an everyday player. That's not really the point. His value comes from what he can do when the lineup needs flexibility.

Ross has experience at shortstop, second base, third base and center field. That could be particularly useful for a Twins team dealing with injuries and trying to navigate the final month of a disappointing season.

Minnesota has already turned to young players such as Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins this month. Jenkins' promotion was followed by Byron Buxton returning to the injured list, while Minnesota has dealt with other position-player injuries throughout the season. Ross gives manager Derek Shelton another right-handed option who doesn't have to be locked into one position.

He can give players a day off. He can enter late in a game without creating a defensive problem. He can run. He can cover the middle infield. He can play the outfield. And, perhaps most importantly, he has demonstrated enough offensive growth to make the Twins believe there could be more there.

That makes this September opportunity about more than simply filling out a roster. Ross has spent years proving he belongs. Now, he'll get a chance to prove it against Major League pitching. For a player who wasn't heavily recruited out of high school, came from a Division II program and spent multiple seasons fighting through Double-A, that's quite a journey. And the Twins are finally giving him the next step.

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What stands out about Ross? Can he fit into the team’s plans for 2027? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[mrmpls]

Good Luck Rook !!!   Cya Kreidler

[PuckettPond]

I guess Erod will play in the AFL. Erod 2 things, tell us your 1st name & never slide head first into 1st base.

[farmerguychris]

Love to see stories about guys who never give up.  Hoping he takes full advantage of this opportunity and gets to play some great baseball for us.

[Jeff K]

Although I was hoping to see Emanuel Rodriguez, this move does make sense.  Kreidler isn't hitting and the infield could use some depth.  The Twins are still acting like they have a chance to make the playoffs which is not a bad thing.  

[Dman]

This move makes sense to me.  He's a right handed bat who like Kreidler can play all over the infield and outfield. He might not have as much power as Fedko, but he has greater versatility. While his bat had fallen off a bit at AAA recently he was one of the only position player I thought the Twins would need to add for Rule V purposes, so adding him now just gets ahead of that potential issue.

He has a nice Utility guy toolkit and if he can up his game as a hitter could be a regular as he can play good defense.  Congrats on beating the odds Ben Ross!! Here's hoping you can make it at the MLB level.

[DJL44]

I expect him to play less than Kreidler does

[rdehring]

Know nothing about his defense, other than Seth and a few others commenting that it was very good.  Watching his performance since being promoted to AAA, led to my comment a few weeks ago questioning whether or not he would be a replacement for Kreidler in 2027?  Expect he gives the Twins a bit more speed than Kreidler.  Will his bat also be better?  

Looking forward to seeing him play this month in what could be an early look at a next spring's battle for that 13th spot on the roster.  You can add me to the list of those who are wondering why EmRod wasn't brought up, unless that remains in the Twins plans.

[JADBP]

Ross and Acton promoted to the Twins. Fedko has been DFA’ed

[LA Vikes Fan]

I'm interested to see what Ross brings to the table. We need a 2B and a UTL for next year, particularly if Kreidler isn't brought back. I like Kreidler in the field and I like his versatility,  but his .173/.202/.284 (.486) batting line since the All-Star break is probably more representative of the way he can hit then his .256/.324/.434 (.758) pre All-Star batting line. My fantasy is that Ross will hit MLB pitching at even a .260/.325/.750 batting line and can become the 2B for next year, bumping Clements to a super UTL role. Probably wont happen but a girl can dream . . .

I'm actually more interested in Acton coming back for the bullpen. We need help and he looked good before the injury. I see him and Adams in that battle next spring for one of those last two spots in the bullpen. 

[jmlease1]

Congrats to Ben Ross, who has earned a chance to show what he can do. Maybe he's another guy who can beat up on minor league pitching and can't make the leap, but you never know and it's worth taking a look at him. His defensive flexibility is a nice feature, and he's a guy who can legit play all over the place, not just stand at a position and pretend he can cover it.

Even if all he can do is punish the crap out of LHP he could end up being a useful platoon asset. I hope the Twins don't just let him rot on the bench and have him pinch run/defensive replacement late in games. Let him get some real ABs and see what happens.

Be great if he shows enough to take Kreidler's job for next season.