Emmanuel Rodriguez's Time With the Twins May Be Coming to an End Before it Begins

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of Mike Watters-Imagn Images

For years now, Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez has been one of the biggest bright spots in the organization’s farm system. After signing as an international free agent in 2019, Rodriguez has produced at every stop in his professional career. His blend of power, patience, and athleticism quickly turned him into one of the most exciting young players in the system, earning him top-100 prospect recognition across baseball every year since 2023. When healthy this season, Rodriguez has looked pretty awesome, too. He owns a .916 OPS with Triple-A St. Paul; his strikeout numbers have come down considerably; and he's produced the two hardest-hit balls recorded by Statcast for Twins prospects. That’s an impressive combination of production and raw talent, and it’s exactly the kind of profile that should be able to help a major-league club. That makes what's happened over the last week or so pretty unusual.

We’re well into September. Rosters have already expanded. Many people (myself included) expected Rodriguez to be the extra bat the Twins brought up, especially with Walker Jenkins already having made his way to the major leagues. But that didn’t happen. The Twins brought up Ben Ross on September 1, and when Byron Buxton landed on the shelf (opening another opportunity for Minnesota to bring Rodriguez up), they brought Gabriel Gonzalez back instead.

That's not to suggest that Gonzalez didn’t deserve the opportunity. He’s another talented young player who could easily be part of the Twins’ future, but at some point, you have to wonder what Minnesota’s plans for Rodriguez actually are. He’s already on the 40-man roster and out of minor-league options after this season. If Rodriguez is part of the Twins’ long-term plans, it’s difficult to understand why he wouldn’t be getting an opportunity to show what he can do at the major-league level right now.

The likeliest explanation might simply be a harsh reality: despite being one of the crown jewels of the Twins’ farm system for the last half-decade, the two sides may need to go their separate ways. The more you look at Minnesota’s outfield picture, the more that possibility makes sense.

Obviously, Buxton is still here. The face of the franchise is under contract through 2028, and he isn’t going anywhere. The injury that derailed his season and will require offseason hip surgery has also tanked his trade value, and Buxton didn't want to be dealt, anyway. Then there’s Jenkins, who the Twins hope will eventually become that kind of player himself. He’s been the team’s top prospect since they drafted him in 2023 and has every opportunity to become the face of the franchise over the next several years.

The Twins also have Trevor Larnach, Luke Keaschall and Kody Clemens on the major-league roster. Keaschall isn’t even a year older than Rodriguez and has already shown that he can be a great major-league hitter. Clemens has moved into an everyday infield role with Keaschall spending more time in the outfield. He's proved to be a quality defender at multiple places on the diamond, while also becoming one of the Twins’ best hitters. His versatility guarantees him playing time. Then there’s Larnach. He doesn’t offer much defensively, and it’s certainly possible that the Twins could move him this winter, but he could also remain with the organization and continue rotating between outfield and designated hitter duties next season.

It doesn’t stop there. Along with Gonzalez, the Twins have another fast-rising outfield prospect in Hendry Mendez, who has done nothing but mash since arriving in Minnesota at last summer’s trade deadline and could very well be ready to contribute at some point next season—even if that's more likely to be at first base than in the grass.

There’s also the handedness aspect of all this. Rodriguez, Jenkins, Larnach, Clemens and Mendez are all left-handed hitters, meaning Rodriguez would need to clearly stand out from that group to consistently force his way into the lineup. That’s becoming increasingly difficult. Rodriguez is no longer just competing with the players currently standing in front of him; the next wave of talented outfielders is already arriving. Considering he still hasn’t even been called up, it’s difficult to believe the Twins currently view him as the player who stands above the rest.

That doesn’t mean Rodriguez isn’t talented. But potential can only carry a player so far. Rodriguez has dealt with injuries, and strikeouts have been an issue at different points throughout his career. While he has continued to flash the tools that made him such a highly-regarded prospect in the first place, he hasn’t been able to establish himself as the future star many expected him to become. 

