Seth Stohs

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photos of Jacob McCombs, Eduardo Tait) TRANSACTIONS RHP Jesse Bergin was assigned to the Cedar Rapids Kernels. Outfielder Ricardo Paez was assigned to the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. Both players were with the FCL Twins. The Mussels also placed RHP Matthew Dalquist on the seven-day injured list. Finally, infielder Orlando Arcia was outrighted after clearing waivers and sent to the Saint Paul Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: St. Paul 4, Omaha 12 Box Score Game 1 today as St Paul was pretty ugly for the hometown team. They gave up two runs in the first inning, four in the fourth inning, and five in the sixth inning on their way to a 12-4 loss to Omaha. For the Saints, Gabriel Gonzalez was 2-for-3 with a walk. He also hit his 11th home run of the season. The Saints team had just six hits, and they walked four times. The only other extra base hits included a Noah Cardenas home run, his fourth of the season, and Ben Ross doubled for the 14th time in a Saints uniform. On the mound, Austin Voth started and went four innings. He gave up six runs (5 earned) on six hits and two walks. He had five strikeouts. Grant Hartwig struck out two in a scoreless fifth inning Then rehabbing Kendry Rojas came in. He gave up five runs on five hits and a walk in just 1 1/3 innings. Drew Smith came on and got the final two outs but not before giving up another run on two hits. Game 2: St. Paul 4, Omaha 12 Box Score Game 2 started out well for the Saints. Ricky Castro threw a zero on the board in the top of the first, and Ben Ross led off the bottom half of the first inning with a home run, his fifth with the Saints. However, Castro gave up three runs in the top of the second inning, but the Saints were able to match that in the bottom of the third frame when Henry Kusiak came to the plate with the bases loaded and knocked his third Saints double to clear the bases and give his team a 4-3 lead. Ricky Castro gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in two innings. He struck out two batters. John Klein came in and went the next three innings. He gave up three runs on four hits (2 homers). He struck out five batters without issuing a walk. Alejandro Hidalgo walked one and struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. Marco Raya struck out two batters in a perfect seventh inning. The Saints had eight hits in the second game. Gabriel Gonzalez went 3-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Cody Morissette was 1-for-2 with two walks. Tanner Schobel hit his 12th double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Springfield 8 Box Score This was an interesting game in Wichita on Thursday night. The Cardinals scored six runs in the top of the third inning. However, the Wind Surge responded in the bottom of the fourth inning with five runs of their own. From there, however, things settled in, and Wichita was never able to tie the game up or take the lead and Springfield won the game 8-6. Preston Johnson made the start for the wind surge the right hander fell to oh and three. He gave up six earned runs on four hits and two walks in just two and 1/3 innings. Sam Ryan came on in relief and got five outs. He gave up three hits but no walks and no runs. Jose Olivares came in for the fifth inning and walked four batters to give up a run in his one inning pitched. Paulshawn Pasqualotto settled things down. He struck out two over two perfect innings in relief. Jacob Webb gave up a run on two hits and two walks in his inning. Lefty Zach Vennaro struck out three batters in his half of the ninth inning. Down 6-0 going to the bottom of the fourth inning, the Wind Surge mounted their one big rally of the game. Kala’i Rosario singled up the middle to lead things off. After a ground out moved Rosario to second base, Jorel Ortega flew out to right field, deep enough for Rosario to advance to third base. Two outs and a runner on third base, Jose Salas hit his fifth double of the season to drive in Rosario and put the Surge on the scoreboard. Maddux Houghton followed with a walk, and Quinn McDaniel was hit by a pitch to load the bases. That's when Andrew Cossetti stepped up to the plate and drilled his eighth home run of the year, a grand slam that cut the wind surge deficit to just one run. The next three batters walked (Khadim Diaw, Billy Amick, and Rosario), but they were unable to score that tying run. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Ortega hit his third home run of the season but that only made it 7-6 Cardinals. That was the last of the Wind Surge scoring opportunities. The Wind Surge scored their six runs on eight hits and six walks. Jose Salas was the lone Wichita batter with a multi-hit game. He was 2-for-4 with a double. Diaw was 1-for-3 and walked twice. Houghton added his third triple. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 13, Beloit 10 Box Score This was another crazy game in Cedar Rapids on Thursday night. There have been a lot of unique, high scoring, back-and-forth games throughout the minor leagues the last few weeks, but several have happened in Cedar Rapids. Down 3-0, the Cedar Rapids Kernels scored seven runs in the bottom of the second inning. With one out, Enrique Jimenez started things with a single. With two outs, Caden Kendle walked. Jacob McCombs came up next and drilled his fourth home run of the season to tie the game at 3-3. One pitch later, Danny De Andrade followed with his seventh home run of the season to give the Kernels a 4-3 lead. With the bases cleared, Marek Houston singled to right field and stole second base. Walker Jenkins walked. Brandon Winokur singled to left to drive in Houston and make it a 5-3 game. Eduardo Tait drove in Jenkins and Winokur with a double to give the Kernels the 7-3 lead. Beloit scored a run in the top of the third, but the Kernels added on in the bottom of the fifth inning. Winokur led off the inning with a double off the wall in right field. He scored when Tait lined a single to center and made it 8-4 Cedar Rapids. After one out, there was a pitching change. Jay Thomason welcomed the new pitcher with a walk as did Caden Kendle to load the bases. McCombs followed by singling to center field which drove in two more runs and gave the Kernels a 10-4 lead. But the game wasn't over. In the top of the seventh, Beloit scored a run making it a 10-5 game. But the Kernels added another three runs in the bottom of the eighth inning. It all started with two outs. Graham Brown walked, and Brandon Winokur reached on catcher's interference. That brought Tait to the plate, and he launched his 14th home run of the season to give the Kernels a 13-5 lead. This is the Midwest League. Games aren't over until the last out is recorded. The Sky Carp weren’t quitting. They scored five runs in the top of the ninth, but the Kernels had plenty of cushion and hung on for the 13-10 win. Lefty Cesar Lares started for Cedar Rapids. In 3 1/3 innings, he gave up four runs (3 earned) on four hits. He walked two batters and struck out two batters. Xavier Kolhosser came in and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up just one hit, walked one, and struck out two batters. Nolan Santos gave up one run in the sixth inning on a hit and two walks. Yehizon Sanchez pitched a scoreless eighth inning, but he faced four batters in the ninth inning. All four reached, and all four scored. Mitch Mueller came on to get the final three outs, but not before he allowed all three inherited runners plus a run of his own to score. Eduardo Tait and Jacob McCombs were the heroes on offense. Tait went 3-for-5 with his 11th double and 14th home run. He scored twice and had six RBI. McCombs went 2-for-4 with his fourth home run. He had five RBI in the game. Brandon Winokur was the other Kernels hitter that had a multi-hit game He went 2-for-4 with his 11th double He scored three runs. Walker Jenkins went 1-for-3 with a walk as his rehab continues. De Andrade's home run was his seventh of the season. Houston's stolen base was his 23rd of the season. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 16, Tampa 5 Box Score Did I mention earlier that there have been a lot of runs scored in Minor League Baseball recently? It is interesting to note that some online are starting to research and investigate if the baseball's used in minor-league games in 2026 are different than they have been in the past. I'll let smarter people than me try to figure all that out, I just enjoy watching all the runs score… when they're being scored by the Twins affiliates Through two innings, this game was scoreless. After that, the Mussels scored in five of their next six innings and went on to a 16-5 win. They scored three runs in the third inning, three in the fifth inning, four in the seventh inning, and five in the eighth inning. Oh, they had a one run fourth inning too (if you want to count that!). Fort Myers scored their 16 runs on 20 hits and six walks. It will come as no surprise that Dameury Pena led the way by going 4-for-6. Byron Chourio went 3-for-4 with a walk and his second home run. He drove in four runs. Ramiro Dominguez went 2-for-4 with a walk and three RBI. Jayson Bass had two hits. Luis Fragoza was 3-for-5 and scored three runs. He hit his eighth double. Ricardo Paez was 2-for-4 with two walks. He scored three runs and hit two doubles. Ryan Sprock came off the bench and went 2-for-2 with his sixth double and his fourth home run, a three-run blast. In addition, Fort Myers stole seven bases, including two by Dominguez who now has 15 on the season. Nine out of the 10 Mussels batters had at least one hit in the game. Most had more than one. So we won't mention that Quentin Young went 0-for-6 with five strikeouts. Don't forget that he hit home runs in his last two games. Kolten Smith started. He gave up two runs on three hits and two walks over 3 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. Brent Francisco came on and gave up only a walk over 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Eric Hammond gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. He walked one and had two strikeouts. Michael Hilker gave up one run on two hits over his two innings. He walked on and had two strikeouts. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 9, FCL Rays 3 Box Score In an unusual turn, the score of this FCL game was 1-1 going into the fifth inning. However, the Twins scored three in the top of the fifth and three more in the sixth inning and then added one more run in each the seventh and eighth innings to take a commanding lead and an eventual win over the Rays. On the mound to start for the FCL Twins was Frederick Hiciano. The 18-year-old gave up one run on one hit in 2 1/3 innings. He walked three and had four strikeouts. Carter Holjes came on and gave up two runs on two hits and a walk over the next 3 1/3 innings. He had one strikeout. Brad Rudis came in and was a hit batter from three perfect innings. He recorded three strikeouts. Jake Covey got the final out of the game after issuing a walk. The Twins scored their first run in the top of the fourth inning. Back-to-back-to-back singles by Miguel Caraballo, Carlos Taveras, and Teilon Serrano scored the first run. In the top of the fifth inning, Daiber De Los Santos walked. Following a pitching change, Yovanny Duran singled him to third base. Jhomnardo Reyes followed by reaching on a fielding error by the left fielder. De Los Santos scored. However, Duran was thrown out at third. That brought Miguel Caraballo to the plate, and he drilled his fourth home run of the short season to give the Twins the 4-1 lead. You might recall Caraballo came to the Twins in the infamous Daniel Susac trade in December. The top of the sixth inning started with a Darwin Almanzar walk. Jose Barrios doubled to advance him to third base. Following another De Los Santos walk, the bases were loaded, and the Rays made a pitching change. Duran walked to score Almanzar with the first run of the inning. Then Reyes was hit by a pitch to score the second run. The third run scored on a wild pitch. Welcome to FCL baseball! In the top of the seventh inning, Jose Barrios’s first Stateside home run gave the Twins an 8-3 lead. The 18-year-old had two homers last season in the DSL. In the top of the eighth inning, Caraballo walked and stole second. With one out, he stole third base. And after a Serrano walk, they executed a successful double steal with Caraballo stealing home to record his third steal of the inning, and his 10th stolen base of the season. The Twins scored their nine runs on 12 hits and nine walks. Duran went 3-for-5 