Theodore Tollefson

After being designated for assignment by the Twins earlier this season, Jay Jackson cleared waivers, and is now pitching with the St. Paul Saints. He's had two outings so far, and spoke with Twins Daily Wednesday night after his best outing since May 16. Image courtesy of © David Richard-USA TODAY Sports ST. PAUL– Jay Jackson had one the biggest smiles across his face that he’s had in a long time on Wednesday night. “It felt great,” Jackson said about his outing. The 36-year-old righty threw a 1-2-3 inning in the top of the eighth, in the Saints' 5-1 victory over the Syracuse Mets. It was his first clean inning of work since May 16 against the Yankees. Two days later, his outing against Cleveland turned into a disaster, as he allowed four hits, a walk, and three runs (though all were technically unearned). The Twins designated Jackson for assignment the next day--technically. In reality, his locker was being cleaned out immediately after that game. It felt like the decision had been made even before the final pitch of that contest. A week later, after clearing waivers, Jackson was outrighted to the Saints. His relief appearance on Wednesday was his second in a Saints uniform. The first time around was on May 31 against the Rochester Red Wings, where he surrendered a couple of hits and a run in the seventh inning. “Just having a clean inning is always the goal anyway, but tonight, just working back in there, not feeling any aches and pains," Jackson said, in characterizing the appearance. "Trying to feel myself out there, get my feet under me again for the next couple of weeks, and see what happens.” Command hasn’t been a huge issue for Jackson this season; he only allowed eight walks in 22 1/3 innings for the Twins. He fell short in swing-and-miss stuff, particularly with his slider and changeup. Jackson is one of the many slider-first pitchers the Twins have had in their bullpen this season, and he threw it 219 times with the club. While opponents only complied a .255 batting average against the pitch, four of the 13 hits they got were home runs, fueling a .569 slugging percentage. Jackson's mid-30s renaissance as a big-league bullpen arm has been all about his slider. He never had a chance of finding success while having the pitch get hit that hard. In his first two outings with St. Paul, Jackson threw his slider 15 times, with mixed success. He gave up two hits on the pitch against Rochester on May 31, but had better luck with it Wednesday. He got two called strikes with it in each of those outings. Then, on Saturday, he got three whiffs on the offering, and the pitch had the shape that has been missing for him all season. The red, highlighted point is Saturday's game. If Jackson can start consistently throwing the slider with that kind of two-plane movement, it's back on. The tilt on the pitch out of his hand and the movement on it in this one appearance, alone, match those measurements for the pitch over his previous two seasons. Following his outing on Wednesday, Jackson felt that his pitch arsenal was working better than it had been for a long while. “I think everything was mixing in the real well. I was leaving fastballs up a little bit, just coming off of them. Again, just trying to work on my mechanics and get my body right under me and just feeling myself again is the key," he said. "Just making sure everything is clicking the right way I feel like it should and getting my confidence back to where I know it should be.” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire also had plenty to compliment about one of his newest relievers. “It was huge,” said Gardenhire. “He’s done it a thousand times, he’s been out there for a long time and he’s gotten a lot of outs. He knows how to do it, he knows what he’s doing out there, and he did have a tough go in the big leagues up there for a little bit. But I’m expecting him to be really good for us and hopefully, he’ll get another shot in the big leagues this summer.” Wednesday became a tone-setter for Jackson to recoup himself and rebuild his confidence. The smile he bore after the eighth looked like a million dollars, and from that look alone, no one would guess what he had been through with the Twins up to that point to be where he is now in St. Paul. “It’s just been a long year, it’d been a long offseason so it’s just all compounding but it’s just a matter of finally getting healthy and feeling myself out there," Jackson said. "It’s not changing too much because while I was up there, the numbers looked bad but I was throwing some good pitches here and there and just had some bad luck here and there." With two good outings back under his belt, Jackson expects to keep battling hitters more with his slider and find ways to keep them chasing, rather than making solid contact. “I’m just down here, and I’ll just keep grinding, keep working and seeing what the next steps are going to be. If they need me they need me, if they don’t, you know, I’ll just keep working." If the slider is locked back in, the Twins will need him, and be thrilled to have him back fairly soon. In the meantime, St. Paul looks good on him. View full article

