Cody Pirkl

Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images Perhaps in a different timeline, Andrew Morris is in the back end of the Twins’ rotation, filling in for their many starting pitching injuries. Instead, he was one of the first starting pitching prospects to pivot to a bullpen role, where the team has been desperate for help all season. As the sample size grows, he looks like he can be the next great internal reliever the Twins develop. Morris has posted an unimpressive ERA so far, just below 5.00. Taking a look under the hood, however, there's much more to like. From xERA to FIP to xFIP, he looks like a pitcher with a low-2s to mid-3s ERA in his first taste of bullpen action. An unfortunately high batting average on balls in play, as well as a below-average stranded runner rate, have held him back, but he’s still posted a solid performance with even more to like the deeper you dig. Morris still uses what would be considered a starting pitcher’s repertoire, with five pitches he throws at least 10% of the time. Each of these pitches has drawn a whiff rate of at least 20%, giving him the ability to turn to them in all counts. Only his sinker has been truly punished by opposing hitters, and we’ve already seen him decrease the usage from almost 15% in April to under 9% so far in June. The four-seamer remains his most used pitch, and we’ve seen him dial it up to 100 mph when he’s needed it. The most interesting development in his repertoire is the increase in cutter usage. So far in June, it’s Morris’s second-most-used pitch and has drawn a 30% whiff rate. When hitters do connect, an average launch angle of -12 degrees allowed has resulted in plenty of ground balls. If this pitch can continue getting the whiffs and weak contact, Morris has a legitimate plus offering to build the rest of his repertoire around. Once considered a low-ceiling starting pitching prospect, Morris is already flashing signs of being a true impact, late-inning reliever. Forming his pitch mix around his new role, drawing more whiffs than ever, and showing increased velocity, this is exactly what you hope for when you drop a starting pitcher in the bullpen. Time will tell whether Morris can become the next Taylor Rogers, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, etc., but what he’s already shown has been plenty for this Twins team that quite simply had nothing in the way of upside relievers headed into 2026. There’s still a chance that the Twins chose to move him back to the rotation at some point, but as things currently stand, Morris can spend the rest of this season positioning himself as one of the Twins’ high-leverage relievers in 2027. It’s been a strong debut for Andrew Morris. He has an opportunity to position himself atop the Twins’ 2027 bullpen with more development down the stretch in 2026. Do you agree? View full article

Image courtesy of © Jeffrey Becker-Imagn Images The Twins currently have a revolving door at shortstop, with journeyman utility players they can’t keep for much longer—if for no other reason, then because none of them fit that role well enough to lock it down. Having one such player is understandable, but the Twins are currently rostering three. One is likely to go when Kaelen Culpepper debuts, and the Twins would be wise to get rid of at least one more at a later time to better utilize the 26-man roster. Who has the best chance of sticking around? Orlando Arcia An All-Star for Atlanta in 2023, Arcia has been a true super utilityman, playing all four infield spots in his brief time with the big-league club. He posted a .932 OPS for Saint Paul before his promotion, but has posted a sub-.700 OPS in a small sample, which is in line with his production over the last two seasons. While Arcia’s defensive flexibility is helpful, it’s worth wondering what else he has to provide at this stage in his career. At 31 years of age, it’s hard to envision him holding onto a role beyond 2026 with the Twins, making him especially expendable if the team continues to fall further under .500. He has also only been trusted a handful of times to start games at shortstop, and if the Twins put him behind Tristan Gray and Ryan Kreidler on the shortstop depth chart, his utility in 2026 is worth questioning. He may be the first to go when Culpepper gets the call. Tristan Gray After winning a bench job in spring training, Gray got off to a hot start in 2026 and has been an above-replacement-level player on the season. He started eating into Royce Lewis’s playing time at third base, where he played regularly until Brooks Lee shifted over full-time. His hot start and handful of clutch hits have carried him, but his slightly below-average .697 OPS is more than acceptable production for a bench player who can fill in at shortstop. The problem is that Gray doesn’t appear to be a trustworthy option now that he’s been exposed to more playing time up the middle. As bad as Lee was defensively at short, Gray has matched him, with -5 Outs Above Average in a fraction of the time. It’s looking more and more like Gray is not a viable option at shortstop, even as an emergency fill-in. He may get more time since the Twins liked him most out of spring training from this group, but his utility will come into question