Seth Stohs

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Sam Armstrong) TRANSACTIONS These transactions often come in a few days after they happen, but in recent days, the Twins have released four players from the DSL Twins roster. They released pitchers Brandy Ceballos, Jeicol Surumay, and Marlon Mirabal, and outfielder Cristian Bonifacio. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 2, Louisville 4 Box Score Saints Face Old Friend, Old Friend Wins There was no score through two innings. Then the Saints scored two in the top of the third. With one out, Walker Jenkins beat out a slow roller to second base for a single. Gabriel Gonzalez followed with a single to right. Jenkins went to third, and when the throw went beyond the third baseman, he ran home with the first run. After an Aaron Sabato single, Gonzalez scored on a single by Carson McCusker to give the team a 2-0 lead. John Klein was on the mound to start for the Saints. He put two zeroes on the board. Then with the lead, he got the first two outs of the third inning. However, a double, a hit batter, and a walk loaded the bases. After a wild pitch, a two-run single gave the bats the 3-2 lead. He gave up a single to lead off the bottom of the fourth, but he responded by striking out the next three players, each with big-league service time. On the night, Klein went four innings. He gave up three runs on four hits, a walk, and a hit batter. He also had seven more strikeouts. Overall this season, the 23-year-old has 121 strikeouts in 98 1/3 innings. Unfortunately, the Saints offense was done scoring runs. Jarret Whorff came on and gave up one run on two hits over two innings. He struck out three batters. Pierson Ohl tossed two scoreless innings and struck out two batters. Hitting third and fourth in the Saints lineup, Walker Jenkins and Gabriel Gonzalez went 2-for-4. Each hit his third double with the Saints as well. Jhonny Pereda was also 2-for-4. By the way, the starting pitcher for Louisville in this game was #OldFriend Charlie Barnes. The southpaw was the Twins fourth-round pick in 2017 out of Clemson. In 2021, he pitched for the Saints and then made nine appearances (8 starts) for the Twins. He signed with the Lotte Giants for the 2022 season. Over three seasons, he went 32-28 with a 3.42 ERA. He made eight more starts for the Giants this season before he had a shoulder injury. Because Korean teams can only have three “foreign” players, if a guy gets hurt, he is usually released. That’s what happened to Barnes. In early August, he signed a minor-league deal with the Reds. He’s been building back up over his first three starts. On Thursday against his former team, he gave up two runs on eight hits over six innings and earned the Win. WIND SURGE WISDOM Game 1: Wichita 2, Tulsa 0 Box Score Armstrong, Paredes Combine for Two-Hit Shutout The Twins traded two months of Willi Castro in exchange for two Double-A starting pitchers. In Game 1, Sam Armstrong started and was fantastic! He tossed five innings of shutout baseball. He gave up just one hit and one walk ,and he had four strikeouts. The Wind Surge gave him a little run support in the first inning. Kaelen Culpepper led off with a single. With one out, he went to third on a single by Hendry Mendez. Ricardo Olivar put the team on the board with another single to make it 1-0. With two outs, Ben Ross singled to center which drove in Mendez and made it 2-0. That was it for Surge runs scored, so fortunately Armstrong was great. The final two innings went to a reliever who has been great all season, Mike Paredes. He struck out four batters and maintained the shutout to record his sixth save of the season. Culpepper went 2-for-3. Ross was also 2-for-3. Game 2: Wichita 5, Tulsa 14 Box Score Kaelen Culpepper Drills 20th HR of Season in Loss C.J. Culpepper has been really good in most of his starts this season. In August, he had three starts in which he gave up zero runs. His previous three starts all went five innings. On Thursday, we were reminded that he is human. He gave up six runs on nine hits and three walks over just 3 2/3 innings. Four of those runs came in the fourth inning. He had three strikeouts. John Stankiewicz has been strong since was signed after the 2020 draft. He gave up three runs on three hits and a walk in 1 1/3 innings. Jaylen Nowlin came on and gave up one run on two hits and a walk in his inning. Jacob Wosinski gave up four runs on four hits and a walk in his inning. Thankfully, as part of the doubleheader, it was just a seven-inning game. In this game, the Surge faced lefty Jackson Ferris, one of the top pitching prospects in the Dodgers system. Down 2-0 going to the bottom of the third inning, Maddux Houghton cut the lead in half with his first Wichita homer. With one out, Kaelen Culpepper hit his 11th Wind Surge homer to tie the game at 2-2. The Drillers scored the next seven runs which made it 9-2. The Surge got a run in the bottom of the fifth inning when Kala’i Rosario drove in Kyle Hess. Fast-forward to the bottom of the seventh inning. Now down 14-3, Wichita added two runs to their total. Kaelen Culpepper led off with a walk and scored on Kala’i Rosario’s 27th double. Ricardo Oliver and Andrew Cossetti walked to load the bases before Ross drove in the final run with a sacrifice fly. Rosario was 2-for-4 with a double and his 26th stolen base. Nate Baez was 2-for-3 with a walk. Kaelen Culpepper was 1-for-3 with a walk and a home run. In addition to it giving him 11 with the Surge, he had nine in Cedar Rapids. A little math tells us that he has now reached 20 home runs this season, joining Kyler Fedko (26), Kala’i Rosario (25), Carson McCusker (22), and Aaron Sabato (21) as Twins prospects to reach that milestone this season. The doubleheader split means that there is no change in the standings. Heading into the weekend, Tulsa is 35-25 and Wichita is 34-26. Springfield is four games ahead of Tulsa, but they won the first half title. So, Tulsa and Wichita are facing each other for three more games. Next week is the final week of the regular season. The Wind Surge will play at Corpus Christi. They are 23-37 in the second half. Tulsa will be hosting Arkansas next week. They are 30-30 in the second half. Should be fun to watch, and great for the minor leaguers to get to play “playoff-like” baseball games late in the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Quad Cities 5 (10 innings) Box Score Amick, Urbina Power Kernels to Win This was a back-and-forth game in Davenport on Thursday night, and it wasn’t decided until 10 innings were completed. The game started with two scoreless innings, but then the Kernels broke the tie in the top of the third when Misael Urbina led off the inning with his fourth home run of the season. Billy Amick pushed the lead to 2-0 an inning later when he led off with his third homer of the year. Adrian Bohorquez started for the Kernels and went the first five innings. He started with four zeroes and then gave up a run in the fifth inning. Over those five innings, he gave up just the one run on two hits and a walk. He also had five strikeouts. Jacob Kisting started the sixth inning. He only recorded one out. He gave up two runs and left the game with the bases loaded. Nick Trabacchi came on and got the final two outs, but not before two inherited runners scored. Heading to the seventh inning, the River Bandits had a 5-2 lead. In the top of the seventh, Eduardo Tait led off with a double, his eighth in 28 games with the Kernels. He moved to third base on a ground out and scored on a single by Danny De Andrade. After a pitching change, Poncho Ruiz singled. After a wild pitch put runners on second and third, Urbina singled to drive in two runs and tie the game at 5-5. Brennen Oxford came in and pitched a scoreless seventh inning. Ruddy Gomez struck out four batters over two hitless innings. That sent the game to extra innings. In the top of the 10th, Urbina started at second base. Jaime Ferrer’s 20th double drove him in to make it 6-5. Ferrer advanced to third base on a deep fly ball to center by Jefferson Valladares. Kyle DeBarge walked, and Ferrer scored on a wild pitch. Bill Amick provided the final punch with his fourth Kernels home run which made it 9-5. Paulshawn Pasqualotto started the bottom of the 10th inning with a walk. After a line out, he struck out the next two batters to give the Kernels another win. Amick went 2-for-5 and doubled his season home run total to four. He drove in three runs. Urbina went 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. De Andrade went 2-for-5. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, St. Lucie 3 Box Score Sprock Drives in 4 to Lead Mussels; Hilker Dominant Pro Debut The St. Lucie Mets were the division champs in the first half and in the second half and likely are the favorites when the Florida State League playoffs start next week. In this game, the Mets scored two right away in the top of the first inning. The Mussels got on the board in the bottom of the third innings when Ian Daugherty hit his second home run to make it 2-1. With one out in the bottom of the fourth, Quentin Young and Enrique Jimenez walked. With two outs, Ryan Sprock knocked his second pro homer to give the Mussels a 4-2 lead. Christian Becerra made the start and tossed the first four innings. He gave up two runs on six hits. He also struck out four batters. 2025 draft pick Michael Hilker came in for the fifth inning. He had two strikeouts and fielded a bunt. He got another strikeout in the sixth inning. The first pro outing for Hilker was certainly a success. Six batters faced. Six outs. Three strikeouts. Oh, and the first Win as a pro. Ian Daugherty led off the fifth inning with a walk and went to second on a wild pitch. With one out, Bruin Agbayani walked. Quentin Young drove in the fifth run with a sacrifice fly. Enrique Jimenez singled Agbayani to third base. After Eduardo Beltre walked to load the bases, there was a pitching change. Ryan Sprock came to the plate and took a walk to drive in the sixth run of the game. Zander Sechrist gave up an unearned run on two hits in the seventh inning. Sam Rochard struck out two batters over the final two innings to record his second save. Ryan Sprock went 2-for-3 with a three-run homer, and an RBI walk. Quentin Young recorded his first professional hit, a solid single to right field. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Billy Amick (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-5, 2 HR(4), 2 R, 3 RBI, K. Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 3-for-6, BB, HR(11), 3 R, RBI, K. Ryan Sprock (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, BB, HR(2), R, 4 RBI, K. Pitcher of the Day Sam Armstrong (Wichita): 5 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 4 K, 61 pitches, 39 strikes (63.9%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. Notice the updated Top 20 prospect rankings. There were a few guys who moved a few spots and there are some new names at the back end. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B(3), R, 2 K. (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 4-for-5, 2 R, RBI, SB(9), (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - Game 1: 2-for-3, R; Game 2: 1-for-3, BB, HR(11), 2 R, RBI, K (played SS both games) #4 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2B(8), R, 2 K (caught) #5 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Rehab in FM: 0-for-4, 3 K (played CF) #10 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, 2B(3), R, K (DHd) #13 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5 (played SS) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, R, K, CS(8) (played CF) #18 - Quentin Young (Fort Myers) - 1-for-3, BB, R, RBI, K (played SS) #19 - Kyler Fedko (St. Paul) - 1-for-5, K, OF Assist (played LF) #20 - C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 3 2/3 IP, 9 H, 6 ER, 3 BB, 3 K, 73 pitches, 49 strikes (67.1%) TOMORROW’S PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Louisville (6:15 PM CT) - RHP Mick Abel (7-2, 2.22 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-3, 11.49 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CT) - RHP Chase Chaney (7-4, 3.56 ERA) St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CT) - LHP Michael Carpenter (0-6, 5.18 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 62-78 St. Paul Saints: 58-75 (25-35 second half) Wichita Wind Surge: 71-58 (34-26 second half) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 71-58 (29-31 second half) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 51-72 (24-35 second half) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) 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

Rumor is Billy Amick listened... and then doubled his season HR total.

Walker JenkinsEduardo TaitLuke KeaschallKaelen CulpepperMick AbelEmmanuel RodriguezGabriel GonzalezKendry RojasAndrew MorrisBrandon WinokurCharlee SotoDasan HillQuentin YoungMarco RayaRiley QuickMarek HoustonHendry MendezKhadim DiawEduardo BeltreSantiago Castellanos

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Kala'i Rosario) For the second straight week, the Mussels had games cancelled on Sunday. Their season includes just one more week of games, at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers if you want to go. TRANSACTIONS There were a few moves on Sunday morning. Connor Prielipp was activated from the Development List for St. Paul, and Aaron Rozek was put on the Development List. Ricardo Olivar was activated from Wichita’s IL. Michael Martinez was placed on their Development List. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Toledo 2 Box Score Pablo Lopez is Ready After Strong Rehab Start. Saints Lose Late. It was a Triple-A pitching matchup for the ages! Pablo Lopez, making his third rehab start, was on the mound for the Saints. The home team Toledo Mudhens starter was long-time friend Randy Dobnak. Dobnak, who went 8-5 with a 3.12 ERA over 75 innings for the Twins in 2019 and 2020, was traded to the Tigers last month with Chris Paddack. On Sunday, he faced several of his literal #OldFriends with the Saints. “Dobber” tossed five scoreless innings. He gave up just two hits. He walked three and had three strikeouts. Pablo Lopez was even a little bit better. He tossed 5 2/3 scoreless innings. He gave up four hits, walked just one and had seven strikeouts. The pitcher who came in for the Mudhens after Dobnak was another long-time friend, Jordan Balazovic. He tossed a scoreless sixth inning. In the seventh, the Saints were able to get on the scoreboard. Carson McCusker led off with a solid single to left. He advanced to second base on a fielding error by another former Twins friend Akil Baddoo. After a strikeout, Jonah Bride singled to center to drive in McCusker with the unearned run. Lopez faced two batters in the sixth inning and got both out. With 82 pitches thrown, his night (and presumably his rehab assignment) is now over (though obviously not officially until he can pitch next and gets added back to the Twins roster. Lefty Connor Prielipp came on in relief. He struck out Jace Jung to end that inning. Baddoo led off the seventh with a single which was followed by another single. After a strikeout, Prielipp coaxed Kevin Newman into hitting into an inning-ending double play. Prielipp struck out two and got a ground out in a scoreless eighth which was only interrupted by a Parker Meadows walk. Prielipp was back out there for the bottom of the ninth inning. Jung led off with a single, and Baddoo moved him to third on another single. After a strikeout, Trei Cruz singled to drive in Jung and tie the game at 1-1. Next, Newman lined a single to center which scored Baddoo with the game-ending run. The Saints did very little on offense. Jonah Bride had three of the team’s five hits. Walker Jenkins had two of the Saints’ four walks. He was also hit by a pitch and stole his first Triple-A base. Gabriel Gonzalez had a single and a walk. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Arkansas 3 Box Score Surge Power Their Way to a Sweep of the Travelers On Sunday, Wichita grabbed an early lead, but when the Travelers came back, the Wind Surge put together a three-run inning to reclaim the lead and complete the six-game sweep over Arkansas. Wichita got on the board first when Andrew Cossetti drilled a leadoff home run to start the bottom of the second inning. He now has 11 on the season. With two outs in the fourth inning, Nate Baez hit his fifth homer to make it 2-0. Ricky Castro started for the home team. He tossed 3 1/3 scoreless innings. He gave up one hit, walked two and struck out two batters. Jacob Wosinski came into the fourth inning with two runners on base, but he kept both from scoring. He gave up one run in the fifth inning. Kade Bragg, who got the final out of the fifth frame, gave up a two-run homer in the top of the sixth inning that put Arkansas on top 3-2. But the Surge punched back with power. Kala’i Rosario led off the bottom of the sixth with his 24th home run of the season to tie the game. It also tied him for the franchise record for home runs in a season. What an August for Kala'i! With one out, Cossetti walked. He went to third on a Baez double. With two outs, Ben Ross drove in both with a double to give the Surge a 5-3 lead. The Surge added an insurance run in the seventh when Harry Genth scored on a Baez walk. Baez was the fourth Wichita player to walk that inning. John Stankiewicz worked a scoreless seventh inning, and Mike Paredes picked up his fifth save with four strikeouts over his two innings. Baez led the way. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, his eighth double and his fifth home run. Ben Ross was 3-for-4 with his 14th and 15th doubles; the latter gave his team a lead that they never gave up. With the sweep, the Wind Surge are 12 games over .500, their best mark of the season. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 2, Beloit 1 Box Score Win the 2nd Inning, Win the Game There were 17 half-innings played in Cedar Rapids on Sunday afternoon. Zero runs were scored in 15 of them. Nine innings were played in Cedar Rapids on Sunday afternoon. Zero runs were scored in eight of them. Sometimes the game can be won or lost in the second inning. Ty Langenberg has been pitching quite well of late. He gave up just one run on three hits and two walks over six innings. He had four strikeouts. Chase Chaney tossed three scoreless innings to close out the game and record his first save of the season. He gave up two hits and struck out three batters. Both teams went 1-2-3 in the first inning, so let’s take a look at the second frame. Langenberg walked the leadoff batter, but then he struck out the next two batters. After a stolen base, Jay Beshears doubled to drive in Beloit’s run. The bottom of the second began with a strikeout. Misael Urbina followed with his fourth triple of the season. He scored on a Poncho Ruiz single to center. After a second out, Jaime Ferrer singled Ruiz to second. Jefferson Valladares followed with his fourth double which drove in Ruiz and gave the Kernels the 2-1 lead. Frankly after that, there were very few scoring chances. Very few base runners. In the fifth inning, Kyle DeBarge singled and stole his 63rd base. He went to third on a wild pitch but was unable to score. The Kernels got two runners on (walk, hit batter) in the sixth. The Sky Carp had two singles in the top of the eighth inning but didn’t get a runner past second. Pitching was the story of the game, and Ty Langenberg and Chase Chaney were terrific. But so was the defense. Yes, there were strikeouts, but also a lot of ground ball outs, forced outs, double plays and a couple of caught steals. Six Kernels had one hit. There were three players who had a walk. Ruiz was the only Kernel with one hit and one walk. Valladares had the lone double, and Misael Urbina had the lone triple. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers/Dunedin (cancelled) Box Score As per usual, baseball in August is always a question mark down in Florida. Sunday’s series finale in Dunedin was cancelled due to rain. So, the Mussels season road record was 25-39. They return to Hammond Stadium on Tuesday to host the St. Lucie Mets for, hopefully, six more games. And that will make the end of the Mussels 2025 season. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Nate Baez (Wichita): 2-for-3, BB, 2B(8), HR(5), 2 R, 2 RBI, Pitcher of the Day Ty Langenberg (Cedar Rapids): 6 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 2 BB, 4 K, 81 pitches, 55 strikes (61.6%) Chase Chaney (Cedar Rapids): 3 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 BB, 3 K, 51 pitches, 32 strikes (62.7%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-for-1, 2 BB, HBP, (DHd) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-2, BB, HBP, 2 R, RBI (played 2B) #5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (DHd) #6 - Connor Prielipp (St.Paul ) - 2 2/3 IP, 6 H, 2 ER, 1 BB, 5 K, 53 pitches, 34 strikes (64.2%) #7 - Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - Sunday reports from multiple people tell me that Hill is fine and will make his next start. #11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-3, BB (played LF) #13 - Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, K (played SS) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, K, SB(63) (played CF) #20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, SB(2) (played LF) WHAT’S NEXT? MONDAY White Sox @ Minnesota (1:10 PM CT) - TBD (4 game home series) TUESDAY St. Paul @ Louisville (5:35 PM CT) - LHP Kendry Rojas (1-1, 5.40 ERA) vs RHP Chase Petty (4-11, 5.77 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CT) - TBD St. Lucie @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CT) - TBD CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 62-74 St. Paul Saints: 58-72 (25-32 second half) Wichita Wind Surge: 69-57 (32-25 second half) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 69-57 (29-31 second half) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 49-71 (22-34 second half) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) 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

sounds like Hill is just fine. Just had some tightness in his forearm. I don't know if they imaged it. I tried to get the opinion of multiple people but everything came back that he is just fine. I still think it'd be OK to shut him down for the season.

Hey all, I finished writing this around midnight last night... Did I really not publish it until now?!?! If so, my apologies.

Image courtesy of David Malamut It was a rough day for the Twins and their affiliates. But usually with the bad comes some good. Usually. For instance, Mick Abel had another rough outing for the Twins. On the other side, Taj Bradley was good. He gave up just one run in and struck out six batters in five innings. Byron Buxton hit his 28th home run. James Outman had two hits, and so did Trevor Larnach after his three hits on Friday night. Maybe most positive, Ryan Fitzgerald pitched a 1-2-3 inning! I mention that as a reminder that with the minor league games too, you can find good in the bad most of the time. There were a few rough games in the organization on Saturday night, but in each, there is something to hang onto. Wichita was the only affiliate to win on Saturday, but the biggest news of the day came out of Cedar Rapids. TRANSACTIONS None. Really. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Toledo 13 Box Score Saints Stifled and Tormented in Toledo. It was a rough one in Toledo. Pierson Ohl made his first appearance since coming back from the Twins. In three innings, he gave up three runs on four hits. He walked none and had five strikeouts. Jarret Whorff came on for the fourth inning. He recorded just two outs and was charged with six runs on six hits and two walks. Marco Raya came on with two runners on and issued a walk to load the bases before he got the final out without additional runs scored. However, he was in early season form unfortunately. In the fifth inning, Raya gave up two runs on two walks and a double. He came back out for the sixth inning. He walked the first two batters he faced before Darren McCaughan came on and struck out the next three batters. Raya’s final line was two runs on one hit and five walks in 1 1/3 innings. McCaughan worked two innings and gave up two runs (1 earned) on two hits and a walk. He struck out five. Erasmo Ramirez walked one in a scoreless inning in his first appearance since accepting the assignment to St. Paul. The Saints lone run came in the top of the sixth. Payton Eeles led off with a single. With one out, he moved up to second on a Gabriel Gonzalez single. DaShawn Keirsey singled to drive in Eeles with the lone run. The Saints had seven hits and two walks. Gonzalez went 3-for-4. Eeles was 2-for-3 with a walk. The bottom four in the Saints lineup accounted for 12 of the Saints 16 strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 5, Arkansas 2 Box Score Wichita Surges Ahead Early and Hangs on to Win The Wind Surge jumped out to an early 5-0 lead after two innings. That was about it for the offense, but the pitching staff held on to the lead the rest of the way. After a 31-minute rain delay the game started with Alejandro Hidalgo faced three batters in a scoreless top of the first inning. In the bottom of the first, Kaelen Culpepper and Kala’i Rosario started things with singles. Hendry Mendez laid down a sacrifice to advance runners to second and third base. Nate Baez grounded to second, and Culpepper beat a throw to the plate leaving runners on first and third. Andrew Cossetti singled to drive in the second run. With two outs, Jake Rucker singled to drive in Baez with the third run. Then with one out in the second inning, Maddux Houghton singled. Culpepper followed with a walk. Rosario singled to center to drive in Houghton, and then Mendez singled to drive in Culpepper and make it 5-0. That was it for the Surge scoring. Then it came down to the pitching, and they were good. Hidalgo gave up just one run on five hits in 4 2/3 innings. He had three strikeouts and no walks. Gabriel Yanez gave up one run on three hits in 1 1/3 innings. Logan Whitaker and Jaylen Nowlin each struck out two batters in a scoreless inning. Tanner Andrews picked up his second save with a scoreless ninth inning. Kaelen Culpepper went 3-for-3 with a walk. Kala’i Rosario was 2-for-5. Hendry Mendez was 2-for-3 with a walk and the sacrifice bunt. Jake Rucker was 2-for-2 with two walks. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 1, Beloit 6 Box Score Dasan Hill Sets Career-High Strikeout Mark in 3 2/3 Innings, Leaves with Injury Dasan Hill was back on the mound for the Kernels on Saturday, and he looked really good. The lanky left tossed three scoreless innings and gave up just two hits. He struck out one batter in the first inning, three batters in the second inning, two more in the third inning. In the fourth inning, he gave up a leadoff walk. He proceeded to strike out the next two batters, even though he didn’t quite look right. The second strikeout of the fourth inning came on an 84-mph changeup. But when he caught the throw back from the pitcher, he grimaced. He walked across the mound and looked in the dugout. Quickly, pitching coach Argenis Angulo was on the mound talking to the southpaw. Soon after, he called up manager Brian Meyer and the trainer. When the ump got to the mound, Angulo pointed to his elbow. When the manager got to the mound, Angulo pointed at Hill’s outer elbow. The trainer talked to him and checked things out. It didn’t take long for Meyer to look toward his bullpen and call on another pitcher. (the following are screenshots from MILB.com) It’s hard to read what happened, to be honest. We're talking about tightness in his forearm; it has to be a must to remove the pitcher from the game immediately. Hill appeared to be disappointed to leave the game, which seems positive. However, the next step will be to get some imaging done. We can hold our collective breaths. Brennen Oxford came on to replace Hill with a runner on second base. He gave up a walk and a double steal. That was followed by another walk. And then a balk drove in the inherited runner to score. The next two batters drove in runs with singles to make it 3-0. On a positive note, Marek Houston led off the bottom of the fourth with his first Kernels home run. And that was about it for the Kernels offense. Jaime Ferrer hit his 18th double, and Poncho Ruiz hit a single. Three hits, two walks. One hit batter. Just one run. Spencer Bengard came in to start the fifth inning and gave up two unearned runs over three innings. He had three strikeouts. Nick Trabacchi gave up a run on a solo homer and had two strikeouts in two innings. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Dunedin 6 Box Score Enrique Jimenez Keeps Hitting, but Mussels Offense Goes Quiet Enrique Jimenez hit a single and a double in his four at-bats on Saturday night. Those were the only two hits for the Mussels in the game. Yilber Herrera walked and stole base. He had the Mussels only walk in the game. The Mussels had a season-high 16 strikeouts in the game. That is the offensive piece of this game recap. (Read that however you will.) The pitching wasn’t actually too bad. Joel Garcia drops to 0-3 with the Mussels, but he gave up just one run on four hits and a walk. He had three strikeouts. Tyler Stasiowski gave up one run on four hits and a walk over two innings. Jakob Hall gave up only a solo home run in his inning. Will Armbruester was charged with three runs (1 earned) on three hits in the eighth inning. