Twins Minor League Report (7/23): Gabriel Gonzalez Provides Pinch-Hit Walkoff Double for Saints

TRANSACTIONS   
Zach Vennaro was released from the Wichita Wind Surge roster. 

LHP Ross Dunn had his rehab assigned to the FCL Twins.  

RANKINGS
FanGraphs updated their Top 100 prospects and seven members of the Minnesota Twins organization are on the list... And none of them are Emmanuel Rodriguez. I have to think that's a pretty positive sign for the organization.    

2026 Draft Class Update
The Twins have signed all 21 of their 2026 draft picks plus they have signed four undrafted pitchers. If you check the Twins Daily Top 20 Prospect rankings below, you will see that we have now included the 2026 draft picks in our rankings. 

SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 4, Columbus 3 
Box Score
While the Twins were playing extra innings in Cleveland, the Saints hosted their Triple-A affiliate, the Columbus Clippers. On Thursday, the Twins won in extra innings to even the series. In St. Paul, the Saints were able to walk off the Clippers in the bottom of the ninth. They grabbed an early 2-1 series lead with three more games to play. 

Ricky Castro made the start. He tossed three innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits and a walk. He struck out two. Next to the mound was John Klein. He gave up no runs over 1 1/3 innings, though he gave up two hits and a walk. He also struck out three batters. Veteran Eduardo Salazar gave up just one hit over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. He struck out two. The Saints then got scoreless innings from Cole Sands (2 BB, 3 K) and Raul Brito (BB, K). Grant Hartwig worked the top of the ninth. He was charged with an unearned run on two hits in the inning. He struck out three but the Saints found themselves down 3-2 going to the bottom of the ninth. 

Hendry Mendez lined a single to center to lead off the bottom of the ninth. Kyler Fedko ran for him. Kala’i Rosario singled to left to put runners on first and second with nobody out. He wasn’t credited with a sacrifice, but Cody Morissette advanced both runners with a ground out fielded by the pitcher. Brian Dinkelman turned to his bench. Gabriel Gonzalez pinch hit for catcher Noah Cardenas. He got a pitch over the plate and drilled it to the opposite field gap for a two-run, walkoff double. 

In the top of the third, the Saints fell behind 2-0. But in the bottom of the inning, a double by Morissette was followed by a Cardenas single to make it 2-1. Walker Jenkins and Matt Wallner followed with singles to load the bases. With one out, Tristan Gray lined a single to left to drive in Cardenas and tie the game at 2-2. 

The Saints scored their four runs on 11 hits. Kala’i Rosario went 2-for-3 with a walk. Wallner went 2-for-4. Morissette’s double was his sixth with the Saints. Wallner hit his 10th double. The Gonzalez walkoff double marked his 16th two-bagger of the year. 

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Wichita 1, Midland 2
Box Score
There was a pitcher’s duel in Wichita on Thursday. Unfortunately, the A’s Double-A affiliate had a two-run top of the ninth to end the shutout, take the lead and held on to win. The Surge had won the first two games of the series and carry a 2-1 lead into the weekend. The loss also broke the Wind Surge five-game winning streak since returning from the All-Star break.   

Cory Lewis started and tossed four shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked one, and had six strikeouts. He also hit a batter. William Fleming gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. 

In the bottom of the sixth, Marek Houston led off with a single but was caught stealing. Brandon Winokur followed with a single. With two outs and after a pitching change, Andrew Cossetti and Billy Amick to load the bases. Wichita scored the lone Wichita run when the Midland catcher attempted to pick off Winokur at third base and threw the ball away. 

With the lead, Jaylen Nowlin came in and struck out two in a scoreless seventh inning. Spencer Bengard pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but he was charged with two runs on four hits and a walk when you add in the ninth inning. He had four strikeouts but was charged with the loss. 

The Twins scored their one run on five hits and six walks. Marek Houston went 1-for-2 with two walks. He also stole his 14th base for Wichita. That gives him 38 steals overall in 42 attempts. He was caught stealing twice in this game. Tanner Schobel, in his return to Double-A, went 1-for-3 with a walk. Billy Amick walked twice. Caden Kendle added his fourth double and is still hitting .526 with a 1.294 OPS since joining the Wind Surge.  