with a walk. Caraballo was 2-for-5 with a walk and his fourth home run. Tavares was 2-for-5 with his fourth double. Serrano was 2-for-4 with his third triple. Barrios was 2-for-5 including his fifth double and first home run. De Los Santos walked three times. DSL Twins 1, DSL Diamondbacks 2 Box Score I may have to whisper-type about this game. I'm not sure if scoring just three total runs in a game is actually legal to write about or talk about much less play. So this could be quick. Both teams scored a single run in the third inning. The Diamondbacks affiliate scored a single run in the top of the seventh to take a 2-1 lead, and that's what the final score was. In the bottom of the first inning, the Twins got a leadoff double from Jendy Martinez. With one out, he went to third on a balk. He was left stranded. In the second inning, Abel Sosa, Jeferson Abreu, and Fabian Ulloa all walked to load the bases but the team was unable to score again. Like Diamondbacks in the top of the third, the Twins got on the board in the bottom of the third. Daiyer Barboza was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He went to second on a wild pitch. Jhon Gonzalez grounded out to first base for the first out, but Barboza advanced to third. And in dramatic fashion, he scored on a wild pitch. Anibal Beltre followed with a single as if to show that he could have driven in the run himself. However, opportunities just stopped arriving after that. They had two consecutive 1-2-3 innings. Beltre singled to lead off the sixth inning, but he was unable to advance even to second base. Diamondbacks prospect Ismael Mejia led off the top of the seventh inning with his first home run which gave them a 2-1 lead. That takes us to the bottom of the seventh inning. The first two batters flew out. But Jendy Martinez followed with a line drive double to center field. Unfortunately, he attempted to make it a triple, and a perfect center field-to-shortstop-to-third baseman relay ended the threat before it even really started. 19-year-old Fernando Hernandez started for the Twins. He gave up one run on three hits over the first 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two batters. Yolcar Garcia was next for the Twins. The 18-year-old tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings in relief. He gave up one hit, walked one and had four strikeouts. Alam Soriano came in for the seventh inning and gave up the solo homer and a double, but just one run, in the inning. The Twins scored their one run on four hits and three walks. Martinez hit his fifth and sixth doubles. Beltre went 2-for-3. And the walks came back-to-back-to-back in the second inning. . PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 5-for-6, HBP, HR(11), 2 R, 1 RBI, K. Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2B(1!), HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI. Jacob McCombs (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, HR(4), R, 5 RBI, K. Dameury Pena (Fort Myers): 4-for-6, R, SB(19). Byron Chourio (Fort Myers): 3-for-4, BB, HR(2), 3 R, 4 RBI, SB(14). Pitcher(s) of the Day Brad Rudis (FCL Twins): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 1 HBP, 3 K, 51 pitches, 32 strikes (62.7%) Yolcar Garcia (DSL Twins): 3 1/3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - Rehab in CR: 1-for-3, BB, R, K (batted second, played CF) #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2B(11), HR(14), 2 R, 6 RBI, K (batted fourth, played DH). #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, R, K, SB(23) (batted first, played SS) #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Rehab in SP, Game 1: 1 1/3 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 33 pitches, 22 strikes (66.7%) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 2-for-3, BB, HR(11), R, RBI, K (batted second, played 1B, Game 2: 3-for-3, HBP, R, (batted second, played DH) #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 2/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 8 pitches, 5 strikes (62.5%). #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-6, 5 K (batted third, played DH) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 3 R, RBI, E(10) (batted third, played 3B) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 BB (batted second, played C) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - Temporary Inactive List UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, June 19 Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (1-0, 2.53 ERA) vs Randy Dobnak making his first start since being traded from the Mariners to the Royals. Springfield @ Wichita (6:35 pm CT) - The Return of RHP Chris Vallimont (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (0-0, 2.08 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Tampa (5:30 pm CT) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva (0-2, 4.55 ERA) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 am CT) - DSL Twins @ DSL Blue Jays (10:00 am CT) - CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 36-40 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 4.5 GB)) (The first half of the minor league seasons ended on Thursday. None of the Twins affiliates are first-half champions, so they'll have to win the second half title to make the playoffs.) St. Paul Saints: 40-29 (3rd place (of 10) in IL West Division, 4.5 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 25-39 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 17.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 31-33 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 9.0 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 37-28 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.5 GB)) FCL Twins: 19-15 (2nd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 1.0 GB)) DSL Twins: 4-9 (6th place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 5.0 GB)) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

The plan at catcher is to have a whole bunch of catchers who can play in the big leagues. There will be injuries. There will be struggles. But if they can get one or two of them up to the big leagues, that's a huge success. Diaw moved up to Double-A. My assumption is he'll catch 2-3 days per week there, probably play a couple of games in CF and maybe DH a day. As for Tait and Jimenez, it's possible that they will just alternate at catcher and DH most of the time with each catching 2-3 games per week. Luis Hernandez will then likely catch one game per week.

Please add: Miguel Caraballo, Dameury Pena, Ricardo Olivar I believe Yasser Mercedes and Enrique Jimenez are two others in my top 20 that weren't in the current top 20, but I think they're pickable.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Kala'i Rosario) TRANSACTIONS A couple of priority 2025 non-drafted signings (meaning they were signed within a day of the conclusion of the draft) flip-flopped assignments on Friday. Ian Daugherty went from Cedar Rapids to St. Paul, and Luis Hernandez went from St. Paul to Cedar Rapids. Speaking of catchers, the Twins activated Carlos Silva from the Injured List and he was released. He received a seven-digit signing bonus from the Twins in 2021 but struggled in two seasons in the DSL and last year in the FCL A couple of utilitymen switched places on Friday too. Quinn McDaniel has been impressive since he was signed from the independent leagues about a month ago. After about a week in Fort Myers, he moved up to Cedar Rapids. After just a couple of weeks in Iowa, he’s heading to Kansas to join the Wind Surge. Miguel Briceno returns to the Kernels. RHP MItch Mueller was promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Toledo 9 Box Score After the teams battled to a 1-0 final score on Thursday, they combined for 19 runs on 30 hits in this game. The Saints scored two in the first, second and fourth innings, and had scored three runs in the fifth. Toledo scored two in the third and three in the fifth, and had five, one-run innings. But the Saints managed to find a way to win. Matt Wallner went 2-for-4. He was hit by a pitch and added his seventh Saints home run. Henry Kusiak went 2-for-3 with his first Triple-A hit and his first Triple=A double. He also had a sacrifice fly.. Kaelen Culpepper went 3-for-4 with a walk, his 11th double, and his first triple. He stole his 15th base. Ben Ross hit his 11th double and had a walk. Aaron Sabato singled and walked. Tanner Schobel hit his 10th double while Gabriel Gonzalez hit his ninth double. Noah Cardenas walked twice. Ty Langenberg started. He gave up four runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks in three innings. Grant Hartwig gave up two hits but struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. John Klein gave up three runs on two hits and two walks in 2/3 of an inning. Jake Higginbotham gave up one run on two hits (1 homer) in 1 1/3 innings. Alejandro Hidalgo gave up a hit and issued a walk in a scoreless inning. Kody Funderburk gave up a run on three hits in his inning. He struck out two batters. Trent Baker got the save. He gave up two hits in a scoreless ninth inning. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 14, Tulsa 0 Box Score This game was over pretty quickly. The Surge scored three runs in the first inning and four more in the second. After a mini-break, they scored five fifth inning runs and two more in the sixth inning. They were also helped by four Drillers errors. And frankly, it could have been much more lopsided. The Surge went 8-for-28 with runners in scoring position and left 15 runners on base. However, five pitchers combined on a five-hit, three-walk shutout, so let’s start there. Cory Lewis started and struck out seven batters in four innings. He gave up two hits and a walk. Nick Mikolajchak pitched a scoreless fifth inning. Jaylen Nowlin struck out two batters in the sixth. Darren Bowen had four strikeouts over two relief innings. Sam Ryan got the final three outs, two of them on strikeouts. It’s been a slow start for Kala’i Rosario this year. He’s spent time on the Injured List, but he appears to be heating up here in mid-June. On Friday night, he went 5-for-6 with his fourth double, ninth home run, three runs scored and four RBI. He also stole his eighth base. Caleb Roberts went 3-for-5 with two stolen bases and four runs scored. Cody Morissette went 2-for-5 with two walks and four runs scored. He hit his first double. Billy Amick went 2-for-5 with his seventh doubles, his 15th home run, and four RBI. Poncho Ruiz and Maddux Houghton each had a single and walked twice. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 4, Lansing 8 Box Score The Kernels fell behind early, and the Lugnuts just kept adding on. They scored in the first three innings, four of the first five innings, and five of the first seven innings. The Kernels scored three of their runs in the final two innings, but it wasn’t nearly enough. Cesar Lares was back on the mound on Friday night. The things that he did so well in his first Kernels start last weekend, he was unable to do in this game. After no walks in his first start, the lefty walked five batters in this one. Combined with just two hits, he gave up four runs over the first three innings. He had three strikeouts. Illustrating that key point, just 31 of Lares’s 67 pitches were strikes (46.3%). The Kernels had just six hits and three walks in the game. Marek Houston went 2-for-4 with a walk. He is now hitting .311. Brandon Winkour had the lone extra base hit, a fourth-inning solo home run that put the team on the scoreboard. Cole Peschl came to the mound for the next three innings. He gave up two unearned runs on two hits and a walk. Nolan Santos was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk in the seventh inning. Nick Trabacchi gave up two hits and walked a batter, but no runs crossed the plate in his inning. Jacob McCombs had a single and a walk. Harry Genth went 0-for-2 but walked and, of course, he was hit by a pitch. MIGHTY MATTERS Game 1: Ft. Myers 5, Dunedin 10 Box Score The Mussels opponent this week is the Dunedin Blue Jays, Low-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Check out Jays Centre for much more on the Blue Jays organization. Four players who were key in this game are among the Jays Centre Top 20 Prospects. If you’re interested in checking out our other DiamondCentric team sites, click here. And if you’re interested in writing at one or more of them, let us know. This game resumed in the fifth inning on Thursday because of weather. As a reminder, Justin Mitrovich has been fantastic and was again on Thursday night. In 4 1/3 scoreless innings, he gave up four hits, walked one and had