Seth Stohs

Happened a couple of starts ago. Looking at his performance as a starter, it was an easy decision.

I would say it is already something that is worrisome. I'm not at all worried long-term, but it is something he will have to work through.

You're right Roger. We used to talk about that. Jim Rantz seemed to do that a lot, see a guy have a rough start and then promote them. Haven't seen that as much with Brad Steil yet, but I think Gonsalves is still close.

Curious how a 44% strikeout rate in AAA might translate to the big leagues... I'm a big Walker fan and supporter. He's a better person than a player, and he's a terrific player... but he is where he needs to be right now. Hopefully he can keep learning and getting better.

I don't really think that's fair... at least the last part. Players develop at different times. 4th outfielders are needed. Kepler and Buxton will be up soon enough.

At this point... they might as well. I would hope they wouldn't leave any stone unturned.

Adam Brett Walker did something that we haven’t see in the Twins system in many years. A top prospect returned. There was a Miracle win down in Ft. Myers thanks to a hit from Down Under. Two Kernels reached base four times tonight but it wasn’t enough. Two starters were terrific through five innings before meeting some struggles. And hey, the Minnesota Twins had an impressive come-from-behind, late-inning win on Saturday against the Blue Jays.For much more on what happened on Saturday in the Twins farm system, please continue. TRANSACTIONS It is a rare occasion, but there were no transactions. RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 12, Durham 2 Box Score Hitting a home run is always a pretty cool thing. Hitting a second home run in a game is even cooler. It is pretty rare for a player to hit three home runs in a game. On Saturday night, Adam Brett Walker homered in his first three at bats and drove in five runs. He now has nine home runs on the season and five homers in his last 11 at bats. The Red Wings scored 12 runs on 13 hits in the game and also added six walks. Byron Buxton returned to the lineup. In his first at-bat, he singled, stole a base and scored on a Max Kepler single. Buxton went 2-5 with a walk in his return. He also stole two bases. Wilfredo Tovar went 2-4 with a walk. Tommy FIeld pinch hit late and hit a bases-clearing double. Eddie Rosario went 1-5 and is hitting .154 through three games with the Red Wings. Jose Berrios made his return to the Red Wings after a month in the big leagues. The control issues that have haunted him all year returned. After a long first inning, he somehow managed to complete five innings. He gave up just one run on three hits, but he walked five and struck out eight. While his season ERA is still just 1.23 with the Wings, he clearly has room for improvement. Alex Wimmers gave up one run on two hits over the next two innings. He struck out three. Dan Runzler walked one and struck out three in his inning. Marcus Walden struck out all three batters he faced in the ninth. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 2, Jackson 5 Box Score David Hurlbut was terrific through six shutout innings. However, the seventh began with back-to-back doubles. An error led to a big inning. In total, he gave up four runs (one earned) on 10 hits in six innings. He walked one and struck out four. Luke Westphal came in and allowed two of Hurlbut’s runners to score and gave up another run on three hits in the seventh inning. Mason Melotakis gave up a hit and walked one in a scoreless eighth inning. The Lookouts managed six hits and walked four times, but they were unable to put together a big inning. Travis Harrison went 2-4 and drove in a run. Dalton Hicks was 1-3 with a walk. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 9, Tampa 8 Box Score The Miracle came to bat in the bottom of the ninth down 8-5. A two-run single from Edgar Corcino got them closer. Chad Christensen then scored on an infield single from Kevin Garcia. With a runner at third, Logan Wade came to the plate and singled in the game-winning run for the Miracle win. Stephen Gonsalves made another start and this one wasn’t as good as his previous starts. He gave up four runs on four hits in five innings. He walked three and struck out five. Yorman Landa came on and gave up three unearned runs on four hits and a walk over 1.2 innings. He struck out two. Brandon Peterson came in and worked the final 2.1 innings. He gave up a run on three hits. He struck out two. Eduardo Escobar made his second start on his rehab assignment. He went 3-5 with a double and is now 4-8 in two games. Escobar played shortstop again. On Friday night, Nick Gordon DHd. On Saturday, Gordon got an opportunity to start at third base. He did have one error in the game. Chris Paul went 3-5 with his second triple. Alex Real went 2-4 with a walk and his fifth home run, a three-run shot. Logan Wade was 2-5 with a walk. Brian Navarreto went 2-4 with his second double. Max Murphy was 2-5. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 10 Box Score A quick look at Dereck Rodriguez’s final pitching line is not really indicative of how well he pitched most of the outing. Overall, he went 5.1 innings and gave up six runs (four earned) on eight hits. He walked two and struck out six. However, it’s important to note that through five innings, he had only thrown 61 pitches and no base runners had reached third base. Williams Ramirez came on and got the next five outs. He walked two, but he limited the damage. CK Irby came on for the 8th inning and gave up three runs on three hits and a walk. Sam Gibbons worked the ninth and gave up one run on three hits. He struck out three. Sean MIller led the offense by going 4-4 with his fourth Kernels double. LaMonte Wade was tremendous again, reaching base four times in five plate appearances. He had two singles and walked twice. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Marcus Walden, Rochester Red Wings Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Adam Brett Walker, Rochester Red Wings SUNDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (4:05 CST) - LHP Tommy Milone Chattanooga @ Jackson (2:05 CST) - RHP Aaron Slegers Tampa @ Ft. Myers (3:05 CST) – RHP Kyle Gibson Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (2:05 CST) – RHP Miles Nordgren Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Saturday games. Click here to view the article

