Seth Stohs

We are just one week from Opening Day. The roster cuts continue as the Twins sent two more players to minor-league camp on Wednesday morning. The Twins announced this morning that outfielder Gilberto Celestino has been optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. In addition, utility man Tim Beckham was reassigned to minor-league spring training. The roster is now down to 36 players, eight above the 28-man Opening Day roster. There are still 20 pitchers (3 non-roster), three catchers (no non-roster), seven infielders (1 non-roster), and six outfielders (2 non-roster). With Celestino the day after Trevor Larnach, the team's Opening Day outfield appears to be coming into focus. The starters are likely to be Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler with Brent Rooker and Nick Gordon coming off the bench. The two non-roster outfielders remaining on the spring roster are Jake Cave and Kyle Garlick. It's hard to imagine the team adding non-roster players for the 27th and 28th roster spots. Those will only be available for the first three weeks of the season. With Beckham sent down, the infield comes closer to the Opening Day roster. Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, Gio Urshela, Luis Arraez, with Nick Gordon being able to play around field too. The one non-roster infielder is Daniel Robertson. The Twins will have to drop five or six pitchers to get down to their 28-man Opening Day roster (depending on if they use 14 or 15 pitchers). PICK YOUR ROSTER OK, just as a fun exercise, here are the 36 players remaining on the Twins spring roster. Which 28 will you send down? (My prediction is in the comments below.) Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Jose Godoy, Gary Sanchez Infielders: Miguel Sano, Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, Gio Urshela, Luis Arraez, Nick Gordon, Daniel Roberton (NRI) Outfielders: Brent Rooker, Alex Kirilloff, Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Jake Cave (NRI), Kyle Garlick (NRI) Pitchers: Sonny Gray, Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Dylan Bundy, Chris Archer, Taylor Rogers, Tyler Duffey, Caleb Thielbar, Jorge Alcala, Jharel Cotton, Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Joe Smith, Cody Stashak, Jovani Moran, Jhon Romero,,Josh Winder, Danny Coulombe (NRI), Jake Faria (NRI), Devin Smeltzer (NRI) You can go 13 hitters and 15 pitchers or 14 hitters and 14 pitchers. Leave your thoughts, rosters or final cuts in the COMMENTS below. View full article

I've heard he's going to AA, but I have zero confirmation of that.

To be fair, Kyle Garlick earned the job last year, and he performed well in the role he was brought in to play. He was brought in to mash left-handed pitching, and he did... until he got hurt.

Which is fine. After his struggles last season, it certainly won't hurt Larnach to get a 2-3 month AAA run to really get it going.

Welp, I missed that today... and Toby would certainly know!

Already? The first Saints practice at CHS Field is on Sunday... Jake Cave isn't on the 40-man roster. they need some extra guys for the rest of spring training.

I've heard mixed reports on Lewis. Just because he was optioned to St. Paul doesn't mean he has to play in St. Paul. That said, I have heard that he very well might, and if he does go to St. Paul, obviously Palacios will then be a utility guy there.

I don't know that there were any spots available assuming Sano and Kirilloff were both healthy.

