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    Carson McCusker Should Be On The Roster Right Now

    The Twins’ struggles against left-handed pitching are becoming untenable. Why isn’t Carson McCusker on the roster?
    Cody Pirkl

    By Cody Pirkl

    Image courtesy of Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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    The Twins have posted a .669 OPS against left-handed pitching so far in 2025. As a result, opposing teams have begun to throw whatever southpaws they have on their roster with little to no repercussions. There may be no legitimate answer to this problem within the organization, but the Twins' refusal to even try something different is becoming questionable.

    Carson McCusker can’t be considered a prospect or a likely remedy to the Twins’ ailments against left-handed pitching, but there’s at least a chance he can help. The 27-year-old outfielder has posted a .927 OPS in St. Paul overall this season and a .981 OPS against left-handed pitching. He received minimal opportunity in his brief call-up to the MLB and has admittedly not been as dominant since being demoted.

    McCusker has always been a long shot to be an impact MLB contributor. His career path from the Independent Leagues is fun, but it rarely leads to MLB success. His swing-and-miss tendencies raise plenty of red flags, and even in a best-case scenario, he’s unlikely to contribute in any categories other than the power department. The Twins are skeptical, which is fair, but the bar to clear is currently extremely low.

    After Royce Lewis was placed on the IL, the Twins lost one of their few potential impact options against left-handed pitching. They opted not to bring up fellow right-handed third baseman Jose Miranda due to his continued struggles since being demoted. Instead, they called up DaShawn Keirsey Jr., another left-handed hitter who is serving as a defensive fill-in and pinch runner. 

    The Twins roster already included Jonah Bride, who has made more of an impact pitching in mop-up duty than he has as a position player in recent weeks. As their offense continues to flounder, the Twins continue to dedicate the back end of the roster to players who have little chance of helping turn things around. We’re also likely to continue to see at least one of Larnach and Wallner play regularly against left-handed pitching. Ironically, the team has waited until the supporting cast on offense is at its weakest this season to give these two regular at-bats against same-handed pitching after years of platooning them.

    McCusker being on the roster and receiving regular playing time against southpaws would undoubtedly be an act of desperation. Unfortunately, with the rash of injuries and the struggles from the lineup, this is the point we’ve reached. The downside of McCusker being overmatched isn’t much of a risk at all, given the current struggles from the lineup. The upside of something clicking and him being even a league-average option in those matchups would be massive. Unfortunately, it seems the Twins are so confident in their assessment of McCusker that they’re not willing to take such a modest gamble. 

    The status quo from the Twins’ lineup simply isn’t getting the job done against left-handed pitching. There’s little reason to expect an improvement from their current roster, and it’s hard to imagine them acquiring an impact bat at the trade deadline. They have a lever to pull in St. Paul that carries minimal risk. Carson McCusker should be getting an opportunity right now.

    Cody Pirkl is a Twins Writer for Twins Daily and lover of all things baseball.
    Follow Cody Pirkl on Twitter: CodyPirkl

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    Featured Comments

    RpR

    RpR 3,665

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    5 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

    For his career, Wallner is hitting 39% better than the average MLB player, and people think he should be benched and platooned. Unreal. 

    Sent down, no; benched, some times that sends a message. Bringing up a rookie who has not shown any good responses, No.

    The Twins are in a funk, odds are things will get better. IF the funk is still around after the All Star Game, playng a bunch of rookies, will depend on if the Owners think that will put more fans in the stands. 

    DJL44

    DJL44 16,601

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, RpR said:

    IF the funk is still around after the All Star Game, playng a bunch of rookies, will depend on if the Owners think that will put more fans in the stands. 

    They'll have little choice but to play a bunch of rookies. I'd guess they trade away 6-8 players at the deadline.

    chpettit19

    chpettit19 23,687

  • Community Moderator

    • Posted

    An injury (multiple injuries?) or August 1st are the things that are needed to make it a situation where McCusker is going to get real ABs with the Twins. And that's best for him. Coming up to be a short side platoon bat as he tries to establish that he can hit MLB pitching is the worst case scenario for any rookie hitter. Having him sit on the bench of get 6 random PAs over a week is not what you want. 

    Either an outfielder or 2 goes down and he comes up to be an everyday guy and actually get real ABs so he can make real adjustments and have a real shot at succeeding or the team continues to play this Jekyll and Hyde baseball and the front office finally gets real that this team can't compete as presently constructed and they make numerous trades on, or before, July 31st and he gets his shot starting August 1.

    But calling him up now to sit around and rarely ever play sure doesn't sound like a great idea to me. Honestly, I wouldn't make any non-injury moves between now and the deadline other than activating Keaschall when he's ready. This is the team you thought could win. It's not actually decimated by injuries like some like to pretend it is. Let the team you thought could win try to win. Then be real with yourself in a month and do what the Tigers did last year. Trade every short-term vet you can and turn it over to guys with a possible future here. Trade Castro, France, Bader, Larnach if you're not going to pay his arb numbers, DFA Bride and Clemens if he's back to being his historical self as he seems to be coming back to. Bring back Julien and Miranda for their last chance. Give McCusker and whoever else their first chances. Running this squad back again for 2026 can't be an option. It absolutely can't be. And having another season where you miss the playoffs and don't get any info or give "young" players any experience because you're refusing to accept the reality of your roster failures would be a gigantic waste. 

