Seth Stohs

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (Top L to R: Ricardo Olivar, Aaron Sabato, Kaelen Culpepper; Bottom L to R: Kyler Fedko, Ben Ross, Hendry Mendez) I have been writing up these monthly reports for a good 15-20 years, and I am almost 100% certain that what you'll see below, I have never seen before. The Saints offense has been tremendous this season. They are hitting homers at a record-setting pace and scoring a lot of runs. The nice thing is that most everyone is contributing. Guys coming up from Wichita or down from the big leagues are contributing. For now, let's just say that you'll see a few Saints players near the top of this list. But there were a lot of strong offensive performances this month. Below you will find the Top 5 hitters of the month, including our choice for Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month. But, because there were so many options, I wrote up "The Next Three" Hitters too. There are also eight Honorable Mentions. I'm curious what our readers think and how they would rank the top hitters of the month. There were even a few FCL Twins mentioned in the Honorable Mention section. You could certainly make an argument for one of them being in the Top 8 or 10, but that player had just 13 games played where others played as many as 27 games. What a great month for hitters in the Twins minor leagues! Let's get started. Leave feedback in the comments below. HONORABLE MENTIONS 1B/OF Jaime Ferrer - Cedar Rapids Kernels/Wichita Wind Surge 24 G, 21-88, .239/.337/.477 (.814), 1-2B, 1-3B, 6-HR, 20 RBI, 12 R, 10 BB, 25 K UT Jay Thomason - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 21 G, 15-65, .231/.375/.462 (.837), 2-2B, 2-3B, 3-HR, 9 RBI, 10 R, 15 BB, 21 K C/CF Khadim Diaw - Cedar Rapids Kernels - 26 G, 26-91, .286/.362/.440 (.802), 9-2B, 1-3B, 1-HR, 11 RBI, 18 R, 10BB, 16 K OF Jayson Bass - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 22 G, 17-70, .243/.375/.443 (.818), 4-2B, 2-3B, 2 HR, 16 RBI, 12 R, 15 BB, 23 K. 2B Dameury Pena - Fort Myers Mighty Mussels - 24 G, 32-103, .311/.393/.350 (.743), 2-2B, 1-3B, - HR, 15 RBI, 17 R, 13 BB, 7 K C Miguel Caraballo - FCL Twins - 17 G, 13-48, .271/.400/.500 (.900), 5-2B, 2-HR, 8 RBI, 10 R, 9 BB, 17 K OF Yovanny Duran - FCL Twins - 17 G, 18-61, .295/.371/.508 (.879), 2-2B, 1-3B, 3-HR, 13 RBI, 14 R, 7 BB, 17 K OF Jhomnardo Reyes - FCL Twins - 13 G, 14-37, .378/.511/.892 (1.403), 3-2B, 2-3B, 4-HR, 15 RBI, 12 R, 9 BB, 7 K THE NEXT THREE HITTERS Number 8 - OF Yasser Mercedes (21) -Fort Myers Mighty Mussels/Cedar Rapids Kernels 24 G, 24-for-91, .264/.364/.495 (.859) with 7 double, 1 triple, 4 home runs, 21 R, 20 RBI, 15 BB, 23 K Mercedes has had a career filled with ups and downs, but so far 2024 has been a definite up! No one has ever questioned his athleticism and general talent level. But that hasn’t always translated statistically. While his season started late, Mercedes just looks different on the field. Maybe it’s body language, but he’s playing much more confidently. In 21 games for Fort Myers, he hit .321/.439/.642 (1.081) with four doubles, two triples and six home runs. He’s played in 16 games for Cedar Rapids and is hitting .203/.304/.373 (.677) with four doubles and two homers. More importantly, he doesn’t look overwhelmed. He also has a combined 19 stolen bases. Number 7 - 3B/SS/CF Brandon Winokur (21) - Cedar Rapids Kernels 26 G, 33-99, .333/.427/.495 (.922), 4-2B, 4 HR, 17 RBI, 16 R, 15 BB, 25 K. If only looking at OPS, this is the best month of the former third-round pick’s career. While he has played more third base in 2026, he’s still getting quite a bit of playing time in both center field and at shortstop. He struggled in April, but in May, he took off. Manager Brian Meyer moved him into the leadoff spot for a few games, and he seemed to respond well. He took better at-bats and carried that forward regardless of his spot in the lineup. Could a promotion be coming soon? Number 6 - OF Hendry Mendez (22) - Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints 23 G, 31-90, .344/.449/.489 (.938), 4-2B, 3-HR, 18 RBI, 17 R, 17 BB, 13 K. Mendez played two May games in Wichita. He has now played 21 games for the Saints and reached base in all of them. He hits for average. He’s a big guy with power potential. He has a very good eye and has consistently had more walks than strikeouts. THE TOP FIVE HITTERS Number 5 - C Ricardo Olivar (24) - Wichita Wind Surge/St. Paul Saints 21 G, 24-81, .296/.352/.642 (.994 OPS), 7-2B, 7-HR, 24 RBI, 14 R, 6 BB, 22 K. Olivar ended the 2024 season with a few weeks in Double-A. He spent the entire 2025 season in Wichita, and that’s where he began the 2026 season as well due to the depth above. In mid-May, Twins catcher Ryan Jeffers swung at a pitch and broke his hamate bone. He will be out for two months. The Twins called up Alex Jackson to the big-leagues, and Olivar finally got his promotion to the Saints. After not homering for his first 11 games this season in Wichita, he went on a run in which he hit 10 home runs in 13 games. The first five came in April, the next five in May. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in his first Saints game. In his second game, he hit a bloop single to drive in a run. He then drove in runs in five straight games. In his third game, he had two hits. In his fourth game, he hit his first double. In his fifth game, he had a double and hit his first home run. In his sixth game, he hit another home run. At a new level, it has to be a good feeling to start out well and feel like you below. Number 4 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (23) - St. Paul Saints 25 G, 28-100, .280/.407/.540 (.947), 5-2B, 7-HR, 21 RBI, 26 R, 19 BB, 21 K. There was definitely some adjustment needed for Culpepper as he moved up to Triple-A in 2026. In March/April, he hit .234, but he did hit five home runs. He was much improved and much more consistent in June. He has done a nice job at the top of the Saints lineup. Not only does he know the strike zone pretty well (19 BB) and he puts the ball in play a lot, but he can give the team an early lead with a home run. With his offensive tool set, Culpepper can be an instigator, a catalyst at the top of the order. But he’s strong and can drive the ball to all fields. He can be a run producer. In addition, it’s no surprise that he played at a solid college program because he has strong instincts to go with strong fundamentals. The Twins are clearly creating a path for Culpepper. Generally speaking, it’s rarely as obvious as the Twins are making it. The first few weeks of the season, he would play three games at shortstop and one each at second base, third base, and DH. He hasn’t played second base since early May. He has not played third base since Royce Lewis was optioned. With that transaction also pushing Brooks Lee from shortstop to third base in the big leagues, there is an opening at shortstop for the Twins. It’s a position that can be filled in the short-term by Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler, but it’s a position that every manager wants to have a guy they put in that spot 155-160 games per season. Is Culpepper ready for the big leagues right now? I don’t know. I certainly won’t say that he isn’t. I think he could come up now and hold his own. Personally, I’d like to see him spend another three or four weeks for St. Paul. Continue to do the things he did in May; play solid defense, take quality plate appearances, hit the ball hard, use the whole field. Honestly, just keep playing baseball. Remember, the goal is not to get players to the big leagues fast. It’s to have them ready to stay there when they get there. Number 3 - UT Ben Ross (24) - St. Paul Saints 27 G, 25-88, .284/.452/.523 (.975), 9-2B, 4 HR, 15 RBI, 21 R, 24 BB, 27 K Ross backed up his April Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Month with a strong first full month at Triple-A. Ross started the season with 16 games in Wichita before ending the month with four games with the Saints. Combined, he hit .365/.460/.676 (1.136) with eight doubles and five home runs. He had a little adjustment offensively to the higher level, but maybe the best thing is that for multiple reasons, he has had to be in the lineup every day. His last day off was the last day of April. He’s primarily played center field, followed closely by time at shortstop. He’s also played second base, third base and left field in his time with the Saints. But while his batting average expectedly dropped from .365 to .284, he was able to continue working walks and getting on base. His speed, athleticism, strong defense and ability to take quality plate appearances should continue to get playing time all over the diamond. Number 2 - OF Kyler Fedko (26) - St. Paul Saints 22 G, 29-87, .333/.433/.586 (1.019), 8-2B, 1-3B, 4-HR, 18 RBI, 23 R, 14 BB, 17 K. If you have only followed the Twins and their minor league system the past two seasons, you just might think that Kyler Fedko is the greatest hitter in Twins minor league history. In 2025, he spent about two-thirds of the season at Double-A Wichita and finished the season with 42 games in a Saints uniform. Combined, he hit .258/.367/.487 (.854) with 25 doubles, 28 homers, 82 RBI and 38 stolen bases. He earned an invitation to Twins big-league spring training and began the season with the Saints again. In April, playing time was inconsistent with Walker Jenkins and other “prospects” being eased back into the lineup. He hit just .222, but he ended the month with two doubles, a triple, and seven home runs. Since mid-April, he has been in the Saints lineup most every day. As shown above, he hit for average, took walks and got on base, and ended the month with 13 extra base hits. The 12th round pick in 2021 out of UConn continues to play solid all-around baseball on defense, on the base paths and at the plate. He continues to wait for an opportunity to get to the big leagues. The Twins Minor League Hitter of the Month of May is: 1B Aaron Sabato (26) - St. Paul Saints 25 G, 29-for-93, .312/.402/.699 (1.101), 10-2B, 1-3B, 8-HR, 22 RBI, 17 R, 13 BB, 27 K. April 23rd was a big day for Aaron Sabato. In the 3 1/2 weeks of the season prior to that date, he was playing about twice per week. Since that date, he has only been out of the Saints lineup twice. What happened on April 23rd? That’s the day that the Twins DFAd Eric Wagaman from the 40-man roster. He was claimed by the Mets. May 5th was a big day for Aaron Sabato. That’s the day that the Saints went to Las Vegas for a rare series against a Pacific Coast League team. On that day, he went 4-for-5 with a double, three home runs and seven RBI. The next night, he went 2-for-5 with another home run and two RBI. In the third game of the series, he was 2-for-4 with a double. On Friday, he went 0-for-3 but had two walks… and a stolen base. In the series' fifth game, he went 2-for-5 with a homer and three RBI. In his last game in Vegas, he went 0-for-4. A nice, great, powerful week, but then what? Was that it? Well, on May 12th, the Saints played two straight weeks at CHS Field. Sabato went hitless, but he walked twice, starting a 14-game on-base streak. He had at least one hit in 13 straight games. Within that stretch, he had eight doubles and three more home runs. In 38 total games this season, the former first-round pick is hitting .289/.366/.622 (.988) with 13 doubles, a triple, and 10 RBI. It will be very interesting to see what the Twins do with Sabato. If not on the 40-man roster following the World Series, he can become a minor-league free agent. If the Twins fall well out of contention, could they look to sell veterans again? Specifically, Josh Bell - playing on a one-year deal - would likely be dealt? Will the Twins brass decide to give him a couple of months in the big leagues to see how he responds? Will he hit for power? Will he put the ball in play? That’s for other people to figure out. My job, at least for this article, was simply to write about the top offensive performances in May. For me, Aaron Sabato was the easy choice. Congratulations to Saints first baseman Aaron Sabato, Twins Daily’s choice for Minor League Hitter of the Month for May of 2026. Feel free to share your thoughts and ask questions. How would you rank the top five hitters in the Twins organization in May? View full article