when the Twins get an everyday shortstop on the roster. He's also leading the majors in a rather dubious category: no one misses by more, on average, when they whiff on a swing. Ryan Kreidler Kreidler has been a pleasant surprise offensively, posting a .761 OPS and already clubbing a career-high 3 homers this season. Brought in as a glove-first utility player, the glove has actually been the disappointment so far. Before 2026, Kreidler was an average or better defender across several infield and outfield spots, including shortstop and center field. At 28 years of age, it’s hard to imagine that Kreidler has suddenly lost a step. It’s more likely that we see things even out for him defensively as the year goes on. Kreidler’s age and subsequent team control make him the most interesting option to keep on the roster moving forward. If his glove evens out, that alone may be enough to utilize some of his five remaining seasons of team control. If his bat can keep up this pace to any degree, he becomes a valuable player in the Willi Castro vein. This long-term upside, however remote reaching it may be, should be enough for Kreidler to be the last man standing if the Twins decide to purge their current veteran super-utility group and look toward the future. The Twins can’t continue to waste 26-man roster spots the way they have been, especially if they continue to fall further out of contention. Lewis himself is sliding into this role, too, further muddying the picture. If their sights turn toward 2027 and beyond, the current super-utility infielder group should be the first place to look when it comes to swapping younger players in. Which, if any, of these three names should stick around? View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Matt Wallner) Matt Wallner had posted a slash line of .167/.259/.292 when he was sent to St. Paul last month. It was a deserved demotion and was immediately justified when he struggled to begin his time in Triple-A. More recently, he’s looked a lot more like the hitter he was expected to be, and it’s possible he finds himself back with the big-league club very soon. As recently as May 24th, Wallner was hitting .171/.250/.229. Then he had a 10-game hot streak during which he put up a .275/.383/.500 line with the Saints, and that was before crushing three homers on Thursday night. More encouraging was that he had posted a 21.3% K rate in that stretch, as the whiffs had become untenable at the big-league level. Even in the friendly confines of CHS Field, Wallner’s production has been noteworthy. Through Saturday, he's hit in each of his past seven games. In that stretch, he is 13-for-31 (.419) with a double and five home runs. The first five of those games were multi-hit games. Overall, he is hitting .275/.359/.538 (.897) with six doubles, five homers in 20 Saints games. It’s not the greatest feather in his cap that Matt Wallner has had to be sent down for a similar reset before, but it’s worth something that he’s done so in the past and returned to the big leagues able to carry over his production. Whether his adjustments can last is a real concern, but at 28 years old, there isn’t much reason for the Twins to keep him in Triple-A if he’s producing like this. Making matters easier for the Twins, the big-league roster hasn’t done much to keep Wallner stuck in St. Paul. Austin Martin’s production was cited as a driving factor in Wallner’s demotion. He’s backed up the Twins’ decision by going .149/.203/.230 since he became a full-time player on May 14. Martin may be best served as a short-side platoon player, and while Wallner’s struggles were widespread, his numbers were undoubtedly dragged down by facing lefties. The ideal scenario may be a straight platoon pairing these two players to bring out the best in each. Wallner’s defense has become a major problem this season, but there should be at-bats available in the DH spot now that Buxton is playing center field again. Josh Bell has posted a .635 OPS and has no chance of being a part of the Twins’ future. Either he turns things around and is traded, or the Twins cut bait at some point. Either way, there’s plenty of opportunity on the horizon for Wallner to get another shot. Matt Wallner has done his part by working in St. Paul and putting up encouraging numbers. The MLB roster is struggling, and other outfielders who were also in the minor leagues being injured have kept the door open for him. He’ll always be a streaky hitter, and both fans and the Twins themselves will likely look at him more questionably moving forward, but as for right now, he’s likely earning himself another opportunity. How long should Matt Wallner need to continue tearing up Triple-A before he earns another shot? Should the Twins give us one at all? Let us know below! View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Royce Lewis was in need of a total reset when the Twins demoted him to Triple-A. He’s mashed since he arrived for the Saints, but the Twins likely aren’t in a hurry to declare him fixed, despite his strong performance. They’ll have to make a decision over the next few weeks and months. What should they do with Lewis if he keeps dominating in the minor leagues? Back To Third Base Royce has strictly played third base and DH in the