I can't imagine I've written anything to indicate I'm "high on Grossman." He's 26 and has been released by two organizations. I liked him as a prospect 4-5 years ago. I would say that his ability to take a lot of walks and get on base, plus a little pop in his bat, he is certainly an improvement over the likes of Rosario and Santana (at least what we've seen this year). Ultimately, he's probably a 4th or 5th OF. And there can be some value in that. And, he is still just 26. That's not old. He was putting together a solid season in AAA Columbus to start the season and clearly must have knowing that there was going to be an opportunity with the Twins when he opted out of his deal last week.

While I agree with the thought that it at least is some data, I don't know if this is anything definitive. I mean, voters can only vote for three players for Rookie of the Year, so in order to even get votes you have to have had a really solid rookie season. I mean, the last couple of years, Rosario and Santana have had very solid rookie years but - at least Rosario wasn't going to get a lot of votes over Correa, Lindor and Sano. I tend to think that the number of players getting votes says as much, if not more, than how many votes they had. If tha'ts the case, my quick count says only 4-5 teams are at 12 or more, so the Twins would rank high. I also don't think Rookie of the Year voting has much to do with player development evaluation. Now next year, if you did this same thing, and Byung Ho Park wins Rookie of the Year unanimously, the Twins would jump up quite a bit, and if the Twins call up Kepler, Buxton and/or Berrios before mid-June or early July, they could garner some 3rd place votes too. I mean, those top three guys from last year? I don't think any of them were even in the big leagues one year ago today. I don't know what the right measure is, an this is an interesting look, but I feel like something is missing. To me, I'm more worried about Year 2 for Arcia, Vargas, Santana and Rosario than I am about them getting votes for Rookie of the Year their first year. (which probably makes the case stronger against the Twins)

Here are some others that should move up a level soon... RP: Todd Van Steensel, Brandon Peterson, Nick Anderson SP: Sam Clay

In time... Kepler's had two good weeks. Let's see Buxton get back on the field and have another strong 3-4 weeks. Meyer needs to get back on the mound. Nothing wrong with place holders holding places. Mastroianni sits there for depth. I don't want a prospect in that role. Grossman is 26 only and still young enough to claim some of that prospect status he had a few years ago. There is value in that. At some point, they'll turn it over, but they need to see if they can get anything for those veterans and do do that, they need to play and the young guys need to play, so we just need to have a little patience.

Absolutely keep him starting. He's still young and has incredible stuff... Can always move to the bullpen.