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita): 3-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 R Pitcher of the Day Alejandro Hidalgo (Wichita): 4 2/3 IP, 5 H, 1 ER, 3 K, 63 pitches, 45 strikes (61.6%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (St. Paul) - 0-for-4, K, (played RF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, SB, (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 3-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 R (played SS) #5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, E (caught) #7 - Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 3 2/3 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 2 BB, 8 K, 74 pitches, 45 strikes (60.8%) #8 - Mick Abel (Minnesota) - 1 IP, 7 H, 6 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K, 59 pitches, 37 strikes (62.7%) #11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 3-for-4, (played LF) #12 - Marco Raya (St. Paul) - 1 1/3 IP, 1 H, 2 ER, 5 BB, 2 K, 53 pitches, 26 strikes (49.1%) #13 - Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, HR(1), R, RBI, K, E (played SS) #14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (played CF) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, K (played 2B) #20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 2-for-3, BB, SH, BB, RBI (played LF) SUNDAY PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (5:05 PM CT) - RHP Pablo Lopez (0-2, 4.35 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (1:05 PM CT) - RHP Ricky Castro (3-3, 5.19 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (1:05 PM CT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (4-5, 4.30 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (11:00 AM CT) - RHP Xavier Kolhosser (0-1, 9.00 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 61-74 St. Paul Saints: 58-71 (25-31 second half, 7th in IL West, 14 GB) Wichita Wind Surge: 68-57 (31-25 second half, 3rd in Texas Lg North, 4 GB) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 68-57 (28-31 second half, T-3rd in MWL West, 4.5 GB, first half winner) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 49-71 (22-34 second half 6th in FSL West, 9.5 GB) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 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Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of CJ Culpepper) TRANSACTIONS The Mussels placed OF Jacob McCombs on the 7-Day Injured List with spasms in his left quad. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Toledo 2 Box Score Klein Shines in First Saints Start, but Offense Falls Short in Toledo John Klein made his first start (fourth appearance) for the Saints since his promotion from Wichita, and it was a good one, going six innings, giving up just two runs (one earned), and striking out six. But he fell to 0-2 with the Saints behind a quiet offense. The Mudhens grabbed a 2-0 lead in the bottom of the second inning. The Saints got on the scoreboard in the top of the fourth inning on Gabriel Gonzalez’s fourth Saints homer. The 21-year-old appears to really enjoy hitting in Toledo. Gonzalez has three home runs in four games there this week. Unfortunately, the Saints managed just four hits and two walks in the game. Noah Cardenas had a single and a walk. Cody Laweryson struck out three batters over two perfect innings. Travis Adams struck out two in a perfect ninth inning. Walker Jenkins went 0-for-3 with a walk and two strikeouts. Through his first four games, he is 1-for-15 (.067) with a double, two walks, and five strikeouts. Carson McCusker went 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, Arkansas 0 Box Score Rucker Provides the Power While Culpepper, Four Relievers, Complete Shutout With the exception of the bottom of the fourth inning, there were no runs scored in this game. Fortunately, the Wind Surge were played at their home ballpark and hit in the bottom half throughout the game. With one out, Nate Baez and Ben Ross singled. With two outs, Jake Rucker’s sixth home run of the season drove in all three runs. The Wind Surge had just four hits. Three came in that fourth inning. The only other hit was a Kaelen Culpepper double, his seventh with Wichita. But in any shutout, the big story has to be the pitching, and C.J. Culpepper is putting himself in a better situation with every outing. He certainly appears to be back at full health. For the third straight outing, Culpepper tossed five innings. It is the second time in a row that he gave up no runs and he’s given up just one run over his last three starts. In five starts in August, he is 2-0 with a 1.17 ERA in 23 innings. From there, Michael Martinez, John Stankiewicz, Hunter Hoopes, and Kade Bragg each pitched a scoreless inning. For Bragg, it marked his third save since joining the Wind Surge. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Beloit 5 (10 innings) Box Score Cubs Homers Top Kernels to Take Game and Series 4-2. The Kernels fell behind early in this one, fought back, sent it to extra frames, and then fell short in the tenth inning. Adrian Bohorquez gave up four runs on two hits, two hit batters, and three walks over 3 1/3 innings. He had seven strikeouts. All four runs came in the first inning courtesy of a grand slam off the bat of Brandon Compton, the Marlins' second-round pick from Arizona State. Eston Stuff got the next five outs and gave up just one hit. Jacob Kisting came on and tossed four scoreless, hitless innings. He walked one and struck out six batters. Ruddy Gomez gave up the unearned run in the tenth inning to take the loss. The Kernels got on the board in the bottom of the sixth. With two outs, Misael Urbina and Caden Kendle walked. Both scored on a double by Poncho Ruiz. In the bottom of the seventh, Eduardo Tait singled and went to second on a wild pitch. With two outs, Brandon Winokur singled to drive him in and cut the team’s deficit to 4-3. The Kernels went scoreless in the bottom of the eighth. The first two Kernels hitters in the bottom of the ninth also got out. However, just when you thought it was over, Kyle DeBarge hit a long solo home run to tie the score. Gomez allowed the Manfred Man to score in the top of the 10th. The Kernels got a runner to third in the bottom half of the inning but were unable to drive in the tying run. Tait went 2-for-5 with his seventh double. Brandon Winokur went 2-for-5 and an RBI. Jefferson Valladares went 2-for 4 with his third double. Prior to his game-tying home run, DeBarge was 0-for-4 with four strikeouts. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 11, Dunedin 4 Box Score Mighty Mussels Flex Their Muscles in Dunedin. The Mussels scored early and often on Friday night, maintaining a comfortable lead throughout the game. Dunedin actually took the early lead with a run in the bottom of the first frame. The Mussels tied it up in the top of the second when Ryan Sprock scored on a bases-loaded fielding error. The Blue Jays also went ahead with a single run in the bottom of the second. But in the top of the third, Mussels' right fielder Yasser Mercedes scored on a Daniel Pena single to tie the game. Yilber Herrera followed with his first Florida State League home run to give his team a 5-2 lead. The Mussels continued to show their Might-y-ness (if you will) in the fourth. Eduardo Beltre hit his second Fort Myers homer. Later in the inning, Peyton Carr hit a three-run homer that made it 9-2. Dunedin scored two more in the fourth to make it 9-4. However, in the top of the sixth Sprock knocked his first professional home run to make it 10-4. In the seventh, Mercedes drove in Emmanuel Rodriguez with a sacrifice fly. That gave the Mussels an 11-4 lead. Rodriguez, returning from an oblique injury, played center field for seven innings. He was 1-for-3 with two walks. Dameury Pena went 2-for-6 with his 10th double. Sprock was 2-for-3 with two walks and a homer. Carr went 2-for-4 with a walk and his fourth home run. Beltre went 1-for-3 with two walks and a homer. Daniel Pena went 1-for-3 with two walks. Herrera was 2-for-4 with a homer and three RBI. Michael Carpenter started and gave up four runs (three earned) on six hits and a walk over four innings. He struck out four batters. Anthony Narvaez came in and gave up one hit and one walk over two scoreless innings. Zander Sechrist gave up one hit over three scoreless innings to record his second save. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Ryan Sprock (Fort Myers): 2-for-3, 2 BB, HR(1), 4 R, RBI Pitcher of the Day CJ Culpepper (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, HBP, 4 K, 74 pitches, 41 strikes (55.5%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K, (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, BB, K, (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2B(7), (played SS) #4 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul) - Rehab in FM (1-for-3, 2 BB, R, K (played CF)) #5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, 2B(7), R, K (DH) #11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-for-4, HR(4), R, RBI, K (played LF) #14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-5, RBI, K (played SS) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, HR(7), 4 K (played CF) #18 - C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 2 BB, HBP, 4 K, 74 pitches, 41 strikes (55.5%) #20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-for-2, 2 BB (played LF) SATURDAY PITCHING PROBABLES St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (0-1, 2.82 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-3, 15.55 ERA) Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) - LHP Dasan Hill (0-1, 7.11 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CT) - RHP Joel Garcia (0-2, 31.15 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 61-73 St. Paul Saints: 58-70 (25-30 second half, 7th in IL West, 14 GB) Wichita Wind Surge: 67-57 (30-25 second half, 3rd in Texas Lg North, 4 GB) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 68-56 (28-30 second half, T-3rd in MWL West, 4.5 GB, first half winner) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 49-70 (22-33 second half 6th in FSL West, 9.5 GB) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related in the comments below! 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I think Winokur's performance has been pretty solid. We knew he was drafted as a great athlete and that he was raw, but to this point, he's more than held his own. He's not maybe as smooth/natural as Walker Jenkins, so him moving one level per season is fast enough. He's filled out the stat sheet nicely. He did say recently that he prefers 3B to SS, but he's done a very nice job at SS and I think they need to keep playing him there and keep him athletic enough to do it. He's pretty smooth. And he's fine in CF too. But offensively, I'm very encouraged. And he's just getting better.