    Rattle off another 13 game winning streak? Guess the clubhouse saved itself. Hit the deadline around the .500 mark or worse? Get real and blow this offense up.

    AKTwinsFan

    AKTwinsFan 92

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    Baldelli wouldn't know how to win if he had Judge, Soto and Ohtani on the team. It's time to move on, if the owners had any sense they would have after the same free fall last season. The boys just stop competing because he has no fire or passion. He just sits with a blank face all the time.

    jorgenswest

    jorgenswest 10,637

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    When true prospects with a future value of everyday player come up Baldelli plays them every day. He played Brooks Lee played everyday when he was brought up. Keaschall played every day. When Walker Jenkins arrives he will play regularly. The same will probably be true for Emmanuel Rodriguez. Culpepper will get playing time. Prospects with a future value of platoon or bench player need to show they can thrive in their role.  Baldelli should not be playing every player brought up from the minors regularly.

    The Twins believe in McCusker. They showed it by putting him on the 40 and keeping him there once sent down. It was good for McCusker to come up and see major league pitching. He hopefully realizes that he has work to do and needs to make adjustments. He needs to do the work. If he is making adjustments the results may get worse before they get better but that is part of the work.

    stringer bell

    stringer bell 25,880

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    57 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

    When true prospects with a future value of everyday player come up Baldelli plays them every day. He played Brooks Lee played everyday when he was brought up. Keaschall played every day. When Walker Jenkins arrives he will play regularly. The same will probably be true for Emmanuel Rodriguez. Culpepper will get playing time. Prospects with a future value of platoon or bench player need to show they can thrive in their role.  Baldelli should not be playing every player brought up from the minors regularly.

    The Twins believe in McCusker. They showed it by putting him on the 40 and keeping him there once sent down. It was good for McCusker to come up and see major league pitching. He hopefully realizes that he has work to do and needs to make adjustments. He needs to do the work. If he is making adjustments the results may get worse before they get better but that is part of the work.

    I hope you are right on this. Lee is playing most every day because he's a switch hitter and I'm not sure either Rodriguez or Jenkins will get regular play against left handers when they make the majors. 

    I also question how much the Twins believe in McCusker. Conditions forced his promotion (and addition to the 40-man) and it makes little to no sense to take him off the 40-man until or unless there is a need to move him. 

    Riverbrian

    Riverbrian 42,821

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, jorgenswest said:

    When true prospects with a future value of everyday player come up Baldelli plays them every day. He played Brooks Lee played everyday when he was brought up. Keaschall played every day. When Walker Jenkins arrives he will play regularly. The same will probably be true for Emmanuel Rodriguez. Culpepper will get playing time. Prospects with a future value of platoon or bench player need to show they can thrive in their role.  Baldelli should not be playing every player brought up from the minors regularly.

    The Twins believe in McCusker. They showed it by putting him on the 40 and keeping him there once sent down. It was good for McCusker to come up and see major league pitching. He hopefully realizes that he has work to do and needs to make adjustments. He needs to do the work. If he is making adjustments the results may get worse before they get better but that is part of the work.

    They better be right. Hand selecting this guy and holding back this guy.
     

    Lewis better not fail. Rooker better not thrive elsewhere. 

    Mike Sixel

    Mike Sixel 55,008

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    48 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

    They better be right. Hand selecting this guy and holding back this guy.
     

    Lewis better not fail. Rooker better not thrive elsewhere. 

    Every post criticizing then for Rooker gets a down vote. Every single team was wrong about him. Your post was great until then. 

    Riverbrian

    Riverbrian 42,821

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    34 minutes ago, Mike Sixel said:

    Every post criticizing then for Rooker gets a down vote. Every single team was wrong about him. Your post was great until then. 

    The Twins are not the only team that can’t pull players out of a pile. All 30 teams make these mistakes. Predetermined opportunities is a main reason why. Lewis will get every chance to become what they expect him to become. Max Kepler will get every chance to become what they expect him to become. Others not so much. 
     

    Oakland also missed. It took an injury and a bad rebuilding team to get on the roster for Rooker. Even Oakland didn’t know what they had until they ran out of options and sent him to the plate..

    The Twins missed on Rooker. I don’t blame the Twins for missing but they missed. If they missed on Rooker who’s to say they ain’t missing on McCusker right now with the same predetermined opportunities allowed or not allowed. With Rooker he got a shot to prove the Twins, Padres and Royals wrong. McCusker may not get that chance to prove anyone wrong and fade into the baseball wind with the thousands of others. 

    jorgenswest

    jorgenswest 10,637

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

    They better be right. Hand selecting this guy and holding back this guy.
     

    Lewis better not fail. Rooker better not thrive elsewhere. 

    Absolutely True. We need them to be right.