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (photo of Marek Houston) TRANSACTIONS In a surprise Saturday morning move, the Twins announced that Simeon Woods Richardson was Designated for Assignment. Despite a rough start to his 2026 season, he is just 25 years old and has shown he can pitch in the big leagues over extended points in 2023 and 2024. Taking his spot with the Twins is RHP John Klein who had been scheduled to start for the Saints on Saturday. How did Brian Dinkelman adjust? RHP Mitch Mueller was promoted from Fort Myers to Wichita. Born in the Twin Cities, he grew up and went to high school in Brookfield, Wisconsin. He pitched one college season at Winona State. The Twins signed him in early May 2015. (Here is his first Double-A strikeout, against a rehabbing big leaguer). Cedar Rapids placed RHP Eston Stull on the 7-Day IL. Infielder Yilber Herrera returned to the Mighty Mussels from the FCL Twins. RHP Callan Fang, the Twins 13th round pick in 2025 out of Harvard, began a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. He’s been on the 60-Day Injured List all season. Fang went to Pennsbury High School in Fairless Hills, Pennsylvania, the same school that 16-year NFL star Troy Vincent, a former Walter Payton Man of the Year Award recipient, went to in the 1980s. Maybe a bit more relevant to this article and this website, Fang and Twins 2025 ninth-round draft pick Justin Mitrovich were both 2022 graduates of Pennsbury. Mitrovich is currently in the Mighty Mussels starting rotation. RHP Frederick Hiciano was assigned to the FCL Twins from the DSL Twins roster. The Twins also signed 17-year-old RHP Cristian Alvino. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Louisville 2 Box Score For the second straight game, the Saints scored seven runs. They just feel much better about that when the team gives up two runs like on Saturday rather than the 11 runs they gave up on Friday night in Louisville. The Bats scored single runs in the bottom of the first and the bottom of the second innings. The Saints had two runners reach base in the first two innings but didn’t score. That drought ended in the third. Kaelen Culpepper and Hendry Mendez started the inning with singles. With one out, Kyler Fedko knocked his 10th double to drive in Culpepper with the first run. With two outs, Gabriel Gonzalez singled to left to drive in Mendez and Fedko and give the Saints the 3-2 lead. Gonzalez now has an 11-game hitting streak during which he has hit .447. With one out in the top of the fifth inning, Matt Wallner singled. With two outs, Ben Ross singled. Following a pitching change, Ricardo Olivar hit his second home run in as many days to give the Saints a 6-2 lead. He took a 0-1 fastball and crushed it 107 mph. It landed about 430 feet from home plate. That was it for the scoring until the top of the ninth. Culpepper singled to lead off the inning. With one out, Royce Lewis doubled to left field at 108 mph to drive in the seventh run. Culpepper went 3-for-4 with a walk. Lewis and Wallner were both 2-for-5. Lewis’s double was his third. Marco Raya made his first start of the season. He gave up two runs on three hits over three innings. He had four strikeouts. Alejandro Hidalgo came in and had five strikeouts over three scoreless, one-hit innings. Raul Brito recorded the save with three scoreless innings. He walked one and had two strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Game 1: Wichita 3, Springfield 3 (Suspended after six innings) Box Score They were hoping to get two games in on Saturday. Instead, they got through six innings. The game was tied, and with just one inning to go (maybe), the field conditions became unplayable and the game was suspended. The hope is to play out the suspended game (a 7-inning game) and then play a nine-inning game after that. The missed game will be made up later in the season. A more complete rundown of this game will be available when it gets final. A couple of quick notes. First, in the top of the second, Andrew Cossetti’s third home run of the season drove in Kala’i Rosario and gave the Wind Surge a 2-0 lead. Through four innings, they found themselves down 3-2. In the top of the fifth inning, Jose Salas hit his fifth home run of the season, a solo shot that tied it up. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 2 Box Score Riley Quick was back on the mound for the Kernels on Saturday night. He gave up two runs in the first inning but then worked three more frames without letting the Bandits add on. He gave up two runs on two hits and two walks, and he had three strikeouts. Early in the game, he was sitting 96-97 mph. Michael Ross came in and worked the next four innings. He gave up no runs and just one hit. He had four strikeouts and no walks. In fact, he faced the minimum of 12 batters in four innings. The second batter he faced singled, but he was erased on a double play ball. Eston Stull returned from the Injured List. He was given the ninth inning. He faced three batters and struck out all three of them to earn his third save. The Kernels faced one of the Royals top pitching prospects, lefty David Shields. He started with two scoreless innings despite multiple base runners in both frames. Marek Houston led off the bottom of the third inning with a single. He advanced to second with his 12th stolen base. With two outs, Yasser Mercedes doubled, his fourth, to right field to drive in the first Kernels run. Quinn McDaniel followed with a triple to the left center field gap to drive in the second run and tie the game. It’s his second triple since joining the Kernels las week. In the bottom of the fourth inning, Jay Thomason reached on an error. Danny De Andrade followed with a walk. A wild pitch moved runners to second and third with nobody out. After a strikeout, Houston flew out to right field, deep enough to drive in Thomason from third base and give the team a 3-2 lead. And that was it for the scoring in the game as both bullpens pitched well. Marek Houston went 3-for-3 with two stolen bases. The team had just seven total hits and three walks in the game. By the way, if you're into sports photography MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Jupiter 1 Box Score The Mussels got a fantastic start, took an early lead, added on a bit, and the bullpen came through late to help the team to a very nice win on Saturday. Matthew Dalquist started the game with five shutout innings. He gave up three hits, walked none and had three strikeouts. He was also efficient, needing just 60 pitches (44 strikes, 73.3%). Consider that the first inning began with a ground rule double against him, and two batters later, they had runners on first and third with one out. He worked out of that situation. He gave up just one more hit and no more runners reached third base over his final four innings. The Mussels took a 1-0 lead in the second inning. JP Smith and Henry Kusiak started the inning with singles, and Jayson Bass walked to load the bases. Smith scored on an Irvin Nunez sacrifice fly. They added on in the bottom of the fifth inning. With one out, Smith singled. After a pitching change, Kusiak got a 1-0 hanging curveball over the inner half of the plate and hit his first home run in affiliated ball to give the team a 3-0 lead. Dylan Questad pitched the sixth inning. He gave up one run on two walks. He had two strikeouts. Jonathan Stevens came in and gave up a hit and two walks, but no runs in 1 2/3 innings. Lefty Jake Murray recorded the final four outs. He walked one batter, but he had four strikeouts to earn the Save. There were a lot of baserunners for both teams, but not a lot of them crossed home plate. Jupiter went 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position. They left nine on base. The Mussels, on the other hand, scored their four runs on 10 hits and 11 walks. They were also 1-for-12 with runners in scoring position, but they left 15 runners on base. Dameury Pena went 2-for-2 with three walks. JP Smith went 3-for-4 with a walk. Henry Kusiak went 2-for-3 with two walks and his first home run. Luis Fragoza went 2-for-4. Irvin Nunez and Jayson Bass each walked twice. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 9, FCL Red Sox 10 Box Score Callan Fang made his first appearance in a regular game since he was drafted last July. In his first rehab appearance, he gave up two unearned runs on one hit, a hit batter, and two walks. He recorded two outs, one on a strikeout. Melvin Rodriguez came in and gave up five runs on one hit and four walks over two innings. He struck out three batters. Carter Holjes gave up one run on two hits and two walks over 1 1/3 innings. Brad Rudis struck out two batters over two scoreless innings. Nick McAuliffe struck out five batters over two innings. He gave up one run on two hits. Pablo Castillo gave up an unearned run (the Manfred Man) in the ninth inning on one hit. The FCL Twins committed six errors in this game. They also allowed four players to steal a combined 13 bases. Edwin Darville alone had five stolen bases. When the FCL Twins came to the plate for the bottom of the fourth inning, they were already behind 8-0. They got on the board when Teilon Serrano and Carlos Taveras started the inning with singles. Serrano scored on a double play ball. Just one run, but it was a start. In the bottom of the fifth inning, Jose Barrios walked with one out. He scored on a double by Yovanny Duran which cut the deficit to 8-2. In the bottom of the sixth inning, Ricardo Paez led off with a walk. Darwin Almanzar doubled him to third. They scored on a wild pitch and then a passed ball. 8-4. With one out, Victor Leal walked and went to third base on a Jose Barrios double. Leal scored on a sacrifice fly by Duran. That made the score 8-5. In the top of the seventh, the Red Sox added a run to push the lead back to four runs. Paez and Almanzar walked. A strikeout and a flyout left the Twins one out from a loss. Barrios was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Yovanny Duran came to the plate and crushed his third home run of the season, a grand slam that tied the game at 9-9. The Twins went scoreless twice in extra innings. In the ninth inning, position player Pablo Castillo pitched. Yovanny Duran is a switch-hitting, 18-year-old outfielder from Venezuela. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, his second double, his third home run, and five RBI. Jose Barrios went 2-for-3 with a walk and his second double. He was also hit by a pitch. He stole his third base. Jhomnardo Reyes was 1-for-3 with two walks. Miguel Caraballo hit his fifth double. He also walked once and was hit by a pitch. Danny Almanzar hit his second double. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter(s) of the Day Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 3-for-4, BB, 2 R, K. Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-3, R, SF RBI, 2 SB(13) Dameury Pena (Fort Myers): 2-for-2, 3 BB. Henry Kusiak (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, 2 BB, HR(1), R, 2 RBI JP Smith II (Fort Myers): 3-for-4, BB, 2 R, K Yovanny Duran (FCL Twins): 2-for-3, BB, 2B(2), HR(3), 5 RBI. Pitcher(s) of the Day Matthew Dalquist (Fort Myers): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 60 pitches, 44 strikes (74.2%) Alejandro Hidalgo (St. Paul): 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 31 pitches, 23 strikes (74.2%) Michael Ross (Cedar Rapids): 4 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 48 pitches, 31 strikes (64.9%) 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, 2 R, K. (batted first, played SS) #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-3, R, RBI, 2 SB(13), PO (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - 4 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, HB, 3 K, 56 pitches, 35 strikes (62.5%) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 RBI, 2 K. (batted sixth, played 1B) #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K (batted second, played DH) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2 K (batted second, played 3B) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB (batted third, played CF) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-3, game suspended (batted first, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, May 31: St. Paul @ Louisville (12:05 pm CT) - RHP Mike Paredes (2-1, 3.38 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (suspended game + 9-inning game starting at 2:15 pm CT) - RHP Eli Jones (0-2, 4.20 ERA), Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 pm CT) - LHP Garrett Horn (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (11:05 am CT) - RHP Reed Moring (1-0, 1.42 ERA) Monday, June 1: FCL Rays @ FCL Twins (11:00 am CT) - TBD DSL Rangers Red @ DSL Twins (10:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 27-32 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central, 6.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 28-27 (6th place (of 10) in IL West Division, 6.0 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 21-26 (4th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 8.5 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 25-25 (3rd place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 6.0 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 28-22 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.0 GB)) FCL Twins: 10-10 (3rd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 3.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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

TD and national media said that the Saints roster was most exciting or prospect filled. That has nothing to do with wins and losses. Prospects are generally young for the level of competition... especially at AAA where there are teams that have a ton of veterans with MLB experience. Then Jenkins and E-Rod have been hurt. Zebby, Morris, Rojas, Prielipp and now Klein are in the big leagues.