Did you know that both Cedar Rapids and Ft. Myers are hosting their league’s All Star games in mid-June. It would certainly be nice for the local teams to be well-represented with prospects and guys off to fast starts. The league All Star games also correspond closely to the end of the first halves of the Midwest League and Florida State League. This season has already seen many (almost daily transactions. Playoff spots will be jockeyed for over the next three weeks, and at that time we could see several more transactions.Here is how the Twins’ affiliates currently stack up in their leagues. Rochester is 23-19. (3-2 week). In the International League North Division, the Red Wings are tied with Syracuse, 0.5 games behind both Scranton/Wilkes Barre and Lehigh Valley. This is a full-season league and obviously things are pretty close now, with about 100 games to go. Chattanooga is 19-23. (3-3 week) The Southern League plays two halves and right now the Lookouts are in last place, 5.5 games back of the North Division’s leader, the Jackson Generals. Ft. Myers is 23-19. (3-3 week) The Miracle are one game ahead of Bradenton and St. Lucie in the South Division. However, their “Magic Number” to assure themselves of a playoff spot is still 29. Cedar Rapids is 23-17. (3-2 week) The Kernels currently have a one-game lead in the West Division of the Midwest League. The top two teams from each half make the Midwest League playoffs. With that, let’s look at the minor league statistical leaderboard. THE HITTERS (Rate numbers- minimum 103 plate appearances) Plate Appearances - Chris Paul (171), James Beresford/Daniel Palka/Kennys Vargas (168), Leonardo Reginnato (167), Dalton Hicks/Trey Vavra/Zander Wiel (165). Batting Average - LaMonte Wade (.328), Luis Arraez (.327), Nick Gordon (.321), James Beresford (.303), AJ Murray (.285) On-Base Percentage - LaMonte Wade (.420), James Beresford (.393), Luis Arraez (.392), AJ Murray (.387), Rafael Valera (.366), Nick Gordon (.360). Slugging Percentage - AJ Murray (.492), LaMonte Wade (.469), Nick Gordon (.458), Daniel Palka (.452), Luis Arraez/Max Kepler (.459). OPS - LaMonte Wade (.889), AJ Murray (.879), Luis Arraez (.840), Nick Gordon (.818), Daniel Palka (.809), Max Kepler (.800). Hits - James Beresford (44), LaMonte Wade/Nick Gordon (42), Leonardo Reginnato (41), Daniel Palka (39), Dalton Hicks (38).. Doubles - Chris Paul/Joe Maloney (11), AJ Murray (10), Daniel Palka/Rafael Valera (9), Four w/8. Triples - Max Kepler (6), Rafael Valera/Ryan Walker/Zander Wiel (4), Five with 3. Home Runs - Adam Brett Walker/Kennys Vargas/Daniel Palka (6), AJ Murray/Trey Vavra (5), Max Murphy/Dalton Hicks/Alex Real (4). Runs Scored - James Beresford (26), Luis Arraez (23), Dalton Hicks/AJ Murray (21), Zach Granite/LaMonte Wade/Zander Wiel (20), Three w/19. RBI - Daniel Palka/Kennys Vargas (25), AJ Murray (23), LaMonte Wade (21), Dalton Hicks/Chris Paul (20) SB - Zach Granite (17), Wilfredo Tovar (12), Darin Mastroianni/Nick Gordon (6), Four w/5. THE STARTING PITCHERS (Rate number - minimum 31.0 innings) Innings Pitched: Jason Wheeler (56.0), DJ Baxendale (55.0), Logan Darnell (46.1), Randy LeBlanc (46.0), Aaron Slegers/Felix Jorge (45.0) ERA: Randy LeBlanc (0.78), Sam Clay (1.10), Stephen Gonsalves (1.27), Jason Wheeler (1.75), Kohl Stewart (1.77), Felix Jorge (2.00). WHIP: Stephen Gonsalves (0.84), Randy LeBlanc (0.87), Cody Stashak (0.92), Jason Wheeler (0.95), Felix Jorge (0.96), Kohl Stewart (0.98). K/9: Sam Clay (10.1), Jason Wheeler/Tyler Jay (8.4), Dereck Rodriguez (8.3), Kohl Stewart (8.2), Stephen Gonsalves (8.0). BB/9: Felix Jorge (1.4), David Martinez (1.5), Cody Stashak/Jason Wheeler (1.6), Pat Dean/DJ Baxendale (1.8), David Hurlbut (1.9), Randy LeBlanc (2.0) K: Jason Wheeler (53), DJ Baxendale (47), Sam Clay (46), Felix Jorge/Stephen Gonsalves (38), Kohl Stewart (37), Tyler Jay (36). THE RELIEF PITCHERS (Rate numbers - minimum 15 innings zero starts) Innings Pitched: Marcus Walden (22.1), Jake Reed (21.1), Todd Van Steensel (20.2), Trevor Hildenberger/Mike Theofanopoulos/Alex Wimmers/Luke Bard (20.1). ERA: JT Chargois (1.04), Nick Anderson (1.10), Trevor Hildenberger (1.33), Buddy Boshers (1.42), CK Irby (1.47), Marcus Walden (1.61). WHIP: Nick Anderson (0.50), John Curtiss (0.78), JT Chargois/Trevor Hildenberger (0.98), Buddy Boshers (1.00), Marcus Walden (1.03), CK Irby (1.04). K/9: JT Chargois (14.0), Mike Theofanopoulos (13.3), Nick Anderson (13.0), John Curtiss (12.6), Luke Westphal (12.3), CK Irby (10.8). BB/9: Trevor Hildenberger (1.3), Nick Anderson (1.5), Brandon Kintzler (1.8), Buddy Boshers (2.4), Raul Fernandez (2.7), Logan Lombana/John Curtiss (2.8). K: Mike Theofanopoulos (30), John Curtiss/JT Chargois (27), Nick Anderson (26), CK Irby (22), Buddy Boshers/Luke Westphal (21). Saves: JT Chargois (8), Trevor Hildenberger (6), Marcus Walden (4), Three w/3. Click here to view the article