minor leagues this season. It’s made a lot of sense at this point, as the priority is for him to find his swing again, and the Twins likely don’t want to add more to his plate. It’s possible his long-term defensive fit remains unchanged, and that whenever the Twins determine he’s ready to return to MLB action, he immediately slots back in at the hot corner. The problem is that the Twins have overhauled the left side of the infield since Lewis’s demotion. It appears the Brooks Lee shortstop experiment is over, as he’s shifted to third base full-time in favor of Tristan Gray and Ryan Kreidler at shortstop. Lee struggled at third base defensively last season, but his skillset should make him a plus defender there, and the defense at shortstop from the two journeymen has been a massive upgrade. Were Lewis recalled and slotted in at third again, there would have to be another position switch afoot for Lee, instead. That feels unlikely. Lewis Plays a New Position The Twins could always shift Lewis to a different infield spot. Luke Keaschall is far from a lock at second base defensively at this point. Lewis could also move all the way down the defensive spectrum to first base, where the Twins lack a reliable right-handed option. The latter, in particular, could make some sense, especially if they give up on Josh Bell, which would open the DH spot to keep Lewis in the lineup even when Kody Clemens is in the field. If the Twins have this in mind, we’ll know pretty quickly, as Lewis will probably get his feet wet at a new position in Triple-A first. The problem here is obvious. Lewis might not be a big fan of changing positions. The Twins tried to add second base to his repertoire a few years ago, and he made it known publicly that he was not in support of this. Perhaps with time to get comfortable at a new spot in St. Paul, he would be more receptive, but it’s difficult to say how flexible Lewis is willing to be for this organization at this point in his career. Mutual Parting Of Ways If Lewis doesn’t fit in the Twins’ plans as they move forward—or if he doesn’t want to—there’s a world where the Twins find a trade partner to make everybody happy. While going on an offensive tear in Triple-A doesn’t have nearly the impact of showing he can still do it in MLB, it’s better than being demoted and struggling, which would wipe away all trade value. It’s not impossible that another team sees an adjustment Lewis can make and would make an offer that can help the Twins in some way, even if the value isn’t anywhere near what it was two years ago. This would be a disappointing end to Lewis’s tenure with the Twins, but it can’t be ruled out. Even if Lewis himself doesn’t want a fresh start elsewhere, the Twins are likely pondering whether they foresee him returning to the status of a potential core player for this team. If they’re uncertain about this belief, the continued quotes blaming the organization for his nearly two years of struggles likely aren’t helping the case for keeping him. Derek Falvey is gone, and the remaining front office is not the same one that drafted Lewis first overall in 2017. Anything could happen. Lewis has taken a big step back in status and priority level within the Twins' plans. The Twins have several options for moving forward with him should he continue to produce in Triple-A. Which option would you prefer they take? View full article

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images Plenty of damage has already been done by the bullpen, which is why the Twins need to stay diligent in cycling through arms in hopes that they can build a functional group as the season goes on. We’ve seen some debuts and roster claims, but it’s still very much a work in progress. Three names in the minor leagues could find themselves with the big league club in short order. John Klein We already saw Klein briefly, and it’s worth wondering exactly what the plan is for him. The Twins had him stuck in a bulk innings role, which neither prepared him to start games nor to serve as a traditional reliever, ultimately leading to his demotion last week, as he wouldn’t have been available for back-to-back outings. Upon his return to the minor leagues, the Twins stuck him in the same role. He wouldn’t be an option for the big league rotation, and if he were to get recalled any time soon, he would likely just serve as a mop-up reliever to be demoted the day after pitching again. If the Twins decide on a path for Klein that would actually be useful to an MLB roster, it’s easy to see him being an impact arm, especially in the bullpen. His mid to high-90s fastball, paired with a good-looking cutter and changeup combo, would play up in short stints and could help the Twins tremendously. If the Twins finally decide to go down this path with Klein, he could be up in short order. Marco Raya Drafted out of high school in 2020, Raya has disappointed thus far in his career, but his story is far from written. His days as a starting pitcher are over, and his body of work as a reliever is less than impressive, but if something clicks, Raya can still be an impact reliever out of the Twins’ pen. We may already be seeing signs. Raya’s stuff isn’t in question between his mid to high-90s fastball and devastating sweeper. Control