Why Do the Twins Keep Playing with a Short Roster?

14 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Petey Halpin has been optioned multiple times this year. He's played nearly every day when he's been on the MLB roster.

Garrett Stubbs, the 3rd catcher in Philly, hasn't been on the MLB roster all season and plays LF, 3B, and 1B for them beyond catching.

I never claimed the Twins were alone. But they are outside the norm. And context matters. James Outman wasn't a Petey Halpin defender who played every game for his glove, he was a guy who wasn't the best option for anything. The Phillies situation is certainly closer with Stubbs.

For context, in 2026, Stubbs has played 1B for 5 innings, 3B for 2 innings, and LF for 1 game (8 innings). He’s caught 69 innings. He’s primarily a 3rd catcher. With a .429 OPS, he would not be on the 26 man roster otherwise.

Plate appearances isn't the right measure in trying to figure whether the Twins used this role any differently than other teams. 

Take Outman, for example. He only had 70 plate appearances, but actually played in 49 of the 64 games the team had while he was on the roster.  

He was being used a lot -- slightly over three-fourths of all games. He just wasn't batting*. He averaged only 1.4 plate appearances per game. There's nobody on the team even close to having that few plate appearances per game appearance. Even Jackson and Arcia have more than 2.5 plate appearances per game played.

Except Fedko. And what does Fedko have in common with Outman? He played in 14 of the 19 games when he was on the roster, again almost exactly three-fourths of the games. 

So to answer the question, "Why are the Twins playing with a short roster?," they aren't. Their 13th player has been a defensive specialist that plays in three-fourths of the games, often coming in for Larnach, but sometimes for others.

It's an oversimplication, but you could almost say they are platooning. But rather than a lefty/righty platoon, it's an offense/defense platoon.  

*In more ways than one, but that's not the point of this response. 

6 minutes ago, darin617 said:

The third catcher isn't ideal but they can get by with it. They should be shopping Jeffers or Caratini now.  There are teams that need a catcher and it would be foolish not to capitalize on it.

Nothing wrong with trading a hot commodity and still being a buyer at the deadline.

Based on Tom Pohlad's recent comments about investment and fan support (not reported on TD, to my recollection), I suspect they don't trade Jeffers. Being in a pennant (including convincing fans that they are), you don't trade a No. 1 catcher and arguably your second-best hitter.

But here's a wondering -- might they actually get as much for Jackson as they would for Caratini? Two years younger, two years of control compared to one, and a lot cheaper.

2 hours ago, NYCTK said:

Just looking at the player with the 13th most PAs with a smattering of teams: 

Twins - 135
Phillies - 55
D'Backs - 100
White Sox - 97

The Twins are sharing plate appearances more than the 3 other random teams I just chose. And while Outman was 14th, not 13th, in PAs, the point remains. 

No, the point doesn't remain.  It's a bad methodology by this point in any season.  Indeed you almost spotted the flaw but didn't follow through to the conclusion.  #13 for the Twins is Matt Wallner with 135 PA.  Was Wallner ever the 13th guy on the roster this season?  Of course not.  They gave him a long run as a starter, then pulled the plug and sent him to St Paul.

Almost every team's roster evolves as the season progresses, either due to injury or due to poor performance (or in rare cases a AAA player forcing the issue with great play).  That's what you're likely measuring here.  Churn.

A meaningful study of 13th men would involve a whale of a lot of work, involving careful tracking of each roster change and how the team made use of each player while that version of the roster remained intact, taking into account nagging  day-to-day injuries like Buxton is susceptible to and the handedness of the day's opposing pitcher and probably other secondary matters.

I don;'t know how other teams handle their 13th man, and I'm not going to invest the effort, but I'm pretty certain the data snapshot you provided doesn't show the way.

I vote for Audra Martin to occupy the 26th  roster spot. 

A number of the players mentioned (Fedko, Outman, Keirsey) were rostered to have a viable backup in CF. In recent times they have tried Clemens, Kreidler, and now Keaschall. Not sure how Clemens and Keaschall rate in CF. Kreidler seems close to an average CF. 

1 hour ago, chpettit19 said:

Yes, that is a good comp for the Twins in that he's a player with no real role. But in terms of 3rd catchers, he is at least trusted to stand in those spots. The Twins would never put Jeffers, Caratini, or Jackson at 3B or LF.

Jackson actually played some RF in the minors so I could see them putting him in a corner OF spot if someone gets hurt during a game, second game of a doubleheader (do they still have those), or to effectuate an extra inning pinch hitting thing. Besides, both Caratini and Jeffers have played a fair amount of 1B or DH, so having Jackson around actually increases our flexibility to put both of those guys in the lineup and still have a backup catcher. Add in catching once a week in a 7 game week, and I think he adds plenty of value for the 13th guy.   

The issue with our current roster construction isn't really because were carrying three catchers; it's because we have a utility infielder that can't play a competent SS. Jackson actually helps our flexibility as the 13th guy because he can play a corner 0F spot, and both Jeffers and Caratini can play 1B and hit well enough to be viable at the DH spot. You can actually put Jeffers and Caratini both in the lineup as long as you have Jackson sitting on the bench to be the backup catcher in case of injury so you don't have to lose the DH spot if your catcher gets hurt and has to come out. Add to that the fact that Jackson has played RF in the minors and assumedly can be at least a somewhat viable corner outfielder or IB in a pinch, and you actually have a guy who has some value as the 13th player, particularly a guy who is hitting .296/.321/.407 (.728) with very sporadic playing time. Guys that can hit without regular playing time are not easy to find.