When a guy comes back from an injury, it’s a big deal. When a prospect comes back from two major surgeries, it is a really big deal. When a prospect who is capable of hitting 98 mph with a fastball returns after missing nearly two years, it is remarkable. When a prospect capable of hitting 98 returns and has what can only be called an incredible outing, it is very exciting. In the same game, one player knocked his first two home runs of the season. Two guys added their fourth homers of the season. And hey, Robbie Grossman debuted with the Twins and went 3-4 with a homer and three RBI.For much more on what happened on Friday in the Twins farm system, please continue. TRANSACTIONS It was a pretty quiet day on the transaction front on Friday with just one move announced. The Cedar Rapids Kernels added RHP Fernando Romero and sent Kuo Hua Lo to Extended Spring Training.RED WINGS REPORTRochester 1, Durham 4 Box Score This game was actually pushed forward a half-hour due to expected weather conditions later in the evening. The Red Wings scored one in the ninth inning, but that was it for them. They were facing Baseball America’s 2015 Minor League Player of the Year Blake Snell. The left-hander threw six shutout innings, allowing just three hits. He didn’t walk a batter and recorded ten strikeouts. Overall, the Red Wings had just five hits. Adam Brett Walker and James Beresford each had a single and a walk. Kennys Vargas had the lone extra-base hit, his sixth double. Logan Darnell started for the Red Wings. He was charged with four runs on ten hits over 5.1 innings. He didn’t walk any and struck out two. Buddy Boshers struck out four of the five batters he faced. Ryan O’Rourke had a walk and a hit allowed in his inning, but he did not give up a run. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 3, Jackson 2 Box Score Nick Greenwood was back on the mound for the Lookouts and had another terrific start. He gave up two runs - both in the 6th inning - on six hits over seven innings. He walked one and struck out three. Trevor Hildenberger came on and recorded his third save. He walked two and struck out one over two innings. Offensively, Dalton Hicks continued to lead the way. The slugger went 2-4 with his fourth home run of the year. Joe Maloney added a two-run triple. Zach Granite went 2-4. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 2, Tampa 8 Box Score Before the game, it was announced that Eduardo Escobar and Kyle Gibson would start rehab assignments with the Miracle. Gibson is expected to start on Saturday. Escobar made a start on Friday night. He batted second and played shortstop. He was 1-3 with a triple before leaving the game late (as planned). Max Murphy went 2-3 with a walk in the game. Alex Real added his fourth homer. Chris Paul reached double-digits in doubles with his tenth. Randy Rosario went just 4.2 innings, though he wasn’t helped by his defense. He gave up six runs but just two were earned. Still, he gave up seven hits and walked four in his outing. He did strike out four as well. John Curtiss had his best Miracle outing to date. He struck out two in 2.1 perfect innings. Luke Bard came in and struck out five over two innings. He gave up two unearned runs on a hit and two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Quad Cities 0 Box Score Two years ago at about this time, I was driving down to Cedar Rapids, excited because I was going to get to see lefty Lewis Thorpe and right-hander Fernando Romero, two very exciting, young pitching prospects. While getting some gas, I looked on my phone and noticed that Romero had been placed on the disabled list with an elbow issue. By the time I got to Cedar Rapids, people were pretty clear that he would be out for awhile. In June, Romero had Tommy John surgery. While rehabbing, he had knee injury that required surgery and cost him time. Fast-forward to tonight. The hard-throwing right-hander came back in style. He threw five innings without giving up a run. He didn’t walk a batter and no, he didn’t give up a hit. He struck out four. He finished with 63 pitches. Anthony McIver came in and kept the no-hitter intact into the 7th inning. He struck out four over three scoreless innings. He gave up two hits. Michael Cederoth worked a scoreless ninth. The top five hitters in the Kernels order provided most of the offense. Leadoff man Luis Arraez went 2-3 with two walks and his seventh double. Daniel Kihle led the way. He hit his first two Midwest League home runs. He drove in six runs in the game. LaMonte Wade went 2-5 and stole his fourth base. AJ Murray went 2-5. Five-hitter Zander Wiel went 3-5 in the game. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day –Fernando Romero, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Daniel Kihle, Cedar Rapids Kernels THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (5:35 CST) - RHP Jose Berrios Chattanooga @ Jackson (6:05 CST) - LHP David Hurlbut Tampa @ Ft. Myers (5:05 CST) – RHP Kyle Gibson (likely followed by Stephen Gonsalves) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – RHP Dereck Rodriguez Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Friday games. Click here to view the article