Following their 9-4 win over the Pirates at Hammond Stadium on Wednesday afternoon, 11 players found out they will be heading to minor-league camp. Soon several of them will be on a plane to Minnesota to start their Triple-A season with the Saints. Trevor Larnach and Jose Miranda were both optioned to Triple-A St. Paul today. Nine players were reassigned to minor-league camp. They are pitchers Chi Chi Gonzalez, Ian Hamilton, Trevor Megill, and Juan Minaya, catchers David Banuelos and Caleb Hamilton, infielders Jermaine Palacios and Curtis Terry, and outfielder Derek Fisher. The moves put the Twins' spring training roster at 38 players which means over the next five to six days, they will need to drop ten more players from the roster to get to the 28-man Opening Day roster. Of course, there could be other transactions and Injury List moves in between. There are currently 20 pitchers in camp (3 non-roster), three catchers (0 non-roster), eight infielders (2 non-roster), and seven outfielders (2 non-roster). Jose Miranda was added to the 40-man roster following his incredible 2021 season between Wichita and St. Paul in which he hit .344 with 32 doubles and 30 homers. He hit .231 (.544) during his spring training appearances and made some nice plays at third base. Trevor Larnach needs to play. Last year, after missing the 2020 season due to the pandemic, he was called up to the Twins during the season's first week. He sure showed glimpses of the immense talent he has, but he went through a prolonged slump that included a ton of strikeouts. For both Miranda (23) and Larnach (25), they need at-bats. They need repetition. They will both have long big-league careers, but sitting on the bench for the first month instead of playing every day for the Saints just doesn't make sense. Both will be impact players in 2022 and beyond. No real surprises among the non-roster position players that were reassigned on Wednesday. Both catchers are likely to spend the majority of the season in St. Paul. The question is, will they be joined by Jose Godoy? Jermaine Palacios impressed with his glove, and after a strong 2021 season in Wichita, he should start the 2022 season as the Saints' primary shortstop. Curtis Terry can hit, and at just 25, he will get a lot of at-bats as the Saints first baseman and be prepared if needed. Again, not a lot of surprise with the non-roster pitchers reassigned either. That said, Juan Minaya was so good with the Twins over the final two months of the season, it is a little surprising he was only able to get a minor-league deal this spring. Hamilton and Megill are young and throw hard. My sense is that both will get time with the Twins during the season. And Chi Chi Gonzalez only joined the Twins the last 7-10 days as a free agent. He will likely make starts and/or work long relief out of the Saints bullpen. What do you think? The roster is coming together? Any surprises for you? What do you think the final ten moves will be? Leave your COMMENTS below. View full article

Figured I'd start a forum thread for in-season Twins minor league transactions... This weekend, the Twins signed RHP Ariel Jurado RHP Tyler Viza. Today, they released RHP Seth Pinkerton, C Collin Hopkins, 1B Gabe Snyder and OF Ernie De La Trinidad. No surprises. You just feel bad for them. Hopefully, they are able to catch on somewhere else or with their next profession.

My thought at this point... if you're going to get Montas/Manaea/Castillo/Mahle/Means/etc., great... if they're just going to sign more Chi Chi Rodriguez's, then go with Winder. He's 25 already. He's strong and healthy. Let him work.

The Twins made several roster moves on Saturday morning, sending four hitters to minor league spring training including their two top prospects. They now have 49 players on their spring roster. On Saturday, the Twins sent four of their hitting prospects to minor-league camp. Royce Lewis was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. In addition, Austin Martin, Aaron Sabato and Spencer Steer were reassigned to minor-league camp. In case you were wondering, the distinction is that Lewis is on the 40-man roster, so this is his first option year. The others are not on the 40-man roster so they don't need to be optioned yet. For Lewis, it's been a good chance to just get back on the field again. As has been greatly documented, he was at the Twins alternate site in St. Paul in the 2020 pandemic-lost season. Last year, he arrived at spring training only to learn that he had a torn ACL and missed the full season. He played in four spring games at went 1-for-8 with a stolen base. He also did a nice job at shortstop. While Lewis was technically optioned to St. Paul, that does not necessarily mean that he will start the season with the Saints. It could still be determined that he begin the season in Double-A Wichita. Either way, it is good to see Lewis back on the field and on the path upward. Martin played in five games for the Twins this spring. He went 3-for-9 with a home run. He walked twice and struck out five times. It will be interesting to see where the Twins assign Martin. He spent his pro debut at the Double-A level. Could he get another month or two there before jumping up to St. Paul? Spencer Steer went 0-for-5 in his limited spring appearances, but it is clear that the organization really likes the versatile slugger. He should begin the 2022 season where he ended 2021, with the Wind Surge in Wichita. Aaron Sabato played in six spring games and went 0-for-9 with six strikeouts. He is likely to begin the 2022 season with the Cedar Rapids Kernels where he finished 2021 with 22 games. The Twins spring roster now consists of 49 players. There are 24 pitchers (7 non-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 11 infielders (4 non-roster), and nine outfielders (3 non-roster). With the season less than two weeks away, the team will need to make several more transactions to get down to the 28-man Opening Day roster. View full article

