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    Minnesota Twins Minor League Pitchers of the Month: June 2026

    As the minor-league season reached its midpoint, several Twins pitching prospects used June to build momentum, earn promotions, and strengthen their cases for bigger opportunities.

    Cody Christie
    Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

    Twins Video

    June marks an important transition across Minor League Baseball. Most leagues move into the second half of their schedules, giving organizations an opportunity to reset after the opening months of the season. For some players, a strong first half is rewarded with a promotion up the organizational ladder. Others remain at their current level, focusing on refining their games before taking the next step. The Twins have seen both scenarios play out over the last several weeks. Several pitchers earned promotions after dominant stretches, while others began to find consistency after slow starts to the year. As the organization's pitching depth continues to be tested at multiple levels, quality performances throughout the farm system have become increasingly important.

    Before looking at this month's top performers, here are a few honorable mentions.

    Honorable Mentions: 

    • RHP C.J. Culpepper (Saints): 8 G, 11 2/3 IP, 1.54 ERA, 1.20 WHIP, 11 K, 6 BB
    • RHP Sam Armstrong (Wind Surge): 6 G, 26 IP, 3.12 ERA, 1.23 WHIP, 21 K, 9 BB
    • RHP Justin Mitrovich (Mighty Mussels): 4 G, 18 1/3 IP, 3.44 ERA, 1.26 WHIP, 25 K, 8 BB

    4. RHP Marco Raya – St. Paul Saints
    June Stats (8 G): 0.00 ERA, 8 IP, 9 K, 2 BB, 0.83 WHIP, .190 BA

    Raya has been on Minnesota's prospect radar since the Twins selected him out of high school in the 2020 MLB Draft. After spending years developing as a starter, 2026 has marked his first full season working exclusively out of the bullpen.

    The transition looked rocky early. He posted an ERA north of 11.00 during the season's opening month before making noticeable improvements in May, lowering that mark to 4.08. June represented another significant leap forward. Raya fired eight scoreless innings, consistently attacked hitters with his improved stuff, and earned his first call to the major leagues.

    Throughout his career, throwing consistent strikes has been Raya's biggest obstacle. His electric arm has never been in question. If he can continue limiting walks and commanding the zone against major league hitters the way he did throughout June, his bullpen future becomes much more intriguing.

    3. RHP Grant Hartwig – St. Paul Saints
    June Stats (8 G): 0.79 ERA, 11 1/3 IP, 11 K, 0 BB, 0.44 WHIP, .132 BA

    Hartwig's previous major-league experience showed throughout June, as he became one of St. Paul's most dependable relief options. Opposing hitters batted over .320 against him during the season's first two months, but everything changed once the calendar flipped. He completely flipped the script by holding hitters to a .132 batting average and a .353 OPS during June. Just as impressive, he did not issue a single walk across more than 11 innings.

    Reliability became the defining characteristic of his month. Hartwig didn't allow a run in seven of his eight appearances while also showing the ability to work multiple innings. Four of his outings lasted more than one inning, giving the Saints valuable length. He’s certainly a veteran the Twins could consider for a bullpen role in the season’s second half. 

    2. RHP Jason Reitz – Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
    June Stats (4 G): 1.88 ERA, 14 1/3 IP, 11 K, 5 BB, 0.84 WHIP, .149 BA

    Reitz has quickly become one of the more recognizable pitching prospects in the organization, thanks to his towering 6-foot-11 frame. Selected in the fourth round out of Oregon last summer, the Twins elected not to have him pitch after signing, making 2026 his professional debut.

    Minnesota has understandably handled his workload carefully, but the leash has gradually become longer. Reitz pitched into the fourth inning in three of his four June starts while continuing to show why scouts are fascinated by the extension he creates on the mound.

    His raw stuff also continued to miss bats. He generated a season-high nine swinging strikes in his June 20 start and limited opponents to a .507 OPS for the month. As his innings continue to increase, Reitz is beginning to show why the Twins believed he could develop into an intriguing professional starter.

    1. LHP Aaron Rozek – St. Paul Saints
    June Stats (6 G): 2.89 ERA, 28 IP, 27 K, 11 BB, 1.18 WHIP, .220 BA

    Rozek, a Burnsville native, has bounced between Double-A and Triple-A throughout the season, before settling into the Saints' rotation as injuries created opportunities in the upper levels of the organization. The move has produced impressive results. As a starter, his ERA has been 1.39 runs lower, while his WHIP has dropped by 0.67 compared to his relief work. That consistency earned him the top spot this month.

    Pitching in the hitter-friendly International League is rarely easy, yet Rozek held opponents to a .220 batting average and a .706 OPS throughout June. He allowed two earned runs or fewer in five of his six starts while also recording a season-high 11 swinging strikes on June 19.

    At 30 years old, Rozek is more than two and a half years older than the average International League player, so he isn't viewed through the same long-term prospect lens as many others on this list. However, that doesn't diminish the value of what he accomplished. The Twins have already leaned heavily on their pitching depth this season, and if injuries continue to mount or workloads become a concern during the second half, Rozek has positioned himself as a legitimate option capable of providing quality innings at the major league level.

    June showcased the improving depth throughout Minnesota's farm system. Raya earned his first taste of the big leagues after a remarkable turnaround, Hartwig reminded everyone he can be valuable upper-level depth, Reitz continued an encouraging professional debut, and Rozek emerged as one of the organization's most dependable Triple-A starters.

    With two months remaining before the stretch run of the minor league season, promotions will continue to reshape each affiliate's roster. If these pitchers can build on their June success, several of them could play meaningful roles for the Twins before the 2026 season comes to a close.


    How would your ballot look? Leave a comment and start the discussion.


    Interested in learning more about the Minnesota Twins' top prospects? Check out our comprehensive top prospects list that includes up-to-date stats, articles and videos about every prospect, scouting reports, and more!

    View Twins Top Prospects

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    Happy to see Marco Raya getting it together.  Not so happy Soto and Ellwanger are out and Hill has been a bit of a disappoint.  He still has a high ceiling, but the lack of command is concerning.  I have only seen Reitz pitch once but he has promise.

    We do have to keep in mind that Prielipp and Morris are transitioning quite well.  Rojas still needs a little refinement, but he looks like he could be very good.  Paredes has surprised me a little.  He might stick too.   It's actually been a pretty good year for developing ML pitchers.  Hopefully some of the injured guys can bounce back in the 2nd half.



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