Well, that was anti-climatic!! HA!

Wow!! I know he only worked from the full windup, but his mechanics are remarkably consistent. Even between the FB and CB, it's very little alteration. That's encouraging! And, great stuff. Fastball jumps on the hitter, and that breaking ball looks sharp!

Agreed.

On Tuesday, Eddie Rosario was optioned to Rochester with newly-acquired Robbie Grossman filling his roster spot. There have been a ton of transactions in the minor leagues so far this year, but it all starts up top. Opening Day was just over six weeks ago. Generally speaking, teams like to make minimal transactions for at least the first sixty games of the season. The Twins will play their 40th game of the 2016 on Thursday, looking for their 11th win. They have filled the transactions lists. They have had several players placed on the DL. Most of the promotions and demotions have been on the roster's edges which makes sense for several reasons. Teams aren't looking to trade in early May so the players that teams might have interest in during June and particularly July won't bring back much at this time. A quick look at the wins Opening Day roster (again, just over six weeks ago) and comparing it to today shows just how much change over there has been.Let's break this out into positions. Let's start with the Hitters: OPENING DAY ROSTER C - Kurt Suzuki 1B - Joe Mauer 2B - Brian Dozier 3B - Trevor Plouffe SS - Eduardo Escobar LF - Eddie Rosario CF - Byron Buxton RF - Miguel Sano DH - Byung Ho Park Bench: John Ryan Murphy, Danny Santana, Oswaldo Arcia, Eduardo Nunez MAY 19 ROSTER C - Kurt Suzuki 1B - Joe Mauer 2B - Brian Dozier 3B - Trevor Plouffe SS - Eduardo Nunez LF - Oswaldo Arcia CF - Danny Santana RF - Miguel Sano DH - Byung Ho Park Bench: Juan Centeno, Jorge Polanco, Robbie Grossman, Darin Mastroianni HITTER SUMMARY There was so much optimism for this offense when spring training camp broke and they went to DC to play a couple of games against the Nationals. The offense has struggled at the things it did so well a year ago, especially in that 20-8 May. They aren't bunching hits together or hitting as well with Runners In Scoring Position. The strikeouts are high (though not as alarmingly so as they were early in the season. This list really doesn't look like as much change as one would think. The change is on the fringes. The veterans are still in there. Byung Ho Park has exceeded early-season expectations and has been good. Joe Mauer had a great April and is back to the 2014 and 2015 version so far in May. Brian Dozier's struggles since last year's All Star break continue. Eduardo Escobar in on the Disabled List. Trevor Plouffe has been just fine, but he missed time on the Disabled List too. We saw Max Kepler come up to the Twins just four games into the season. He sat on the bench most of the time. Jorge Polanco has already been up three times and aside from a few starts has been on the bench most of the time. Byron Buxton struck out in 49.0% of his plate appearances and had to be optioned. Eddie Rosario was given over 100 plate appearances to make some adjustments. It just wasn't happening. Oswaldo Arcia started taking some playing time from him. For awhile, he was very good, but he has slumped of late as well. John Ryan Murphy couldn't buy a hit, so he was finally optioned to Rochester after about a month. Juan Centeno, one of the better stories from spring training, was promoted. Eduardo Nunez has certainly been a success story. He was place in the lineup early in the year after some injuries and he has continued to hit all year. He's certainly earned his playing time, though it was injuries that gave it to him at first. He took advantage. Polanco and Mastroianni sit on the bench most days. It is perfectly fine for a veteran such as Mastroianni to sit on the bench, maybe making a start a week and playing defense in a couple more, but Polacno needs to play every day and should do so in Rochester until a move is made to clear some playing time for him. As I wrote earlier this week, the best thing for Buxton, Kepler, Polanco, Rosario, Murphy and other young players is to play a lot. To get repetitions on defense and get a lot of plate appearances. In fact, I wrote about that during the second week of the season when Polanco and Kepler were both sitting on the bench most every day. However, at some point, the organization needs to turn things over to the next group and hope that their talent takes over and they find success in conjunction with some of the veterans. Now let's take a look at the pitcher comparisons, starting with the starters. . OPENING DAY ROTATION SP - Ervin Santana SP - Phil Hughes SP - Tommy Milone SP - Kyle Gibson SP - Ricky Nolasco MAY 19 ROTATION SP - Ervin Santana SP - Phil Hughes SP - Ricky Nolasco SP - Tyler Duffey SP - Pat Dean STARTER SUMMARY By just looking at the list, it doesn't look dramatically different, but there are a few things to note. First, who had Pat Dean in the starting rotation six weeks into the season? Ervin Santana missed 15 days with some back issues. Kyle Gibson has been on the DL with a shoulder strain. Phil Hughes let it be known after his most recent start that