and command are the bigger concerns, and have led to an ERA over 7.00 in St. Paul this season. Relievers are unpredictable, however, and in his last few outings, Raya has flashed his ability to be a dominant reliever. He’s already on the 40-man roster, so the Twins have no reason not to be quick to call him up if he’s showing signs of finally putting things together. C.J. Culpepper Injuries have derailed Culpepper’s hopes of sticking as a starting pitcher, but his stuff remains intact. After an injury-riddled 2025 season, the Twins saw this and fast-tracked him to St. Paul, immediately converting him to the bullpen upon his promotion. While they’ll surely give him time to get accustomed, Culpepper could find himself with the big league club in short order if he performs well in relief for the Saints. Some outlets had notched Culpepper in the Twins' top 10 prospects in the last few years. He had the stuff to navigate opposing lineups multiple times as a starter. Now that he’s settled into a bullpen role, he can focus on the best of his repertoire, which includes a cutter/sweeper combo. His fastball ticked down amid injuries, but he’s flashed 98 mph on the heater in the past. If he can stay healthy, Culpepper could find himself pitching out of the bullpen at Target Field later this summer. We’re approaching the point where the Twins should feel less concerned about what could go wrong with some of their younger arms should they be called up to the big league bullpen. As June approaches, it’s getting close to time to swap out some of the low upside, short-term veteran relievers and live with the results of whatever the younger arms have to offer. Do you disagree with any of the names listed? Are there any other minor leaguers that should be fast-tracked to the MLB bullpen? Let us know below! View full article

Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Any time you unload three or four controllable, high-leverage relievers, it’s safe to assume that the bullpen being bad will transcend multiple seasons, as Twins fans did following last year’s trade deadline. Despite their choice to do so, the Twins insisted 2026 was a continued push to contend. We all know they didn’t do enough to address the bullpen in the offseason, but it’s the way they operated in-season following the deadline, and how they continue to operate, that is the real problem. When the Twins unloaded their controllable bullpen at the trade deadline, a big talking point from the front office was how many of the names they traded away had been developed internally, and how they would look to do so again. This was a fair point, as Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, and Louie Varland were all developed internally after coming up through the system as starting pitchers. This strategy became even more important when they invested less than $5M in the bullpen in the offseason. Unfortunately for all of their talk of rebuilding the bullpen internally, their actions haven’t backed it up. It was far from an infusion of youth following the trade deadline as many had hoped. The team looked like they were running out the clock on the season rather than using that valuable time to evaluate for the following year. Innings were allocated to pitchers like 35-year-old Erasmo Ramirez and Michael Tonkin. Waiver claims were made on players like 31-year-old Brooks Kriske. A few younger names, like Travis Adams, were called up, but many bullpen spots were dedicated to veterans who had no chance to stick on the roster for 2026. This, paired with a quiet winter, led to an underwhelming Opening Day bullpen, and they’ve performed as expected. As the team has continued to lose games on the backs of their relievers, they’ve made a few moves and call-ups to shake things up, but a lot of their behavior remains the same. Thursday, the Twins demoted John Klein to make room for waiver claim Yoendrys Gómez (who, to their credit, could have some multi-year upside at 26 years old). The right-hander may not have had a good season thus far, but at 24 years old with a mid to high 90s fastball and intriguing offspeed pitches, Klein is the exact type of arm the Twins should want around if they’re serious about internally rebuilding the bullpen. Instead, he was sent back to St. Paul, while several veterans who look like they have nothing to offer now or in the future remain on the roster. The Twins' continued deferral to veterans is one problem, but the way they’re preparing some of their arms in Triple-A is another. Klein was on the growingly common pitching plan of throwing around 65 pitches every four days in Triple-A, in a sort of hybrid bulk-inning role. In theory, this is meant to keep pitchers ready to pitch 3-4 innings if they are called upon to start, while also limiting exposure to opposing lineups. The problem is that this plan leaves many pitchers ill-prepared for whatever role they may be needed in if they get called up to the Twins. Klein is unable to pitch back-to-back days, just as Andrew Morris is after he was on a similar plan. As a result, the Twins can’t afford to hamstring themselves by carrying both after Klein pitched yesterday. It’s been difficult to foresee Klein finding himself in the MLB rotation for some time now, but because