four strikeouts. He also hit a batter. His ERA has dropped to 0.72. When the game was delayed, he left a runner on first base. The run scored on Friday, so Mitrovich was charged with one run. The Mussels lone run on Thursday came on a sacrifice fly by Graham Brown. When the game resumed, Jonathan Stevens came in. He gave up two hits over 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He had two strikeouts. Michael McKenna came on and got the final out of the seventh inning. Extra innings began in the eighth inning with a 1-1 game. McKenna allowed the Manfred Man to score in the top of the innings. In the bottom of the eighth Irvin Nunez began the eighth as the Mussels’ Manfred Man. Dameury Pena moved him to third base with a ground out to second base. Enrique Jimenez walked. Byron Chourio pinch-ran for him and stole second base. Ramiro Dominguez followed with a long home run to give his team the 4-2 walk off win. Dominguez went 2-for-4 with his first double and sixth home run. He had two of the team’s three hits, and three of their four RBI. Jimenez was 1-for-2 with two walks. Game 2: Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 3 Box Score The regularly scheduled game became a seven-inning game as well. Luis Fragoza got the offense started in the second innings with his fifth home run. Kolten Smith started and gave up three runs in the top of the third. He gave up three runs on three hits and three walks in 3 2/3 innings overall. He managed five strikeouts as well. Jake Murray got the final out of the fourth inning and pitched a scoreless fifth. Dylan Questad struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. Michael Hiliker gave up two hits and a walk in the bottom of the seventh but kept the Blue Jays off the board to earn the save. With Ryan Sprock on first base in the bottom of the third, Alan Roden hit his first home run with the Mussels to tie the game at 3-3. In the bottom of the fifth innings, Murphy Hernandez led off with a single. With one out, Roden walked. Hernandez stole third base and scored on an Enrique Jimenez sacrifice fly. The Mussels had just six hits and two walks. Roden had a walk to go with his home run. Jimenez walked to go with his sacrifice fly. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 7, FCL Red Sox 6 Box Score Down 6-0 after four innings, the Twins scored one in the sixth and then six in the seventh inning to take the surprising win. They had just three hits in the game. They were helped by 12 walks. Danny Almanzar had the lone extra base hit, his fourth double. He walked twice. Yilber Herrera had a single and two walks. Victor Leal was 0-for-1 with three walks. Yovanny Duran walked twice. Santiago Castellanos started but recorded just two outs. He gave up a run, no hits, but he walked four batters. Santiago Rojas worked the next three innings and gave up five runs on four hits and six walks. He struck out four. Carter Holjes worked the final 3 1/3 innings. He gave up no runs, one hit and one walk. He struck out two batters. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Kala’i Rosario (Wichita): 5-for-6, 2B(4), HR(9), 3 R, 4 RBI Pitcher(s) of the Day Cory Lewis (Wichita): 4 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 7 K, 60 pitches, 38 strikes (63.3%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, BB, 2B(11), 3B(1), 2 R, 3 RBI, K, SB(15) (batted first, played SS) #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5 (batted second, played catcher). #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, BB, RBI, 2 K (batted first, played SS) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, 2B(9) (batted fourth, played DH) #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 0 K, 9 pitches, 6 strikes (66.7%) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 0-for-3, 3 K (batted sixth, played SS), Game 2: 0-for-3, 2 K (batted sixth, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, HR(8), R, RBI, 2 K (batted third, played CF #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, HBP, 2 K, 2 SB(19), batted sixth, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Saturday, June 13 St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-0, 2.77 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 pm CT) - RHP Preston Johnson (0-1, 5.59 ERA), Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 pm CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (0-0, 1.50 ERA) Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (5:05 pm CT) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva (0-1, 3.09 ERA) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (9:00 am CT) - RHP Adrian Bohorquez (Rehab) DSL Twins @ DSL Tigers (8:00 am CT) - RHP Adrian Martinez CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 31-39 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 6.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 37-29 (3rd place (of 10) in IL West Division, 4.5 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 23-36 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 16.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 28-32 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 9.5 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 35-26 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 3.0 GB)) FCL Twins: 16-13 (2nd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 3.0 GB)) DSL Twins: 3-5 (4th place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 3.0 GB)) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Gabriel Gonzalez) TRANSACTIONS RHP Jacob Wosinski was released by the Wind Surge. RHP Christian Becerra went on the Kernels seven-day injured list. RHP Nick McAuliffe was moved to the Mighty Mussels roster from the FCL Twins roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Toledo 0 Box Score Now this was definitely a pitcher’s duel. Through eight innings, it was a 0-0 game. So to start, let’s jump right to the ninth inning. With one out in the top of the ninth, Gabriel Gonzalez launched his 10th home run of the season. He got a hanging sweeper on 2-0 and uncoiled on it. 32 degrees at 102.3 mph, and the ball traveled 401 feet. Five Saints pitchers combined on the nine-inning shutout. Austin Voth started. He gave up three hits and four walks over 4 2/3 scoreless innings. He worked out of tough situations thanks to eight strikeouts. Drew Smith got the final out of the fifth inning. C.J. Culpepper gave up a hit and a walk and struck out one over two innings. Taylor Rashi struck out two batters in a perfect eighth inning to earn the Win in his Saints debut. Raul Brito got the ninth inning, and he struck out two batters and got a Max Clark ground out to earn the save. The Saints batters had five hits and three walks. Obviously the Gonzalez home run was the big hit in the game. Aaron Sabato added his 17th double. Kaelen Culpepper and Ben Ross each went 1-for-3 with a walk. Ross stole his fourth base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Tulsa 7 Box Score I feel like there has to be an old school country song about a long night in Tulsa. Thursday night was a long night in Tulsa at least for those involved in this ball game. The game was delayed an hour and five minutes by the weather. The Wind Surge got on the scoreboard in the top of the first inning. Andrew Cossetti scored when Kala’i Rosario reached on an error. Newcomer Cody Moissette joined the Surge on Thursday and went 0-for-5 in his Twins organization debut. In the top of the second inning, the leadoff batter came up with Maddux Houghton on second base. He recorded his first hit, his first home run, his first run and his first two RBI in a Wichita uniform. Then in the top of the fourth, he came up with Miguel Briceno on second. He singled to right field to drive him in. Kala’i Rosario led off the top of the fifth inning with a walk. He stole second and went to third on a throwing error. After Jaime Ferrer was hit by a pitch, Jorel Ortega drove in Rosario with a deep fly ball to center field. Sam Armstrong made the start and went the first four innings. He gave up three runs on three hits and two walks. He had five strikeouts. Paulshawn Pasqualotto went the next two innings. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk. He had three strikeouts. William Fleming issued a walk in a scoreless seventh inning. Kyle Bischoff threw a scoreless eighth inning. The game headed to the ninth inning tied at 5-5. With two outs in the top of the ninth, Rosario drilled his eighth homer of the season to give the Surge a 6-5 lead. Bischoff returned to the mound in the bottom of the ninth. He got the leadoff man out on a fly ball. The next batters reached on an error. Josue De Paula singled the lead runner to third. A walk loaded the bases. Then a walk tied the game at 6-6. Bischoff got a strikeout for the second out. Unfortunately, the second unearned run of the inning scored when Bischoff hit Griffin Lockwood-Powell to end the game. Rosario went 2-for-3 with two walks, two runs, two RBI and his eighth homer. Morissette went 2-for-5 with three RBI and his first homer. Miguel Briceno went 2-for-4. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 4, Lansing 7 Box Score A four-run bottom of the eighth turned a nice, tidy game into a tough loss to the Lugnuts in Lansing. Lansing took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first inning. Khadim Diaw led off the top of the second inning with a double. Jay Thomason singled him to third. Thomason stole his 16th base. Diaw scored on a wild pitch to tie the game at 1-1. With one out in the top of the fourth inning, Diaw dropped his second double of the game. Thomason singled to drive him in and make it 2-1. Quinn McDaniel led off the top of the fifth inning with his second Kernels home run. Riley Quick made the start for Cedar Rapids. He gave up three runs on four hits. He walked two and had a career-high nine strikeouts in a career-high 4 2/3 innings. Adam Falinski came on and tossed 2 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up no hits, walked three and had two strikeouts. Marek Houston led off the top of the eighth inning with a single off of the pitcher. He then stole second. With two outs, Diaw came through again. Sometimes it's not about exit velocity! His infield single gave the Kernels the 4-3 lead. Xavier Kolhosser came in for the bottom of the eighth. He gave up four runs on three hits and a walk. He had two strikeouts. Khadim Diaw went 3-for-4 with his 14th and 15th doubles. Jay Thomason went 2-for-3 and was hit by a pitch. Marek Houston went 2-for-4 with his 18th and 19th stolen bases. In the first three games of this series in Lansing, Diaw is 7-for-13 with two doubles, two home runs, four runs scored, and four RBI. MIGHTY MATTERS Game 1: Ft. Myers 5, Dunedin 10 Box Score The Mussels opponent this week is the Dunedin Blue Jays, Low-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Check out Jays Centre for much more on the Blue Jays organization. Four players who were key in this game are among the Jays Centre Top 20 Prospects. If you’re interested in checking out our other DiamondCentric team sites, click here. And if you’re interested in writing at one or more of them, let us know. This game was actually a good baseball game, until it wasn’t, which happened very quickly. Merit Jones was scheduled to start, but Charlee Soto made his second rehab start for the Mussels. The flamethrower gave up two runs on three hits (including a homer by the also-rehabbing Hedbert Perez) in 1 2/3 innings. Jones entered the game with two outs in the second inning. He tossed 4 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and had three strikeouts. Back to the offense, the Mussels got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the second inning when Jayson Bass muscled a ball beyond the wall in center field. Then in the bottom of the third, it was Dameury Pena who powered up and drilled a two-out solo home run to tie the game at 2-2. The Mussels grabbed the lead and put themselves in a strong position to win game one in the bottom of the sixth frame. Dameury Pena led off with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. Alan Roden walked. Ryan Sprock singled sharply to left field, too hard maybe as Pena was only able to advance to third base. Ramiro Dominguez illustrated the soft bloops single next and drove in two runs to give the Mussels a 4-2 lead. The runners advanced to second and third on a wild pitch, and Graham Brown walked to reload the bases. Bass drove in Sprock with a sacrifice fly to left field to make it 5-2 Mussels heading to the final inning (7-inning games for doubleheaders). Just three more outs to get! Eric