he has been experiencing what they're calling "shoulder fatigue." While it isn't an injury, anyone who has played is aware of what is often called "Dead Arm." It can strike at any time and is a phase, often short-term, where a pitcher just isn't feeling right and able to air things out in the same way as "normal." Hughes has been continuing to pitch while working with the training staff. Those were supposed to be the three givens at the top of the rotation. Tommy Milone pitched well in spring training and entered the season as the #4 starter. He struggled to be able to eat many innings early in the season and was eventually moved into the bullpen. After just an appearance out of the bullpen, he was place on waivers. He was able to clear waivers and is now in the Rochester rotation and off of the 40-man roster. Ricky Nolasco beat out Tyler Duffey for the fifth spot in the rotation and looked good his first few starts. He's struggled since then. It wasn't long before Duffey was back in the big leagues. Right now, he's clearly the Twins top starting pitcher again, as he was over his final nine starts in 2015. Jose Berrios reached the big leagues and made four starts. He struggled in the first, and despite continued control problems, he pitched well in his second and third starts. However, on Monday in Detroit, he recorded just two outs and gave up seven runs. Most alarming, he walked four batters. Following the game, he was sent back to Rochester. Pat Dean is set to make his first MLB start on Saturday. He came into the game to replace Berrios and pitched into the 7th inning. The southpaw should get a couple of starts before Kyle Gibson returns from the Disabled List. The starters began the season by pitching well for the first time or two through the rotation, but since then injury and inconsistency has taken over. THE BULLPEN OPENING DAY ROSTER CL - Glen Perkins RP - Kevin Jepsen RP - Trevor May RP - Ryan Pressly RP - Casey Fien RP - Fernando Abad RP - Michael Tonkin MAY 19 ROSTER CL - Kevin Jepsen RP - Trevor May RP - Ryan Pressly RP - Michael Tonkin RP - Fernando Abad RP - Brandon Kintzler RP - Taylor Rogers BULLPEN SUMMARY Less than a week into the season, Glen Perkins went on the DL with a shoulder strain and hasn't been able return yet. There still is no timeline for his return. Since then, everyone has moved up one spot. It hasn't gone well. Kevin Jepsen has been unreliable in the close role. Trevor May has been a strikeout machine in the bullpen, but he has struggled his last couple of outings. Ryan Pressly was good the first few weeks but has struggled the last month. Michael Tonkin has certainly had ups and downs all season. Fernando Abad has been very good most of his times out all season. Casey Fien was also placed on waivers at the same time as Tommy Milone. Fien was claimed by the Dodgers who then placed him on waivers and when he cleared they sent him to AAA. JR Graham got one appearance before being DFAd and traded to the Yankees. Ryan O'Rourke was DFAd at the same time. He cleared waivers and is pitching well again at Rochester. He actually continued to pitch well against left-handers, as he has his entire career. Brandon Kintzler was brought in on a minor league contract. He came up when Graham and Fien were let go. Taylor Rogers is already up for the second time. The first time was when Perkins was DLd. He pitched just once and was sent back down. With Dean moving into the rotation, the Twins needed a long reliever and Rogers got the call again. ROSTER SUMMARY The Twins have averaged one player sent to the Disabled List each week so far this season including two players in the Opening Day lineup and two in their Opening Day starting rotation. Their closer has been on the Disabled List almost all season. Three of the four bench players on Opening Day are now starting due to injury or poor play. Fien and Milone were already placed on waivers. Two other bullpen guys have been DFAd. To this point, the changes have been on the fringes. Changes made (non-DL moves) have been at the back end of the rotation and the bullpen and with the young hitters that have struggled. The veterans (who are healthy) remain on the roster. Of course, that is subject to change in the coming months as the Twins are clearly "Sellers" at this point in the season and fans look to 2017 and beyond. In my most recent article, I wrote that the Twins should turn over the roster to the future August 1st. That was an arbitrary date. There's no reason at this point to wait to make deals until the July 31st deadline if any present themselves sooner Until then, we will watch Robbie Grossman, Danny Santana and Miguel Sano in the Twins outfield while an outfield of Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler. That is the group that will be fun to watch and think about going forward, especially should Miguel Sano move back to third base. There have been a lot of transactions and the season is just six weeks old. However, the Twins have ten wins and have been swept eight times already. It is likely there will be a lot more transactions before this season is over. Will there be many more wins? Click here to view the article