the Twins have kept him in the “just in case” role, he’s now headed back to St. Paul despite being one of the prime candidates to help them achieve their self-stated goal of internally rebuilding the bullpen. This hybrid plan makes sense in some cases, such as limiting innings and exposure for arms like Connor Prielipp. For pitchers like Klein or Travis Adams, who was one of the first in this role last season, it just doesn’t make much sense. Unless they’re called up to be a long reliever, they aren’t prepared to enter the rotation or serve as a traditional reliever. They’re essentially only prepared to be long relievers who are likely to be sent back down after they pitch. The result is that interesting arms like Klein can’t stick at the MLB level for an extended period because he can’t pitch on back-to-back days like someone such as Luis Garcia, even if the latter is allowing runs in both outings. If the Twins send Klein back to his hybrid role in Triple-A to keep him stretched out but unable to pitch on back-to-back days, they’re doing him and themselves a disservice. For high-pedigree arms such as Kendry Rojas, this role can be justified. For pitchers like Klein, who have little chance of being even a back-end starter, they’re simply failing to prepare him for any role at the MLB level other than fungible long reliever. It’ll keep interesting young arms in limbo while keeping veteran arms with no upside in the bullpen. It’s a lose-lose situation. The Twins have failed to back up their talk over the last year. It’s time to start doing so when it comes to internally rebuilding the bullpen. Give the young guys a shot so we don’t wind up with this situation again in 2027. View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images Royce Lewis is a different player than he was when he was drafted first overall in 2017. Injuries have changed his profile, but for a time, it appeared he still had a path to becoming an impactful regular at the highest level. As he nears 1,000 career plate appearances, however, his ability to remain a core piece of the Twins roster has come into question. Time is running out. Can he turn things around before it's too late? Injuries have cost Lewis his once well-rounded skill set, as he's settled into a corner infield role wherein his defensive value is limited and his primary offensive tool is his power. Plenty of hitters make careers out of this profile. The problem with Lewis's attempt to do so is that it's been a while since he's been consistently productive. With the sample size he's put together, it's time to worry whether his remaining tools are enough to keep him afloat. Lewis's production has consistently trended downward over the last four years. In between injuries, he's seen his wRC+ drop from 152 in 2023 to 106, then 85, and now just 65 so far in 2026, with 100 marking the league average. At a corner infield position, where the bar to clear offensively is higher, this lack of offensive production is even more detrimental. It's more than just surface-level production to worry about. This season, Lewis has a whiff rate of 36.5%, one of the worst in the league. His overall strikeout rate of 30.3% is by far the worst of his career. He looked like a much more patient hitter to begin the season, and his walk rate still looks much improved, but he's walked just once in 42 plate appearances since returning from the IL, while striking out about a third of the time. His approach at the plate is a complete mess. Defense has been an issue, as well, as he's posted -2 Defensive Runs Saved. The eye test has certainly matched. At this point, it's safe to say that Lewis is a below-average defender at third base. The Twins may not have a wealth of upcoming top prospects on the verge of filling out the infield, but they have options on the horizon. We're certain to see Kaelen Culpepper sometime this season; he's likely to push Brooks Lee off of shortstop. While Lee is stretched at shortstop, he should be an adequate defender at third base. Surprisingly, his bat has also looked much better suited for the position than Lewis’s so far this season. Culpepper's promotion alone may be enough to raise significant questions about Lewis's role. Lewis is arbitration-eligible in 2027 and has two options remaining. His team control and roster flexibility should be good news. For a player who has already expressed frustrations with the organization at multiple points in his career, however, it’s worth asking whether this team control and roster flexibility matter as much as they should. For such a high-profile player who has been so outspoken, it’s worth wondering how well things would go over if Lewis winds up being demoted to St. Paul or gets pushed out of a starting role long-term. It’s very possible that if the team’s plans move forward without Lewis playing a prominent role, his time in Minnesota comes to an end altogether. We may finally be approaching a point where significant turnover is on the horizon for the Minnesota Twins. The supposed core they’ve had in place since their last playoff run in 2023 has failed to live up to expectations, and with so much change across the organization, the roster is likely to follow suit with another disappointing season. Lewis once looked like a lasting piece of the Twins roster, regardless of how well the rest of the team performed. Things have changed significantly since the start of 2024. It feels like the clock is ticking on his time with the Twins, as his timeline of struggles has continued to drag on across multiple seasons. If he can’t turn things around soon, he may find himself out of their plans. View full article

