A Pivotal Year Lies Ahead for Kendry Rojas

[Cody Pirkl]

Image courtesy of Stephen Brashear-Imagn Images

We do not need to revisit the trade that brought Kendry Rojas over at the 2025 trade deadline, but it’s fair to say it hasn’t worked out the way the Twins had hoped it would thus far.

The young left-hander made his MLB debut in 2026 but was unable to make a notable impact on the pitching-starved roster. There are many questions left for Rojas to answer, but 2027 should provide a lot more clarity.

Rojas came over to Minnesota with plenty of red flags already raised regarding his ability to stick as a starting pitcher. One of the main concerns was his ability to remain on the field, which is now a growing concern after another injury-riddled campaign in 2026.

After barely surpassing 130 combined innings in 2024 and 2025, Rojas failed to build on those modest workloads in 2026. He missed the beginning of the season with a hamstring strain, missed almost a month midseason due to triceps problems, and then suffered an oblique strain at the end of August. He finished the season with just under 70 total innings across all levels. His 84 innings pitched in 2023 in A ball remain his career high.

Rojas has also had spells of wildness in his minor league career, which escalated to a concerning level in 2026. The walks he allowed in the minor leagues weren’t terribly high, but the 16.9% walk rate he posted at the big-league level was a major reason Rojas couldn’t stick with the big-league club last season. Too often, he racked up pitch counts through inefficiency and walked a tightrope with so many free baserunners. Such extreme walk issues are completely untenable in any big-league role, but being a starter with so many free passes is out of the question.

The first hurdle for Rojas to clear in 2027, of course, is his availability. If he can’t take a notable step up in workload, his path to a long-term rotation spot starts to narrow as we look to 2028 and beyond. At some point he has to take a step toward a starting pitcher's workload if that's his long-term role. If he can’t get the walks under control, performance becomes a concern, as despite his ERA and related indicators looking solid last season, it’s hard to expect that to continue with so many free base runners and such poor efficiency.

Regardless of whether he’s in the middle to back end of the rotation or serving as a high-leverage bullpen arm, the Twins need Rojas to become a contributor to their big-league pitching staff. The return on the 2025 trade deadline sell-off does not look good thus far, and Rojas developing and staying healthy would make it look a lot better. More importantly, the Twins are lacking pitching depth throughout their system. They need some young arms to step up, and Rojas is at the top of the list after their choice to invest as much as they did in him.

2027 is a very important year for Kendry Rojas. He has the raw stuff and arm talent to be an impactful piece of the Twins’ pitching staff for years to come, but it’s time for him to show he’s up to the task. Can he do it?

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[stringer bell]

I think the Twins need to decide on Rojas' path--starter or reliever? He appears to have the arsenal to be a starter and the potential to be a dominant late innings high-leverage reliever. In another thread it was noted that he was often injured, but (IIRC) none of the injuries seemed that serious or long-term.

Rojas has options remaining so he wouldn't have to be moved to and from the rotation or bullpen. On balance, I'd like to see him compete for starting pitching innings and perhaps thrive, with the bullpen option activated if he either can't be effective or can't stay healthy.

 

[Jeff K]

I think Rojas should be a bullpen pitcher for 2027 which is where he has the potential to help the Twins the most for the season...unless the Twins move several starters through trades.  Starting pitching options for Rojas can be revisited for 2028.

[tony&rodney]

I'm hoping Rojas has a great ST and makes the Opening Day roster. 2027 is a good time for him to fit as a bullpen arm and transition towards the rotation. Seeing MLB bats is important for his development.

[DJL44]

He has options so he will be bumped out of the rotation to begin 2027. He would be a great arm to add to the bullpen, but the Twins will want him available for depth in the rotation.

He looks like he has the stuff to pitch in the rotation but needs to learn how to pace himself to get through 5 innings. I feel pretty certain the Twins will send him to AAA and have him pitch 3 innings every 4th day to prepare him for a role that doesn’t exist, making sure he is not ready to be a starter or a reliever in MLB.

[SE23]

19 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He has options so he will be bumped out of the rotation to begin 2027. He would be a great arm to add to the bullpen, but the Twins will want him available for depth in the rotation.