The Twins season continues to topple downhill, but there is a lot of positive going on in the Twins minor league system. A former Twins player has quite the impressive streak going in Rochester. A couple of impressive streaks continued down in Cedar Rapids for a couple of guys who could be in Ft. Myers soon. Another pitcher made his debut for the Kernels. As normal this year, there were a few transactions.Continue to read everything that happened in the big leagues on Wednesday. . TRANSACTIONS There were also a couple of transactions of note since the last minor league report: The Twins lost again, and after the game, Eddie Rosario was optioned to AAA Rochester.Taking Rosario’s spot on the Twins roster will be outfielder Robbie Grossman. The former top prospect of the Astros was released by Cleveland (at his request) just a couple of days ago. On Monday, he signed with the Twins and played for Rochester. On Tuesday, the still-just 26-year-old learned he was joining the Twins.In case you missed it: Cedar Rapids placed C/IF/OF Rafael Valera on the disabled list. RHP Williams Ramirez, our choice for Short-Season Twins Minor League Pitcher of the Year in 2015, was brought up from extended spring. Jeff Johnson, from The Gazette in Cedar Rapids, also reported that RHP Fernando Romero is in Cedar Rapids though he has not yet been activated.RED WINGS REPORT Rochester 7, Charlotte 6 (10 innings) Box Score Max Kepler and Kennys Vargas singled to start the 10th inning. Two batters later, Tommy Field grounded out to short and Kepler scored what proved to be the winning run. Kennys Vargas went 2-5. He hit a two-run homer in the first inning for the second straight game. It was also the fourth straight game in which he has homered. According to Red Wings play-by-play man Josh Whetzel, he became the first Red Wing to accomplish that since Sam Horn in 1990. It was his sixth home run of the season which ties him with Daniel Palka for the Twins minor league lead. Kepler went 3-5 in the game and is now hitting .256 with the Red Wings. Wilfredo Tovar went 2-4 with a walk. Stephen Wickens went 2-4. James Beresford hit his eighth double and walked once. Buck Britton hit his second home run. David Martinez made another start. He gave up four runs on five hits and two walks in 6.2 innings. He struck out eight. Alex Wimmers gave up two runs on three hits in 1.1 innings. Ryan O’Rourke threw 1.1 innings without allowing a run. Marcus Walden came in to get the final two outs and record his third save. CHATTANOOGA CHATTER Chattanooga 4, Biloxi 5 Box Score As most minor league teams do, the Lookouts played a morning game. It is often called “Education Day” and the stands are full of elementary age kids. Dalton Hicks woke up ready to hit. The powerful first baseman went 4-5 and drove in two runs for the Lookouts. Unfortunately, it wasn’t quite enough in this game. Ryan Eades made the start and put together another quality start. The right-hander gave up three runs over the game’s first six innings. He gave up six hits, walked none and struck out six. Jake Reed came in to a 3-3 game in the top of the seventh. He gave up two runs in that inning but worked a scoreless eighth frame. Trevor Hildenberger worked a scoreless ninth. Hicks certainly led the Lookouts offense with his 4-5 day. Joe Maloney hit his ninth and tenth doubles in four at-bats. He also walked once. Shannon Wilkerson added two hits from the leadoff spot. MIRACLE MATTERS Ft. Myers 3, Dunedin 5 Box Score Brian Navarreto came into this game with five hits in 49 at-bats (.102) on the season. He led the Miracle offense with a three-hit game on Wednesday. Max Murphy went 2-4 including a solo home run. It is his fourth Miracle home run in just his 17th game in the Florida State League since his promotion. Nick Gordon and Trey Vavra each added a single. That was it for the offense. It was Keaton Steele’s turn on the mound on Wednesday. The right-hander from Missouri went the first six innings. He gave up four runs on ten hits. He walked one and struck out two. Yorman Landa came in and gave up one run over the final two innings. He gave up four hits, walked one and struck out one. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 8, Beloit 0 Box Score Randy LeBlanc was at it again on Wednesday night. The lanky right-hander completed six shutout innings and has now accumulated 28 consecutive scoreless innings. He wasn’t even at his best. He gave up four hits, walked three and only struck out one. His ERA drops to 0.78. CK Irby came on in relief. He walked one and gave up a hit, but he struck out three in a scoreless inning. Williams Ramirez came on for his Midwest League debut. He threw two perfect innings and struck out three. Daniel Kihle led the offense with a three-hit game and a walk. Jorge Fernandez hit his seventh an eighth doubles. Zander Wiel was 2-4 with a run batted in. Alex Perez was terrific in the leadoff spot. He went 1-2 with three walks. Luis Arraez drove in two with a double, his sixth. LaMonte Wade had a two-run single. The hit extended his on-base streak to 19 games. TWINS DAILY PLAYERS OF THE DAY Twins Daily Minor League Pitcher of the Day – Randy LeBlanc, Cedar Rapids Kernels Twins Daily Minor League Hitter of the Day – Dalton Hicks, Chattanooga Lookouts THURSDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Rochester @ Durham (6:05 CST) - LHP Jason Wheeler Chattanooga @ Jackson (7:05 CST) - RHP DJ Baxendale Ft. Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 CST) – RHP Felix Jorge Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 CST) – LHP Sam Clay Please feel free to ask any questions and discuss the Wednesday games. Click here to view the article

April, May and maybe half of June, at most.