Hammond came on to replace Merit Jones to start the seventh inning. He gave up a leadoff single, but erased the lead runner on some PFP .He fielded a grounder and threw to second for the out. But then he walked a batter to put runners on first and second. On a 3-2 pitch, Hammond thought he had a called third strike. Unfortunately, the batter challenged and ABS showed that the pitch was 1/2-inch above the strike zone. Instead of two on with two outs, the bases were now loaded with just one out. Mussels manager Jordan Smith went to the bullpen and summoned Brent Francisco. Remember the first sentence of this game recap? I wrote “This game was actually a good baseball game, until it wasn’t, which happened very quickly.” This was pretty much that moment. Francisco walked the first batter he faced, Jake Cook, to make it a 5-3 game. Next, a bloop single by Blaine Bullard that didn’t top 80 mph dropped in for a run-scoring single and made it 5-4. Herbert Perez lined an 0-2 pitch for a single up the middle and a one-run lead became a one-run deficit. Blue Jays top prospect JoJo Parker lined out to second for the second out of the inning. Damage control? Nope. After a double steal, Juan Sanchez singled to right to drive in both runners and make it 8-5. After a Cade Doughty double put runners on second and third, Aldo Gaxiola singled to left to drive in both runners and make it 10-5. After another single, Francisco got the final out on a strikeout. But the damage was (Dun-edin, or just) done. The eight-run outburst meant the Mussels needed to score five to tie the game and send it to extra innings. They went down 1-2-3 to end the game. The Mussels scored their five runs on five hits and four walks. Bass’s home was his sixth of the season. Pena was 1-for-3 with a walk and his first homer of the season. Roden, continuing his rehab, went 0-for-1 with two walks. Game 2: Ft. Myers 1, Dunedin 0 (Game suspended with one out in the top of the fifth) Box Score Justin Mitrovich has been fantastic and was again on Thursday night. Unfortunately, it was cut short by the weather. In 4 1/3 scoreless innings, he gave up four hits, walked one and had four strikeouts. He also hit a batter. His ERA has dropped to 0.72. The Mussels offense had some chances, but were only leading 1-0. The runs scored on a Graham Brown sacrifice fly. The teams will attempt to complete this game on Friday before their regularly-scheduled game. . COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 7, FCL Pirates 1 Box Score The Twins scored their first two runs in the top of the first inning. They added another in the third frame and then broke it open with four runs in the fifth inning. Rehabbing Caden Kendle led off the game with a double. Yovanny Duran walked. With one out, Jhomnardo Reyes doubled to drive in both runs to make it 2-0. With two outs in the top of the third, Miguel Caraballo and Reyes walked. Teilon Serrano singled to drive in the game’s third run. Caraballo led off the top of the fifth inning with a walk and stole second base. Reyes drove him in with a single. Serrano walked. Ricardo Pena reached on an error. Reyes scored on the play to make it 5-0. Darwin Almanzar drove in two runs with a single to center. Reyes led the offense. He had three of the team’s seven hits. He went 3-for-3 with a walk, his seventh double and three RBI. The Twins also walked nine times in the game. Duran and Caraballo each walked twice. Frederick Hiciano, 18, started for the Twins and tossed three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits, walked two and had four strikeouts. Jake Covey, 24, came in and was charged with an unearned run over 2 1/3 innings. He gave up no hits, but he walked four batters. He had two strikeouts. Brad Rudis, 23, got the final five outs, three of them on strikeouts. DSL Twins 2, DSL Yankees 13 Box Score The Twins grabbed the first lead of the game in the top of the third when they took a 1-0 lead when Daiyer Barboza scored on an error. However, the Yankees scored five runs in the bottom of the third and by the end of seven innings, they held a 13-1 lead. The Twins scored their other run in the top of the eighth inning when Anibal Beltre hit his first professional home run. The Twins scored their two runs on 10 hits and four walks. Daiyer Barboza was 2-for-4 with a walk. Fabian Ulloa went 2-for-5. Beltre was 2-for-4 including his home run. Luis Suarez went 1-for-2 with two walks. Fernando Hernandez, 19, made the start and struck out five batters over two scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Alam Soriano, 19, came in and gave up nine runs (7 earned) on seven hits and three walks in 2 2/3 innings. Yolcar Garcia, 18, worked the next 2 1/3 innings. He gave up four runs (1 earned) on five hits. Aldwin Morillo, 18, came on and worked a perfect inning. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-4, 2-2B(15), 2 R, RBI, K Jhomnardo Reyes (FCL Twins): 3-for-3, BB, 2B(7), R, 3 RBI. Pitcher(s) of the Day Merit Jones (Fort Myers): 4.1 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 52 pitches, 35 strikes (67.3%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB. (batted first, played SS) #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K (batted second, played DH). #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, R, K, 2 SB(19) (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 2/3 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 BB, 9 K, 2 Balk, HBP, 72 pitches, 45 strikes (62.5%) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, HR(10), R, RBI, K (batted fourth, played RF) #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Rehab in Fort Myers: 1 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, K, 32 pitches, 18 strikes (56.3%) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-3 (batted seventh, played DH) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted third, played 3B) #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 K, 33 pitches, 17 strikes (51.5%) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, 2-2B(15), 2 R, RBI, K (batted fourth, played C) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, 3 K, E(6) (batted fifth, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, June 12 St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (2-2, 6.43 ERA) Wichita @ Tulsa (7:00 pm CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-2, 5.60 ERA), Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 pm CT) - LHP Cesar Lares (0-0, 4.50 ERA) Dunedin @ Ft. Myers (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Kolten Smith (2-4, 5.40 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (11:00 am CT) - DSL Twins @ DSL Tigers (10:00 am CT) - CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 31-39 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 6.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 36-29 (3rd place (of 10) in IL West Division, 4.5 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 22-36 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 17.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 28-31 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 9.5 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 33-26 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 3.5 GB)) FCL Twins: 15-13 (3rd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 3.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 3-5 (3rd place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 3.5 GB)) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

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Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Sam Armstrong, wearing a Turbo Tubs uniform) On Saturday afternoon in Wichita, the Wind Surge management announced that following the 2026 season, the team will be rebranded as the Wichita Turbo Tubs. It isn't a completely new name. The team has used the name and unique uniforms for select games over the past four or five years. Wind Surge GM Matt Hamilton said, "This is more than a name change. It's a celebration of who we are and where we're headed. The community asked for this, and we have made the bold change!" He continued, "Baseball should be fun, memorable, and uniquely tied to our community. The Turbo Tubs captures that energy in a way that fans of all ages can rally behind." The decision makes no sense to me. I get that minor league teams have been switching names to strange names that make little sense. Who are some of your favorites? I like the Rocket City Trash Pandas and the Binghamton Rumble Ponies. I bet some #OldFriends from the New Britain Rock Cats days are still working for the Hartford Yard Goats. If they hadn't moved to Wichita in 2021, the Twins Double-A affiliate would most likely be the Amarillo Sod Poodles. Personally, I don't get it. So, I'll let the Wichita media relations staff try to explain it, and what makes it so perfect for a team from Wichita. "The Turbo Tubs identity is a direct tribute to Wichita with distinct identifiers specific to the city. The wind sail and jet engines propel the porcelain bathtub onward, paying homage to the tub races once seen in the Arkansas River. The jet engine pays homage to the aerospace industry here in Wichita. The troll found along the water walk, near the Keeper of the Plains, takes charge as captain, bringing to life the fable tales heard by young and old throughout the community. The branding also includes a color palette of the one-of-a-kind sunsets uniquely present in the Midwest geographical region. The Tubs logo represents many things Wichitan’s love about this great city while incorporating the playful side of MiLB." What are your thoughts? And before we jump to the rest of today's minor league report, a reminder that the College World Series bracket is being filled. On Sunday, Troy University became the first team with 30 losses to earn a spot in Omaha. And how cool is this tradition at West Virginia who earned their first trip to Omaha. TRANSACTIONS With an afternoon game, the Twins announced early-ish on Saturday morning that James Outman has been DFAd, and Royce Lewis is back. Alan Roden began a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins on Saturday morning. Henry Kusiak was assigned to the Saints from the Mussels. Wichita moved RHP Jacob Wosinski to the Development List. The Twins signed RHP Zach Vennaro and assigned him to Wichita. The 6-6, 220 pound, 30-year-old has been working this season with pitching coach Frank Viola and the High Point Rockers. In 13 relief appearances this year, he has tossed 14 1/3 innings. He’s given up seven runs on 13 hits, but he’s got 19 strikeouts and just three walks. He has pitched for High Point since 2024. A native of Utica, New York, he first went to Monroe Community College before spending a season at the University of Mount Olive. He went undrafted in 2018, and in June of 2019, he signed with the Brewers. He spent 2021-2023 with Double-A Biloxi, though he did pitch in three games for Triple-A Nashville. After signing on Friday, Halton Hardy was assigned to the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Indianapolis 6 Box Score They needed to work a little overtime, but the Saints ended a nice week hosting Indianapolis with an 11-inning win. They won four of five games in the series with one more to play. Aaron Rozek made the start and was again very solid. He gave up two runs (1 earned) on four hits, two walks, and a hit batter. He struck out four batters. Alejandro Hidalgo struck out two batters over two perfect innings. Drew Smith walked one and had two strikeouts over 1 1/3 scoreless innings. Raul Brito worked the next 1 2/3 innings and gave up only a solo home run. Trent Baker came in and pitched the 10th and 11th innings. He pitched a scoreless 10th inning and gave up the unearned run in the top of the 11th. With two outs in the bottom of the first, Kyler Fedko launched the seventh pitch he saw to left center, 398 feet from home plate, to tie the game at 1-1. It was his 14th homer of the season. In the second, Aaron Sabato and Tanner Schobel singled. Noah Cardenas walked to load the bases. Kaelen Culpepper was hit in the left hand by a pitch, taking on a little pain for the RBI and the 2-1 lead. Indianapolis scored their second run in the top of the third. Then things went quiet. In fact, it remained 2-2 until the ninth inning. Esmerlyn Valdez led off the top of the ninth inning with his 12th home run of the season to give the Pirates affiliate the 3-2 lead. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Aaron Sabato hit a double with one out. Ben Ross followed with a line drive to center to drive in Sabato with the tying run Cardenas was important in the 10th inning. In the top of the inning, he threw out the Manfred Man attempting to steal third base. In the bottom of the inning, his sacrifice bunt moved the Saints Manfred Man to third base. Unfortunately, they were unable to bring him in from there. In the top of the 11th, Termarr Johnson led off by singling in the go-ahead run to give them a 4-3 lead. Trent Baker came up big at the point with a strikeout and a double-play ball. In the bottom of the 11th inning, Kyler Fedko started the inning at second base. Matt Wallner led off with a double to tie the game at 4-4. Gabriel Gonzalez was asked to and successfully sacrificed himself to get Wallner to third. Aaron Sabato played hero again with a walk-off, two-run homer. Sabato went 3-for-5 with his 15th double, 11th home run and two RBI. Ben Ross was 2-for-4. Noah Cardenas walked twice, threw out one would-be base stealer and picked off two runners including one at third base. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, San Antonio 4 Box Score This was a good game of back-and-forth, until it wasn’t. San Antonio scored a run in the top of the first inning. With one out in the bottom of the first, Kyle DeBarge’s 12th double of the season drove in Kala’i Rosario to tie the game at 1-1. Sam Armstrong, acquired from the Cubs with Ryan Gallagher in the Willi Castro trade, made the start for the Surge. He gave up one run on three hits and a walk over five innings. He had two strikeouts. Spencer Bengard came on and gave up one run on four hits and a walk over two innings. He gave up a run in the top of the sixth. In the bottom of that inning, Rosario led off with a double. With one out, Billy Amick was jammed but strong enough to drop it in just the right spot to record an infield hit and move Rosario to third. With two outs, there was a pitching change. Andrew Cossetti came to the plate and lined a single to left to drive in Rosario and tie the game at 2-2. William Fleming gave up a run in the eighth inning. The Wind Surge went scoreless. Kyle Bischoff gave up one run on two hits and a walk in the top of the ninth. The Wind Surge went scoreless in the bottom of the ninth to fall 4-2. Wichita scored their two runs on just four hits and four walks. Kala’i Rosario went 1-for-2 with his third double and two walks. He scored both of the team’s runs. DeBarge’s RBI double was his 12th of the season. He also stole his 16th base. He was 1-for-3 with a walk. The Wind Surge have lost nine of their last 10 games. They are 3-13 in their past 16 games. They have lost three straight series. The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Be sure to check out one of our DiamondCentric sites, Padres Mission. Also, check out how many of these Missions players appear on the Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Rankings. 22-year-old outfielder Braedon Karpathios went 2-for-2 with three walks. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 7, Wisconsin 6 (Six. Seven.) Box Score The Timber Rattlers roster is loaded with prospects, some pitchers but the lineup has a lot of potential big leaguers. Be sure to go to our sister site, Brewer Fanatic, and check out how many of their top prospects play for Wisconsin. Lefty Cesar Lares made his first career Midwest League start. He’s missed time the last couple of seasons with elbow issues and eventually had Tommy John surgery. He did well though. He gave up two runs on four hits over four innings. The reality is he gave up two runs on just two of those hits. 2024 top pick Braylon Payne led off the game with a homer, and 2025 top pick and MWL Home Run leader Andrew Fischer (both left-handed hitters) hit his 18th home run. Lares had five strikeouts and, maybe most importantly, zero walks! Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Marek Houston led off with a walk. Eduardo Tait singled to left. With one out, a passed ball put runners on second and third, but then Khadim Diaw was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Jay Thomason flew out to left, deep enough to drive in Houston with the team’s first run. Quinn McDaniel followed with a single to right to drive in Tait with the tying run. Fischer’s home run tied the game at 2-2 in the top of the fourth inning. The bottom of the fourth inning started with two outs. Harry Genth was hit by a pitch. Houston singled him to second. Tait singled to right to drive in Genth. Brandon Winokur stepped to the plate and crushed a three-run shot to the deepest part of the ballpark and give the Kernels a 6-2 lead. (see below, he was joyous) Adam Falinski came in and tossed a scoreless fifth frame. However, he gave up a three-run homer to Eric Bitonti which tightened things at 6-5. In the bottom of the seventh, Winokur was hit by a pitch to lead off the inning. He moved to second base on a disengagement violation. He was still on second with two outs, but McDaniel picked up his teammates with a line drive, RBI single to right field for an insurance run. Xavier Kolhosser came on and had 1-2-3 innings in the seventh and eighth innings. He got the first out of the top of the ninth, but Luis Castillo knocked a solo home run to cut the lead to just 7-6. But Kolhosser responded by getting a pop out and a strikeout to end the game. Houston went 2-for-3 with two walks. Tait went 2-for-5. McDaniel went 2-for-4. The only other hit was Winokur’s three-run homer. Winokur and Diaw were also hit by pitches. Genth was hit twice by pitches. The Kernels have gone 8-13 in their past 21 games. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Lakeland 0 Box Score For the second time in three games, the Mussels pitching staff tossed a shutout in Lakeland. Merit Jones struck out six batters over the first four scoreless innings. He gave up three hits and walked on batter. Lefty Jake Murray tossed two shutout innings and gave up just one hit. Eric Hammond, fresh off the injured list, gave up just one hit and one walk over 2 2/3 innings. He left the game with one out remaining and two runners on base. Mike Hilker came on and got the final out, preserving the shutout. The Mussels scored what proved to be the winning run in the top of the first inning. Dameury Pena led off with his seventh double of the season. Ryan Sprock followed with a single. Pena scored on a double-play ball. With one out in the top of the fourth inning, Jayson Bass lined a single to right. Graham Brown then drilled a two-run home run to make it 3-0. The top of the sixth began with a Quentin Young walk. He stole second and went to third on a Brown single to left. With two outs, Irvin Nunez lined a two-run double off the tip of the diving center fielder’s glove. Graham Brown went 2-for-4 with his first home run in affiliated ball. He scored twice and drove in two runs. Dameury Pena went 2-for-5 with his seventh double. He also stole his 16th base. The Mussels have now won nine of their past 10 games. Before that stretch, they had lost five in a row. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 4, FCL Red Sox 8 Box Score The Twins scored four runs over their seven innings on Saturday morning. The Red Sox scored four runs in the second inning, and then four more runs in the fourth inning to take the win. The TWins took a 1-0 lead in the top of the first inning. Miguel Caraballo led off with a walk. The rehabbing Alan Roden followed with a walk. Following two strikeouts, the runners were successful on a double steal. Caraballo scored on a throwing error. Melvin Rodriguez got the start for the Twins, and he had a terrific start. In the first inning, he struck out the side on 13 pitches. Daiber De Los Santos led off the top of the second with a single. Darwin Almanzar took over at first base after hitting into a fielder’s choice. With two outs, Caraballo advanced Almanzar to third with a double. Showing good patience, Roden walked for a second time. With the bases loaded, Jhomnardo Reyes drove in two runs with a double. Melvin Rodriguez struck out three batters in the bottom of the second inning too. Of course, the inning started with three singles and after the first strikeout. The Red Sox scored on a double steal, a single, and a wild pitch to tie the game at 3-3. A Liosward Marin homer gave the Red Sox the 4-3 lead. Rodriguez threw a scoreless third inning with one strikeout. He began the fourth inning with two walks. Carter Holjes came into the game in relief with runners at first and third base. Holjes threw a wild pitch to make it 5-3. After a strikeout and a walk, Franklin Primera hit a three-run homer that made it 8-3. Rodriguez’s final line shows he gave up six runs on six hits. He walked three and had seven strikeouts in three innings. Holjes gave up two runs on two hits and two walks over two innings. He struck out three. Brad Rudis struck out one batter in a perfect inning. The Twins scored one more run in the top of the seventh. Two walks and a single loaded the bases, and with one out, Almanzar walked to drive in a run. The Twins scored their four runs on six hits and 12 walks. They had more chances but went 2-for-11 with runners in scoring position and left 12 on base. Pablo Castillo had two of the team’s six hits. Reyes went 1-for-4 with his two-run double. It was his fifth double of the season. Caraballo hit his sixth double and walked twice. He also stole his sixth base. Carlos Taveras and Teilon Serrano each walked twice. Alan Roden went 0-for-1 with three walks. He had a stolen base and played the whole game in right field. DSL Twins 5, FCL Angels 9 Box Score Well, I guess you can’t score 21 runs every day. Through four innings on Saturday, the Twins were kept scoreless. Sebastian Echavarria made his pro debut. He gave up one run in the first inning. He faced four batters in the top of the second inning. When he was removed from the game, he had already given up four runs. He struck out the final batter he faced, but it got by the catcher and he reached base. Manuel Meza came on in relief. He threw two wild pitches which scored the inherited runner and ended the Echavarria line. He was charged with five runs on two hits and three walks in one inning. He also hit two batters. Meza worked two innings and gave up three of his own runs on two hits and two walks. He had three wild pitches. He struck out two. Juan Quinones worked the final four innings. He gave up only an unearned run on five hits and three walks. He also had five strikeouts. The Twins got on the scoreboard in the bottom of the fifth inning. Friday’s hero, Abel Sosa, walked. He went to second on a passed ball and to third on a single by Jeferson Abreu. Sosa scored on a double play groundout. The bottom of the sixth started with walks by Jendy Martinez and Daiyer Barboza. Jhon Gonzalez reached on an infield single to load the bases. Enmanuel Merlo came to the plate and drilled his first professional home run, a grand slam that turned the game from a 9-1 blowout to a 9-5 game where you still need another grand slam to tie it up. Merlo, as you recall, was the Twins top international signing in January. A consensus Top 40 in the international class, he received a $1.5 million bonus. Gonzalez had two of the team’s five hits. Merlo had the grand slam and one of the team’s eight walks. Martinez and Barboza were both 0-for-1 with three walks in the game. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Aaron Sabato (Saints): 3-for-5, 2B(15), HR(11), 3 R, 2 RBI. Marek Houston (Kernels): 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R Pitcher(s) of the Day Sam Armstrong (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 52 pitches, 36 strikes (69.2%) Merit Jones (Mussels): 4 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 6 K, 64 pitches, 41 strikes (64.1%) Juan Quinones (DSL Twins): 4 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, HBP, RBI, K. (batted first, played SS) #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2 R, RBI(batted second, played catcher). #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, E(9) (batted first, played SS) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, 2 K, SH (batted fifth, played LF) #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, IBB, 2 K (batted second, played DH) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, R, SB(5) (batted fifth, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, HBP, HR(7), 2 R, 3 RBI, 2 K (batted third, played 3B) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, HBP (batted fourth, played CF) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(12), RBI, K, SB(16) (batted third, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, June 7: (Six, Seven!!) Indianapolis @ St. Paul (3:07 pm CT) - RHP John Klein (1-1, 6.17 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (1:05 pm CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-1, 6.52 ERA), Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (0-0, 1.50 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (11:00 am CT) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva (0-1, 2.66 ERA) Monday, June 8: FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (11:00 am CT) - DSL Angels @ DSL Twins (10:00 am CT) - CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 30-35 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 6.