Just 22 years old, Hendry Mendez has been traded twice already in his young career. He originally signed with the Brewers back in 2021 and spent three seasons in the organization. Following the 2023 season, he was dealt with infielder Robert Moore to the Phillies in exchange for infielder Oliver Dunn. At the 2025 trade deadline, Mendez and right-hander Geremy Villoria came to the Twins in the Harrison Bader trade. 

There is a lot to like about Mendez on the baseball field. Physically, he stands at 6-3 and about 200 pounds. He has strength and the belief is that, in time, he will become more of a home run hitter. At this stage of his career, Mendez uses the whole field, puts the ball in play with line drives. In 142 plate appearances with the Wichita Wind Surge, he had 27 walks to just 21 strikeouts. Overall, in 2025, he had 67 walks and 65 strikeouts. In 2024, he had 52 walks and 52 strikeouts. His 11 Double-A home runs in 2025 was just one less than his total over his first four seasons.    

Yes, Mendez is another left-handed hitting outfielder, something the Twins have plenty of, but Mendez provides a contact-first approach at the plate as we await his power to arrive with more consistency. Defensively, he has played both corner spots, and he went to the Arizona Fall League after the 2025 season to, in part, get some work in at first base. Unfortunately a family situation meant he only played in five games before going home to the Dominican. He was added to the Twins 40-man roster and played in most early spring training games.