Not much surprises me anymore, but this one was shocking. That's very surprising. Makes little sense, unless he requested it. I expect there'll be more tiers to this story.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Ricardo Olivar) TRANSACTIONS The Twins placed lefty Kendry Rojas on the 15-Day Injured List with left elbow inflammation. They also optioned Travis Adams to St. Paul. RHP Cody Laweryson completed his rehab stint and was activated from the IL. LHP Kody Funderburk has also been recalled. The Twins also signed a pair of right-handed pitchers. RHP Yolcar Garcia is 18 years old, and RHP Manuel Meza is already 19 years old. Both have been assigned to the DSL Twins roster. Their games begin on Monday down in Boca Chica. Fort Myers has added RHP Matt DesMarets to their roster. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 7, Louisville 11 Box Score Two big innings by the Bats were the big difference in this game in Kentucky on Friday night. Lefty Aaron Rozek started. He was charged with five runs (4 earned) on seven hits. He walked none and had four strikeouts. He left with one out in the fourth inning. Grant Hartwig came on and struck out both batters on strikeouts. Ty Langenberg came in and gave up single runs in the fifth and sixth innings. He faced three batters in the seventh inning and didn’t record an out. Trent Baker came in with two runners on and nobody out. Both runners scored. So Langenberg’s final line was two innings, six hits, five runs, one walk and four strikeouts. Baker gave up a run of his own in the seventh as well, but that’s it over the final two innings. The Saints offense wasn’t the problem. In the top of the third, Ben Ross led off with a walk. He scored on a double off the bat of Ricardo Olivar to tie the game at 1-1. Tanner Schobel reached on an error. With one out Hendry Mendez singled to drive in Olivar. Mendez got picked off at first, but Royce Lewis doubled to right field to drive in Schobel with the third run of the inning. The Saints increased their lead in the top of the fourth inning. Gabriel Gonzalez led off with an infield single. The next two batters got out, but Ricardo Olivar picked them up. He launched his first Triple-A home run to give his team a 5-1 lead. Unfortunately, the Bats scored four runs in the bottom of the inning to tie the game at five. The teams exchanged runs the next two innings. Kaelen Culpepper led off the top of the fifth inning with his 12th home run to take a 6-5 lead, but the Bats tied it in the bottom of the fifth. With two outs in the top of the sixth, Ben Ross hit his fourth home run since joining the Saints to give his team the 7-6 lead. The Bats scored the tying run in the bottom of the sixth inning. They put up four runs in the bottom of the seventh inning to take over the game and grab the win. Olivar led the offense. He went 2-for-4 with his second double and his first home run with the Saints. Ross went 1-for-2 with two walks and his ninth overall season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Springfield 6 Box Score After a rain out on Thursday night, the Wind Surge had the opportunity to face Cardinals top pitching prospect, lefty Liam Doyle. They have had some success against him in two previous outings. This time, the Surge scored two runs (1 earned) on two hits in 4 2/3 innings against Doyle. They struck out eight times but also worked four walks. Sam Armstrong took the ball for Wichita. He gave up three runs on two hits and four walks in two innings. He had two strikeouts. Darren Bowen came on next. He was charged with an unearned run on one hit in 2 2/3 innings. He had two walks and two strikeouts. Sam Ryan got the final out of the fifth inning and worked a scoreless sixth as well. William Fleming came in and gave up two unearned runs on two hits over the final two innings. Down 3-0 through two innings, the Wind Surge got on the board in the top of the third. Billy Amick worked a one-out walk. With two outs, Garrett Spain doubled in Amick with the first run. Spain scored on a passed ball and Wichita was down 3-2. By the eighth inning, the Surge were behind 6-2. Spain knocked his 11th home run of the season. Spain went 2-for-3 with the homer and his seventh double. What's more impressive? He was hit in the face with a 99-mph fastball in the first inning. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 11 Box Score While his final stat line won’t look good, Ivran Romero provided his Kernels teammates with exactly what they needed. Romero gave up three runs in the first inning and another in the second inning, but he settled down and put three zeroes on the board. He gave up four runs on six hits and a walk. He had five strikeouts. Unfortunately, when Romero was done, Nick Trabacchi was called upon to start the sixth inning. He gave up six runs on four hits and two walks. Yehizon Sanchez got the final out of the sixth inning and gave up a run in the seventh. Brian Zeldin struck out two batters over two scoreless, one-hit innings. The Kernels offense wasn’t bad. They scored at least one run in five of the first seven innings. In the first inning, Marek Houston led off with a single. Eduardo Tait walked, and Brandon Winokur singled to put the team on the scoreboard. Winokur led off the third inning with a double. Khadim Diaw singled him to third. Yasser Mercedes drove him in with a sacrifice fly. They almost scored another. Quinn McDaniel doubled, but Diaw was thrown out at home. In the fourth inning, Rayne Doncon led off with his sixth double. He went to third on a single by Danny De Andrade and scored on a sacrifice fly off of Tait’s bat. That cut the team’s deficit to just 4-3. However, the River Bandits scored six runs in the top of the sixth. Down 10-3, the Kernels scored two runs in the bottom of the sixth inning to cut the new deficit in half. Jay Thomason led off with a single. With two outs, Thomason scored on a Houston single. Houston stole second and scored on a Tait single. With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, McDaniel singled and stole second. Thomason walked, and then they were successful on a double steal. With two outs, De Andrade walked. After a pitching change, McDaniel scored on a Marek Houston walk. Houston was 2-for-4 with a walk. Tait was 1-for-3 with a walk. They both had two RBI. Winokur went 2-for-4 with a walk and his ninth double. McDaniel was also 2-for-4 and notched his first double. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 5, Jupiter 1 Box Score Both teams scored a run in the second inning. The Mussels scored on two walks, a double-steal and a sacrifice fly off the bat of JP Smith. The score remained at 1-1 until the seventh inning. Justin Mitrovich started and gave up one run on three hits. In four innings, he walked two and had four strikeouts. Matthew DesMarets came in and went 2 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two, hit one, and had two strikeouts. Brent Francisco got the final seven outs, two of them on strikeouts. He improved to 5-0 on the season. Tied 1-1, JP Smith led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk. With one out, Graham Brown walked. Luis Fragoza came up and doubled in Smith with the go-ahead run. Following a pitching change, Brown scored on a wild pitch to make it 3-1. In the bottom of the eighth, Ryan Sprock led off with a walk. Ramiro Dominguez singled to shortstop and Sprock was thrown out trying to hustle to third base. Henry Kusiak walked. Both runners advanced on a double steal. Smith recorded another sacrifice fly to make it 4-1, and Kusiak scored on a Brown single for the game’s final run. The Mussels scored their five runs on only five hits. However, they were helped by 12 walks. Kusiak was 0-for-1, but he walked twice and stole two bases. Ryan Sprock also walked twice. Graham Brown went 2-for-3 with a walk and his first double. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 6, FCL Red Sox 8 Box Score Both teams had a two-run inning early in the game. The Twins had a big four-run inning in the sixth inning. Unfortunately, the Red Sox had a six-run inning in the bottom of the fifth, and the Twins were unable to catch all the way up. Lefty Cesar Lares made another rehab start. He gave up two runs on three hits over 3 2/3 innings. He had five strikeouts and maybe most important issued no walks. Santiago Rojas came in from the bullpen to get the final out of the fourth. However, in the fifth inning, he was charged with six runs (3 earned) on two hits and four walks. He came out with two outs, and Josh Walker came in. He allowed two inherited runners to score before getting the third out. But, he got three more outs in the sixth inning with no further damage. Down 2-0, Jhomnardo Reyes drove in Yilber Herrera and Jose Barrios to tie the game. Down 8-2 going into the top of the sixth, Teilon Serrano led off with a triple. He scored ahead of Reyes who hit his fourth home run of the season. The exit velo on the homer was 109 mph. Carlos Taveras walked and stole second. With two outs, he scored on a Herrera single to center. He advanced to third base on Pablo Castillo’s first double. Herrera scored on a Jose Barrios single. Jhomnardo Reyes led the offense again. He went 3-for-4 with his fourth homer and four RBI. Herrera went 2-for-3 with his sixth stolen base. Carlos Taveras played in his first game of the 2026 season. The highly-talented, highly-touted prospect went 2-for-3 with a walk. He also stole two bases. His first at-bat was a ground out, but it was 98 mph. In his second at-bat, he singled to center. He put that ball in play at 110 mph! After a walk, he hit a single at 94 mph. He is young for his signing class. He will turn 18 on Sunday. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Jhomnardo Reyes (FCL Twins): 3-for-4, HR(4), R, 4 RBI Ricardo Olivar (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2B(2), HR(1), 2 R, 3 RBI. Pitcher of the Day Brent Francisco (Ft. Myers): 2 1/3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 2 K, 25 pitches, 20 strikes (80.0%) 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) - 1-for-5, HR(12), R, RBI, K (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) - 1-for-3, BB, 2 RBI, 2 K (batted second, DHd) #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, BB, 2 R, 2 RBI, SB(11) (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. Placed on 15-Day IL. #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, R, 3 K. (batted fifth, played RF) #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, RBI, K (batted second, played LF) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K. (batted fifth, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, BB, 2B(9), R, RBI, K (batted second, played 3B) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5 (batted fifth, played CF) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 1-for-5, 2 K (batted first, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Saturday, May 30: St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15 pm CT) - RHP John Klein (1-1, 6.10 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (DH starting at 4:05 pm CT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-3, 8.00 ERA), TBD Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-1, 4.38 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (5:05 pm CT) - RHP Matthew Dalquist (0-1, 4.02 ERA) FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (9:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 27-31 (3rd place (of 5) in AL Central Division, 6.5 GB)) St. Paul Saints: 27-27 (6th place (of 10) in IL West Division, 6.0 GB)) Wichita Wind Surge: 21-26 (4th place (of 5) in TL North Division, 8.0 GB)) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 24-25 (3rd place (of 6) in MWL West Division, 6.0 GB)) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 27-22 (2nd place (of 6) in FSL West Division, 2.0 GB)) FCL Twins: 10-9 (3rd place (of 6) in FCL South Division, 2.5 GB)) DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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 like that "question." By "talent" do you simply mean athleticism, or do you mean, most MLB ready, or what is most ready to contribute to the big leagues now?