    I don’t think it is possible for an organization to be successful if they commit to giving a consistent and long enough stretch in the majors to every prospect that showed flashes of promise. They absolutely need to rely on the skill of their minor league coordinators and staff in evaluating how each player is ready to help a major league club.

    The one dimensional players are probably the hardest to give a real shot before options time them out. With Rooker and McCusker they only help with the bat and it is quite likely they are going to really struggle with the same side pitcher. If they don’t help any other way it is really hard to play them. These two have the additional disadvantage of being in the short side of the platoon.

    It is critical that Falvey builds a highly skilled minor league staff and equally critical that the major league staff trusts their evaluation. I am not sure of their was a failure with Rooker or if options were running out on the Twins before his bat was ready to contribute. Maybe it was a failure on the staff to recognize his bat was ready.

    Riverbrian

    Riverbrian 42,821

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    2 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

    Absolutely True. We need them to be right.

    I don’t think it is possible for an organization to be successful if they commit to giving a consistent and long enough stretch in the majors to every prospect that showed flashes of promise. They absolutely need to rely on the skill of their minor league coordinators and staff in evaluating how each player is ready to help a major league club.

    The one dimensional players are probably the hardest to give a real shot before options time them out. With Rooker and McCusker they only help with the bat and it is quite likely they are going to really struggle with the same side pitcher. If they don’t help any other way it is really hard to play them. These two have the additional disadvantage of being in the short side of the platoon.

    It is critical that Falvey builds a highly skilled minor league staff and equally critical that the major league staff trusts their evaluation. I am not sure of their was a failure with Rooker or if options were running out on the Twins before his bat was ready to contribute. Maybe it was a failure on the staff to recognize his bat was ready.

    It’s a hard job. Like timing the stock market is a hard job. 
     

    The limitations of the 40 man and 26 man roster is going to require placing your bets on this player and betting against this player. This is why I don’t blame the Twins for missing on Rooker. But it can’t be argued that they didn’t miss. They missed and missed big. 
     

    The problem is simply the wasting of 26 man roster space. When a player is called up and placed on the 26 man roster and then not utilized due to predetermination.
     

    They better be right. They bet on Julien and Miranda this year. I did to. They were wrong thus far… so was I. 
     

    When Rooker surfaces elsewhere… I have every right to look at them and say. Bet on the wrong horse Eh? How are Celestino and Garlick doing? Are you sure about McCusker? How can you be so sure? Are you sure about Lewis? How can you be so sure? 

    jorgenswest

    jorgenswest 10,637

  • Verified Member

    • Posted

    5 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

    It’s a hard job. Like timing the stock market is a hard job. 
     

    The limitations of the 40 man and 26 man roster is going to require placing your bets on this player and betting against this player. This is why I don’t blame the Twins for missing on Rooker. But it can’t be argued that they didn’t miss. They missed and missed big. 
     

    The problem is simply the wasting of 26 man roster space. When a player is called up and placed on the 26 man roster and then not utilized due to predetermination.
     

    They better be right. They bet on Julien and Miranda this year. I did to. They were wrong thus far… so was I. 
     

    When Rooker surfaces elsewhere… I have every right to look at them and say. Bet on the wrong horse Eh? How are Celestino and Garlick doing? Are you sure about McCusker? How can you be so sure? Are you sure about Lewis? How can you be so sure? 

    I don’t think are advocating for players like McCusker to come up and take away at bats from Wallner or Larnach against left handed pitching and some against right handed pitching. It sounds like you have lost trust in the organizational staff and their evaluation of minor leaguers. Are you advocating for a complete overhaul of the organization?

    Riverbrian

    Riverbrian 42,821

  • Old-Timey Member

    • Posted

    18 hours ago, jorgenswest said:

    I don’t think are advocating for players like McCusker to come up and take away at bats from Wallner or Larnach against left handed pitching and some against right handed pitching. It sounds like you have lost trust in the organizational staff and their evaluation of minor leaguers. Are you advocating for a complete overhaul of the organization?

    Complete overhaul? I can’t advocate anything yet because I’m not sure if they simply don’t trust or are flat out failing to develop players they will trust. 
     

    If they are failing to develop players that they trust. They need a complete overhaul of the system because they have fallen behind. 
     

    If they are just not trusting. That just takes an attitude adjustment from the decision makers. Not holding my breath at this point. So eventually we will need a removal of that particular bottleneck. 
     

    As for platoons. I’m done with them. Used to be OK with them because they made sense statistically but the Twins took it too far. Now I just see them as a slight advantage or disadvantage for one AB that will compromise  the development of players and therefore the future of the club. 

    Forget the name McCusker… insert name here. If they give someone a 26 man spot. He needs to be allowed to compete… not put to sleep while players are playing every day with a .600 OPS. If the manager doesn’t allow him to compete. Get someone else. If you don’t have anyone else. The organization requires a complete overhaul. 

    Because the Twins don’t have a roster that the Dodgers or Phillies have… 9 players from top to bottom… yet we have the same amount of pre-arb players and the attitude that Ty France can’t leave the lineup. 

     


     



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