Meanwhile, Minnesota has continued to add talented outfielders to the organization, making his path increasingly difficult. Even with expanded rosters and an opening created by Buxton’s absence, Rodriguez is still waiting for his opportunity. If the Twins truly saw him as a major part of their long-term plans, this felt like the perfect time to find out what they have. Instead, he remains in St. Paul.

However you look at it, Rodriguez’s time as a Twin suddenly feels like it could be coming to an end. After spending years as one of the organization’s most exciting prospects, the crowded roster and lack of a September call-up point toward the same conclusion. This could be Rodriguez’s final stretch of baseball in Minnesota. It'll only go down that way if the front office gets an offer they like for him this winter, but that might be more likely than (say) them getting the offer they've waited years for on Larnach.

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[PuckettPond]

We need to bring up Erod to see what he can do not treat him like fruit letting him die on the vine. "Play him or trade him as there can be no in between." Baby Yoda

[tony&rodney]

Sam, this seems like it is a bit inflammatory but has some runway; I can agree with your take. The Twins were not proactive about pushing Emmanuel out of Spring Training  ....  true. Rodriguez did get injured ...  again .... needed surgery again .... and was a little slow to come back again. Baseball is pretty tough that way. 

Clearly Emmanuel Rodriguez is a "potentially" plus plus player at the major league level but he also has his warts. The Twins may find it tough to give him a job full time with all of Keaschall, Jenkins, and Buxton clearly higher on the list. It doesn't help to have Roden, Mendez, Martin, etc. also looking for a  roster spot. Thus, it does seem like the Twins would be open to dealing Rodriguez. The Twins should be open to dealing anyone. The problem is the return. In late July of 2025 the Twins started a rebuild but then cut it off when it seemed like a number of players had solid value that might bring back the proverbial haul. In September of 2026 there has to be a number of questions whether there is value in many/any Twins players from other teams. I guess we will see how November plays out. Emmanuel Rodriguez could be the guy heading out. 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

I share the bewilderment about Erod not being called up yet, however, I don't really think they have written him off.  My guess is that based on his style of hitting, he has a little bit of Jose Miranda freezer burn on him.  Similar style, uber-patient, may be scaring them off -- even though he's a much better athlete and much better defender.  I'm not sure we won't see him yet for a cameo, but there is fear (everywhere -- even here on TD) that it won't work in MLB.

It's also possible that they want him to remain a mystery because they think that they can sell "what might be" to a trade partner.

OR it could just be that they want him to have as many at bats as possible because of the time missed and they don't think they can get him as many in MLB.  

I personally think he can and will be successful.  His chance will come next spring.  I'm not willing to wager on it, but it wouldn't surprise me if he had a better season than Jenkins next summer. 

[Parfigliano]

6 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Sam, this seems like it is a bit inflammatory but has some runway; I can agree with your take. The Twins were not proactive about pushing Emmanuel out of Spring Training  ....  true. Rodriguez did get injured ...  again .... needed surgery again .... and was a little slow to come back again. Baseball is pretty tough that way. 

Clearly Emmanuel Rodriguez is a "potentially" plus plus player at the major league level but he also has his warts. The Twins may find it tough to give him a job full time with all of Keaschall, Jenkins, and Buxton clearly higher on the list. It doesn't help to have Roden, Mendez, Martin, etc. also looking for a  roster spot. Thus, it does seem like the Twins would be open to dealing Rodriguez. The Twins should be open to dealing anyone. The problem is the return. In late July of 2025 the Twins started a rebuild but then cut it off when it seemed like a number of players had solid value that might bring back the proverbial haul. In September of 2026 there has to be a number of questions whether there is value in many/any Twins players from other teams. I guess we will see how November plays out. Emmanuel Rodriguez could be the guy heading out. 

I hope wherever he goes he crushes it from day one at the MLB level.  A constant reminder what the TC FO passed on.

 

[Cory Engelhardt]

I hope he does get a shot somewhere and he stays healthy. He has legit mlb tools and needs a chance and good health on his side. I'd be curious to see if he actually gets a shot in MN or if it'll be elsewhere.