He looks like he has the stuff to pitch in the rotation but needs to learn how to pace himself to get through 5 innings. I feel pretty certain the Twins will send him to AAA and have him pitch 3 innings every 4th day to prepare him for a role that doesn’t exist, making sure he is not ready to be a starter or a reliever in MLB.

🤣

It's the Twins' way!

 

[SE23]

Kendry has as much ceiling as any pitcher in the organization -- but beware of the floor. I'm hopeful that he'll tighten it up in '27 and be a contributor. 

He turns 24 next month.

[bean5302]

41 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He has options so he will be bumped out of the rotation to begin 2027. He would be a great arm to add to the bullpen, but the Twins will want him available for depth in the rotation.

He looks like he has the stuff to pitch in the rotation but needs to learn how to pace himself to get through 5 innings. I feel pretty certain the Twins will send him to AAA and have him pitch 3 innings every 4th day to prepare him for a role that doesn’t exist, making sure he is not ready to be a starter or a reliever in MLB.

Not sure how he'll pace himself when the Twins need a guy to make 10 starts in a row at 3 innings before they'll let the pitcher go more than 60 pitches. The Twins absolutely ruin their prospects with their outdated, demented use theories. Rojas' highest pitch totals of the year was 65 pitches (maximum eye roll possible... so hard my optic nerves are shrieking).

Beyond the the danger of a pitcher suddenly going from throwing 50 pitches to 90 pitches, the Twins are severely hampering Rojas' opportunity get more command by limiting his experience. He's going to need to throw strikes to be successful. Artificially reducing his pitch count by 30-40% doesn't help him learn.

[tony&rodney]

34 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He has options so he will be bumped out of the rotation to begin 2027. He would be a great arm to add to the bullpen, but the Twins will want him available for depth in the rotation.

He looks like he has the stuff to pitch in the rotation but needs to learn how to pace himself to get through 5 innings. I feel pretty certain the Twins will send him to AAA and have him pitch 3 innings every 4th day to prepare him for a role that doesn’t exist, making sure he is not ready to be a starter or a reliever in MLB.

I get the frustration but the incremental changes last season gives me a reason to believe that the front office is listening on player and roster usage more than in the past. If Derek Shelton had moved Wallner to AAA, Larnach to the bench, Keaschall to the outfield, Lewis to first base, and Lee to third base in Spring Training, he would have not had the support of the players and he would have been fired. A manager is expected to play the hand they are dealt, making changes as they become obvious to all. It's a dance. Shelton and the coaching staff have garnered the respect of the players for the communication. I'm expecting positive for 2027.

[Linus]

43 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

He has options so he will be bumped out of the rotation to begin 2027. He would be a great arm to add to the bullpen, but the Twins will want him available for depth in the rotation.

He looks like he has the stuff to pitch in the rotation but needs to learn how to pace himself to get through 5 innings. I feel pretty certain the Twins will send him to AAA and have him pitch 3 innings every 4th day to prepare him for a role that doesn’t exist, making sure he is not ready to be a starter or a reliever in MLB.

Unfortunately, this is likely correct. 

[SE23]

A manager is expected to play the hand they are dealt, making changes as they become obvious to all.

Hoping he can discard the few clunkers from his hand and draw some kings!

[Glorybound]

His biggest problems in 26 were health and control. He needs more innings as a starter or long reliever to be ready for a late inning reliever. I think the Twins managed Preliep pretty well this past year and think Rojas will be managed similarly next year. The rotation if healthy is a little crowded at the moment so AAA might be the best place for him to get those innings.

[thelanges5]

Command vs control guy. I’d like to see him with Minter in the BP in 2027. 

[MeleMouth]

Pitchers improve on various timelines. Zack Wheeler has more than 45 fWAR, but he didn't fully establish himself until he was 28. (And before you say Wheeler's different because his issue was injuries, (1) note that he had control problems before he was injured, and (2) ask yourself if you would have posted a complaint about 27 year-old, 0.2 fWAR Zack Wheeler needing to go to the bullpen because he hadn't shown he could handle being a starter.)