KERNELS CHRONICLES
Cedar Rapids 3, Dayton 5
Box Score
The Kernels made the long trek to Ohio for the week, and maybe they’re just catching their bearings. They lost the first two games of this series, both losses by one run. 

Dayton scored one run in the first, second, fourth, fifth, and eighth innings. The Kernels scored one run in the third, fifth, and eighth innings. . I guess you don’t always need those crooked numbers to win. 

Kolten Smith gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and two walks over the first four innings. Smith also hit three batters. He struck out five batters. Xavier Kolhosser gave up an unearned run over two innings despite only giving up one walk and no hits. He struck out three batters. Brian Zeldin worked the final two innings and gave up one run on one hit and two walks. He struck out four batters. 

The Kernels scored their three runs on four hits and two walks. They also combined to strike out 15 times in 30 at-bats (33 plate appearances). Andy Lugo walked and was hit by a pitch. Yasser Mercedes knocked his 13th Kernels double and stole his 27th base. That gives him 38 total steals this season, tying him for the organizational lead this year. They are two ahead of FCL Twins outfielder Yovanny Duran. The FCL Twins season came to an end. It’s possible that he will join the Mussels for all or some of the rest of the season. 

Eduardo Tait drilled his 18th home run of the season. I keep hearing that he has had a tough season. Dude is 19 years old and hitting .221 with a .727 OPS. He has 19 doubles, 18 homers and 59 RBI. And he’s 19. Yes, it would be nice to see his OBP higher than .285. He has work to do on defense behind the plate.  He's 19, in High-A, of course he has work to do, improvements to be made. But as a prospect, this is the kind of players every team wants. This is the kind of prospect that you can get a great closer for at the deadline. 

MIGHTY MATTERS
Game 1: Fort Myers 0, St. Lucie 1
Box Score
In Thursday’s first game in St. Lucie, the Mussels had just two hits in their shutout, but they also walked nine times in the game. Unfortunately, they were 0-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base. Of the two hits, one was Byron Chourio’s sixth double of the season. He also drew two walks. Irvin Nunez and Ricardo Paez also walked twice in the game. 

Reed Moring started the first game. He gave up one run on eight hits and a walk over the first five innings. He struck out five batters. Michael Hilker pitched a 1-2-3 sixth inning to drop his season ERA to 1.32. Moring took the loss, but his ERA dropped to 2.60. 

Game 2: Fort Myers 3, St. Lucie 1
Box Score
In Game 2, the Mussels played the home teams as this was a makeup game for a postponed game in Ft. Myers earlier this season. The teams had no more games in Fort Myers, so this was the next-best option. 

The Mussels grabbed a run in the first inning and two runs in the second inning, and that was enough to hang on for a 3-1 win. 

In the first inning, Ramiro Dominguez led off with a walk. Jayson Bass singled him to third. Luis Fragoza came up and grounded into a double play, but Dominguez scored. 

The Mussels second inning began with singles from Quentin Young and Luis Hernandez. Byron Chourio moved them up a bag with a successful sacrifice bunt. With two outs, Harry Genth came up and lined a double to left to drive in both runners and make it 3-0.   

Merit Jones was on the mound to start the second game. He struck out six batters over five shutout innings to improve to 4-1 this season. He gave up four hits and walked none. Brent Francisco gave up one run on one hit over the final two innings to record his second save. He also struck out two batters.    

The Mussels scored their three runs on five hits and two walks. Jayson Bass was 2-for-3 and stole his 21st base. Genth’s double was his seventh with the Mussels this season.   

COMPLEX CHRONICLES
FCL Twins 2, FCL Orioles 1
Box Score  
Late last week, we were hoping that this game would still have playoff implications. Their odds weren’t good, but there was still a chance. Unfortunately, by the time the two teams squared off on Tuesday, the Twins had been eliminated. However, it’s still nice to end the season on a high note, with a win. The Twins finished with a record of 33-26. They were one of just five FCL teams to finish with 30 or more wins. Unfortunately, that was behind the FCL Rays (37-20) and FCL Orioles (34-23) in the FCL South Division. The Orioles take the wild card spot in the playoffs. 