[SE23]

They sign the guy as an 18-year-old and bring him slowly through the system, where he's a top 5 prospect for most of 6 years. Then they unceremoniously cut ties with him without so much as a courtesy Cup of Coffee? Seems like an unorthodox approach. Even for the Twins.

[MMBoys93]

Making an assumption that often-injured players are suddenly healthy next year would be insane. 
And without that miracle happening I don’t see this team getting over the second half hump that they’ve struggled with the last couple years.

If they start this next season with guys like Larnach, Gonzalez, Wallner, Roden over Rodriguez then that’s a massive failure for the organization.

I’m a fan of Roden too, and I still believe Wallner can be a valuable hitter against righties, but Rodriguez has potential that 98% of prospects don’t.

 

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Here's an out of the box thought. 

He's the new first baseman.  He's plenty athletic to learn a position -- arguably a plus outfielder.  If his hitting profile plays, he has a lot of pop and could be the slugging first baseman we haven't had since Morneau.  Personally, I would rather squeeze out one of the other outfielders, but Erod is the guy who could probably pull it off -- and fix first base for five years.  YMMV.  Or maybe I've been drinking, but I like this idea more and more the more I think about it.  

[Patzky]

8 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I hope he does get a shot somewhere and he stays healthy. He has legit mlb tools and needs a chance and good health on his side. I'd be curious to see if he actually gets a shot in MN or if it'll be elsewhere.

The elimination of (in this order) 1) Larnach; 2) Clemens as an OF and 3) Martin as a starter would open a door for ERod. The lack of options could be a detriment to a potential trade partner as well. Bring ERod up in April if he's deemed worthy, invent a March injury.. the possibility is there for him if we're creative. There is also the chance Jenkins Roden and or Martin starts '27 as a Saint.. Implied is that Wallner gets traded.

[mnfireman]

Bring him up Monday, bench Larnach, and platoon him and GG the rest of the way. Or start him every day and let GG play 1B or DH (sorry Lewis or Bell, gotta prepare for 2027).

[Nashvilletwin]

24 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Sam, this seems like it is a bit inflammatory but has some runway; I can agree with your take. The Twins were not proactive about pushing Emmanuel out of Spring Training  ....  true. Rodriguez did get injured ...  again .... needed surgery again .... and was a little slow to come back again. Baseball is pretty tough that way. 

Clearly Emmanuel Rodriguez is a "potentially" plus plus player at the major league level but he also has his warts. The Twins may find it tough to give him a job full time with all of Keaschall, Jenkins, and Buxton clearly higher on the list. It doesn't help to have Roden, Mendez, Martin, etc. also looking for a  roster spot. Thus, it does seem like the Twins would be open to dealing Rodriguez. The Twins should be open to dealing anyone. The problem is the return. In late July of 2025 the Twins started a rebuild but then cut it off when it seemed like a number of players had solid value that might bring back the proverbial haul. In September of 2026 there has to be a number of questions whether there is value in many/any Twins players from other teams. I guess we will see how November plays out. Emmanuel Rodriguez could be the guy heading out. 

Only a team as inept as the Twins would think Buxton has more value than ERod.

No team in their right mind would trade the upside of ERod for 1.5 years of an aging, surgery required 33 year old Buxton.  It’s not even close.

The only team dumb enough to give up on ERod so Buxton can play another hundred or so games in his age 34 and 35 seasons before retiring would be the Twins.  Talk about asinine….

If there is any truth in this article, God help us Twins fans.

[Cory Engelhardt]

12 minutes ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

Here's an out of the box thought. 

He's the new first baseman.  He's plenty athletic to learn a position -- arguably a plus outfielder.  If his hitting profile plays, he has a lot of pop and could be the slugging first baseman we haven't had since Morneau.  Personally, I would rather squeeze out one of the other outfielders, but Erod is the guy who could probably pull it off -- and fix first base for five years.  YMMV.  Or maybe I've been drinking, but I like this idea more and more the more I think about it.  