Rojas has two options left. 2027 isn't "pivotal" for him, nor is his development in 2027 "pivotal" for the Twins, because they have several other options for the rotation.

[Brandon]

The Varland trade doesn't seem so bad when you see how Rojas and Roden both performed this year.  Roden had a good Average and Rojas a good ERA and 96 mph fastball.  Rojas need to work on control but he can be a good reliever or get us 120 innings in the rotation next season as he increases his workload.  We were not getting those kinds of innings from Varland.  He is pen only.  As we go into our next contention window Varland will be in arbitration and more costly while we have league minimum on two players who can contribute.  The trade is lining up to favor us within a year.  We weren't supposed to contend last year and by most years we didn't.  The league came to our level not the other way around.  That is why the Varland trade looks bad now but looking into tomorrow it will work out for both teams and more for us 

[tony&rodney]

42 minutes ago, SE23 said:

A manager is expected to play the hand they are dealt, making changes as they become obvious to all.

Hoping he can discard the few clunkers from his hand and draw some kings!

Hopefully the front office is proactive in November, both signing a couple of players and completing several trades. The work done before Thanksgiving Day should tell us where the Twins are headed.

[killercarewoliva]

54 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Not sure how he'll pace himself when the Twins need a guy to make 10 starts in a row at 3 innings before they'll let the pitcher go more than 60 pitches. The Twins absolutely ruin their prospects with their outdated, demented use theories. Rojas' highest pitch totals of the year was 65 pitches (maximum eye roll possible... so hard my optic nerves are shrieking).

Beyond the the danger of a pitcher suddenly going from throwing 50 pitches to 90 pitches, the Twins are severely hampering Rojas' opportunity get more command by limiting his experience. He's going to need to throw strikes to be successful. Artificially reducing his pitch count by 30-40% doesn't help him learn.

I have seen him pitching with the twins one of his good games and he gets taken out. it's like you doing a great job at something and then you get replaced. while you're doing a great job. the guy had his high walk rate in the beginning. I'm sitting there. you keep putting the ball 6 in off the plputting the ball 6 in off the plate every pitch. he couldn't get it moved over but then he did and even with it how I walk right. he ends up with a 3.34 era. his earned run average was one of the best we had on the mound and he got sent to AAA something I don't know here. his injuries the history of that was pretty astute. you could see you were gaining a possible great player, but as the twins seem to do all the time, we'll take a chance we can develop this and he won't be injured anymore. when does that ever happen? some guys make improvements like Kremer A young man with a great attitude. I thought it was going to be a bust but he did good. but still there's the injury side of Rojas and being so young having these injuries like he does. if some physical therapist doesn't get him straight, he's not going to last as a major league player. everything going well? I see a superstar somebody that's fun to watch, make you want to turn that TV on. but you should not give away somebody like varland for a guy who has a known history of issues physically.

[saviking]

2 hours ago, Jeff K said:

I think Rojas should be a bullpen pitcher for 2027 which is where he has the potential to help the Twins the most for the season...unless the Twins move several starters through trades.  Starting pitching options for Rojas can be revisited for 2028.

With a 98 M.P.H heater he just need one more good pitch to be a strength in the bullpen. I woukd welcome him to the pen 

[saviking]

And he would be a left handed arm in the pen. 

[Twins GFP]

A Pivotal Year Lies Ahead for [insert Twins player here]

This should be the title of an ongoing series of TD articles. Doesn't this fit with 70% of the roster?

 

[IndianaTwin]

1 hour ago, MeleMouth said:

Pitchers improve on various timelines. Zack Wheeler has more than 45 fWAR, but he didn't fully establish himself until he was 28. (And before you say Wheeler's different because his issue was injuries, (1) note that he had control problems before he was injured, and (2) ask yourself if you would have posted a complaint about 27 year-old, 0.2 fWAR Zack Wheeler needing to go to the bullpen because he hadn't shown he could handle being a starter.)

Rojas has two options left. 2027 isn't "pivotal" for him, nor is his development in 2027 "pivotal" for the Twins, because they have several other options for the rotation.