Image courtesy of © Wendell Cruz-Imagn Images Simeon Woods Richardson looked to have found a missing piece of the puzzle in 2025: a new splitter that looked like a legitimate plus offering to round out his repertoire. So far in 2026, however, he’s been the most disappointing member of the rotation results-wise. What’s holding him back? The Splitter Is Different Woods Richardson’s splitter looked like a weapon in 2025. It led all of his pitches with a 32.5% whiff rate and completely disarmed opposing hitters when they made contact. The pitch was a big proponent of the strong stretch to end the season, in which he posted a 2.33 ERA and struck out 36 of the 104 batters faced over his last five starts. After he integrated the pitch midseason, it had a slow buildup, and the splitter finished as his fourth-most-used pitch. With an offseason ahead of him, we expected to see him turn to his new weapon much more often in 2026. The splitter has been the second-most used pitch for him so far this season, but it’s not seeing the same success. He’s throwing it 27.7% of the time, as opposed to 10% in 2025. It’s down to a 22.6% whiff rate and is allowing an expected batting average of .285 and expected slugging of .519. He’s throwing the pitch about half a mile per hour faster, and it’s getting about an inch less of vertical and horizontal movement. If this is an active change Woods Richardson and the Twins made to this pitch that was so successful in 2025, it may be time to rethink things. It's more likely, though, that the pitch just isn't doing what he wants it to do. The Whiffs Are Gone The splitter may have been Woods Richardson’s best pitch in 2025, but he had other successful offerings to turn to. That has certainly not been the case in 2026. His slider has dropped from a whiff rate of 27.4% to 20% so far, and the xwOBA allowed has increased from .261 to a crippling .377. His fastball has been his only acceptable offering so far, but even with decent expected numbers with the heater, it’s dropped from a 21.8% whiff rate to 12.4% in 2026. This all culminates in an untenable 11.4% strikeout rate overall so far this season. A lack of swing and miss leaves Woods Richardson exposed to the Twins’ poor defense, and we’ve already seen that come back to bite him on multiple occasions. He’s not pitching well, but even when he coaxes batted balls that should help bail him out of his frequent jams, his defense hasn’t made the plays for him. Any pitcher would have trouble with this little swing and miss, but this problem is magnified even further by how bad the Twins' defense is. Some Bad Luck In addition to the poor defense, Woods Richardson has experienced some bad luck. His 66.7% strand rate of opposing baserunners is a notable change from his 75.9% mark in 2025 and 73.6% mark in 2024. He’s putting plenty of runners on base, and those runners are scoring at an unexpectedly high rate. His batting average on balls in play allowed is also a career high of .291, which is particularly painful given how many batted balls he’s allowing. His fastball has been his best pitch so far, and he’s gotten unlucky with it in several ways. The pitch has yielded a .284 batting average, which conflicts with an expected mark of .224. It’s allowed a .345 wOBA, compared to a strong .296 expected wOBA. To be fair, the rest of his pitches have actually gotten lucky in these metrics, but it doesn’t help that the one offering he can turn to has been unlucky in addition to everything else going on. The heater also isn't setting up the rest of the arsenal as well as it has in the past. In 2024, his fastball was in the upper third of the zone or above it over 46% of the time. Last year, that number fell to 40%. This season, it's 33%. With the fastball coming in lower, there's less space to let his splitter or slider separate from that pitch. It means fewer whiffs when the non-fastballs are close to or in the zone. To create the differential you want to achieve a whiff, now, he often has to throw the slider and the splitter in non-competitive locations. Batters chased 30.9% of his sliders and splitters outside the zone last year. So far, in 2026, it's 24.8%. There isn’t much going right for Woods Richardson right now. Either intentionally or unintentionally, changes were made to several of his pitches that were successful in 2025, and the results have been disastrous. His strikeout rate looks like something out of the 1990s, and he’s pitching in front of one of the worst defenses in the league to count on for turning contact into outs. Given the injuries in the rotation, Woods Richardson has some time to right the ship, but the clock is ticking, with the Twins showing a newfound aggressiveness in calling up pitching prospects. Woods Richardson has a ton to fix if he wants to hold onto his rotation spot for the entire 2026 season. Can he pull it off? View full article