With two outs in the top of the first inning, Carlos Taveras got things going with a single. Jhomnardo Reyes drilled his 12th double. A fielding error in the outfield allowed Taveras to score the first run. Darwin Almanzar walked and stole second. On the play, Reyes scored the second run of the inning. 

Lefty Ross Dunn made another rehab start. The left-hander gave up a hit and a walk but no runs in two innings. He had one strike out. Jake Covey came in and gave up the one Orioles run in the third inning. But that’s it. He worked four innings and gave up one hit, hit a batter, and had three walks. He also struck out six batters. Brad Rudis walked one in the seventh but completed the inning to record his second save.  

The Twins scored their two runs on five hits and three walks. Reyes ended his FCL season going 2-for-2 with a walk and a double. Almanzar had a single, a walk and stole his second baseman. 

DSL Twins 4, DSL Tigers 5
Box Score
The Twins fell behind 2-0 in the first inning. They tied the game in the third, but the Tigers immediately with three runs in the bottom of the inning. The Twins cut the deficit to one with a two-run fifth frame, but that’s as close as they could get. 

Enmanuel Mena started. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on one hit and two walks. He recorded two outs, both on strikeouts. Yosangel Braffit came in and gave up three runs on two hits and three walks. He struck out five batters. Alam Soriano came in and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked one and struck out two batters.   

The Twins scored their four runs on seven hits, two walks, and three batters were hit. Luis Duarte went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Fabian Ulloa went 2-for-3 with his fifth double. Jhon Gonzalez hit his third triple. Enmanuel Merlo went 1-for-3 with a walk and his third stolen base. 

PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Hitter(s) of the Day  
Jhomnardo Reyes (FCL Twins): 2-for-3, BB, 2B(12), R, 2 CS(12) 
Kala’i Rosario (St. Paul): 2-for-3, BB, R

Pitcher(s) of the Day 
Cory Lewis (Wichita): 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 75 pitches, 51 strikes (68.0%)
Merit Jones (Fort Myers): 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 6 K, 65 pitches, 44 strikes (67.7%)
Reed Moring (Fort Myers): 5 IP, 8 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 60 pitches, 44 strikes (73.3%)

PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. Notice that the prospect rankings have been updated to include the 2026 draft picks. 

In addition, keep up with the Twins draft pick signings at our Twins 2026 Draft Board. As you’ll be able to see, all 21 players have signed. They have also signed four undrafted pitchers.

#1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, CS(2) (batted first, played CF)
#2 - C Vahn Lackey (Signed) -
#3 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - Injured List
#4 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Injured List
#5 - SS Marek Houston (Wichita) - 1-for-2, 2 BB, SB(14), 2 CS(2) (batted first, played SS)
#6 - RHP Riley Quick (Wichita) - Did Not Pitch.
#7 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, HR(18), R, 2 RBI, K (batted second, DHd) 
#8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. 
#9 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch.
#10 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3 (batted sixth, played LF)
#11 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-1, 2B(16), 2 RBI (pinch hit walkoff winner)
#12 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List. 
#13 - C Carson Tinney (Signed 2026 draft) -
#14 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - Did Not Play.
#15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Wichita) - 1-for-4, R, 2 K (batted second, played CF)
#16 - RHP Brett Renfrow (Signed 2026 draft) -
#17 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 0-for-3, BB, 3 K (batted sixth, played SS),
#18 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Scheduled to pitch Friday. 
#19 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain)
#20 - RHP Ethan Wachsmann (Signed 2026 draft) - 

UPCOMING PROBABLES
Friday, July 24
Columbus @ St. Paul (8:07 pm CT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (3-4, 6.95 ERA)
Midland @ Wichita (7:05 pm CT) - RHP Preston Johnson (0-3, 4.63 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Dayton (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 6.88 ERA)  
Ft. Myers @ St. Lucie (5:10 pm CT) - RHP Jason Reitz (0-2, 3.14 ERA)  
FCL Twins - Season Complete. 
DSL Twins @ DSL Blue Jays (10:00 am CT) - TBD

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 51-53
St. Paul Saints: 56-42
Wichita Wind Surge: 34-57
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 37-54
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 49-42
FCL Twins: 33-26
DSL Twins: 10-25 

Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 

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!