They slipped him through last year, but that may have been helped by the fact that he missed like 10 weeks last year with injury. But he's gonna be hard to ignore this offseason. He's got the power (which has always been his thing), but he has more doubles. Still has a ton of strikeouts, but he's stolen like 25 bases this year too. Did he focus on speed and athleticism last offseason? If so, it appears to have worked, at least in the form of steals. I think that's been part of his issue in the outfield too. Being a little quicker and athletic only helps.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Rubel Cespedes) We are approaching September, the final month of the regular season. Rosters will expand (but only by two), and especially with where the Twins are in the standings, opportunities will be given. The minor-league affiliates finish their season early, unless they are in the playoffs. It appears that the Cedar Rapids Kernels will be the lone Twins affiliate to reach the postseason… as they do every year. Fort Myers and Cedar Rapids seasons last two more weeks. Their final game is Sunday, September 7. Cedar Rapids begins their playoff run on Tuesday, September 9. Wichita plays for three more weeks. Their final game is Sunday, September 14. The Saints play for four more weeks. Their season concludes on September 21. It is in the offseason that decisions about 2026 roster building happen, if it hasn’t already happened. Some of those decisions will happen before the season ends. And some of those decisions are in preparation for moves in the offseason. For instance, the Twins front office may have already made decisions on some players. There may be people on the 40-man roster that they know will be DFAd or non-tendered in the offseason. With that knowledge, there might be an opportunity to DFA them in-season. That would allow that player to potentially catch on with another organization for a couple of weeks. It would also allow a 40-man spot to open up for a potential free agent or someone who would not be given that opportunity if the Twins were playing better and competing for a playoff spot. At the completion of the World Series, players eligible to become free agents become free agents. That includes minor leaguers. I’ve always said that I think that players who are signed or drafted by an organization and stay in that organization continuously without making it to the big leagues until they become free agents deserve more recognition. That is seriously impressive. Those players are obviously very, very good baseball players that just didn’t get a big-league call. There are currently five players in that exact situation with the Twins. Three of them signed with the Twins during the international signing period of 2018-19. Two others were drafted by the Twins in 2019 and remain in the organization. All five have spent seven seasons in the Twins system, and none of them have spent a day in the big leagues. So, as you read about these five players consider the three options that the Twins have for each, and think about what you would do? Add to the 40-man roster before the end of the World Series. The Twins have done this with a few players, most recently catcher Jair Camargo. Re-sign them to a minor-league contract. This can be done before or after the World Series. It can also be done before or after the Rule 5 draft. If the player signs back with the Twins before the Rule 5 draft, he is again subject to selection in the Rule 5. If he waits and signs after the Rule 5 draft, he’s heading to Fort Myers for spring training. Let them go as free agents. This is often the case, but as a free agent (for the first time since signing with the Twins, they (their representatives) have the right to chat with all 30 organizations, and even teams in Japan, Korea, Europe, or Mexico. And they could sign later with an independent team in hopes of getting another opportunity with an affiliate. Or they retire from baseball. 2019 MLB Draft Picks Consider this. The Minnesota Twins drafted 41 players. 32 of them signed. The first-round pick, 13th overall, was infielder Keoni Cavaco. He never reached Double-A. Their Competitive Balance Pick, 39th overall, was Matt Wallner who already has spent parts of three seasons in the big leagues. Their second-round pick was Matt Canterino, one of the most talented pitchers with some of the best “stuff” that we have seen from a pitching prospect. Unfortunately injuries have limited him to just 85 innings since he was drafted. He hasn’t pitched in a game since 2022. He was on the 40-man roster for over two years. After impressing early in spring training, he was injured and needed season-ending surgery. They removed him from the 40-man roster and then signed him to a two-year minor-league deal. Aside from Wallner, six more Twins 2019 draft picks have reached the big leagues. That includes three players the Twins traded as prospects: Spencer Steer (3rd), Sawyer Gipson-Long (6th), and Casey Legumina (8th). Brent Headrick (9th) debuted with the Twins, pitched in parts of two seasons before the Twins DFAd him. The Yankees claimed him, and he’s been solid when called upon out of their bullpen. Finally, Louis Varland (15th) and Edouard Julien (18th) each spent parts of three seasons with the Twins. Varland was inexplicably traded last month, and Julien’s offseason could be interesting. (The Twins also took Stillwater LHP Drew Gilbert in the 35th round, but he went to the University of Tennessee and three years later was a first-round pick. He made his MLB debut this month with the Giants and has a homer.) A few more players got close and had their moments as a prospect. Fifth round pick Seth Gray showed impressive power in the lower levels of the minor leagues. 29th round pick Alex Isola spent a couple of seasons at Triple-A St. Paul. Isola was released late in spring training. He has played this season with Lancaster in the Atlantic League. On Monday, the Twins released 2019 seventh-round draft pick Anthony Prato. He had a bit of a breakout in 2022 in Cedar Rapids, adding extra base power, and showing the ability to play around the diamond. He ended that season playing even better at Wichita. In 2023, he struggled early with the Wind Surge, but there was a need in St. Paul and Prato got the call. In 72 games with St. Paul in 2023, he hit .302/.452/.539 (.990) with 23 doubles and 10 homers. He returned to the Saints in 2024 and hit .228/.370/.350 (.720) with 20 doubles, six triples and three homers. In 82 games this year, he hit .259/.396/.360 (.755) with nine doubles, a triple and four homers. In 260 games with the Saints, he had 36 bases. He is the Saints franchise career leader by being hit by 31 pitches. An on-base machine. He should get more opportunities with other organizations for 2026, or he could potentially play in Japan or Korea and make some money. So as of this moment, there are two players remaining that fit the criteria of a.) 2019 draft pick and b.) stayed in the organization c.) without getting to the big leagues. With a month left in the season, they remain with the Twins. Have you already figured out who they are? Will Holland Holland and Julien were teammates at Auburn for three years. In 2019, they played in the College World Series. During the CWS, the Twins used their fifth-round pick on Holland, an exceptionally athletic shortstop, one of the fastest players in college baseball. He had a big offensive year as a sophomore, hitting .313/.406/.530 (.936) with 18 doubles and 12 homers. There was certainly steam that he could be a first-round pick in 2019, but instead he hit .246/.376/.401 (.777) with nine doubles and nine homers. The Twins bet on his athleticism and potential and saw a good hitter with speed and a little pop in his bat. It took a while for his offensive game to come back. He hit for a low average, but he generally had a good on-base