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 33-28 (4th place (of 10) in IL West Division, 4.0 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 22-32 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 12.5 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 28-28 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 7.5 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 33-23 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.0 GB)) FCL Twins: 12-13 (4th place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 4.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 1-4 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Kyler Fedko) TRANSACTIONS On Friday, the Twins signed another pitcher out of the independent leagues. Halton Hardy was pitching for the Gastonia Ghost Peppers in the Atlantic League. In 21 innings this season, the 24-year-old has 23 strikeouts to just four walks. An Athens, Georgia, native began his college career in 2021 at Division II Francis Marion. He pitched there for two years and was still there in 2023 when he missed the season with injury. In 2024, he transferred to Division I Kennesaw State and shifted from starter to reliever. That’s the role he’s carried into the professional ranks. In addition, Saints catcher Ricardo Olivar was moved from the 7-Day Injured List to the 60-Day Injured List after having knee surgery this week. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Indianapolis 8 Box Score Ricky Castro started for the Saints and gave up four runs on seven hits and a walk in just 2 2/3 innings. He had six strikeouts. C.J. Culpepper came on and gave up one run on two hits and two walks and 1 1/3 innings. Kody Funderburk gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in his inning (though, if you watched that inning, the defense was not helpful). Jake Higginbotham made his first Saints appearance. He gave up a homer to the first batter he faced, and then he struck out the next four batters. Grant Hartwig struck out three batters in 1 2/3 innings. Andrew Bash pitched a scoreless ninth inning. Kyler Fedko hit his 12th and 13th home runs of the 2026 season. An inning later, Kaelen Culpepper reclaimed the team’s home run lead by hitting his 14th homer. He was 2-for-4. The Saints went 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position. The loss ended the team’s five-game winning streak. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, San Antonio 2 Box Score Jose Olivares made the start for the Wind Surge. He gave up one run on five hits in four innings. Darren Bowen gave up one hit over two scoreless innings. Hunter Gregory made his Twins org debut with a scoreless inning. Jaylen Nowlin gave up one run in his inning. Yehizon Sanchez gave up two hits and two walks but somehow did not give up a run in his inning. The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Be sure to check out one of our DiamondCentric sites, Padres Mission. Also, check out how many of these Missions players appear on the Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Rankings. Miguel Mendez is one of their top pitching prospects. He tossed five scoreless inning on Friday night. The Wind Surge were shut out and had just three hits. They did walk seven times though. They were 0-for-10 with runners in scoring position and left seven runners on base. Jaime Ferrer hit a double. Kala’i Rosario walked three times. This weeks’ fourth Salas-palooza event found the Wind Surge shortstop as the winner. Jose Salas went 1-for-1 with two walks and his third double. He also stole his 13th base. The younger brother, Ethan Salas, went 0-for-5 in the game. And he was the catcher when Jose stole his base. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 8, Wisconsin 3 Box Score The TimberRattlers roster is loaded with prospects, some pitchers but the lineup has a lot of potential big leaguers. Be sure to go to our sister site, Brewer Fanatic, and check out how many of their top prospects play for Wisconsin. Riley Quick set the tone for the Kernels in this game. The right-hander tossed the first four innings and gave up one run on two hits. He had six strikeouts and issued no walks. He threw strikes and worked efficiently. Brian Zeldin came on and tossed two innings of one-run ball. He gave up a solo home run. Yes, to Andrew Fischer. Nick Trabacchi gave up one run on one hit and a walk over three innings and was credited with the win. Marek Houston led the offense in this game. He went 3-for-5 with his fourth and fifth home runs and three RBI. He also stole his 15th base. The Kernels scored their eight runs on eight hits and nine walks. Quinn McDaniel went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Khadim Diaw was 1-for-2 with three walks. Brandon Winokur and Yasser Mercedes each walked twice. Winokur stole his 13th and 14th bases. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Lakeland 7 Box Score Through six innings, the Mussels were behind 6-2. The Mussels scored three in the seventh inning and two runs in the eighth inning. Lakeland scored one in the bottom of the eighth and the game was tied at 7-7. Both teams went scoreless in the ninth inning. The Mussels scored two runs in the top of the 10th inning With two outs in the seventh inning, Dameury Pena doubled, Ramiro Dominguez singled, and then Enrique Jimenez hit a three-run home run. In the eighth inning, Luis Fragoza hit his fourth home run of the season, a two-run blast that gave the Mussels the 7-6 lead. In the top of the 10th, Henry Kusiak doubled to drive in Jayson Bass, the inning’s Manfred Man. Kusiak then scored on a Fragoza double. Reed Moring started and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk over five innings. Dylan Questad gave up three runs on three hits in 1/3 of an inning. Brent Francisco struck out two batters in 1 1/3 innings. Jonathan Stevens gave up an unearned run on two walks in his inning. Mike McKenna got four outs. Mitch Mueller recorded his third save with a perfect 10th inning. Luis Fragoza went 2-for-5 with his sixth double and fourth home run. Jimenez went 2-for-5 with his second home run and three RBI. Dameury Pena went 2-for-6 with his fifth and sixth doubles. Henry Kusiak was 1-for-3 with two walks and his fifth double. Ramiro Dominguez was 2-for-5. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 1 Box Score A month into the season, Santiago Castellanos made his 2026 debut. He gave up one run on two walks in his inning. He had one strikeout. Santiago Rojas came in and struck out seven batters over four scoreless innings of one-hit ball. Jake Covey made his affiliated ball debut, his first appearance in a Twins uniform. He tossed two scoreless innings and gave up two hits, a walk and hit a batter. He had three strikeouts. The Twins had a five-run fourth inning to take control of this game. Ricardo Pena led off that inning with a walk. Yilber Herrera reached on an error. Ricardo Paez walked to load the bases. Daiber De Los Santos walked to bring in a run. Victor Leal walked to bring in a run. After a pitching change, there was a strikeout for the first out. Then Yovanny Duran walked to bring in a third run. Teilon Serrano then his a sacrifice fly. Finally, when Jhomnardo Reyes walked, and the sixth run scored on a wild pitch. Yilber Herrera went 2-for-3. He had two of the team’s three hits. Ricardo Pena had two of the team’s seven walks. DSL Twins 21, FCL Marlins 10 Box Score Each team got three possessions. Miami scored on a touchdown and added a field goal. Minnesota was able to score touchdowns each time they had the ball. Oh wait, this is baseball. This was not a pretty game. The TWins scored multiple runs in all six innings in which they batters. They scored three in the first, three in the second, two in the third, two in the fourth, eight in the fifth and three in the sixth. Frankly, the Marlins were throwing position players starting in the fifth inning. Adrian Martinez started and gave up three runs on two hits and two walks. He struck out three batters. Herkyn Taveras gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Juan Collado gave up four runs on one hit and five walks. He had three strikeouts over two innings. Cristian Alvino gave up two hits in a scoreless seventh frame. Abel Sosa led the way. He went 4-for-4 with his first two home runs, four runs scored and seven RBI. Daiyer Barboza went 1-for-1 with three walks. Juan Holmann was 1-for-3 with two walks and his second home run. Jhon Gonzalez went 2-for-3 with two walks, four runs scored. Luis Suarez went 2-for-4 with three RBI. (Note: If you want to see the home runs, here is the checklist and timelines): Abel Sosa: 3:56:20 Juan Holmann: 4:16:55 Luis Suarez 4:28:50 Abel Sosa: 5:00:44 DSL Marlins vs DSL Twins 6/5/2026 - YouTube PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Abel Sosa (DSL Twins): 4-for-4, BB, 2 HR(2), 4 R, 7 RBI. Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, 2-HR(5), 2 R, 3 RBI, SB(15) Kyler Fedko (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2 HR(13), 2 R, 2 RBI Luis Fragoza (Fort Myers): 2-for-5, 2B(6), HR(4), R, 4 RBI Pitcher(s) of the Day Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, 2H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 52 pitches, 38 strikes (73.7%) Santiago Rojas (FCL Twins): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 7 K, PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 7 Day Injured List (left shoulder) #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR(14), R, RBI. (batted first, played SS #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 7 Day Injured List (thumb) - Had surgery. #4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, R, K (batted second, played catcher). #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-5, 2-HR(5), 2 R, 3 RBI, SB(15) (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 6 K, 52 pitches, 38 strikes (73.1%) #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Injured List. #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Did Not Play #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-4, BB, R (batted second, played LF) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Play. #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 BB, 2 R, 2 K, 2 SB(14) (batted third, played 3B) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 0 K, 30 pitches, 16 strikes (53.3%) #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-2, 3 BB, R (batted fourth, played C) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - Did Not Play. UPCOMING PROBABLES Saturday, June 6: Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-0, 3.50 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (4:05 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (1-1, 5.31 ERA), Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - LHP Cesar Lares (first MWL start) Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (5:00 pm CT) - RHP Merit Jones (1-1, 3.32 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (9:00 am CT) - RHP Melvin Rodriguez (1-0, 6.55 ERA) DSL Angels @ DSL Twins (9:00 am CT) - RHP Sebastian Echavarria (1st pro start) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 29-35 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 6.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 32-28 (4th place (of 10) in IL West Division, 5.0 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 22-31 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 12.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 27-28 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 7.5 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 32-23 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 3.0 GB)) FCL Twins: 12-12 (4th place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 4.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 1-3 Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

I'm sure it's an incredibly low percentage that actually do... unless it's football, then the CTE stuff is real! And football players are a bit different from the get-go.