I'd also disagree with the part of the subhead that says 2026 "wasn't an encouraging season." He had 0.6 bWAR in 29.2 innings, compared to Prielipp's 0.4 in 125.2 innings. He gave up two earned runs in his first 14.1 innings. He closed the season with one earned run in 16 innings in St. Paul. He struck out 10.3 batters per 9 innings on a team that averaged 8.6. 

He walked a few too many batters and spent more time on the IL than we'd hope for, but I can count on a closed fist the number of other 23-year-olds the Twins had that pitched almost 30 innings in the majors this year. I can count on one finger the number of other 23-year-olds who've done it since the pandemic year (SWR in 2024). I think there's plenty to be encouraged about, even despite the hiccups.

I'd echo the thoughts above that if the Twins keep their starters and they enter spring training in pretty good health, it might be best to use him to deepen the bullpen for a year. If they trade some starters or face ill health, keep him stretched out in St. Paul.  

[MeleMouth]

14 minutes ago, IndianaTwin said:

I'd also disagree with the part of the subhead that says 2026 "wasn't an encouraging season." He had 0.6 bWAR in 29.2 innings, compared to Prielipp's 0.4 in 125.2 innings. He gave up two earned runs in his first 14.1 innings. He closed the season with one earned run in 16 innings in St. Paul. He struck out 10.3 batters per 9 innings on a team that averaged 8.6. 

He walked a few too many batters and spent more time on the IL than we'd hope for, but I can count on a closed fist the number of other 23-year-olds the Twins had that pitched almost 30 innings in the majors this year. I can count on one finger the number of other 23-year-olds who've done it since the pandemic year (SWR in 2024). I think there's plenty to be encouraged about, even despite the hiccups.

I'd echo the thoughts above that if the Twins keep their starters and they enter spring training in pretty good health, it might be best to use him to deepen the bullpen for a year. If they trade some starters or face ill health, keep him stretched out in St. Paul.  

With rare exceptions, pitching development doesn't go from being in the minors to automatically being a 4 WAR pitcher. Certainly, there are great pitchers like Kershaw who are dominant by the time they are 23, but more good pitchers go through a few years of development before their approach their ceiling.

That doesn't mean that Rojas is going to be great, and he does in fact have warning signals, but it would be a big mistake to start the "it looks like he isn't going to make it" drumbeat.

[bean5302]

1 hour ago, IndianaTwin said:

I'd also disagree with the part of the subhead that says 2026 "wasn't an encouraging season." He had 0.6 bWAR in 29.2 innings, compared to Prielipp's 0.4 in 125.2 innings. He gave up two earned runs in his first 14.1 innings. He closed the season with one earned run in 16 innings in St. Paul. He struck out 10.3 batters per 9 innings on a team that averaged 8.6. 

He walked a few too many batters and spent more time on the IL than we'd hope for, but I can count on a closed fist the number of other 23-year-olds the Twins had that pitched almost 30 innings in the majors this year. I can count on one finger the number of other 23-year-olds who've done it since the pandemic year (SWR in 2024). I think there's plenty to be encouraged about, even despite the hiccups.

I'd echo the thoughts above that if the Twins keep their starters and they enter spring training in pretty good health, it might be best to use him to deepen the bullpen for a year. If they trade some starters or face ill health, keep him stretched out in St. Paul.  

people should just stop using bWAR for modern pitchers. It's an absolute garbage stat.

[Vanimal46]

5 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I feel pretty certain the Twins will send him to AAA and have him pitch 3 innings every 4th day to prepare him for a role that doesn’t exist, making sure he is not ready to be a starter or a reliever in MLB.

Preach. Their minor league pitching program is the #1 thing I strongly disagree with. 

[soyouresayingtheresachance]

Rojas is exactly what he was advertised as when the unfortunate trade to bring him here happened. Hes erratic and walks too many. He has great upside, as well. The teams use of him did little to help us understand how they want to use him. Leaving him in AAA in September did say maybe theyre not happy with his performance. 

The entire situation with that trade just makes no sense. We got an outfielder we didnt need and a pitcher that cant throw strikes. 

Maybe these new pitching coaches can help him.