I like this idea. I also think there truly could be space for ERod in the outfield IF it is determined that Keaschall goes back to the infield. 

Or maybe they just don't think his bat will transfer. I suppose that could be.

I like where your head's at, and frankly I also am someone who likes writing something down after a couple of glasses of wine. Baseball is good in that way, as something to think about when not thinking about reality :)

I very much support getting ERod a chance to see if he can stay healthy and contribute. Because he is a plus athlete, that makes me want to see him when he is healthy an awful lot more than other players in the minors who aren't.

I mean, let's say they DO think his bat plays. Between Buxton with his hip, and Keaschall with his needing-to-learn-defense and Jenkins just coming into form, there absolutely would be openings for either Buxton and Keaschall to DH if Rodriguez can hold down an outfield spot better defensively. Maybe we will see him up in the next week or two. I'd certainly rather have him up now than Larnach, even though Larnach has had a good year.

But if Rodriguez can get a 1B glove, that works too. That said, I'd almost rather (IF Buxton's hip can be ok) get Keaschall AND Buxton 1B reps before Rodriguez.

[Parfigliano]

4 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

I like this idea. I also think there truly could be space for ERod in the outfield IF it is determined that Keaschall goes back to the infield. 

Or maybe they just don't think his bat will transfer. I suppose that could be.

I like where your head's at, and frankly I also am someone who likes writing something down after a couple of glasses of wine. Baseball is good in that way, as something to think about when not thinking about reality :)

I very much support getting ERod a chance to see if he can stay healthy and contribute. Because he is a plus athlete, that makes me want to see him when he is healthy an awful lot more than other players in the minors who aren't.

They bring up Martin not ERod.  Refuse to even take a look see on ERod.  It's maddening.

[mikelink45]

It is one of many prospect questions over the last few years.  It is the Twins - we just wait and see. 

[tony&rodney]

19 minutes ago, Nashvilletwin said:

Only a team as inept as the Twins would think Buxton has more value than ERod.

No team in their right mind would trade the upside of ERod for 1.5 years of an aging, surgery required 33 year old Buxton.  It’s not even close.

The only team dumb enough to give up on ERod so Buxton can play another hundred or so games in his age 34 and 35 seasons before retiring would be the Twins.  Talk about asinine….

If there is any truth in this article, God help us Twins fans.

I don't understand how anything you wrote has anything to do with what I wrote, but it's all good.

 

[Brandon]

ERod is getting everyday AB in AAA right now after a long layoff from injury.  I think he will get.called.up after the AAA season ends or after the Twins are eliminated from post season contention. He won't get too many opportunities but some and next season he will start in the OF as well.  He will get his chance.  How could the Twins not want to give a guy with a .400 OBP a chance. 

[Cory Engelhardt]

9 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

They bring up Martin not ERod.  Refuse to even take a look see on ERod.  It's maddening.

The last Saints home game is this Sunday, and their last AAA game this year is next Sunday. There still is time to get him a cup of coffee, but Martin (a right handed hitter) coming up isn't shocking.

Rodriguez kind of needs either Bell or Larnach to not play to get at bats here in a lot of ways. 

[StiltedGopher]

I don’t understand what the organization is trying to do.  

They aren’t a contender now (in hindsight, they never were contenders with the holes in the roster, disregard for defense, and injuries.)  

So play for the future,  play your prospects and stop wasting MLB time on marginal players that will not be the future.  
 

 

[chpettit19]

Not confused at all about Emma not being called up. They aren't going to call him up and put him on the bench like they did with Gabby. And they aren't ready to sit Larnach or Bell enough to give Jenkins and Emma all the ABs. Even if that should be the move at this point.

As for his time in MN being done, I don't think so. His trade value is not likely to be very high. I'm positive the Twins would get numerous buy low offers from rebuilding teams looking to grab a top 100 prospect for almost nothing. The Twins aren't DFAing him as those same teams would be ecstatic to grab him for actually nothing, and give him a season to see if he looks like an MLBer.

