Four Twins Position Players Optioned

On Tuesday afternoon, the Minnesota Twins announced that four players were optioned and will soon report to minor-league camp. Some of the organization's top offensive prospects will begin the season in the minor leagues, but it's possible we could see each get time with the Twins in the 2024 season. 

Twins Daily's #3 prospect, outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, was optioned to Double-A Wichita. During his first big league spring training, he went 4-for-21. He went .190/.292/.333 (.625) with one home run. He had three walks and 13 strikeouts. Along with being the #3 Twins prospect, the 21-year-old center fielder is a consensus Top 100 prospect in baseball. Last year, he played in 99 games with the Cedar Rapids Kernels and hit .240/.400/.463 (.863) with 13 doubles, nine triples, and 16 home runs. He added three huge home runs in helping the Kernels win the Midwest League championship. Rodriguez will walk a lot, strike out a lot, and hit for power. 

Twins Daily's #7 prospect, Austin Martin was optioned to St. Paul. Finally healthy, Martin had a solid run with the Saints. In 59 games, he hit .263/.387/.405 (.791) with 11 doubles, six homers, and 16 stolen bases. This spring, Martin spent time at second base, left, and center field. In 10 games, he went 5-for-24. The Vanderbilt alum hit .208/.321/.250 (.571) with a double and three walks. He also did a really good job defensively and showed that he should be ready for a call-up when needed. 

Yunior Severino, the #16 prospect at Twins Daily, was optioned the St. Paul as well. After leading minor-league ball with 35 home runs in 2023, the Twins added him to the 40-man roster. He went just 1-for-15 over 12 spring games. He hit .067/.067/.125 (.192) with one walk and eight strikeouts in  16 plate appearances. He played first base, second base, and third base during the spring training. In 2023, he played in 84 games in Wichita before he finished the season with 36 games in St. Paul. Combined, he hit .272/.352/.546 (.898) with 17 doubles, three triples, and 35 home runs. 

Finally, catcher Jair Camargo was optioned to St. Paul. He played in 90 games for the Saints in 2023 and hit .259/.323/.503 (.826) with 16 doubles and 21 home runs. Camargo likes to swing the bat. He had just 29 walks to go with 119 strikeouts. But Camargo has really made big strides the last couple of seasons with the power. He's also come a long way defensively. He is a good athlete with a very strong arm. He has improved his pitch calling and works very well with pitchers. Last year, Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez stayed healthy. If either spends time on the Injured List, Camargo will be the guy. This spring, Camargo played in nine games. He went 5-for-21 and hit .238/.273/.476 (.749) with two doubles and a homer. 

There are now 46 active players in Twins spring training, 22 pitchers, five catchers, 10 infielders, seven outfielders, and two utility players. There are 10 non-roster players. 

What are your thoughts on these four players optioned on Tuesday. What role do you see each contributing for the Twins in 2024 and beyond?