Ryan Kreidler's Arrival Should Lead to James Outman's Exit

Amid a largely encouraging start for the Minnesota Twins, there's been no shortage of grousing and grumbling about James Outman, whose start has been anything but encouraging. Here in mid-April, the backup outfielder is still searching for his first hit of the season — through 20 plate appearances he's gone 0-for-18 with 10 strikeout and two walks. 

It's no isolated slump. Outman also struggled mightily down the stretch last year after being acquired in exchange for reliever Brock Stewart at the deadline. In total, he's batting .124 with a .485 OPS and 44% strikeout rate as a Twin. Turning 29 next month, he's not exactly a youthful upside play at this point. The promise Outman showed as a rookie back in 2023 has vanished from sight.

It's understandable why fans are eager to see Outman ousted. The case for sticking with him rests on two factors:

1. His role is extremely limited. Outman has started only four of Minnesota's first 17 games, and his 20 PAs rank 13th on the team. Nobody who's been on the roster since the start of the season has played less. You don't want to call up a legitimate player or prospect like Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins or even Alan Roden to languish on the bench and get a handful of ABs each week.
2. His skills for that limited role are suitable. While he hasn't hit at all, Outman can play all three outfielder positions well and the Twins trust him in center. He also runs well and is 2-for-2 on stolen bases. That's really the primary function of his pure bench role, and he excels with these specific skills more than most alternatives.

There's also the matter of Outman being out of options, meaning he'd have to be DFA'ed and put through waivers if removed from the active roster. It's likely the main reason he made the team out of camp, but it's becoming less and less of a consideration. Would Outman even be claimed by another team at this point? If he does, would it really be a big deal? 

The reality is that Kreidler offers everything that Outman does and then some. Need a glove-first (glove-only?) player you can count on all over the outfield, including center? Someone who can run reasonably well if needed as an in-game sub? A guy who you don't mind using sparingly as a bench piece? 

Check, check, check.

Kreidler is a very good defender all over the field. He might not be quite as good as Outman in center, but he's close; keep in mind that Kreidler started there on Opening Day for the Tigers last year. Additionally he can back up every infield position, and he'll be an upgrade over the starter at each. Right now, the Twins lack any purpose-fit defensive replacements for their lackluster infield unit.

The big knock on Kreidler is that he's been one of the worst hitters in baseball. His initial stint with the Twins, which has included two homers and four RBIs in his first three games, has been intriguing on this front, but it's too early to invest much belief in his offense on this basis.

Dating back to 2024, Kreidler's .191 wOBA is sixth-worst among 593 MLB players with 100+ PA. Outman is only slightly better, with his .229 wOBA 22nd-worst. You're looking at two offensive non-factors, and one is bringing far more to the table as a versatile utilityman versus a player whose sole value is being able to handle center field.

Royce Lewis is eligible to return from the injured list as soon as Monday, and is scheduled to scheduled to start a rehab stint on Saturday. He's in line to return at some point next week. Whenever Lewis is activated, the corresponding move should not be to send down Kreidler, who was brought up as his replacement, but rather Outman, whose ostensible value has been replaced by the Kreidler.