Image courtesy of William Parmeter TRANSACTIONS Wichita played RHP Luis Quinones on the 7-Day Injured List with a right forearm strain. Infielder Jake Rucker came off of the Injured List for the Wind Surge. Miguelangel Boadas was placed on the 7-Day Injured List of the Kernels. Taking his roster spot is RHP Xavier Kolhosser, promoted from Fort Myers. Following the Twins Thursday afternoon loss in Chicago, the Twins Minor League Transaction page shows that RHP Travis Adams has been optioned to St. Paul. So who will be joining the Twins in Pittsburgh on Friday? SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Louisville 1 Box Score Down in Kentucky, the Saints offense started early and scored often through the game’s first four innings. And while they didn’t add on in the game’s second half, they didn’t need to thanks to some terrific pitching. Ryan Gallagher made his sixth start with the Saints this year, and it was easily his best. He tossed five scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked none and had five strikeouts. In his previous two starts combined, he had given up 12 earned runs on nine hits and seven walks in seven innings. It’s clear his focus heading into this start was to throw strikes and not hurt himself with walks (Reports indicate that they haunt.). 73% of his 74 pitches were strikes. Very encouraging start for the 23-year-old. Andrew Bash came in and made up for the lack of walks. He walked four batters over two innings, but he managed to give up no runs and no hits. C.J. Culpepper pitched the final two innings. After a scoreless eighth, he gave up a solo home run in the ninth inning. He gave up four total hits, walked none and had four strikeouts. The Saints scored their eight runs on 11 hits and were helped with nine walks. Louisville also committed two errors. The Saints took an early lead in a not-at-all surprising way. Two batters in, they had a 2-0 lead. Kaelen Culpepper walked, and Royce Lewis followed with his seventh Saints home run. On a 1-0 sinker from veteran southpaw Brandon Liebrandt was hit 108.6 mph at 22 degrees and traveled 406 feet. The second inning began with singles by Kyler Fedko and Aaron Sabato. Ben Ross walked to load the bases. Catcher Noah Cardenas came to the plate and on a 2-1 fastball, he hit a four-seam fastball at 28 degrees and 103 mph. It traveled 394 feet and gave the Saints a 6-0 lead. In the third inning, Matt Wallner scored on a ground out by Ben Ross. With one out in the fourth inning, Hendry Mendez and Gabriel Gonzalez singled. Wallner was hit by a pitch. Fedko drove in Mendez with the team’s eighth and final run of the game. Along with his 109 mph first inning homer, Lewis had a walk, and in the second inning, he hit a double to left at 115.7 mph. Cardenas was also 2-for-4 with a walk and his third double. The grand slam was his second home run of the season. Fedko was also 2-for-4, and Gonzalez went 2-for-5. Ben Ross and Matt Wallner both walked twice. Wallner was also hit by a pitch. Culpepper had a single and two walks. He also stole his 12th base of the season. Sabato had a single and a walk. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita, Springfield Box Score Rains ruled the day in mid-Missouri and caused the postponement of Thursday’s Wind Surge-Cardinals game. The plan is to play two games on Saturday. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 1, Quad Cities 12 Box Score Let’s start with the positive. Jacob McCombs hit his third home run of the season in the second inning. McCombs was 2-for-3 in the game. The key story of this game was the performance of lefty Dasan Hill. The lanky southpaw threw 43 pitches and recorded just two outs in the first inning. Just 12 of the pitches were strikes. Hill was ultimately charged with four runs on six walks and a hit batter. He also threw two wild pitches. Fortunately, Christian Becerra came in with the bases loaded and recorded the final out without any more runs scored. Hill has been dealing with a blister lately, and maybe the ball was coming out of his hand and off of his finger wrong, but if he was experiencing a new blister, he would have come out sooner. It’s shocking he was allowed to throw 43 pitches in an inning. It will certainly be interesting to see what the plan is in the near term for the immensely talented flamethrower. Becerra also pitched the second and third innings. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk. Becerra pitched to one batter in the fourth inning before Sam Rochard came in. He worked 2 2/3 innings and allowed the inherited runner to score and one more run on two hits and a walk. Xavier Kolhosser went the next 2 1/3 innings. He gave up two runs on two hits and four walks. Five of the seven outs came on strikeouts. Position Player Pitcher Alert!! Harry Genth came in for the ninth inning. He gave up two runs on two hits and a walk. One of the runs scored on a balk. The Kernels had just four hits and four walks in the game. Marek Houston hit his 10th double. MIGHTY MATTERS Game 1: Ft. Myers 9, Jupiter 1 Box Score In the first game, the Hammerheads took the first lead, scoring a run on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Marlins prospect Andrew Salas, younger brother of Wind Surge utilityman Jose Salas. Then the Mighties scored nine straight to run away with it. Fort Myers responded to that second inning run by putting a “4” on the scoreboard in the bottom of the inning. With one out, Graham Brown made his Twins and affiliated baseball debut and recorded his first hit, an infield single. He stole second before Byron Chourio walked. Bryan Acuna drove in Brown with a single to left. The runners advanced to second and third. Murphy Hernandez grounded to second but reached on a fielder’s choice and throwing error that allowed Chourio to score. Hernandez stole second (his fourth steal is less than a week with the team). Dameury Pena doubled to drive in two runs and give them a 4-1 lead. Hernandez and Pena were back at it in the bottom of the fourth. Hernandez singled, stole second, and scored on a single by Pena to make it 5-1. In the bottom of the fifth frame, Brown walked with two outs. He stole second and scored on Luis Fragoza’s third home run. In the sixth inning, Hernandez was hit by a pitch. After a short delay to make sure he was OK, he went and stole another base. Pena walked. With one out, Ryan Sprock was hit by a pitch to load the bases. With two outs, Quentin Young walked to score Hernandez, and then Pena scored on a wild pitch to make it 9-1. Merit Jones was terrific on the mound too. The right-hander earned his first pro win. He gave up one run on one hit and two walks over five innings. He struck out six batters. He was remarkably efficient. He needed just 52 pitches to get through five innings. 35 of them were strikes. Jonathan Stevens struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. Jake Murray also worked a scoreless inning to end the game. Dameury Pena went 3-for-3 with a walk, his fourth double and three RBI. He also stole his 13th base. Fragoza came in for Byron Chourio in the third inning. He went 1-for-2 with the two-run homer. Hernandez went 1-for-2, was hit by a pitch, stole three bases and scored three runs. Graham Brown went 1-for-3 with a walk, a single, two stolen bases, two runs scored, and two strikeouts. Brown, 24, signed this week from the Washington Wild Things of the independent Frontier League. In 2025, the Twins signed both Caleb McNeely and RHP Brett Francisco. Brown is a Maryland native, spent a season at Potomac State College in West Virginia (Junior College), and then played in 177 games over three seasons at Coastal Carolina. Undrafted, he spent the 2025 season with Evansville in the Frontier League He played mostly right field for three years in college. Last season, he played mostly center field but also got time at second base and third base. Seems similar to the signing in recent weeks of Quinn McDaniel. Maybe they didn’t expect the Mighty Quinn to force a promotion to Cedar Rapids so quickly. Game 2: Ft. Myers 8, Jupiter 7 (10 innings) Box Score After starting the season on the 7-Day Injured List, fourth-round pick from 2025 Jason Reitz made one rehab appearance in the FCL. Last week, he made his first official pro start with one inning in Dunedin. On Thursday, he made his Hammond Stadium debut and was fantastic. The 6-11 right-hander tossed three scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and had two strikeouts. Kolten Smith came on and was charged with four runs on six hits in four innings. He had three strikeouts. Mike McKenna was charged with two unearned runs over two hitless, walkless innings. Michael Hilker gave up an unearned run on one hit in the 10th inning, but he gets the win because the Mussels came back with two runs in the 10th inning. The Mussels scored first in the fourth inning when JP Smith scored on a bases-loaded wild pitch. Jupiter jumped ahead with three in the top of the fifth and another in the sixth. Down 4-1, the Mussels tied things up in the bottom of the seventh. Murphy Hernandez led off with a bunt single and stole second. Dameury Pena and Ramiro Dominguez walked to load the bases. Henry Kusiak walked to drive in Hernandez. After a pitching change, Pena scored on a Jayson Bass sacrifice fly. JP Smith followed with another sacrifice fly to tie it at 4-4 and send the game to extra innings. Both teams scored in the eighth. Hernandez singled with two outs to drive in Manfred Man Quentin Young to tie the game and send it to the ninth. Both teams scored in the ninth. Ramiro Dominguez scored on a fielder’s choice off the bat of Jayson Bass and the game went to the 10th frame. Both teams scored in the 10th inning. Young started the inning on second base again. Luis Fragoza grounded out but Young advanced to third base. He scored when the Hammerhead pitcher balked. With two outs, Hernandez singled to right. He stole second and scored on a line drive to center by Dameury Pena. Hernandez led the way. He had four of the team’s six hits in the game. He also stole four bases. Pena had the game-winning single and two walks. Ramiro Dominguez had a single and two walks. The Mussels certainly had more opportunities. Despite just six hits, the Mussels also had eight walks and stole nine bases. They went just 2-for-18 with runners in scoring position and left a total of 12 on base. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins, FCL Orioles Box Score The game was postponed by rain. The plan is to make it up in mid-June. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Merphy Hernandez (Fort Myers): 5-for-7, HBP, 5 R, 2 RBI, 7 SB(10). Dameury Pena (Fort Myers): 4-for-7, 3 BB, 2B(4), 2 R, 4 RBI, SB(13). Pitcher of the Day Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul): 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 74 pitches, 54 strikes (73.0%) Merit Jones (Fort Myers): 5 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 6 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. Note that the links in this section will take you to the results of a search for articles that player has been tagged in on Twins Daily. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 7 Day Injured List (left shoulder) #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, 2 BB, R, K, SB(12), CS(1) (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, K, E(5), PB(3) (batted four, catcher) #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 2/3 IP, 0 H, 4 ER, 6 BB, 1 HBP, 2 WP, 43 pitches, 12 strikes (27.9%) #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, 2B(10), 2 K, E(7) (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. Scratched from the start. #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, 2 K. (batted fourth, DHd) #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 1 1/3 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K, 29 pitches, 19 strikes (65.5%) #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, R (batted third, played LF) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Game 1: 1-for-3, BB, RBI, K (batted fifth, played SS), Game 2: 0-for-4, BB, 2 R, SB(4), 2 K (batted sixth, DHd) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (batted second, played 3B) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 5 K, 74 pitches, 54 strikes (73.0%) #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 2 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K, 38 pitches, 26 strikes (68.4%) #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) -0-for-3, BB, K, SB(3) (batted fifth, played CF) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - Rained Out. UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, May 29: St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15 pm CT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-0, 1.84 ERA) vs Chase Petty (2-4, 6.32 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (7:05 pm CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-1, 6.75 ERA) vs SHP Jurrangelo Cijntje (3-2, 5.18 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Ivran Romero (2-2, 8.20 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:05 pm CT) - RHP Justin Mitrovich (0-1, 0.77 ERA) FCL Twins @ FCL Orioles (11:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 27-30 St. Paul Saints: 27-26 Wichita Wind Surge: 21-25 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 24-24 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 26-22 FCL Twins: 10-8 DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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

He really delivered... in his MLB debut!