percentage, and he showed enough pop to compile lots of extra base hits. He moved up to St. Paul in 2024 and hit .299/.428/.556 (.983) with 10 doubles, a triple and six homers in just 41 games. Unfortunately, his season ended with an injury. He missed a couple of months again this season with injury, but in 57 games, he has hit .220/.319/.382 (.700) with seven doubles and seven homers. Will Holland can play in the big leagues. No question in my mind. He has a good approach at the plate. His speed can be game-changing as a pinch runner but also on defense. He can play a solid shortstop, and he’s spent time at both third base and second base. He has also spent a lot of time at all three outfield spots. He has the speed to play center, and he has a strong arm. Can he keep the strikeouts down enough to be a decent contributor offensively? That’s really the one big question, in my mind. Cody Laweryson With their 14th round pick in 2019, the Twins selected Laweryson out of the University of Maine. He had a strong showing that summer in Elizabethton and was named the Twins Daily Short Season Minor League Pitcher of the Year. In 2021, he was a starter at Cedar Rapids. He returned to the Kernels in 2022 and that’s when he transferred to the bullpen. Before the mid-point of the season, he was promoted to Wichita where he went 5-0 with a 1.06 ERA over 59 2/3 innings. He had 69 strikeouts. It earned him an invitation to big-league camp in 2023 and spent that full season with the Saints. He posted a 4.80 ERA and started having some arm injuries and spending time on the IL. In 2024, he spent the full season back in Wichita and posted a 6.82 ERA. This season, he split the season between Wichita and St. Paul and just recently returned from the Injured List. 2018-2019 International Signing Period Likewise, international signings from the 2018-19 international signing period will also be eligible for free agency following the World Series unless they are added to the 40-man roster before the conclusion of the World Series. There are three players that the Twins signed during the 2018-19 international signing period that have remained in the Twins organization to this day. Misael Urbina In July of 2018, MLB.com ranked their Top 30 international prospects and the Venezuelan-born Urbina was Number 3 on that list. The Twins signed the outfielder for $2.75 million. He made his pro debut in the DSL in 2019 and his .279 with 14 doubles, five triples, two homers, and 19 stolen bases. He also walked 23 times with just 14 strikeouts. When baseball returned in 2021, he moved up to Fort Myers, skipping the FCL. In 101 games, he hit .191/.299/.286 with 12 doubles, five homers and 16 steals. He repeated at Fort Myers in 2022 and played in just 50 games due to injury. He hit .246 with 16 doubles and five homers. In 2023, he made the jump to Cedar Rapids where he was almost a year-and-a-half younger than the average hitter. In 102 games, he hit .180/.289/.282 (.571) with 18 doubles, three triples, and four home runs. He returned to the Kernels in 2024 and hit .218/.335/.324 (.659) with 16 doubles, two triples and five home runs. In April he turned 23, and he celebrated in Cedar Rapids for the third straight year. Hopefully someone took him to Bushwood. He just came back from the injured list. In 64 games this season, he has hit .243/.354/.386 (.740) with 14 doubles, two triples, and three home runs. Just last weekend, he had a four-hit game. Rubel Cespedes Prior to 2021, the international signing period began July 2nd and went the full year. In 2021, the beginning of the signing period moved to January which made it easier to determine when a player could become a free agent. Cespedes signed very late in the signing period. The Twins signed him on April 29, 2019. He was already 18. A month later, he was added to the DSL Twins roster. He came to the States in 2021 and played in the FCL. He then spent the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Fort Myers with the Mussels. He added doubles power in 2022 and in 2023, he hit .233 with 26 doubles, two triples, and 13 home runs. He began getting playing time in big-league spring training games and advanced to Cedar Rapids in 2024. He got off to a fast start and played well throughout the year. In 110 games, he hit .282/.346/.431 (.777) with 22 doubles, two triples and 12 home runs. He has played in 91 games for Double-A Wichita this year. He has split his time between first base, third base, and DH. He has hit .244/.307/.395 with 21 doubles, three triples and nine home runs. Julio Bonilla Bonilla signed even later than Cespedes. He signed with the Twins on June 1, 2019, three weeks later, he was officially assigned to the DSL Twins. The Santo Domingo native pitched in the DSL in 2019, 2021 and 2022 before coming to the States in 2023 to pitch for the FCL Twins. He threw 25 1/3 innings in both 2019 and 2022, and that remains his season high. He’s struggled on the mound, and he’s struggled to remain on the mound. In 2024, he pitched in 19 games and 23 innings for the Mighty Mussels. He had a 7.83 ERA, a 1.78 WHIP, and 18 walks (7.0 per 9.0 IP). He did strike out 27 batters, but he hit three and threw four wild pitches. He went on the Injured List June 3rd and returned June 18th. He went on the IL on July 16th and returned on August 12th. He went on the IL on August 27th for the remainder of the season. He began the 2025 season on the Mussels 60-Day injured List. He began a rehab assignment in mid-June and was activated on July 7th. In 10 innings over eight outings, he gave up four runs on 10 hits and four walks, but he also struck out 12 batters. On August 13th, he was promoted to Cedar Rapids where he has pitched three innings in three games. He’s given up three runs on two hits and three walks, and he’s got four strikeouts. Easy choice to let the 24-year-old go, right? But I spent time looking at his Statcast game data, and it’s easy to understand the intrigue. Bonilla stands 6-3. He throws four different pitches. He has two fastballs (Four-seam and sinker) that average about 94 mph and touched 97. His cutter sits in the 86-88 range. He also throws a low-90s slider. He gets a ton of movement on the sinker and even the four-seamer. In his first four appearances in Fort Myers, he threw approximately 25-30% of his pitches outside the strike zone. In his last four appearances with the Mussels, he was closer to 50/50. If a team knew he could stay healthy, which no team can say with certainty about any pitcher, especially with Bonilla. But just based on his stuff and velocity, he seems like he’d be a great project to take on and see what he can become. There you have it. There are five players in the Minnesota Twins organization who will become free agents after spending the past seven seasons in the Twins system. These players deserve recognition for their “service time,” and it is worth discussing if the Twins should bring any of them back in the offseason. What do you think? Would you try to sign any of these players? My Opinion 1.) Add none of them to the 40-man roster. 2.) Attempt to re-sign all of them, but especially Holland, Cespedes and Bonilla. Your turn. Which, if any, of these players would you attempts to bring keep in the organization for 2026? Also, thank you for reading through here about these five guys who have toiled in the minors for so long and deserve to be recognized. View full article

Wichita has very little depth, even now. They've done this in the past with Ernie Yake, Dalton Shuffield, Mikey Perez, etc. They aren't going to mess with "the plan" for development for the "prospects" like Marek Houston, Brandon Winokur, Kyle DeBarge, Danny De Andrade. Those guys they want to play most every day. Genth is a 4-year-college guy. He plays once, maybe twice a week. I'm sure he'd like to play more, but as a non-drafted guy who likely signed for a plane ticket to Fort Myers.

