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Byron Buxton's exit from Tuesday night's game against the Kansas City Royals immediately became the biggest storyline surrounding the Twins. After leaving in the fifth inning because of discomfort during his second plate appearance, the club officially placed him on the injured list Wednesday with a hip impingement. That decision wasn't surprising. Buxton has been ailing since before the All-Star break, and he needed an injection Wednesday that would have sidelined him for at least a week, anyway.
The corresponding roster move, however, was extremely surprising. Rather than using Buxton's absence as an opportunity to add an impact player or someone capable of filling the obvious void in center field, the Twins called up Tristan Gray. It was a move that continued one of the more confusing trends of Minnesota's season.
Gray simply has not earned another opportunity at the major-league level, but he's getting one, anyway. He owns a .604 OPS this season, and if you remove his hot opening week, that number drops to .580. Defensively, he's struggled at shortstop, posting -4 Outs Above Average according to Baseball Savant. He currently owns both a negative fWAR and negative Win Probability Added. Nothing about Gray's performance this season suggests he deserves another call-up. Yet the Twins continue to show an unusual amount of faith in him.
Earlier this year, Gray remained on the roster much longer than many expected. While he was with the club, he started far more games at shortstop than his production warranted. Now, with Buxton landing on the injured list, Gray was once again the organization's choice—this time, over some much more compelling alternatives.
Buxton's injury leaves a massive hole in center field. Luke Keaschall is now the closest thing to an everyday option, but he has played just 11 games at the position and has not exactly looked comfortable there. That inexperience showed up again on Wednesday when he misplayed a carom off the wall, allowing Salvador Perez to take an extra base.
Beyond Keaschall, the Twins technically have Alan Roden, Ryan Kreidler, and Kody Clemens who can handle center field, but their usage throughout the season suggests the coaching staff does not view any of them as legitimate options. Manager Derek Shelton said after the game Wednesday night that Kreidler could see more time in center, but that Keaschall would keep getting most of the run.
That's exactly why this felt like the perfect opportunity to promote Walker Jenkins. Jenkins is widely regarded as one of baseball's top prospects and projects to be a cornerstone of the Twins' future. He's capable of playing center field and has looked every bit like himself since returning from injury. Since rejoining Triple-A St. Paul at the end of June, Jenkins has posted an .858 OPS, while continuing to show the all-around offensive skill set that made him one of the game's top prospects.
There was a natural opening on the roster at a position that matched his defensive ability, for a team desperately looking for an offensive spark heading into one of the biggest stretches of its season. Everything seemed to be lining up for Jenkins.
Some have pointed to the 40-man roster as the reason Minnesota chose not to make the move, but that explanation doesn't really hold up. The Twins have multiple players occupying 40-man roster spots who are not part of the immediate picture, and someone like Mike Paredes could have been transferred to the 60-day injured list to create space if necessary.
If the organization truly believes Jenkins needs more development time, that is a separate conversation. But even then, Gray doesn't feel like the best alternative. Matt Wallner has been on a tear with St. Paul, posting a 1.089 OPS since the beginning of June. Gabriel Gonzalez has offensive upside while providing the right-handed hitting the Twins are losing with Buxton's injury. Kyler Fedko may not have impressed during his first taste of the majors, but he offers legitimate center field defense and speed off the bench—two things that became much more valuable the moment Buxton hit the injured list. Each of those players would have addressed a roster need more directly than Gray.
Instead, the Twins once again chose a player whose overall production has been below replacement level. It's a particularly frustrating decision given where the Twins sit on the calendar. Every game matters as the trade deadline approaches. The front office is focused on buying, but how aggressively they do so could be calibrated by the way they play this week. Calling up Jenkins could have energized the clubhouse, excited a fan base looking for something to rally around, and filled an obvious positional need. Instead, the Twins made one of the least inspiring roster moves they could have made.
What do you think? Should the Twins have promoted Walker Jenkins, or was Tristan Gray the right choice? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!
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