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Brad Rudis) As you know, the minor league schedule for full-season affiliates contains six-game series. The games are played Tuesday through Sunday. However, when there is a holiday on a Monday, such as Memorial Day (and sometimes the Fourth of July and Labor Day), some teams choose to alter that schedule to give fans a game to go to on a holiday day off. On Monday, the Wichita Wind Surge played a game. And since the FCL Twins (almost) always play on Monday, we have two games to write about. And several transactions were announced. So, I decided to write up a minor league report for Monday. Just to give you a little information, I decided to look at each of the five affiliates and noted the 10 youngest players at each level. Obviously, rosters change fairly frequently, so this is just a moment in time, but I think it’s important to look at. Why? In part, prospect ranking can be based on Age-to-Level-of-Competition. There’s a reason that you can’t look at what a 21-year-old Walker Jenkins is producing in Triple-A St. Paul and compare his future ability to a 26-year-old Garrett Spain, who is playing really well at Double-A Wichita. Now this is where I always have to remind people that the game of baseball is far too difficult to predict than to assume that there is anything that we can assume about a player’s future. Sure, a “top prospect,” especially one who got a nice signing bonus, will get more opportunities than non-drafted free agents, signings from independent leagues, late-round draft picks and senior signs. Mitch Garver was a ninth-round pick in 2013 after four years at the University of New Mexico. He was older than the average player throughout his minor-league career until he reached Triple-A Rochester. He made his debut at the end of the 2017 season at the age of 26. Too old to be a prospect, right? OK, maybe that’s true. Garver is still in the big leagues, 10 seasons later. He’s won a Silver Slugger Award and a World Series. Would he have been better if he had been pushed more quickly up the minor leagues? There’s no way to know that answer. The fact that he wasn’t drafted after his junior season might tell part of the story. (even though he posted an OPS well over 1.000 that year) Garver has also talked often, at least earlier in this career, about how he needed to do a ton of work defensively. He put in that work. And he’s had a very nice career. He has been “worth” 8.4 bWAR. If you look at the 39 players taken in the first round of that 2013 draft, only nine players have more bWAR. Brian Dozier was the Twins eighth round pick in 2009 out of the University of Southern Mississippi. He was a four-year guy who actually missed much of his 2009 senior season injured. Like Garver, Dozier was older than league average most of his minor-league career. He made his debut early in the 2012 season, less than three years after being drafted. He was 24 when he got called up, just days before his 25th birthday. Again, that’s “too old” for a prospect according to some. He got sent down late in the season and didn’t get a September call up. He came to spring training in 2013 and was a fixture in the Twins lineup until he was traded in 2018. He played in nine major-league seasons. He played in an All-Star game. He won a Gold Glove award. He received MVP votes over three seasons. His 42 home runs in 2016 were the most in MLB history by a second baseman. In his career, he accumulated 24.3 bWAR. Of 48 first-round and supplemental first-round picks, only Mike Trout (89.7), Zack Wheeler (42.5), and Stephen Strasburg (32.3) have accumulated more. Four more players drafted in the top eight rounds have accumulated more bWAR including fellow eighth round pick Paul Goldschmidt (64.7). One more for you; Trevor Hildenberger pitched for five years at the University of California before the Twins made him their 22nd round pick in 2014, a round that no longer exists in baseball’s draft. Development isn’t linear. It wasn’t until late in his college career that he was asked to pitch as a unique sidewinder, a move that ultimately gave him an opportunity. When he was called up to debut for the Twins in 2017, he was closer to 2017. That season, he posted a 3.21 ERA and had 44 strikeouts to just six walks in 42 big-league innings. He became one of Paul Molitor’s most reliable relief options. In 2018, he pitched in 73 games. By 2019, he was missing a lot of time due to arm issues. He spent a little time with the Mets in 2021. While his time in the big leagues was shorter than the first two examples, he was a huge part of the Twins bullpen for nearly two years. Ryan Fitzgerald debuted at 31. Michael Helman was 28. Caleb Thielbar’s story alone could be a great example for Age-to-Level-of-Competition, or being drafted, or signing from independent leagues, twice. Summary: Don’t give up on Brad Rudis!! TRANSACTIONS Before Saturday afternoon’s game, the Twins activated RHP Taj Bradley. Part of the transaction included removing Luis Garcia from the 40-man roster (and 26-man roster too). He cleared waivers and on Monday selected free agency. Before Monday afternoon’s game, Tristan Gray returned to the Twins from the paternity list. Gabriel Gonzalez was optioned back to St. Paul. If you missed it, Gonzalez played in just one game. On Friday night, he started in left field and went 1-for-2 with two walks. Dan Altavilla was released by the Twins on Monday. The 33-year-old signed a minor-league contract with the Twins early in the offseason. He recorded some big outs out of the bullpen for Team Italy in the World Baseball Classic. He was showing a fastball at 96-97 and looked like he’d find his way to the Twins at some point. Instead, in 18 games and 19 2/3 innings, he posted a 7.32 ERA and a 2.03 WHIP. Opponents hit .312/.430/.506 (.937), and he walked 16 batters. Utilityman Henry Kusiak was moved from St. Paul back to Fort Myers. The Kernels placed RHP Nolan Santos on the 7-Day Injured List with a right scapula injury. RHP Hendry Chivilli returned to the FCL Twins after spending the weekend with the Mussels. RHP Matt Barr began a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. The 20-year-old was the Twins fifth-round pick in 2025 out of SUNY-Niagara CC in New York. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul, Louisville The Saints travel to Louisville to take on the Reds’ Triple-A affiliate. Who are the 10 youngest players on the current Saints roster? Walker Jenkins (2/19/05) - 21 years old. Gabriel Gonzalez (1/4/04) - 22 years old. Hendry Mendez (11/7/03) Alejandro Hidalgo (5/22/03) - 23 years old. Emmanuel Rodriguez (2/28/03) Ryan Gallagher (1/19/03) Kaelen Culpepper (12/29/02) Marco Raya (8/7/02) John Klein (4/22/02) - 24 years old. Ty Langenberg (12/8/01) WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita, Springfield Springfield took the early lead, but Wichita surged ahead in the middle innings. Through five innings, the Wind Surge held a 6-3 lead. Then the Cardinals scored eight runs over the final three innings. Wichita got on the scoreboard in the top of the third when Maddux Houghton led off the inning with his third homer of the season. Down 3-1 through three innings, the Wind Surge went back to work in the top of the fourth. With one out, Andrew Cossetti and Caleb Roberts both walked. With two outs, Murphy Stehly singled to drive in Cossetti. Then Roberts scored on a single by Houghton to tie the game at 3-3. With one out in the top of the fifth, Garrett Spain singled and stole second base, his 10th steal of the season. He scored on a Billy Amick single to left. Cossetti walked, and then after a pitch change, Roberts walked to load the bases. Amick scored on a sacrifice fly by Poncho Ruize, and then Murphy Stehly singled to drive in Cossetti and make it 6-3. Jose Olivares started and gave up three runs on four hits and four walks in 2 2/3 innings. Preston Johnson gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. Spencer Bengard gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. Jacob Wosinski gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and two walks in one inning. Houghton went 2-for-4 with his third homer. Kyle DeBarge went 2-for-5 with his seventh double. He also stole his 13th base. Roberts was 1-for-2 with two walks. Stehly was 2-for-4. Who are the 10 youngest players on the current Wind Surge roster? Kyle DeBarge (7/14/03) - 22 years old Miguel Briceno (7/6/03) Eli Jones (6/17/03) Jose Salas (4/26/03) - 23 years old Jose Olivares (1/18/03) Jaime Ferrer (12/27/02) Billy Amick (11/4/02) Harry Genth (9/3/02) Kala’i Rosario (7/2/02) Spencer Bengard (4/19/02) - 24 years old KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids, Quad Cities Khadim Diaw was named to the MLB Pipeline Prospect Team of the Week. Who are the 10 youngest players on the current Kernels roster? Eduardo Tait (8/27/06) - 19 years old Dasan Hill (12/25/05) - 20 years old Charlee Soto (8/31/05) Adrian Bohorquez (3/3/05) - 21 years old Brandon Winokur (12/16/04) Yasser Mercedes (11/16/04) Michael Carpenter (7/28/04) Jacob McCombs (7/7/04) Riley Quick (4/29/04) - 22 years old Marek Houston (4/14/04) MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers, Jupiter Who are the 10 youngest players on the current Mighty Mussels roster? Bruin Agbayani (3/26/07) - 19 years old Ramiro Dominguez (3/26/07) Quentin Young (3/2/07) Murphy Hernandez (12/12/06) Luis Fragoza (10/26/06) Eduardo Beltre (10/10/06) Ramiro Villanueva (5/14/06) - 20 years old Jayson Bass (4/29/06) Carlos Silva (3/1/06) Irvin Nunez (2/21/06) COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 2, FCL Pirates 11 Box Score On Saturday, the FCL Twins scored 19 runs and had double-digit hits and walks. On Monday morning, the Twins had just two runs on two hits. Matt Barr was a very exciting draft prospect last year. Unfortunately, he started this season on the Mussels 60-Game Injured List with a fractured right elbow (ouch!). It was a successful first outing (and pro debut) for Barr. “Successful” meaning came out of it healthy. Barr walked the first batter he faced and he stole second base. Barr then recorded three groundouts to end the inning. A run scored on the second groundout. The Twins started well with two runs scored in the bottom of the first inning. Yovanny led off by reaching on an error. Miguel Caraballo and Teilon Serrano walked to load the bases. When Daniel Pena walked, Duran scored with the game-tying run. With one out, Daiber De Los Santos flew out to center field, deep enough to score Caraballo from third with the second run. Matt DesMarets came on and gave up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and a walk in two innings. He struck out two batters. Brad Rudis gave up one run on two hits, a hit batter, and a walk over his two innings. Next to the mound was Nick McAuliffe. He was charged with five runs, but just one of them were earned. He gave up five hits and had two strikeouts. Pablo Castillo gave up one run on two hits and a walk. Danny Almanzar went 1-for-2 with a walk. Joyner Perez had the other hit, his second double of the season. Who are the 10 youngest players on the current FCL Twins roster? Miguel Caraballo (8/26/08) - 17 years old Geremy Villoria (8/14/08) Santiago Castellanos (7/17/08) Santiago Leon (6/25/08) Joyner Perez (6/19/08) Carlos Taveras (5/31/08) Teilon Serrano (5/22/08) - 17 years old Haritzon Castillo (3/23/08) - 18 years old Jose Barrios (1/21/08) Yovanny Duran (11/3/07) PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Maddux Houghton (Wichita): 2-for-4, HR(3), R, 2 RBI, K Pitcher of the Day Matt Barr (FCL Twins): 1 IP, 0 H, 1 ER, BB, 0 K. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 2-for-5, 2B(7), K (batted first, played 2B). UPCOMING PROBABLES Tuesday, May 26: St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 pm CT) - RHP John Klein (1-1, 6.10 ERA) Wichita @ Springfield (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Eli Jones (0-1, 3.65 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Michael Ross (3-2, 5.70 ERA) Jupiter @ Ft. Myers (6:05 pm CT) - TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Orioles (11:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 26-28 St. Paul Saints: 25-25 Wichita Wind Surge: 21-24 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 23-22 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 24-21 FCL Twins: 9-8 DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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 Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Billy Amick) TRANSACTIONS RHP Hendry Chivilli was promoted to Fort Myers from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Omaha 7 Box Score Most important, it was great to see Kaelen Culpepper back in the Saints lineup on Saturday after this scare on Saturday night. (Reminder: in the first inning, he stole second. On the head-first slide, his helmet came off his head, hit second base, bounced up and hit the sliding Culpepper under the jaw causing a cut. They were unable to stop the bleeding, so he came out of the game.) Also nice to see, Culpepper led off the bottom of the first by hitting his 10th home run of the season, a blast at 103.3 mph to center. Mike Paredes made the Saints start. He gave up two runs (both in the top of the second) on four hits and a walk. Andrew Bash had a walk and a strikeout over his scoreless fifth inning. A rehabbing Cody Laweryson gave up two runs on two hits (including a homer) over two innings. The Saints were down 4-1 going to the bottom of the sixth innings. Royce Lewis led off with a home run. Hendry Mendez and Kyler Fedko followed with walks. Matt Wallner also walked which gave the Saints bases loaded and no one out. The next two batters were called out on strikes. Fortunately, Ricardo Olivar picked up his teammates with a big, game-tying, two-run single to right field. With one out in the bottom of the seventh inning, Lewis stepped to the plate and launched his second home run of the day for the Saints. Five of his six Saints hits this season have gone over the fence. With the 5-4 lead, Brian Dinkelman turned things over to Alejandro Hidalgo. He made his Saints debut and gave up three runs on three hits and two walks over the final two innings. He struck out three batters. In the bottom of the ninth inning, Lewis and Hendry Mendez walked to start the inning. On a strikeout, both runners advanced a base on a wild pitch. Lewis scored on a Matt Wallner ground out to make it 7-6, and that’s how the game ended. Lewis went 2-for-4 with a walk and two home runs. Olivar also had two hits in the game and two big RBI. He also stole a base. Check out one of our sister sites, Royals Keep, for more on the Kansas City Royals organization. Here are their Top 20 Royals prospects. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Tulsa 3 Box Score At the 7th-Inning Stretch, the hometown team from Wichita was tailing 3-1. In their half of the seventh, they surged into the lead with a three-run inning to take a 4-3 lead. Billy Amick led off with a homer, his second of the game and 13th of the season. Murphy Stehly singled with one out and later stole second. With two outs, Harry Genth tied the game 3-3 with a double. He scored one batter later when Jose Salas lined a single to right to give that 4-3 lead. With two outs in the bottom of the eighth frame, Billy Amick walked. Poncho Ruiz gave the team an insurance run with a double to center to make it 5-3. Sam Armstrong started the game on the bump. He was charged with two runs on just one hit. He walked three and had four strikeouts over the first four innings. Jake Higginbotham tossed two scoreless relief innings and had four strikeouts. Ricky Castro struck out three batters over 1 2/3 innings. He gave up one run on four hits and a walk. Sam Ryan got the final four outs to earn his second save of the season. He gave up two hits and a walk but not runs. Two of the outs came via the strikeout. Billy Amick went 2-for-3 with a walk, his 12th and 13th homers. The first one gave the Surge a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. Ruiz has seen an uptick in playing time since Ricardo Olivar moved up to St. Paul. He went 2-for-4 with a key RBI. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 2, Peoria 7 Box Score It was another tough start for right-hander Ivran Romero. In three innings, he gave up five runs on six hits. He walked two and had two strikeouts. Christian Becerra tossed the next 2 2/3 innings and gave up three hits and a walk, but no runs. He left with the bases loaded in the sixth inning, but Cole Peschl left them all stranded. He then gave up two runs on two hits (both homers) over the final two innings. He struck out four batters. The Kernels actually took the game’s first lead. In the top of the second, Khadim Diaw hit his second homer of the season to give them a 1-0 lead. Jump to the top of the seventh. The Kernels are down 5-1. With one out, Quinn McDaniel tripled and then scored on a Rayne Doncon single to left to make it 5-2. Diaw went 3-for-4 with the homer. McDaniel went 2-for-4 with the triple. The latter went 14-for-26 (.538) with a double, two triples, and two home runs in six games at Fort Myers. He is now 6-for-11 (.545) with a triple over his three games with the Kernels. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Dunedin 6 Box Score The Mussels were down 4-0 through six innings. Thy scored four runs the rest of the way, but it wasn’t enough. Justin Mitrovich started and gave up one run on three hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. Chivilli made his Mussels debut. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits over 2 2/3 innings. He struck out two and issued no walks. Jake Murray came in and over the next 2 1/3 innings, he gave up two runs on one hit. He walked three and had four strikeouts. He left with the bases loaded. Xavier Kolhosser allowed two runs to score on one hit before a strikeout ended that eighth inning. Down 4-0, Ryan Sprock led off the top of the seventh inning with a single. He scored on Jayson Bass’s fifth home run of the season. Down 6-2 heading for the ninth inning, Jayson Bass led off with a walk. Quentin Young reached on a fielding error. With one out, Byron Chourio doubled to drive in Bass with the team’s third run. Young scored on a Bryan Acuna groundout. The Dunedin Blue Jays are the Low-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Check out our sister site at Jays Centre. Here are their rankings of the Top 20 Blue Jays prospects. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 19, FCL Red Sox 2 Box Score This game was over shortly after it even got started. They scored four runs in the first inning, two more runs in the second inning, and ten (10!) runs in the third inning to take a 16-0 lead. And then over the final four innings, the Twins scored three runs, one more than the Red Sox. The Twins scored their 19 runs on 13 hits, 14 walks and two hit batters. The team went 7-for-21 with runners in scoring position and left 11 runners on base. So, let’s start with pitching. 19-year-old Santiago Rojas tossed three scoreless innings to start the game. He gave up no hits, walked two and had four strikeouts. Josh Walker, a lefty signed two weeks ago, gave up one hit, hit a batter, and walked two batters. However, he gave up no runs. All four outs he recorded were on strikeouts. Yoel Roque came in with two runners on base and one out in the fifth inning and kept both from scoring. He pitched a scoreless sixth inning and then gave up two runs in the seventh frame. Jhomnardo Reyes led the offense by going 4-for-6 with two doubles, a triple, four runs and five RBI. Yovanny Duran led off and went 2-for-5 with a walk and three runs scored. Miguel Caraballo went 2-for-4 with three runs scored. He also stole three bases. Teillon Serrano went 1-for-2 with three walks. He was hit by a pitch and scored twice. Daniel Pena went 1-for-1, with three walks and a stolen base. Yilber Herrera walked four times. Jose Barrios added a double. Anatomy of a 10-run inning: (Leading 6-0.) Almanzar hit by pitch. Herrera walk. Barrios RBI double. Duran RBI single. Caraballo reach on Catcher’s Interference. Reyes 3-RBI triple. Serrano hit by pitch. D Pena walk. Wild Pitch) Paez walk. Almanzar RBI walk. (Pitching Change) Herrera RBI walk. Two runs scored on a fielding error. Strikeout. Fly out. (Leading 16-0.) PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Jhomnardo Reyes (FCL Twins): 4-for-6, 2-2B(3), 3B(2), 4 R, 5 RBI, 2 K Royce Lewis (St. Paul): 2-for-4, BB, 2 HR(5), 2 RBI, 3 R, K. Billy Amick (Wichita): 2-for-3, BB, 2 HR(13), 3 R, 2 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day Santiago Rojas (FCL Twins): 3 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 51 pitches, 31 strikes (60.8%) Jake Higginbotham (Wichita): 2 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 27 pitches, 19 strikeouts (70.4%) 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) - 1-for-5, HR(10), R, RBI (batted first, played SS) #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 7 Day Injured List (thumb) - Had surgery. #4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 85 pitches, 49 strikes (57.6%). #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K (batted third, catcher). #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K, SB(10) (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - 3 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 3 K, 45 pitches, 27 strikes (60.0%) #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (Minnesota) - Did Not Play. #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 2/3 IP, 1 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 0 K, 32 pitches, 15 strikes (46.9%) #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, 3 BB, R, (batted third, DH) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-4, R, E (batted fifth, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, K (batted second, played CF) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Did No Pitch. #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch. #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, HR(2), R, RBI, K (batted fifth, played DH) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (batted first, played 2B).. UPCOMING PROBABLES Sunday, May 24: Omaha @ St. Paul (5:07 pm CT) - RHP Ty Langenburg (1-0, 3.00 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (4:05 pm CT) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-1, 2.79 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (11:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 25-27 St. Paul Saints: 25-24 Wichita Wind Surge: 20-23 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 23-21 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 24-20 FCL Twins: 9-7 DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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 © Jim Rassol-Imagn Images TRANSACTIONS With Tristan Gray going on the paternity list, the Twins recalled OF Gabriel Gonzalez from St. Paul. Gonzalez made his MLB debut in Boston on Friday night. Impressively, he walked in his first to plate appearances off of Payton Tolle. After a pop out, he recorded an infield single for his first big-league hit. LHP Cesar Lares tossed a rehab game with the FCL Twins. The FCL Twins also activated infielder Daiber De Los Santos. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Omaha 5 Box Score The Saints got a short start, but the bullpen came through for them and the offense really picked things up. Ryan Gallagher needed over 40 pitches to get through a three-run top of the first inning. Overall, he gave up five runs on two hits and five walks over three innings. He had four strikeouts. Marco Raya came in to start the fourth inning. He put together easily his longest and best performance of the season. He tossed three scoreless innings of one-hit, scoreless baseball. He struck out three batters. Drew Smith pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Grant Hartwig struck out three batters over two scoreless innings. The Saints stayed in it early and took command of the scoreboard in the latter innings. Kaelen Culpepper led off the bottom of the first for the Saints. He reached on an error. He quickly took off and stole second base. Unfortunately, on his headfirst slide, his helmet fell off, hit the bag, and it bounced up and hit Culpepper under the chin, cutting his lip and ending his game. Tanner Schobel came in. With one out, Hendry Mendez singled to drive in the first Saints run. He stole second and scored on a Matt Wallner single to center. Monticello High School grad Ethan Bosacker came into the game for Omaha. The 25-year-old attended Xavier University in Cincinnati. In 2023, he was the Royals 13th round draft pick. In 2024, he went 13-3 with a 2.45 ERA between Low-A and High-A. In 2015, he went 6-6 with a 4.05 ERA between Double-A and Triple-A. He has started, and last year split his appearances evenly. This season, 10 of his 13 outings have come out of the bullpen. In this game, he gave up three runs on six hits over three innings. In the second inning, Noah Cardenas singled, went to third on Tanner Schobel’s seventh double, and scored on a Mendez groundout. In the bottom of the third inning, Matt Wallner led off with a double. Kyler Fedko switched places with him with his eighth double of the year. With two outs, Ricardo Olivar blooped a single to center to drive in Fedko with the game-tying fifth run. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Saints scored two runs. Both Kyler Fedko and Aaron Sabato took bases loaded walks to make it 7-5 Saints. With two outs in the bottom of the seventh inning, Schobel singled. He scored on Hendry Mendez’s third Saints home run. Mendez led the way. He went 3-for-5 with a homer, three runs, and four RBI. Matt Wallner went 2-for-4 and was hit by a pitch. Fedko went 2-for-4 with a walk and a double. Aaron Sabato was 2-for-4 with his 10th double. Noah Cardenas was also 2-for-4 with his second double. Tanner Schobel went 2-for-4 with his seventh double. Check out one of our sister sites, Royals Keep, for more on the Kansas City Royals organization. Here are their Top 20 Royals prospects. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Tulsa 14 Box Score This was a rough game for Wichita pitchers, and frankly, it wasn’t much better for the hitters. Jaime Ferrer had half of the Wind Surge’s four hits and half of their two RBI. Jose Salas walked twice as well. A quick look at the batting average and OPS of the Wichita lineup, and it really isn’t too surprising. Eli Jones started and gave up six runs (3 earned) on seven hits and two walks in 3 1/3 innings. He had five strikeouts. Jarret Whorff came in with the bases loaded, allowed all three inherited runners to score and three more runs on three hits and a walk before getting out of that fourth inning. Preston Johnson gave up a hit and struck out one batter in a scoreless inning in his Twins-organization debut. Spencer Bengard gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. Jacob Wosinski worked a scoreless inning. Murphy Stehly pitched the ninth inning. Always fun seeing position players pitch. Stehly gave up three runs on four hits in his inning. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 5 Box Score Brandon Winokur hit his sixth home run of the season in the top of the first inning, but despite a ninth-inning run, they fell just shy. The Kernels had six hits and three walks. Four of the six hits went for extra bases. Jacob McCombs went 2-for 4 with his sixth double. Khadim Diaw hit his first triple of the season. Along with Winokur, Andy Lugo added his second home run of the season. Dasan Hill gave up only an unearned run on three hits and two walks over two innings. He had four strikeouts. He needed 46 pitches over the two innings. Miguelangel Boadas needed just 37 pitches to get through three innings. In three runs on two hits and a walk. He also struck out four batters. Nick Trabacchi gave up one run on three hits over two innings. He struck out four batters and walked none. Paulshawn Pasqualotto gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 6, Dunedin 7 (10 innings) Box Score The Mussels were behind 4-0 through six innings before attempting a comeback. Jason Reitz made the start. He gave up three runs (1 earned) on three hits in one inning. He gave up two runs in the first inning. He went out for the second inning but both batters that he faced reached base and one scored. Merit Jones gave up one of the inherited runners, but he gave the team five innings. He was charged with one run on three hits and a walk. He also walked seven batters. The Mussels got on the scoreboard Merphy Hernandez singled and stole second. He scored on a single by Enrique Jimenez to make it 4-1. Mike McKenna came on and gave up one run on one hit and one walk in 1 1/3 innings. Down 5-1, JP Smith led off with a single. Ryan Sprock walked. The runners advanced on a wild pitch. With one out, Luis Fragoza came up and hit his first home run since joining the Mussels earlier in the week from the FCL. The deficit was down to 5-4. Michael Hilker came on and gave up three hits and a walk but no runs in 1 2/3 innings. With two outs in the top of the ninth, still behind 5-4, JP Smith reached on a throwing error. Ryan Sprock lined a single to the opposite field to drive in the tying run. Quentin Young began the top of the 10th inning as the Manfred Man. Fragoza was hit by a pitch. After a strikeout, Hernandez grounded into a fielder’s choice with Young advancing to third. Dameury Pena followed with a single to right field to give the Mussels their first lead, 6-5. Mitch Mueller recorded two outs in the 10th but took the loss with two runs (1 earned) on two hits and two walks. 