My sense is that the Twins have zero interest in trading Winder. In fact, I won't be even a little bit surprised if he's on the Opening Day roster... Outside shot, but I do think possible. (obviously pending other moves)

I don't think it is even a barometer for how ready they are. The stats themselves don't matter. Someone could have 3 bloops singles and a .452 batting average, or they could have four rockets that have been caught and have a .083 batting average. Some players, obviously veterans who will make the roster, For veteran pitchers, they may just be working on certain things in these early games. For the rookies, they're likely getting their first 'big-league' innings in and may be nervous, but also just trying to make a good impression. Sammons has looked solid. Austin Schulfer has a couple of really nice appearances. But Cole Sands having two rough spring appearances before being optioned doesn't mean he hasn't made good progress in the offseason or isn't making a good impression in bullpens and such. Winder looked good today. He could be considered well ahead of the other 40-man roster pitching prospects, and it's possible that he is competing with Ryan and Ober and others for rotation spots, or could stick with the 28 man roster for the first month. But again, it won't be their stats that determine. It will be things like sharpness and velo and command and such.

I thought Scott Boras had a nice quote too about Correa and Royce Lewis. We all assume that Correa is a one-year guy, but you never know, and Royce can play anywhere he's asked, I'm sure.

Spring training numbers/stats don't really matter, with the exception of some back-roster role players or pitchers. And then those stats mean absolutely nothing as it relates to regular season performance.

Everything is happening more quickly than normal in spring training, and roster decisions is a part of that. Allowing for them to be able to get more innings and get stretched out to start the minor league season, six pitchers have been optioned. The Twins have optioned pitchers Jordan Balazovic, Ronny Henriquez, Cole Sands, and Drew Strotman to Triple-A St. Paul. Chris Vallimont and Blayne Enlow were also optioned, but he was optioned to Double-A Wichita. It is the second options for Balazovic and Strotman. It is the first options for the others. The spring training roster currently has 53 players on it, including 19 non-roster players. There are still 24 pitchers (7 non-roster), five catchers (2 non-roster), 15 infielders (7 non-roster), and nine outfielders (3 non-roster). The regular-season big-league roster will include 26 players, although it is likely that there will be expanded rosters for a little while when the season begins due to the shortened spring training. It is normal for players on the 40-man roster who will not start the season in the big leagues to be optioned with the first cuts. There are several reasons for that. One might be that if a player gets hurt in big-league spring training, they would go on the big-league Injured List. In this case, these pitchers are likely to be starters in the minor leagues, and they need to be stretched out. They simply won't get the innings in big-league camp to do that. Enlow will start the season on the Wind Surge Injured List, but don't be surprised if he's back to pitching in games by May. He had Tommy John surgery last May. Josh Winder is on the mound today for the Twins in their spring game against the Red Sox. It is possible he is optioned either after the game or in the coming days. If he is not, that tells us he is being considered for an Opening Day job. MORE FROM TWINS DAILY Latest Twins coverage from our writers Recent Twins discussion in our forums Follow Twins Daily via Twitter, Facebook, or email View full article

I'd guess there's a pretty good chance that they DFA Romero when the Correa signing becomes official. Would be nice to get him through waivers. Always nice to do that.