Image courtesy of Ed Bailey (photo of Harry Genth) Quality Pitching and Defense help teams win. Likewise, bad pitching and defense help teams lose. On Sunday, the Twins and their affiliates pitched really poorly, and the results were a lot of losses. TRANSACTIONS On Sunday, the Twins added RHP Taj Bradley to the big-league roster. He started on Sunday and went five innings in Chicago. To make room on the 26-man roster, RHP Erasmo Ramirez was Designated for Assignment. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 5, Round Rock 11 Box Score Saints Mount Mid-Game Comeback but Fell Behind Too Much Too Early The scheduled starters for the Saints this weekend were Mick Abel and Taj Bradley. Both were called up to pitch for the Twins. On Sunday, Cory Lewis got an opportunity to start for St. Paul. Every out he got came on a strikeout. Unfortunately, he got just one out. He gave up six runs on five hits and two walks. One of the hits was a grand slam. Just 20 of his 38 pitches were strikes. Lefty Aaron Rozek came in and gave up three runs on five hits over 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out one. Noah Davis gave up two runs on four hits. He had two strikeouts. Trent Baker tossed two scoreless innings. He gave up no hits, walked three, and had one strikeout. Jarret Whorff gave up one hit in a scoreless ninth frame. Down 9-0 going to the bottom of the fifth inning, the Saints scored four runs. The innings started with singles by Will Holland, Anthony Prato and DaShawn Keirsey. The latter drove in the first run. Gabriel Gonzalez drove in Prato with a sacrifice fly. Johnny Pereda walked, and Aaron Sabato singled to load the bases. After a pitching change, Carson McCusker drove in Keirsey with a sacrifice fly. Pereda scored the fourth run on a Jose Miranda fielder’s choice. Down 11-4, the Saints added one more run in the bottom of the sixth inning. Holland led it off with a single and went to second on a throwing error. Anthony Prato grounded out to first base to move Holland to third base. Keirsey singled to drive in Holland and make it 11-5. The Saints got base runners the rest of the way. They had two singles in the seventh inning and one in the eighth. They loaded the bases on a walk and two singles but were unable to cut the deficit. Will Holland went 4-for-4 with his seventh double. Aaron Sabato went 3-for-5. Keirsey went 2-for-5. Pereda went 2-for-4 with a walk. Carson McCusker went 1-for-3 with a walk and knocked his 22nd double. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 2, Midland 6 Box Score Genth Slams First Pro Homer, but Wind Surge Fell Behind Too Early The Wind Surge fell behind early and pretty much stayed there the rest of the game. Alejandro Hidalgo gave up two runs in the first inning, two more in the second inning, and another in the third frame. In total, he gave up five runs on six hits and two walks in 2 2/3 innings. Gabriel Yanez gave up three hits but no runs in 1 1/3 innings. Logan Whitaker gave up two hits in a scoreless inning. Darren Bowen came in and gave up one run on four hits and a walk over the final three innings of the game. Things looked good for the Surge early in the game. Kaelen Culpepper led off the game with a single to right. Walker Jenkins followed with a bunt single. Unfortunately, three batters later, neither of them even advanced a base. In fact, the Surge went scoreless until the seventh inning. With one out, Jake Rucker walked. With two outs, Harry Genth got a 2-1 changeup down the middle of the plate and hit his first professional home run. He ripped a blast through the wind coming in from left field. Following the game, Genth told Twins Daily, "Definitely felt good to get the first home run out of the way!" The diminutive (listed at 5-8) infielder signed with the Twins a day after the conclusion of the 2025 draft. He had a monster offensive season at Division III Haverford College. When you put up those kinds of numbers, it’s definitely worth signing and giving some opportunity! Genth added, "The transition hasn’t been without its bumps and bruises, but the guys and coaches have been unbelievably helpful so far. The opportunity in Double-A has been awesome. Being able to watch how all these guys go about their work and be a part of the clubhouse has honestly been the coolest part. Whatever I can do to help our team win I want to excel at regardless of what my playing time looks like. I feel like I’ve learned a ton already in just a couple weeks." That was really it for the offense. The team had six hits and three walks. Couple that with going 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position, and you have a loss. The teams split the six-game series. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, South Bend 2 Box Score Cubs Homers Top Kernels to Take Game and Series 4-2. The Cubs got on the scoreboard first with two runs in the bottom of the third inning. Jacob Kisting started and gave up two runs on three hits (including a homer) over 3 2/3 innings. He walked two and struck out four batters. Ivran Romero came on and walked one and struck out one and recorded three outs. Matt Gabbert gave up two runs on two hits (including a homer) in 3 1/3 innings. He had one strikeout. Down 2-0 through five innings, Marek Houston led off with his first Kernels double. With one out, Eduardo Tait singled to score Houston and cut the deficit in half. Unfortunately, the Cubs responded with two runs in the bottom of the sixth to make it 4-1. In the top of the ninth, the first two Kernels struck out. Danny De Andrade walked and scored on a double by Poncho Ruiz. The Kernels had just five hits, but three of them were doubles by Houston, Ruiz and De Andrade. It was De Andrade’s 25th double. Brandon Winokur stole his 24th base. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers/Tampa (DH Cancelled) If you read Saturday’s minor league report, you saw that I included the hour-by-hour weather forecast for today. If you saw that, you’re probably not even a little bit surprised that Sunday’s doubleheader games were cancelled. With both teams well out of playoff contention, they will not have to make up the games. PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Will Holland (St. Paul): 4-for-5, 2B(7), 2 R Pitcher of the Day Darren Bowen (Wichita): 3 IP, 4 H, 1 ER, 1 BB, 0 K, 38 pitches, 26 strikes (68.4%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 1-for-3, BB, K, (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-3, BB, 2B(8), K, 2 E (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 1-for-4, (played SS) #5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, RBI, K (DH) #11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, SF RBI #13 - Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, R, 2B(1), K (played SS) #14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, SB(24), K (played CF) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K (played 2B) UPCOMING PITCHING PROBABLES Monday: Minnesota @ Toronto (6:07 PM CT) - RHP Joe Ryan (12-6, 2.77 ERA) Tuesday: St. Paul @ Toledo (5:35 PM CT) - Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CT) - Beloit @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CT) - Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CT) - CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 59-71 St. Paul Saints: 55-69 (22-29 second half, T-6th in IL West, 13 GB) Wichita Wind Surge: 63-57 (26-25 second half, T-3rd in Texas Lg North, 4 GB) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 66-54 (26-28 second half, T-3rd in MWL West, 3.5 GB, first half winner) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 46-69 (19-32 second half 6th in FSL West, 11.5 GB) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) Please feel free to ask questions about the teams, the rosters, and discuss today’s games, or anything else Twins minor-league related! 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Yes, CJ Culpepper is Rule 5 eligible this offseason if not added to the 40-man. There are a bunch of players that need to be added this year. They will likely have some pretty tough decisions. I could make a case for at least 12 players... And that doesn't include Sabato.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson (photo of Carson McCusker) TRANSACTIONS On Saturday, the Twins announced that RHP Mick Abel was being promoted to the big leagues to make his first Twins start. He is taking RHP Jose Urena’s spot on both the 26-man and 40-man rosters as the veteran hurler was DFA’d. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 9, Round Rock 10 Box Score Saints Fall Short in Another Round Rock Rollercaster The Saints have played some crazy, high-scoring, inter-league games against the Pacific League’s Round Rock Express this week. This was definitely another one. The Saints scored first in the bottom of the second inning when Carson McCusker knocked his 21st home run of the season to make it 1-0. Round Rock scored the next five runs. Christian MacLeod gave up five runs on six hits and two walks in three innings. He gave up three runs in the third inning. He also was charged with the two runs in the top of the fourth without recording a 10th out. Darren McCaughan came in and allowed one inherited runner to score. He gave up two more runs over his four innings. He gave up three hits, walked one, and struck out four batters. In the bottom of the fourth, the Saints scored two runs to cut their deficit to 5-3. Aaron Sabato led off with a single. With two outs, he advanced to third base on Anthony Prato’s ninth double. Patrick Winkel singled to drive in both runners. The Express scored two runs off of McCaughan in the top of the seventh, but the Saints responded after the 7th Inning Stretch with three runs to make it a one-run game (7-6). Prato led off the bottom of the seventh with a walk and went to second on a passed ball. Payton Eeles walked. Kyler Fedko walked to load the bases. With two outs, Johnny Pereda drove in all three with a double. Travis Adams pitched a scoreless top of the eighth inning. In the bottom of that inning, Carson McCusker led off with his 22nd home run of the year which tied the game at 7-7. Adams came out for the top of the ninth and gave up a leadoff home run. After a single, he recorded a strikeout. After a second single, Jarret Whorff came into the game. After a stolen base, an Omar Narvaez single drove in both inherited runners and gave the Express a three-run lead. But again, it’s been a crazy week of games, so what happened in the bottom of the ninth? Could the Twins tie it up and send it to extra frames, or could they score four runs and walk it off? Well, it started out with an Eeles walk. With one out, Gonzalez singled. Next, Pereda doubled to drive in Eeles. Will Holland pinch ran for the DH. Down two runs, Aaron Sabato flew out to right field, deep enough for both runners to advance. Down one run with the game-tying runner 90 feet from home plate, McCusker walked up to the plate. Maybe looking fastball, he got a changeup over the middle of the plate and just missed it, flying out to center field to end the game. Round Rock 10, Saints 9. McCusker went 2-for-5 with his 21st and 22nd homers. The first homer tied the Saints franchise record for homers in a season. He set the record with the second homer. In case you were wondering Chris Williams and Jair Camargo hit 21 Saints homers, and Yunior Severino reached that number in 2024. Pereda went 2-for-4 with a walk, his fifth and sixth doubles, and four RBI. Sabato went 2-for-4 with a sac fly. Winkel was 2-for-4. Gonzalez went 2-for-5. Eeles walked twice. Prato hit his ninth double and walked. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Midland 3 Box Score Wichita Surges Ahead while CJ Culpepper’s Scoreless Start Sets the Tone C.J. Culpepper’s season started late, and he has eased back quite slowly. However, on Saturday, Culpepper tossed five scoreless innings for the Surge. It was the second straight start in which he completed five innings. He gave up three hits, walked four and had six strikeouts. With Wichita, he now has a 2.21 ERA over 12 starts and 40 2/3 innings. He earned his first Double-A win. The Surge scored first in the second inning when Ben Ross knocked in Hendry Mendez with a sacrifice fly. The score remained 1-0 until the top of the fifth when Wichita added some insurance. With one out, Jose Salas hit his seventh Surge double and then stole his eighth base. . Kaelen Culpepper walked, and Walker Jenkins was hit by a pitch to load the bases. After a pitching change, Kala’i Rosario drove in two runs with a double. Tanner Andrews entered the game and gave up one run on three hits in the sixth inning. The Wind Surge responded by adding four more insurance runs in the top of the seventh inning. With one out, Rosario doubled, Mendez walked, and Cossetti was hit by a pitch to load the bases. Following a strikeout, Nate Baez cleared the bases with a triple. He scored the fourth run of the inning on a Ross single. Michael Martinez walked two but tossed a scoreless seventh. Mike Paredes came on and gave up two runs over two innings, both scoring in the eighth inning. Kala’i Rosario went 2-for-4 with a walk and his 24th and 25th doubles of the season. He now has 49 extra base hits this year. Baez went 2-for-4 with a walk, his seventh double and fourth triple, and three runs driven in that proved important. Defensive Play of the Day Speaking of setting the tone, Culpepper was helped by a huge double play ball in the bottom of the first inning. The bases were loaded. Culpepper got the ground ball, and his infield completed a 3-6-3 double play. You've seen in happen before, but this one came with a couple of nice plays thanks to a couple of tough throws. Nate Baez was the first baseman. Andrew Cossetti was behind the plate. Both were drafted as catchers in 2022, in large part for their bats. Both have played behind the plate much of their minor-league careers, but they have both played quite a bit at first base and DHd. Cossetti was the Twins 11th round pick out of St. Josephs. Nate Baez was the Twins 12th round pick out of Arizona State. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 0, South Bend 2 Box Score Tait Doubles Up, but Kernels Shutout in South Bend It’s like the calm before the storm. As you would expect in South Bend, Indiana, in late August, offenses were quiet, and there weren’t a lot of big hits. Give it a couple of weeks. Notre Dame football’s season begins next weekend with a Sunday night game against fellow preseason Top 10 Miami in southeast Florida. Their first game at home in South Bend is September 13th when they welcome fellow preseason Top 20 Texas A&M. Alright, let’s head a bit south and west. It’s an 11-12 minute drive from Notre Dame Stadium to Four Winds Stadium. The Kernels did have a few hits, they just didn’t get a big hit in a timely situation. They were 0-for-8 with runners in scoring position and left seven on base. Eduardo Tait went 2-for-4 with his third and fourth Cedar Rapids doubles. Brandon Winokur knocked his third triple. In the first inning, Tait doubled, but it came right after Kyle DeBarge was caught stealing. Winokur’s triple came with two outs. Their biggest threat came in the top of the eighth. Jefferson Valladares and Marek Houston started the inning with back-to-back singles, but the next two hitters popped up in the infield. So when a wild pitch was thrown, runners got to second and third base. Young lefty Dasan Hill made the start for the Kernels. He gave up one run on three hits. Over 3 2/3 innings, he walked three and had four strikeouts. Julio Bonilla got the final out of the fourth inning. Adrian Bohorquez tossed the final four innings. He gave up only an unearned run on three hits. He walked two and had five strikeouts. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers/Tampa (PPD) Saturday’s game was postponed due to “unplayable field conditions and persistent weather.” The plan is for the two teams to play a doubleheader on Sunday. Here is a look at the forecast for Sunday in Fort Myers (scheduled Game 1 game time is 12:05 pm). PLAYERS OF THE DAY Hitter of the Day Jhonny Perada (St. Paul): 2-for-4, BB, 2-2B(6), 4 RBI, 2 K. Carson McCusker (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2-HR(22), 2 R, 2 RBI, 2 K Kala’i Rosario (Wichita): 2-for-4, BB, 2-2B(25), R, 2 RBI, 2 K Nate Baez (Wichita): 2-for-4, BB, 2B(7), 3B(4), R, 3 RBI. Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2-2B(4), K Pitcher of the Day CJ Culpepper (Wichita): 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, 80 pitches, 44 strikes (55.0%) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1– Walker Jenkins (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 K, SB(11) (played CF) #2 - Luke Keaschall (Minnesota) - 1-for-4 (played 2B) #3 - Kaelen Culpepper (Wichita) - 0-for-4, BB, R, 3 K (played SS) #5 - Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 2-2B(4), K (catcher) #7 - Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids) - 3 2/3 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 3 BB, 4 K, 70 pitches, 40 strikes (57.1%) #8 - Mick Abel (Minnesota) - 3 IP, 7 H, 6 ER, 2 BB, 2 K, 63 pitches, 42 strikes (66.7%) #11 - Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, R #13 - Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, E (played SS) #14 - Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, 3B(3), K (played CF) #17 - Kyle DeBarge (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, CS(7) (played 2B) #18 - C.J. Culpepper (Wichita) - 5 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 4 BB, 6 K, 80 pitches, 44 strikes (55.0%) #20 - Hendry Mendez (Wichita) - 0-for-3, BB, HBP, 2 R, 2 K (DHd) NOTE: The hyperlinks in the Top Prospect section will take you to a page with articles that they have been tagged in. Click on a couple of see what happens. SUNDAY PITCHING PROBABLES Minnesota @ Chicago (1:10 PM CT) - RHP Taj Bradley (6-6, 4.61 ERA) Round Rock @ St. Paul (2:07 PM CT) - RHP Cory Lewis (3-5, 6.55 ERA) Wichita @ Midland (1:00 PM CT) - RHP Alejandro Hidalgo (0-2, 15.12 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ South Bend (1:05 PM CT) - RHP Jacob Kisting (2-3, 2.84 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (DH @ 11:05 AM CT) - RHP Jason Doktorczyk (3-6, 5.18 ERA) CURRENT W-L Records Minnesota Twins: 59-70 St. Paul Saints: 55-68 (22-28 second half, T-6th in IL West, 13 GB) Wichita Wind Surge: 63-56 (26-24 second half, T-3rd in Texas Lg North, 4 GB) Cedar Rapids Kernels: 66-53 (26-27 second half, T-3rd in MWL West, 3.5 GB, first half winner) Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 46-69 (19-32 second half 6th in FSL West, 11.5 GB) FCL Twins: 39-20 (finished 2nd in FCL playoffs) DSL Twins: 24-32 (season complete) 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

Morris just came back after missing 2ish months. I'd be surprised if he's called up, but he'll definitely be added to the 40-man this offseason. Raya is a possibility for September. But if Abel and Bradley are getting called up this weekend. Pablo and SWR will be coming up. And they probably want to make some decisions on some of the others. Klein has pitched a lot. I'd be shocked to see him called up in September. He's made himself into a serious candidate to be added to the 40-man roster this offseason.

The big inning off of SWR last night started with a fielding error on Sabato. Things could have been completely different. That said, yeah, he was hit pretty hard, but he was throwing strikes, mixing it up some and looked much better than the numbers indicated.

thanks for keeping me on my toes... I tout and promote the promotions, write about them in the "Transactions" section... and then forget to change that. Thank you!