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photo of Eduardo Tait) TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins signed veteran Austin Voth to a minor-league contract. He was DFAd recently by the Blue Jays. He cleared waivers and elected free agency. Just days later, he signed with the Twins. The 33-year-old was assigned to the Saints and started Thursday night’s game. The Twins also signed Jake Covey, a 24-year-old non-drafted free agent. He has made two starts for the Glacier Range Riders in Kalispell, Montana, this season. In 12 innings, he gave up two runs on 11 hits. He had two walks and 14 strikeouts. After high school, he went to New Mexico State for the 2021 season, but he redshirted that year. Then he spent two seasons at Orange Coast College. He pitched the 2024 and 2025 seasons at Concordia University - Irvine. He went undrafted in the 2025 draft. This is his first opportunity with a big-league organization. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Indianapolis 4 Box Score When Royce Lewis was optioned to St. Paul, his bat immediately heated up. The same can’t be said for fellow optionee, Matt Wallner. When the Saints ended their game in Louisville, Wallner had an 0-for-4 and was hitting .184/.305/.265 (.570). His past five games: Saturday: 2-for-5 Sunday: 2-for-5, HR Tuesday: 2-for-4, 2B Wednesday: 2-for-4, BB, HR Thursday: 3-for-5, 3-HR. After Thursday’s game, he is now hitting .278/.361/.556 (.917), numbers you might expect. Oh yeah, there was a game played too. Austin Voth started and gave up three runs in the top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first inning, Hendry Mendez signed with one out. He advanced to third base on a Royce Lewis double. Both scored ahead of Wallner who launched his first home run of the game. The game was tied at 3-3. In the bottom of the third, Wallner led off with his second home of the day and fourth of the Saints season. With two outs, Tanner Schobel doubled to drive in Gabriel Gonzalez to make it 4-3. Voth settled in. He gave up just the three first-inning runs on five hits and went 4 2/3 innings. He had four strikeouts without a walk. Marco Raya came in and got the final out of the fifth inning. He worked a perfect sixth frame too, and two of the four outs he recorded were on strikeouts. Then there was a 36-minute rain delay. John Klein came on and gave up one run on one hit and two walks in the seventh inning. He had two strikeouts. Leading 6-4 going to the bottom of the seventh inning, the Saints held a 6-4 lead. Matt Wallner led off with his third home run of the game and fifth of the season. Trent Baker came on and struck out four batters over two perfect innings to record his second save. Wallner was 3-for-4 with the three homers, three runs scored, and five RBI. Hendry Mendez was 2-for-4 with a walk. Royce Lewis was 1-for-3 with two walks and a double. Kyler Fedko was 2-for-4. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 1, San Antonio 5 Box Score Preston Johnson made his first Wichita start and gave up three runs on five hits over four innings. He walked two and struck out one batter. Nick Mikolajchak made his debut in the Twins organization. The 28-year-old gave up two runs on two hits and a walk over two innings. Both hits were home runs. Jarret Whorff had two strikeouts over two perfect innings. Kyle Bischoff worked a perfect ninth frame. The Wind Surge offense faced a rehabbing former major leaguer, Juan Brito. They scored one run in five innings against him. The run came on the first Double-A home run for Jaime Ferrer. The homer was one of the Surge’s six hits. Kalai’ Rosario went 1-for-3 with the team’s lone walk. Garrett Spain hit his ninth double, and Miguel Briceno hit his first Surge double. The San Antonio Missions are the Double-A affiliate of the San Diego Padres. Be sure to check out one of our DiamondCentric sites, Padres Mission. Also, check out how many of these Missions players appear on the Padres Mission Top 20 Prospect Rankings. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 5, Wisconsin 8 Box Score The TimberRattlers roster is loaded with prospects, some pitchers but the lineup has a lot of potential big leaguers. Be sure to go to our sister site, Brewer Fanatic, and check out how many of their top prospects play for Wisconsin. Rattlers starting pitcher Josh Knoth was the 33rd overall pick of the 2023 draft out of high school. He made 21 starts at Low A Myrtle Beach in 2024, but he missed the full 2025 season after having Tommy John surgery. He made three rehab starts in the ACL and on Thursday night, he made his third start with Wisconsin. He went two innings in the first one. He threw three innings in the second start. On Thursday, he gave up two runs on two hits over 3 2/3 innings. And, thankfully, Luis Pena was back in their lineup on Thursday after leaving the game due to illness on Tuesday. Scary after what he went through a month ago. And, why has 2025 top pick Andrew Fischer not been promoted to Biloxi. And, personal opinion, Josh Adamczewski is one of the most underrated prospects in baseball right now. After going 2-for-3 with a walk with his ninth homer and 10th stolen base. And 2024 top pick Braylon Payne has a .900+ OPS and is still just 19. The Kernels have a pretty solid offense, but through the first three games of this series, all Rattler wins, Cedar Rapids has been outscored 32-20. But if you’re in southern Minnesota or near the Twins Cities and are looking for something to do this weekend, make the drive down to Cedar Rapids and watch a couple of solid High-A teams compete. Now to the Kernels. Wisconsin scored four runs in the top of the first inning. The Kernels responded with two runs in the bottom of the inning. Brandon Winokur led off with a walk, and then Eduardo Tait hit his eighth home run of the season to cut the deficit in half. Wisconsin added two runs in the third and another in the fifth inning. So when the Kernels came to the plate in the bottom of the sixth, they were behind 7-2. Eduardo Tait led off that inning with his second home run of the game and ninth of the season. Khadim Diaw followed with a double. He went to third on a fly out and scored on a second fly out to make it 7-4 Wisconsin. In the bottom of the seventh, the Kernels cut the lead by one more run. Danny De Andrade led off with a double and then scored on a two-out triple by Brandon Winokur. Tait had two of the team’s eight hits and three of their five RBI. Jay Thomason went 2-for-3 with a walk. He also stole his 13th and 14th bases. Diaw’s double was his 13th, and De Andrade’s was his fourth. Winokur had a walk to go with his second triple of the season. Michael Ross started and gave up six runs on four hits and four walks in four innings. He actually walked the first three batters he faced, which is never good, so his line could have actually been worse. Christian Becerra gave up one run on two hits and a walk over two innings. He had three strikeouts. Sam Rochard struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. Eston Stull gave up one run on four walks in the ninth inning. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 11, Lakeland 0 Box Score The Mussels scored double-digit runs on Thursday, but we have to talk pitching first. Justin Mitrovich’s season started late, but since he has joined the Mussels and made his pro debut, he has been fantastic. In fact, he was the Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Month for May. In his five May starts, he worked a total of 15 2/3 innings. In his first start in June, Mitrovich tossed five scoreless innings and threw 71 pitches, easily his career high. He gave up two hits, walked two and had five strikeouts. It earned him his first professional Win as well. Mitrovich was the Twins ninth-round pick in 2025 out of Elon. Their 18th-round pick in 2025 was Matthew Dalquist. He pitched at UC-San Diego. He came on and earned his first pro save by tossing four shutout innings in relief. He began by getting the first 11 batters out. With two outs in the ninth, an error put a runner on base, but Dalquist got the next batter out to end the game. In his final May start, Dalquist tossed five shutout innings, so he’s pitching very well too. A lot went right for the Mussels at the plate. They scored their 11 runs on 15 hits and four walks. They had just three extra base hits and one stolen base. They scored three runs in the first inning and then had a seven-run second inning. They held the 10-0 lead until the top of the ninth when they added one run. They were 9-for-16 with runners in scoring position and left eight one base. Quentin Young led the way. He went 3-for-4 with his sixth double, his second triple, two runs and three RBI. Luis Fragoza was hit by a pitch and went 2-for-4 with his fifth double and three RBI. In 12 Mussels games, the 19-year-old is hitting .318/.388/.636 (1.024) with five doubles and three triples with 14 RBI.Ramiro Dominguez went 2-for-4 with a walk. Irvin Nunez went 2-for-4 with a walk. Bryan Acuna went 2-for-5. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 5, FCL Braves 1 Box Score Frederick Hiciano signed with the Twins on January 15th out of the Dominican Republic. He was added to the DSL Twins roster on May 27th, but apparently, they had a change of heart or saw him pitch and realized he was ready for the FCL. He was added to the FCL Twins roster on May 30th. He made his professional debut on Thursday. He tossed two scoreless, hitless, walkless innings and had one strikeout. Six batters faced. Six batters out. Next, Callan Fang made his second rehab start. The 2025 13th round pick from Harvard tossed two innings. He gave up an unearned run on one hit. He walked none and had four strikeouts. Nick McAuliffe worked the final three innings. He gave up no runs, no hits, no walks and struck out five batters. The one hit that the FCL Braves had was an infield single by Diego Tornes. Tornes stole second base and went to third on a throwing error. He scored the unearned run on a fielding error off the bat of Yamvier Carrero. Carrero stole second and went to third on a throwing error. However, Fang got a strikeout to end that inning. The Twins got on the scoreboard with a three-spot in the top of the third. With one out, Yilber Herrera singled and went to second on a wild pitch. Yovanny Duran and Miguel Caraballo walked to load the bases. Jhomnardo Reyes drove a single to left to drive in two runs. Caraballo scored on a wild pitch. The Twins held the 3-1 lead until the top of the sixth. Carlos Taveras led off with a single. He moved to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Darwin Almanzar was hit by a pitch. Victor Leal singled to right to drive in Taveras with the fourth run. With two outs, Herrera walked. Almanzar scored when the power had a throwing error. The Twins had five runs on six hits and six walks. Yovanny Duran, Miguel Caraballo, Jhomnardo Reyes, Victor Leal, and Yilber Herrera each had a single and a walk. Caraballo was also hit by a pitch. DSL Twins 3, FCL Rockies 11 Box Score Not a great day for the DSL Twins. Through four innings, they were behind 11-0. However, they won the final three innings 3-0. (Yes, I realize that doesn’t actually mean anything.) Fernando Hernandez made his professional debut. The 19-year-old gave up one run on one hit and one walk. He had one strikeout. 