Their only play with him is to put him on the opening day roster and give him a month of everyday ABs and see how he looks.

[D.C Twins]

I think he has too much swing and miss in zone that MLB pitchers will expose and pray upon. 

That being said, the Twins need to make sure of what they have before losing him for nothing.

It was actually more important to give ERod and extended look than Jenkins, Gonzolez, Ross.

To be clear, we should be giving them a look too, but ERod was more important because he is out of options next year

If he is not part of their plans, shame on them for not trading him for something this year. 

[DJL44]

If they can carry a useless 3rd catcher on the roster for the whole season, they can certainly carry Rodriguez, even if he doesn’t produce much at the plate. Heck, they seem to _like_ having a lousy extra outfielder on the roster. 

[chpettit19]

57 minutes ago, Rod Carews Birthday said:

Here's an out of the box thought. 

He's the new first baseman.  He's plenty athletic to learn a position -- arguably a plus outfielder.  If his hitting profile plays, he has a lot of pop and could be the slugging first baseman we haven't had since Morneau.  Personally, I would rather squeeze out one of the other outfielders, but Erod is the guy who could probably pull it off -- and fix first base for five years.  YMMV.  Or maybe I've been drinking, but I like this idea more and more the more I think about it.  

Keaschall has actually played 1B. I'd go with him way before I'd move a legitimate CFer all the way down the defensive spectrum.

[MeleMouth]

It would be a big mistake to take Mendez over ERod. Mendez doesn't hit the ball hard or field well. He would end up being a left-handed Austin Martin, but without speed and with worse defense. I'm not big on AAA stats, but his 88 wRC+ with a .385 SLG over the last two months requires some explaining before he should be taken seriously as a prospect.

Sometimes it seems like the Twins prioritize more highly the guys they traded for, as if management is somehow more invested in that player.

IMO what the Twins should have done with Mendez is, like Wallner, trade him at the deadline for an interesting lower level pitching prospect.

[MeleMouth]

34 minutes ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

The last Saints home game is this Sunday, and their last AAA game this year is next Sunday. There still is time to get him a cup of coffee, but Martin (a right handed hitter) coming up isn't shocking.

Rodriguez kind of needs either Bell or Larnach to not play to get at bats here in a lot of ways. 

Maybe the hope(?) for fans would be for the Twins to lose a few more so they don't feel any need to continue playing Bell and Larnach.

[LastOnePicked]

Oh goodie. Now we're already laying the groundwork for rationalizing another top prospect lost for nothing. It's getting to the point where I'm rooting more for former Twins than the team itself.

E-Rod, Jenkins, Culpepper, Sabato and a few others all should have had extended opportunities in a rebuild season. Instead, we're getting a 4th place finish with veterans.

[Nashvilletwin]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

I don't understand how anything you wrote has anything to do with what I wrote, but it's all good.

 

I was really railing on the article and that you sadly, but correctly, identified that Buxton was “higher on the list” for the Twins.  By no means was I attacking nor indicting you.   Sorry.

[South Dakota Tom]

This has more to do with FO claiming we're still in it and not wanting to punt just yet.  I do think they like him getting AB's in AAA over the occasional playing time with the big club.

It's a big risk, too, but it sometimes feels they are showcasing him like an unfinished basement in a house, letting other potential buyers dream of the potential over actually exposing him to major league pitching and watching his patient approach fail badly.

[thelanges5]

The roster mismanagement masterclass continues. If they think they are still in it  they are fools. This team has shown me nothing that makes me believe they have a run left in the tank. They can make roster space for Emma. Even a rube like myself could make it happen - put him in left and rotate Bell and Larnach at DH. It’s not that hard. 

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, Cory Engelhardt said:

The last Saints home game is this Sunday, and their last AAA game this year is next Sunday. There still is time to get him a cup of coffee, but Martin (a right handed hitter) coming up isn't shocking.

Rodriguez kind of needs either Bell or Larnach to not play to get at bats here in a lot of ways. 

Gee if only there was a way for Larnach to not play.