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In the 2023 season, expectations for utility player Nick Gordon were as high as they have been since the Twins selected him fifth overall in the 2014 Major League Baseball draft.
Following a strong 2022 season, where he hit .272/.316/.427 (.753) with an above-average wRC+ of 111 over 443 plate appearances, Gordon got the 2023 Opening Day start at second base in place of the then-injured Jorge Polanco.
Whether it be second base, left field, centerfield, designated hitter, or shortstop, the left-handed-hitting Gordon was bound to find himself in the lineup whenever the Twins faced a right-handed starting pitcher.
Gordon was the Twins' top left-handed-hitting utility player. Unfortunately, he wasn't able to keep that spot for long. On May 17, Gordon fouled a ball off his right shin, forcing him to exit in the fifth inning of a game against the Los Angeles Dodgers. Gordon underwent testing, and was announced that he had sustained a fractured right shin. Gordon was immediately placed on the 10-day IL following his diagnosis.
On May 29, the Twins transferred Gordon to the 60-day IL, leaving many to wonder if his 2023 season had sadly come to an end.
Tibia-fibula fractures typically take four to six months to fully recover from, so the only thing Gordon could do was gradually recover with the hope of being able to play in games by mid-to-late September.
Luckily, the best-case scenario has occurred, and Gordon is participating in baseball activities, and a rehab assignment looks to be in his near future.
While Gordon's quick recovery is incredible news, one has to wonder if there is a spot for him on the Twins' now 28-man roster if he can return from his fractured shin injury before the end of the regular season.
Since Gordon was placed on the 60-day IL in late May, young players like Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff, Willi Castro, and Matt Wallner have emerged as full-time contributors, leading to the competition over playing time and at-bats.
While Gordon had earned himself a vital role on the 2023 Twins before the regular season began, the situation the Twins and Gordon find themselves in has changed dramatically.
With Gordon's return from the 60-day IL potentially happening in the next handful of weeks, the Twins may need to decide if they want to open up a spot for him on the 28-man roster, keep him on the 60-day IL, or designate him for assignment as he has run out of minor league options.
The Twins designating Gordon for assignment feels unlikely as the 27-year-old utility player is young and provides value due to his flexibility and usually steady bat.
The Twins could shut Gordon down for the rest of the season, but if he is confirmed to be healthy by the Twins' training staff and he expresses a desire to return, then shutting him down for the rest of the season could soon become a non-option.
The Twins might need to make a tough decision soon, and the likely outcome is that the Twins will find Gordon and his versatility too valuable to cut bait.
So, what corresponding roster move should the Twins make? Here are three options.
The Likely Move: Designate Andrew Stevenson for Assignment
The first transaction the Twins could make to active Gordon from the 60-day IL is to designate fan favorite Andrew Stevenson for assignment.
Stevenson was an incredible story for the Triple-A St. Paul Saints this season and will likely win the Saints Most Valuable Player award after this season. Unfortunately, Stevenson has not produced offensively since earning a call-up on September 1.
Since getting promoted from Triple-A St. Paul, Stevenson is hitting .235/.278/.235 (.513) with four hits and a 44 wRC+ over 18 plate appearances.
Stevenson has performed well defensively in centerfield and joined Castro as one of the few Twins players who attempts to steal bases, but his performance at the plate has largely been uninspiring.
Stevenson, who hits left-handed, primarily plays centerfield with the ability to play the corner outfield spots, so Gordon, who possesses a nearly identical player profile, could naturally slide into Stevenson's role.
The Twins designating Stevenson for assignment in favor of Gordon is the most likely move to occur as things stand.
Once again, Stevenson is an incredible story and deserves to be rewarded for his services at Triple-A St. Paul, but Gordon is the better player.
The Plausible Move: Demote Jordan Luplow to Triple-A or Designate Him for Assignment
The second transaction the Twins could make is optioning Luplow to Triple-A St. Paul or designating him for assignment.
To preface, Luplow plays a distinct role for the Twins as a right-handed hitting corner outfielder who hits left-handed pitching well.
This skill set is important, and most Major League Baseball teams have a player like this on their active roster, but as the season begins to dwindle with the Twins essentially locked into winning the AL Central, one has to wonder if keeping such a niche player like Luplow is still necessary.
The most crucial factor to consider down the stretch when deciding if Luplow deserves a 28-man and eventually playoff roster spot is the front end of the rotations of the teams the Twins could face in the postseason.
Right now, the Twins will face either the Texas Rangers or Toronto Blue Jays in the three-game Wild Card round at Target Field starting October 3.
Here are the current starting rotations of both teams:
- Rangers - RHP Nathan Eovaldi, RHP Max Scherzer, LHP Jordan Montgomery, RHP Jon Gray, LHP Andrew Heaney
- Blue Jays - RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP José Berríos, RHP Chris Bassitt, LHP Hyun Jin Ryu, LHP Yusei Kikuchi
Sixty percent of the pitchers listed above are right-handed, and most of them, besides Gray of the Rangers, are listed as front-of-the-rotation pitchers.
If the Twins were to face the Rangers, they would likely face Eovaldi and Scherzer in Game 1 and Game 2, with the potential of facing the left-handed pitching Montgomery in Game 3.
If the Twins were to face the Blue Jays, it is a near guarantee that they would face Gausman and Berríos in Game 1 and Game 2, with the potential of facing Bassitt in Game 3.
So, out of the six above hypothetical games, the Twins would potentially face a left-handed starting pitcher in just one.
Now, the Rangers and Blue Jays could use their left-handed starting pitchers as relief pitchers in playoffs.
The Blue Jays currently have two left-handed relief pitchers, and the Rangers have five, so while it might not make sense for the Rangers to add Montgomery or Heaney to their presently left-handed dominant bullpen in the playoffs, the Blue Jays would be incentivized to add Ryu and Kikuchi to theirs.
Both the Rangers and Blue Jays are bound to use left-handed pitchers at some point in the playoffs, so keeping Luplow on the 28-man roster down the stretch and eventually adding him to the playoff roster makes sense for the Twins.
It is doubtful that Gordon will make the Twins' playoff roster if he can return from the 60-day IL. Plus, Gordon hits left-handed, so swapping Luplow out for Gordon makes little sense for the Twins.
The Surprising Yet Unlikely Move: Demote Matt Wallner to Triple-A
The final and least likely transaction the Twins could make to activate Gordon from the 60-day IL is to demote Wallner back down to Triple-A.
Wallner, who has had an awe-inspiring second season with the Twins, has struggled as of late.
Here are Wallner's hitting numbers since August 1:
- Wallner - .206/.336/.454 (.790), 116 PA, 20 hits, four doubles, six home runs, 10.3% BB%, 33.6% K%, .247 ISO, .344 wOBA, 120 wRC+
Admittedly, Wallner's numbers are impressive and do not indicate any signs of struggling. Yet, his performance has steadily regressed since the beginning of August, as evidenced by his OPS dropping from .915 on August 1 to .837 on September 9.
This move feels highly unlikely, and there is plenty of reason to believe that Wallner can make the necessary adjustments to get out of his mini-slump before the beginning of the playoffs. Yet, the Twins demoting Wallner in favor of fellow left-handed hitting outfielder Gordon cannot be ruled out entirely.
With Gordon appearing set to return from the 60-day IL, the Twins will likely be forced to make a complicated 28-man roster decision.
Do you think the Twins should prioritize activating Gordon off the 60-day IL? If so, which Twins player should Gordon replace on the 28-man roster? Comment below.
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