19-year-old Alam Soriano made his pro debut too. He gave up seven runs on three hits and four walks. In 1 2/3 innings, he had three strikeouts. Next up was the pro debut of 17-year-old Juan Germosen. He gave up three runs on one hit and five walks in 1 1/3 innings. He had one strikeout. Each of the first three pitchers threw a wild pitch. Soriano and Germosen each hit one batter. Yolcar Garcia, an 18-year-old right-hander, came on for his professional debut. In two innings, he faced just six batters. He gave up no runs, no hits and issued no walks. He had two strikeouts. As mentioned earlier, the Twins were behind 10-0 after four innings. In the top of the fifth, Daiyer Barboza walked with one out. He moved to second on a ground out and then third on a balk. Juan Holman walked, and then Barboza scored on another balk. With two outs in the top of the seventh, the Twins were down to their final out. Barboza recorded his first pro hit, and his first pro home run, both on the same swing. Jendy Martinez followed with a walk, and Juan Holmann drove him in with a double to center. Holmann was 2-for-2 with two walks and his second double. Barboza was 1-for-1 with two walks a homer and two runs scored. The only other hit the team had was a double by catcher Luis Duarte. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Matt Wallner (St. Paul): 3-for-5, 3-HR(5), 3 R, 5 RBI, K. Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids: 2-for-5, 2-HR(9), 2 R, 3 RBI. Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 3-for-4, 2B(6), 3B(2), 2 R, 3 RBI, K Pitcher(s) of the Day Justin Mitrovich (Fort Myers): 5 IP, 2H, 0 R, 2 BB, 5 K, 71 pitches, 43 strikes (60.6%) Matthew Dalquist (Fort Myers): 4 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 48 pitches, 31 strikes (64.6%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, CS(2). (batted first, played 3B) #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2-HR(9), 2 R, 3 RBI (batted second, played catcher). #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 0-for-3, BB, R, K. (batted sixth, played DH) #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 2 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 2 K, 48 pitches, 32 strikes (66.7%) #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, BB, R (batted second, played LF) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 3-for-4, 2B(6), 3B(2), 2 R, 3 RBI, K (batted sixth, played 3B) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 BB, 3B(2), R, RBI, K (batted first, played SS) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B(13), R, K (batted third, DHd) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-4, K (batted third, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, June 5: Indianapolis @ St. Paul (7:07 pm CT) - RHP Ricky Castro (0-0, 4.32 ERA) vs Jose Urquidy (2-3, 4.78 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-3, 6.55 ERA) fs RHP Miguel Mendez (1-1, 4.76 ERA), Padres #3 prospect (#2 pitching prospect) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-1, 4.41 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Lakeland (6:30 pm CT) - RHP Reed Moring (1-0, 1.95 ERA) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 am CT) - TBD DSL Marlins @ DSL Twins (10:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 29-35 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 7.0 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 32-27 (4th place (of 10) in IL West Division, 5.0 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 22-30 (5th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 12.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 26-28 (4th place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 8.0 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 31-23 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 3.0 GB)) FCL Twins: 11-12 (4th place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 4.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 0-3 (7th place (of 7) in DSL East Division, 2.0 GB)) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! View full article

It was in September of 2020, the Scott Erickson and his girlfriend Rebecca Grossman (wife of a prominent LA surgeon) made the decision to grab a couple of drinks. Then they decided to race their matching Mercedes-Benz SUVs at speeds between 70 and 80 miles per hour. Those decisions contributed to the deaths of Mark (11) and Jacob (8) Iskander. The boys were out walking with their mother and a younger sibling. Reports are that the mother grabbed the younger sibling and dove out of the way of Erickson's car. Grossman was driving the car that hit and killed the two boys. In criminal court in 2024, Grossman was sentenced to 15 years to life for two counts of second-degree murder. On Wednesday, a civil court, the jurors awarded the Iskander family $176 million. Not only were they negligent, but the jury said that both Erickson and Grossman acted with malice. That could lead to a punitive damages phase of the civil trial. And in that phase, they could be awarded significantly more than the $176 million from this phase. That phase begins this week as well. View full rumor

The Jays have had their share of injuries and pitching issues. Jose Berrios recently had Tommy John surgery. Shane Bieber, Dylan Cease, Max Scherzer, and Bowden Francis are all on the Injured List. They have been in need of both starting and relief pitching. In the last few days, Toronto has acquired Simeon Woods Richardson from the Twins for #OldFriend Cash Considerations. They also just signed Justin Topa who was released by the Twins last week. Austin Voth had been pitching at Triple-A Buffalo most of this season. He recently came up to the big-league club and worked six innings over two games before they DFAd him and he chose free agency. Voth, who will turn 34 at the end of the month, was a fifth-round pick of the Washington Nationals out of the University of Washington. He worked his way up the organizational ladder, and in 2018, he pitched in four games (12 1/3 innings) in the big leagues. He made eight starts (nine appearances) in 2019. He made 11 starts during the Covid-shortened 2020 season. In 2021, he was moved to the bullpen and pitched in 49 games. Midway through the 2022 season, he was DFAd by the Nationals and claimed by the Orioles. In 2024, he spent the season with his hometown Mariners and posted a 3.59 ERA. In 2025, he spent a season pitching for Chiba Lotte in Japan. The Twins front office continues to work the edges of their 40-man roster. Since spring training, they have been very busy on the waiver wire and continuing to add minor-league free agents with big-league time. Some have worked. Others did not. In the offseason, they signed veterans like Liam Hendriks, Dan Altavilla, and Matt Bowman. All three are now with other organizations. The Twins were able to sign veterans like Drew Smith, Jon Brebbia. Smith remains in St. Paul, but Brebbia was let go. Luis Garcia was claimed. Zak Kent and Christian Roa were too. Clearly Anthony Banda was going to make the team with his track record, and the Twins stood by him through early-season struggles. They brought back Cody Laweryson right as spring training started, and he made the opening day roster. With his unique release point, 97 mph fastball and intriguing sweeper, Justin Lawrence sure looks the part of big-league reliever. Garrett Acton looked good after the Twins claimed him, but he only worked in four games before being injured. And if we thought the Joe Ryan for two bad months of Nelson Cruz was a great trade for the Twins from the Rays, well, Yoendrys Gomez for Cash Considerations is looking pretty good so far too. Back to Austin Voth. He'll likely be used in different roles and different situations. He could be a spot starter (like Thursday night), an opener, a three-to-four innings guy twice per week, a traditional one-inning guy. Will he eventually get a shot with the Twins? Who knows? But the Twins absolutely should be frequently acquiring these types of players. If they can end the season with three of Banda, Laweryson, Lawrence, Acton and Gomez pitching well and in the plans for 2027, that's a Win. View full rumor

I don't have a problem with the organization still wanting Fedko to play all over the diamond every day. Could he come up and put up better offensive numbers that James Outman? Possible, though certainly not a guarantee. I certainly won't say that Outman's been anything but not good, but again, he's 29, strong defense, good base runner, fits his role. Fedko could do the role, but again, I'd rather he plays. Sabato had put up numbers in college that were pretty equivalent to those of Spencer Torkelson who went #1 overall that year. I haven't had him on a prospect list for years and still don't. But I think he could probably hold his own in the big leagues. Like Fedko, once they decide to sell, then Bell and others can traded or let go. Until then, just keep gaining confidence.

Prospect-wise, Ross is probably ahead of maybe Gray and Kreidler, only because he's younger. But he's in that category. However, he's only 24-25. His ability to play 4 infield spots and 2 or 3 outfield spots is huge... And, I think he can hit a bit too. Not because he's hitting in St. Paul. You and I could probably hit in St. Paul (note - I don't really think this). 1st round picks: Lee, Culpepper, Lewis, Houston 2nd round picks: Keaschall, Kreidler 13th round: Gray Ross was a 5th round pick out of D2 Notre Dame College. From a Starters: Lee, Culpepper, Lewis, Keaschall, maybe Houston Utility Guys: Kreidler, Gray. I think Ross can fit the role of a "super utility" type.

I think Morris has to be very close to 45 days, maybe even past it. Prielipp's maybe close. He's been up 31-32 days. He's at 33 1/3 innings. We'll have to vote again. (hard to guess. I know my rankings of the Top 20 looks quite a bit different from the Twins Daily one, especially the 12-20 range.)

We just learned yesterday that he'll be getting time at 1B and 2B. Also, do you/we want Royce Lewis to fill the James Outman, 5th outfielder role?

Agreed... Mendez has a chance to be a really good player and give a good feeling about the 2025 deadline, but there are several good players and good prospects. Aside from missing Varland, the Twins did really well with the trade deadline. And he netted Rojas and Roden (whose prospect status was well above Mendez's.) He just needs to be healthy.) To get two AA SPs for Willi Castro? Gallagher's already in AAA. So many nice pieces to the trade.