The problem is we have the wrong utility infielder in Tristan Gray because he can't play SS or 3B very well. I think the answer is coming soon though. I think Gray should get demoted as soon as Buxton comes back and we run with Lee as the backup SS until a decision is made on catching. Now if you want to also keep both Roden and Martin on the Twins and get Culpepper up to the Bigs, one of the three catchers needs to be traded. I would trade Jeffers unless we thought we could re-sign him now or at the end of year so we don't lose him for nothing, but I can see the argument to keep him for the rest of this year, give him the Q0, and get draft pick compensation. You either have to trade him or give him the QO. If you make the latter decision, I think Jackson's performance this year has been good enough that he actually has some trade value for like an A ball lottery ticket or as a throw in on another trade so we won't have to just DFA him but if we do, we do. Culpepper can then come up to the Bigs. We can ease Culpepper into the SS position with  Kriedler playing SS a couple of days a week and use Kriedler as the utility infielder the rest of the time. He's actually perfect for that role, a guy with a great glove and inconsistent bat who can also be the backup CF or at least one of the backup CFs. Get Culpepper up and you have 5 IFs for 4 spots, a quality backup SS regardless of whether Culpepper or Kreidler is starting, plus 2 catchers who can both play 1B if Lewis gets injured or needs a day. We would also have 5 OFs, 3 RHs and 2 LHs, and it doesn't really matter if any of them are great in CF because you have Kreidler who can play an above average CF while Culpepper plays SS. If Culpepper is still hurt or isn't ready, Twins might want to think about Ben Ross for that same role given his age (25) and his stellar performance in AAA so far. He might be worth a look in any event.

So I think there's a pretty simple solution that allows us to keep Jackson in the short term, create playing time for Culpepper or Ross by the end of the month (or sooner if we make the trade sooner), and create space for one of the formally AAA outfielders that we think could actually be a real contributor by next season like Roden. The key is to demote Gray when Buxton is ready to come back. I actually think that leaves us with a better roster.

2 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

I don't disagree with this general idea, but are you sitting Bell or Lewis for Caratini or Jeffers? I didn't mention DH and 1B because they would put guys there, but those are spots that most certainly don't need to be taken up with Caratini or Jeffers. Unless Jeffers is going to continue to hit like a DH (I have my doubts based on his entire career), neither him nor Caratini would be the first or second (Larnach) options at DH.

I don't think "emergency injury replacement" in RF is adding any real value to Jackson. It's nice to have, but they'd have to be in a pretty specific situation for that to happen. He's essentially a once-a-week catcher when they're on long stretches without a day off in your scenario. It's not the worst roster situation they've found themselves in, but it's certainly not ideal. 

Them having 3 switch hitters and far fewer platoon bats than they used to is the real reason having an essentially completely wasted roster spot isn't awful for them. They have a group of guys who are clearly playing better than the bench guys and should be starting most every day. I still don't think 3rd catcher is really the best use of that roster spot. Give me a true defensive/SB demon who can be used every day over a 3rd catcher on a roster with plenty of DH/1B options.

Two thoughts. First, nobody can or really should play every day. There will be days when Lewis and/or Bell will sit. Playing both Jeffers and Caratini on those days makes the lineup work. 

I'd be happy with a truly defensive/SB demon who can be used every day as the 13th man. Do we have that guy? Ben Ross maybe? It's not worth giving up any value for but having that guy on the roster and going with 2 catchers works for me. I just don't don't d know if we have that guy.

11 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Bell is a DH. Why can't he play every day? If he's one of your 9 best hitters, and a better hitter than Jeffers or Caratini, why would you sit him ever? Sure, Lewis will have days off, but it's not once a week or anything. Outside of injuries, there is no reason Lewis, or any other guy who's supposed to be a "starter," can't play 160+ games a year. Certainly don't need to give him any more than 5 to 7 scheduled days off during the season.

Agree, the Twins really don't have that guy. And that's a large part of this problem. They've done a very poor job of building out a roster and system that can avoid having guys on it that they don't want to put in the game ever. It's really the point of this debate. The fact that they can't find a better option for the 13th guy on the roster than Kersey, McCusker, Fedko, or a 3rd catcher.

I agree that the roster construction is poor although I'd argue its improving. Guys can play 145 plus games a year, and they do it by taking a "half day off" every now and then by DHing. Bell can't play in the field if Lewis is the DH so something has to give. If the question is who would be the best type of 13th player, I might agree with you. I think the real question is who among the guys we have would be the best 13th player. In that light, I could see Jackson being as good a choice as anyone else we have. 

You and I probably remember when it was "normal" for a MLB starter to play 150 plus games a year. That just doesn't happen as much any more. Guys go on the IL more often for more minor things so they can go all out when they play. Mangers play more matchups. Probably the biggest thing though, is they can't take drugs any more. Back in the day there was a jar of Greenies in every clubhouse and guys feeling tired took one or 3. Some guys took them every day. MLB banned the use of amphetamines in 2006 and that makes it a lot harder to play and a lot harder to focus in the July, August, and September heat every day. Carlos Correa even once commented when asked why he wasn't playing 160 games a year that now the most you can take is some Vitamin E instead of uppers, which is not really the same. I suspect there is a lot of Adderall or Ritalin being taken for ADD or ADHD diagnoses - some legit, some maybe not so legit - because those drugs really help with focus and energy. Bottom line, its a lot harder to play 160 games a year if you can't get some pharmaceutical help than it is if you can.