Twins Minor League Report (9/13): Kendry Rojas Returns to the Mound

[Matt Braun]

 

TRANSACTIONS

LHP Kendry Rojas activated from IL (AAA St. Paul)
C Ian Daugherty transferred to Development List (AAA St. Paul)

Saints Sentinel

St. Paul 6, Syracuse 5
Box Score
Kendry Rojas: 2 IP, 0 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 1 K
HR: Kala’i Rosario 2 (10, 11), Aaron Sabato (25)
Multi-hit games: Kala’i Rosario (2-for-4, 2 HR, 2 R, 3 RBI)

The Saints eeked out a win in their home finale on Sunday.

Kendry Rojas! He’s back! The lefty appeared in a game for the first time since suffering a right oblique strain during his outing on August 21st. He looked normal, which is about all you can ask from a pitcher returning from injury, tossing two scoreless innings with a strikeout and a walk. He topped out at 96.7 MPH. 18 of his 28 pitches went for strikes. 

Rojas’ exit portended a tough day for Trent Baker. The righty allowed a flurry of free passes and hard contact, totaling four earned runs in just two innings. 

After Baker, though, was a masterclass, with Paulshawn Pasqualotto, Eric Orze, and Marco Raya delivering suffocating, overwhelming pitching performances. Pasqualotto struck out four over two, Orze collected a pair in one frame, and Raya opted to let his defense have more fun; he punched out one batter in his inning. Overall, the three completed four perfect innings.

St. Paul’s offense on Sunday was… condensed. Effective enough. Kala’i Rosario blasted a solo shot in the fourth to break the seal, and more blasts in the fifth completed the run barrage. First, Aaron Sabato tucked a three-run shot around the fair side of the right field foul pole, then Rosario exited the building again, with a two-run shot cracked over the famous CHS field wall in right. 

Rosario presents a conundrum for the Twins this offseason. He’s Rule 5 eligible, and though the franchise finds outfielders in great abundance, 24-year-olds at AAA with his raw pop don’t grow on trees. Might they look to protect him? And how much does the looming lockout affect their plans? We shall see.

Émilien Pitre, a wonderful name, is ranked as the 10th-best prospect in the Mets’ system. The second baseman went 0-for-3 with a walk. 

Wind Surge Wisdom

Wichita 8, Frisco 10
Box Score
Preston Johnson: 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 2 K
HR: None
Multi-hit games: Marek Houston (3-for-6, 2 R), Garrett Spain (3-for-6, 2 2B, R, RBI), Brandon Winokur (4-for-6, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI), Kyle DeBarge (2-for-4, R, RBI, BB), Danny De Andrade (2-for-4, R), Luis Hernandez (2-for-4, RBI, BB)

The Wind Surge ended their season with a loss.

It was a hitting clinic for Wichita. And they weren’t here for extra-base knock: like Motown before them, hit singles were the target. 14 of them marked an incredible day of line drives, grounders with eyes, dying quails, and whatever else is needed to rack up such an overwhelming total.

Wichita scored in seven separate innings. Brandon Winokur was the biggest fueler of the onslaught, collecting four hits and three RBIs. He was also the lone highlight the WInd Surge Twitter account decided to post.

Lest you think the offense was all about hits, they also ran wild on the bases, with the team netting seven steals on the day. Kyle DeBarge swiped four bases; Quinn McDaniel, Jaime Ferrer, and Andrew Cossetti—yes, Andrew Cossetti—totaled the other three steals. Cossetti’s was his 13th in 376 minor league games. It was just that kind of day.

Unfortunately, Wichita didn’t find such luck on the mound, a curse that befall them all year as they ended with the second-worst ERA in the Texas League. Preston Johnson was worked for six runs in three innings, and Cory Lewis fared only a little better, surrendering four in four frames. 

Tippy-top prospect Sebastian Walcott—ranked ninth overall by MLB.com—played shortstop and singled once in three at-bats. 

Kernels Nuggets

The Kernels season has ended. Come back in 2027 to read more about them.

Mussel Matters

The Mighty Mussels season has ended. Come back in 2027 to read more about them. 

TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY

Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Paulshawn Pasqualotto
Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Kala’i Rosario

PROSPECT SUMMARY

Here’s a look at how the Twins Daily Top 20 Twins Prospects performed:

#1 – Walker Jenkins (Twins) - 0-4, 3 K
#4 – Marek Houston (Wichita) - 3-6, 2 R, 2 K
#6 – Emmanuel Rodriguez (Twins) - 1-4, 2 K
#9 – Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-3, BB, K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 4-6, 2B, 2 R, 3 RBI

MONDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS

No games in the Twins’ system are scheduled for Monday.

 

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