19-year-old Fragoza went 3-for-4 with the crucial home run and three RBI. He was also hit by a pitch. Young was 2-for-5. Ramiro Dominguez was hit by a pitch three times. The Dunedin Blue Jays are the Low-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Check out our sister site at Jays Centre. Here are their rankings of the Top 20 Blue Jays prospects. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 7, FCL Red Sox 2 Box Score Lefty Cesar Lares returned to the game mound for a rehab start. He went three innings and gave up one run on three hits. He had three strikeouts and no walks. Melvin Rodriguez came on and worked the final four innings. He gave up one run on one hit (a solo homer). He walked two and had three strikeouts. Interestingly enough, the home run was the first of the season for Red Sox prospect Franklin Primera. The FCL Twins jumped ahead early with a four-run bottom of the first inning. Yovanny Duran led off with a walk. He went to third on Miguel Caraballo’s fourth double. Jhomnardo Reyes drove them both in with his third home run of the season. Then Teilon Serrano followed by hitting his first home run of the year to make it 4-1. The Twins went four innings without scoring. But in the bottom of the sixth, they completed the bookends with another crooked number. With one out, Yilber Herrera walked and stole second. He went to third on a balk. He scored on a Duran ground out. Caraballo walked and stole second. He scored on a Reyes triple. Reyes scored on the back end of a double steal to give them seven runs in the game. Jhomnardo Reyes led the offense. He went 3-for-4 with a walk, his first triple, his third homer, and four RBI. Teilon Serrano hit his first home run and then walked three times. He also stole his third base. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 3-for-5, HR(3), 3 R, 4 RBI Pitcher of the Day Marco Raya (St. Paul): 3 IP, H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 33 pitches, 23 strikes (69.7%) 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) - 0-for-1, SB(10) (batted first, played SS) #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 7 Day Injured List (thumb) - Had surgery. #4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota) - 4 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K, 85 pitches, 49 strikes (57.6%). #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (batted third, DH). #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 2 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 46 pitches, 25 strikes (54.3%) #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K, (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (Minnesota) - MLB Debut: 1-for-2, 2 BB, R (batted fifth, played LF). #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - 3-for-5, HR(3), 3 R, 4 RBI (batted second, played LF) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 2-for-3, R, 2 K, 2 E (batted sixth, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, HR(6), R, RBI, K (batted second, played 3B) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - 3 IP, 2 H, 5 ER, 5 BB, 4 K, 89 pitches, 49 strikes (55.1%) #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 35 pitches, 22 strikes (62.9%) #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, 3B(1), 2 R (batted fifth, played catcher) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - Did Not Play. UPCOMING PROBABLES Saturday, May 23: Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 pm CT) - RHP Mike Paredes (0-1, 7.80 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (4:05 pm CT) - TBD (1-3, 4.40 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Ivran Romero (2-1, 7.07 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 pm CT) - TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (9:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 24-27 St. Paul Saints: 25-23 Wichita Wind Surge: 19-23 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 23-20 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 24-19 FCL Twins: 8-7 DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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

Confidence is a big thing. Getting that confidence back may be encouraging to find the pitfalls and issues with the current stance, timing, feet, lunging, etc.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS Henry Kusiak was assigned to the Saints from Fort Myers. LHP Michael Carpenter’s rehab will continue with the Mussels. Catcher Enrique Jimenez was activated from the IL and joined the Mighty Mussels. OF Merphy Hernandez was promoted from the FCL to Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 3, Omaha 11 Box Score Royce Lewis reported to the Saints, and he was right in the middle of the lineup right away. He also contributed offensively right away. Down 1-0 going to the bottom of the first, Kaelen Culpepper led off the first inning with an infield single. With one out, Lewis stepped to the plate and launched a ball 34 degrees and 104 mph. It went 368 feet, well beyond the fencing in left-center field to give the Saints a 2-1 lead. As you might guess based on the score, there weren’t many highlights for the Saints. Hendry Mendez led off the bottom of the sixth inning with his second homer since joining the team recently. He hit the ball 103.5 mph at 27 degrees. It landed 398 feet from home plate. The Saints had just six hits. No one had more than one. Hendry Mendez was 1-for-3 with a walk and a homer. He’s hitting .360 with an OPS of .965. John Klein started for the Saints. He gave up two runs on three hits and a walk over 3 1/3 innings. He struck out five batters. C.J. Culpepper was charged with two runs on three hits (including a homer) over 1 2/3 innings. Trent Baker gave up two runs on two hits and a walk in an inning. Kody Funderburk gave up three runs on four hits in his inning. Raul Brito gave up two runs on four hits over the final two innings. He struck out three batters. Ricardo Olivar made his Saints debut. He batted eighth and caught. He went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. Check out one of our sister sites, Royals Keep, for more on the Kansas City Royals organization. Here are their Top 20 Royals prospects. Recent articles on current or recent Saints: Ryan Kreidler Might Be (a Lot?) More Than Just Depth for the Twins. The Twins Simply Don’t Believe in Outfield Prospect Kyler Fedko. Kyler Fedko Goes Nuclear (Again) What Must Matt Wallner Prove at Triple-A Before Returning to Minnesota? Who is Alex Jackson, and What Can He Bring to the Twins? Patience Now Could Pay Off Big for Twins and Kaelen Culpepper. How Zebby Matthews Reworked His Arsenal at Triple-A. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Tulsa 6 Box Score Down 6-1 going to the seventh inning, the Wind Surge attempted to come back but they fell short. Jose Olivares went the first three innings. He gave up two runs on five hits and had four strikeouts. Darren Bowen gave up two runs on three hits over two innings. William Fleming gave up two runs on four hits and a walk in his two innings. He struck out three batters. Luis Quinones gave up a hit and walked two batters but wiggled out of an inning without giving up a run. Kyle Bischoff worked a scoreless ninth frame. The Surge offense was helped by some wild Driller pitching. They had six hits and seven walks in the game. Kyle DeBarge went 3-for-5 with his sixth double and sixth home run. Caleb Roberts went 1-for-2 with two walks. Billy Amick also walked twice. Maddux Houghton added a two-run triple. Recent Twins Daily content on Wichita players: (Video) Eyes on (Eli) Jones KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 6, Peoria 9 Box Score Not a good day for the Kernels, but several hitters had strong showings. Jason Doktorczyk started and gave up five runs on three hits. In 3 1/3 innings, he hit two batters, walked four and had four strikeouts. Adam Falinski gave up one run on one hit on four hits over 1 2/3 innings. Brian Zeldin made his High-A debut and was charged with two runs on one hit. In 1 1/3 innings, He walked five batters and had three strikeouts. Sam Rochard gave up one run on one hit (a homer) in 1 2/3 innings. He hit one batter, walked two and had three strikeouts. The Kernels scored six runs. They had 11 hits and walked four batters. They were a solid 4-for-14 (.286) with runners in scoring position and left eight on base. Khadim Diaw went 3-for-4 with a walk and his ninth double. Quinn McDaniel made his Kernels debut and went 3-for-4. Brandon Winokur went 2-for-5. Recent Twins Daily articles on Kernels players: Who are the Twins’ Next Top 100 Prospects? Eduardo Tait’s Early Season Performance and What It Means for his Long-Term Projection. Twins Prospect Hot Sheet: Dasan Hill is En Fuego. (VIDEO) Yasser Mercedes Hot Start Leads to Promotion MIGHTY MATTERS Game 1: Ft. Myers 10, Dunedin 8 (8 innings) Box Score This was a game in which innings included runs scored in crooked numbers or zeroes. The Mussels scored two runs in the first inning on a two-run homer by JP Smith II that drove in Ramiro Dominguez who reached on his ninth double. In the top of the second, Byron Chourio doubled to drive in Ryan Sprock with the third run. One batter later, Dameury Pena singled in Chourio to make it 4-The Jays scored two in the bottom of the second. Fast-forward to the bottom of the fifth when the Jays scored four runs to take a two-run lead. Michael Carpenter started the game for Fort Myers. The southpaw gave up one run on three hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Reed Moring came on and worked the next three innings. He gave up two runs on four hits and struck out for batters. Jonathan Stevens came in and gave up three runs on four hits and a walk in 1 2/3 innings. He entered with a 4-3 lead and left with the team down 6-4 going to the top of the seventh inning. Chourio led off the top of the seventh inning with a single. Dameury Pena came to the plate, but he hit into a double play to end that threat. Down to their final out, Enrique Jimenez walked. Ramiro Dominguez came up and knocked his fifth home run, a two-run blast that tied the game at 6-6. In the top of the eighth inning, JP Smith was the Manfred Man. Jayson Bass walked. After a wild pitch, Ryan Sprock singled to drive in Smith with the go-ahead run. After a pitching change, a groundout and a strikeout left runners on second and third. Chourio picked up his teammates and came through with a two-run single. Dameury Pena followed with a triple to make it 10-6. Brent Francisco, who threw a scoreless seventh, came back out for the eighth inning. He allowed the Manfred Man and one more run to score but held on for the win. Chourio went 3-for-4 with his second double and three RBI. Pena went 3-for-5 with his second triple and two runs.Smith went 2-for-3 with a walk and his fourth homer. Ramiro Dominguez went 2-for-4 with his ninth double and fifth home run. The Dunedin Blue Jays are the Low-A affiliate of the Toronto Blue Jays. Check out our sister site at Jays Centre. Here are their rankings of the Top 20 Blue Jays prospects. Dunedin’s starter in this game was Silvano Hechavarria, making a rehab start. He ranks 16th. Game 2: Ft. Myers 3, Dunedin 4 Box Score Matthew Dalquist has done a nice job as a starter for the Mussels. On Thursday night, he gave up one run on two hits over five innings. He struck out four and walked none. Dylan Questad worked the sixth inning and gave up one run on one hit. He walked two and had two strikeouts. With one out in the fifth inning, Quentin Young doubled. Murphy Hernandez followed with a single that moved Young to third. Hernandez stole second. Young scored on a sacrifice fly off the bat of Bryan Acuna to tie the game at 1-1. Hernandez scored on a single by Dameury Pena. In the top of the sixth inning, JP Smith II homered to make it 3-1. It was his second homer of the day and fifth of the season. The Mussels held a 3-2 lead going into the bottom of the seventh. Xavier Kolhosser came on and gave up two runs on three hits and recorded just one out to take the loss. Fort Myers had just six hits and two walks. Beyond Smith’s homer, Irvin Nunez hit his first double, and Acuna added his third double. Blaine Bullard was the Jays 12th round pick last year. The 19-year-old went 5-for-8 with two doubles in the doubleheader. Recent Twins Daily articles on Fort Myers players: (VIDEO) Quentin Young Turning Corner COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 0, FCL Pirates 6 Box Score Yordi Jose started and went the first four innings. The 19-year-old gave up two runs on four hits. He hit a batter, walked three and had six strikeouts. He had three wild pitches and balked twice. Matthew DesMarets came in and gave up four runs on five hits over the final two innings. He walked none and struck out four batters. He threw two wild pitches. The Twins managed just three hits in the game and added six walks. Jhomnardo Reyes walked twice. Ricardo Paez hit his first triple of the season. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day JP Smith (Fort Myers): 3-for-6, BB, 2 HR(5), 3 R, 3 RBI, 2 K (doubleheader) Pitcher of the Day Matt Dalquist (Fort Myers): 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 BB, 4 K, 61 pitches, 44 strikes (72.1%) 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) - 1-for-4, R, K (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, K (batted third, catcher). #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, RBI, 2 K, SB(9) (batted first, played SS) #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #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-for-3, BB, HR(2), R, RBI (batted second, played LF) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - 1-for-2, BB, 2B(5), R, K (batted seventh, played SS) #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, CS(3) (batted first, played 3B) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch. #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - 1.2 IP, 3 H, 2 ER, 0 BB, 2 K, 35 pitches, 22 strikes (62.9%) #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 3-for-4, BB, 2B(9), 2 R (batted fifth, DH) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 3-for-5, 2B(6), HR(6), R, RBI (batted first, played SS) UPCOMING PROBABLES Friday, May 22: Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 pm CT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-1, 7.80 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Sam Armstrong (1-3, 4.40 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 pm CT) - LHP Dasan Hill (1-3, 5.47 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 pm CT) - TBD FCL Red Sox @ FCL Twins (11:00 am CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 23-27 St. Paul Saints: 24-23 Wichita Wind Surge: 19-22 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 23-19 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 24-18 FCL Twins: 7-7 DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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

He took his allotted time to report to the Saints. He reported today and is in the lineup.