The Minnesota Twins announced that they have claimed right-handed pitcher Jhon Romero from the Washington Nationals. To make room, righty Randy Dobnak has been placed on the 60-Day Injured List. Over the weekend, we learned that Randy Dobnak has continued to experience pain in his finger this spring. The injury cut his 2021 season in half. The right-middle finger has been an issue for him since last season. Jhon Romero is 27-years-old from Colombia. A late-bloomer, he debuted with the Nationals on September 24, 2021, and posted a 4.50 ERA in five games, four innings. He split the 2021 season between Double-A Harrisburg (33 G) and the Triple-A Rochester Red Wings (5 G). He went 2-4 with a 2.62 ERA in 38 games out of the bullpen. In 55 innings, he walked 11 and struck out 69 batters. Romero had originally signed in May of 2015 with the Cubs. He was already 20-years-old. He joined the Nationals organization during the 2018 season. Romero has a good fastball that averaged 94.5 mph in his big-league stint. He has a mid-80s slider and a changeup that can be a plus pitch. He also can do these things really well. View full article

Mark Feinsand of MLB.com reports that the Minnesota Twins have signed right-handed relief pitcher Joe Smith. Joe Smith. Plain in name, but not in game. The Minnesota Twins have signed veteran reliever Joe Smith to a contract for 2022. This will mark his 15th season in the big leagues. He debuted with the Mets way back in 2007, and he has pitched in 832 games since then with the Mets, Cleveland, the Angels, Cubs, Blue Jays, Cleveland again, the Astros and most recently, the Mariners. After pitching in Houston in 2018 and 2019, he opted out of the 2020 COVID-19 season. Through 27 games with the Astros, he struggled to a 7.48 ERA. In late July, he was traded to the Mariners and posted a 3-3 record with a 2.00 ERA in 23 games and 18 innings. Smith joins a Twins bullpen that has some talent but still some questions marks. Taylor Rogers is the best late-inning guy. He earned his first All Star appearance last year. However, a late-July finger injury ended his season prematurely. Tyler Duffey and Caleb Thielbar provide some veterans toward the back end of the bullpen. Jorge Alcala really came on strong late in the year and hopes to take a step forward in 2022. There are other options for the Twins bullpen: Jharel Cotton is a veteran that the Twins claimed from the Rangers early in the offseason. He was a solid prospect with the A's, but he struggled in his return from Tommy John surgery. He found some success last year with the Rangers and has a chance to pitch in a middle inning role with the Twins. Cody Stashak - He struggled last year and it was clear from watching him that his back was not right. When healthy, Stashak exhibits great control and command and experienced a lot of success his first two seasons. Lewis Thorpe - He is officially out of options this year. So, he has to make the Twins roster and cannot be optioned without being put through waivers. The Twins have officially told him that they will be moving him to the bullpen. Griffin Jax - He debuted in 2021 and found some struggles, and yet he held his own. He was also told that he will work out of the Twins bullpen from this point forward. He has two option years remaining. He can throw fairly hard out of the bullpen and has a very good slider. Ralph Garza, Jr. - The Twins claimed him from the Astros last summer. He pitched pretty well for the Twins late in the season and has two options remaining. Jovani Moran - another lefty, Moran has some of the best stuff in the bullpen. A good fastball. A sharp slider, and a changeup that many want to compare to Johan Santana's. He's got three options remaining after getting called up in September last year. Beyond this group, it's possible to see lefties Devin Smeltzer and Danny Coulombe who have both had good success at times in the big leagues. Juan Minaya really pitched well for the Twins the final two months of the season, and he came back to the Twins on a minor-league deal. Jake Faria has big-league time with some success. Trevor Megill was claimed, then DFAd and brought back on a minor league deal, but he has intriguing stuff. Last year, the Twins claimed Ian Hamilton off of waivers and were able to sneak him through waivers. He is out of options, but he is not on the 40-man roster. In addition, Ryan Mason and Yennier Cano are two arms in St. Paul that should be given an opportunity at some point. Joe Smith has had a lot of great moments in the game. The side-winding righty fits into the same type of category as the Tyler Clippard and Sergio Romo types signed in recent years. They can still get guys out, and hopefully they can work with the other bullpen arms. What are your thoughts on the Twins signing their first relief pitcher? (More to come) View full article