It won't be Royce. We know that. Otherwise they would have waited a week to make the move to send him down.

The only thing is, why would they make a 40-man roster day move 1-3 days though? 40-man roster spots

TRANSACTIONS 2025 draft pick Jason Reitz began a rehab assignment in the FCL. So did 2024 draft pick, Michael Carpenter. Cody Laweryson will begin a rehab assignment with the Saints on Saturday. SAINTS SENTINEL Game 1: St. Paul 8, Columbus 5 Box Score Going to the bottom of the fifth inning in Game 1 of a doubleheader, the Saints found themselves down by a score of 4-2. However, they tied it in the bottom of the fifth and added four more runs in the bottom of the sixth to take the first game. Down 1-0 in the bottom of the first, Kaelen Culpepper led off the home half with his ninth home run of the season. Aaron Rozek started for the Saints. The lefty gave up one in the first inning, but he gave up a total of four runs (just one earned) on four hits over five innings. He had one walk and struck out six batters. The bottom of the fifth began with a Tanner Schobel double. With one out, Hendry Mendez walked. After a fielder’s choice left runners on first and third with two outs, Matt Wallner lined a single off the wall in right to drive in Schobel and make it 4-3. Wallner was then caught stealing, but Fedko was able to score from third to tie the game at 4-4. Kody Funderburk came on and gave up one run on two hits in the sixth inning. Orlando Arcia reached on an error in the bottom of the sixth inning. Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a single. After an out, Ben Ross stayed hot and drilled his eighth double since joining the Saints to drive in both runners and give his team the 6-5 lead. After Schobel walked, a wild pitch advanced the runners to second and third. Hendry Mendez lined a single to right field to drive in two more runs and make it 8-5. Matt Bowman struck out the side in the bottom of the 7th inning to claim his third save. Ross was 2-for-3 with two doubles and three RBI. Gonzalez went 2-for-3. Schobel went 1-for-2 with a walk. Mendez was 1-for-2 with two walks and two RBI. Game 2: St. Paul 5, Columbus 3 Box Score Without the help of a big inning, the Saints swept the Clippers with a solid Game 2 performance They took a 1-0 lead in the bottom of the second when Tanner Schobel drove in Ben Ross with a single. In the third inning with two outs, Kyler Fedko was on first base. Orlando Arcia singled. Fedko scored on a single by Gabriel Gonzalez, and Arcia scored when Ben Ross reached on a throwing error to make it 3-0. The fourth frame began with walks to Schobel and Noah Cardenas. Two batters later, Fedko singled to drive in Schobel. Mike Paredes started and tossed four scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked one and had four strikeouts. Marco Raya came on to start the fifth. The inning started with a Dom Nunez homer. After a strikeout, Maick Collado homered. Next up was Kahlil Watson, and he drilled his eighth home run. The lead was down to just 4-3. Raya got a ground out but then walked a batter before Brian Dinelman turned to John Brebbia. Brebbia got four outs, and then Drew Smith recorded his third save with a perfect seventh inning. The Saints got a little insurance in the bottom of the fifth. With one out, Ross walked. He scored on an Aaron Sabato double. Gonzalez was again 2-for-3 in the game. Fedko, Ross, and Schobel each had a single and a walk. Sabato’s double was his sixth of the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, San Antonio 10 Box Score This wasn’t a great game for the Wind Surge. Ty Langenberg started and gave up three runs on four hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Spencer Bengard then gave up one run on three hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. Jacob Wosinski gave up four runs on three and four walks in 1 1/3 innings. Jarret Whorff was charged with two runs on four hits in 1 2/3 innings. Kyle Bischoff tossed one scoreless inning. The Surge scored their three runs on just three hits and two walks. Kyle DeBarge went 2-for-4. Andrew Cossetti hit his third double of the season. Check out the Top 20 Padres Prospects according to our sister site, Padres Mission. KERNELS CHRONICLE Cedar Rapids 3, Fort Wayne 12 Box Score After falling to Fort Wayne 11-3 on Thursday, a fictitious sportswriter asked Kernels manager Brian Meyer if things could have possibly gone any worse. Meyer fictitiously replied, “Sure, we could have lost 12-3.” And that’s just what they did on Friday night in Iowa. The Kernels had just five hits in the game. Only Yasser Mercedes, who was 2-for-3 with a walk, had more than one hit. The Kerels scored their three runs in the bottom of the sixth. They were already down 12-0 but kept battling. Michael Ross gave up six in the first inning but was able to give his team for innings. He was charged with eight runs on nine hits (2 homers). He had four strikeouts and no walks. Christian Becerra gave up four runs in one innings on four hits and a walk. He struck out three batters. Yehizon Sanchez gave up two hits and a walk over two scoreless innings. Nick Trabacchia also tossed two scoreless innings. Check out the Top 20 Padres Prospect according to our sister site, Padres Mission. LHP Kash Mayfield started and tossed five scoreless, one-hit innings. He had nine strikeouts and no walks. MIGHTY MATTERS Ft. Myers 4, Bradenton 3 Box Score The Mussels fell behind 3-0 after one inning but then combined to toss eight scoreless innings. That allowed the Mussels hitters to ease their way back into the ball game. Matthew Dalquist started and was charged with three runs on six hits and a walk. He had four strikeouts. Brent Francisco gave up three hits over three scoreless innings. He struck out one batter. Michael Zeldin earned his third save with two scoreless innings. He had four strikeouts and gave up just one hit. Dameury Pena led the offense. He went 3-for-5 at the top of the lineup. Quinn McDaniel went 2-for-3 despite not starting. Ryan Sprock put the team on the board in the top of the fourth when he hit his second home run of the season. The second run came on a two-out single by Dameury Pena that drove in McDaniel in the fifth frame. In the top of the sixth, JP Smith walked, Jayson Bass walked, and then Ian Daugherty walked to load the bases with one out. Smith scored on a wild pitch that tied the game 3-3. A fielder’s choice and a walk re-loaded the bases. Harry Genth came to the plate and took one for the team. He was hit by a running fastball in the elbow which drove in McDaniel with the go ahead run. The bullpen held on and the Mussels were victorious. COMPLEX CHRONICLE FCL Twins 11, FCL Red Sox 12 (10 innings) Box Score The big story in this game was probably the professional debut of RHP Jason Reitz. The Twins fifth round pick a year ago started this season on the IL with a foot injury. The 6-11 righty gave up just one hit over two scoreless innings. He walked none and had three strikeouts. Cory Lewis came on next to continue his rehab. He gave up three runs on four hits and a walk over 2 2/3 innings. He also hit a batter and threw two wild pitches. He struck out three batters. Jack Wagner, recently signed out of Notre Dame, came on next and got the final out of the fifth inning. However, he gave up one run on one hit, one walk, and one hit batter. He did record his first strikeout. Another rehabber came in next. Lefty Michael Carpenter worked 1 1/3 innings and gave up two runs on one hit and three walks. He had two strikeouts. Yoel Roque gave up a run on two hits and two walks in 1 1/3 innings. He had two strikeouts. Nick McAuliffe also struck out two batters in 1 1/3 innings. He was charged with two runs on two hits and a walk. Carter Holjes got the final out, but not before giving up three runs (2 earned) on two hits and three walks. One of the walks was intentional, but the two wild pitches were not. Five Twins had multi-hit games. Merphy Hernandez was 2-for-6 with two RBI. Enrique Jimenez DHd in his second rehab appearance. He went 2-for-4 with a walk. Luis Fragoza went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fourth double. Ricardo Pena was 2-for-3. Victor Leal went 2-for-4 with two RBI. Daiber De Los Santos went 1-for-3 and walked twice in the game. Joyner Perez also notched his first double of the season. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Pal): 4-for-6, R, RBI Pitcher of the Day Mike Paredes (St. Paul): 4 IP, H, 0 R, 1 BB, 1 HB, 4 K, 64 pitches, 36 strikes (56.3%) 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) - Game 1: 1-for-4, HR(9), R, RBI, SB(9) (batted first, played 3B); Game 2: 0-for-3, BB, 2 K (batted first, played SS) #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - 7 Day Injured List (thumb) #4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota) - Pitches Saturday. #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, R, 2 K (batted second, DH). #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Pitches Saturday. #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Play. #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids) - Did Not Pitch. #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota) - Did Not Pitch. #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 2-for-3, R (batted sixth, played 1B); Game 2: 2-for-3, RBI (batted fifth, played RF) #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota) - 2/3 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 0 K, 24 pitches, 18 strikes (75.0%) #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul) - Game 1: 1-for-2, 2 BB, 2 RBI (batted second, played LF), Game 2: 1-for-4, K (batted second, DHd) #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Ft. Myers) - Did Not Play. #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, BB, K (batted first, played SS) #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul) - Pitches Saturday. #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch. #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Ft. Myers) - 60 Day Injured List (right elbow sprain) #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 2B(5), R, RBI, K (batted third, played CF) #20 - 2B/SS/CF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita) - 2-for-4, R, 2 K (batted fourth, played 2B) UPCOMING PROBABLES Saturday, May 16: Columbus @ St. Paul (2:07 pm CT) - RHP Ryan Gallagher (0-0, 4.91 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 pm CT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-2, 9.58 ERA) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 pm CT) - RHP Michael Ross (0-3, 4.29 ERA) Ft. Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 pm CT) - TBD FCL Twins @ FCL Red Sox (11:00 am CT) - RHP Dylan Questad (Rehab), Melvin Rodriguez (Bulk) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 20-25 St. Paul Saints: 23-19 Wichita Wind Surge: 17-19 Cedar Rapids Kernels: 20-17 Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 21-16 FCL Twins: 5-5 DSL Twins: 0-0 (season begins Monday, June 1) 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