The father-son bond is powerful within the game of baseball. Twins top prospect Brooks Lee is grateful for the one he has with his father, Larry Lee, as he returns to the St. Paul Saints following a herniated disc injury that kept him on the shelf for two months. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints ST. PAUL– Brooks Lee hadn’t set foot on the dirt at CHS Field since Sept. 24, 2023. Tuesday night, he was in the lineup at shortstop and set to bat cleanup for his first game at Triple-A this year. But no Saint would even put on their jersey that night; Lee’s long-anticipated return would have to wait another day due to rain. The extra day off removed any jitters Lee had about wanting to get back out on the field, and he was filled with more excitement than nerves upon getting back out on the field Wednesday night. “It’s definitely a good feeling coming back out here, knowing I put in the work and I did, and now I’m just ready to play,” said Lee before the start of Wednesday’s game. Lee was a welcome sight in the Saints clubhouse for his teammates and manager Toby Gardenhire, who hadn’t seen him since he went down in Spring Training. “I’m really happy for him that he is here,” said Gardenhire “We all like to see Brooks Lee play, you know what you’re going to get with him. He’s a good ball player, a good leader in the clubhouse, and just a good overall dude.” Lee revealed the herniated disc wasn’t a new injury for him. It’s something he’s been battling for years dating back to college, and has battled through--until it became too painful to play with this spring. “I’ve had the disc since I was in college. This is my ninth year dealing with it, with back stuff. At any given moment, I can get hurt, so that’s why I have an appreciation for the game and why I am always grateful for when I do get to play it. It’s an ongoing thing, but I’m just trying to get more knowledgeable in how to deal with it.” Lee determined that he needed to learn more about the mental side of sitting out with his injury. The hardest part of rehabilitating his back was learning his limitations on the field and taking a step back. “I was just making sure I am getting all my reps done, but I’m smart about it," Lee said. "I’ve always done so much, so I think that’s what has hurt me by doing too much. So just trying to do as much as I can throughout the day and that’s what I’m learning, but I want to do as much as I can, but that’s not the reality I am in anymore." The key to that is realizing how young he still is. Instead of playing full throttle every day, he’s now pacing for longevity in his professional career. “I’m young and I am going to have to learn that sooner rather than later, or else it will destroy my career,” Lee said. The upside of being sidelined for the first two months, for him, was still being able to talk to the coach he’s trusted more than any other: his dad, Larry Lee. Their father-son relationship is as powerful as it gets in baseball. Larry has seen Brooks overcome every challenge thrown at him since he was a Little Leaguer. His first major injury was one of those things, when he was sidelined for most of his freshman year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a knee injury “Early on, it was very difficult for him,” said the elder Lee on Brooks's herniated disc injury. “But he’s always turned a negative into a positive.” While Brooks was out with his injury, Larry was coaching the Cal Poly Mustangs three out of seven nights a week. After fulfilling his coaching duties with the Mustangs, Larry still checked in with his son over the phone almost every night. “Once he started playing, I called him on a daily basis just to check in with him and I was able to watch the Single-A games. He would send me some videos of the Complex League games. But he’s had a real good attitude and he had even before his injury," said Larry. "He was just going to try and better himself each and every day in all aspects of the game, so whenever the front office thought he was ready, he’d be ready to go." Brooks claims the phone calls were more calming for his dad than for him, but still appreciates all the effort and care his dad takes with his career. Even if he’s no longer his full-time coach and just another dad watching his son achieve his dreams from the stands, Larry is having an impact. “I think he’s the closest one that gets it. Just being in baseball, and he knows me so well and I don’t hide anything from him, either. I express all of my emotions and let him know how I’m feeling. It’s very enjoyable for me just to get on the phone with him whenever I need to. He likes to call me a lot because he likes to worry and he likes to know how I am doing,” Brooks said. As Brooks began rehab with the Florida Complex League Twins, Larry knew it would only be a matter of making the most of every at-bat for his son to return to how well he was playing in spring training. “It was just a matter of seeing pitches. When the injury occurred, he was in a really good place both offensively and defensively," Larry said. "Now it’s just a matter of getting enough at-bats, and it’s just a gradual process for him to get back to where he’s seeing the ball well and that’s just going to come with time." Brooks knew exactly what he could do once he returned to the diamond, and he proved it to all skeptics once his rehab assignment began. In 10 games between the FCL Twins and Mighty Mussels, Lee combined for a triple slash of .395/.452/.474, albeit without any home runs. “I just proved that I still got it. I still busted my ass and I always will, and that’s the plan. How much can I do and how much can I bust my ass each day and be smart about it so I can be prepared to play a long game,” said Brooks. The proof was in the pudding for his rehab, but what would come of his first game back with the Saints? Lee went 1-for-3 with the game-winning RBI single, recorded two double plays with Edouard Julien (as if they had done it a thousand times before), and had a highlight-reel play at short to prevent a Pablo Reyes base hit, as the Saints would go on to win 5-1 against Syracuse. “It was actually my first time playing in a game with Brooks outside of Spring Training,” Julien said after the game. “He’s a great player, he’s really talented and we just got to hope he stays healthy. But it’s good to be here and get some reps with him.” With the rehab stint over, Lee is back to simply playing baseball every day, and he knows what he needs to do for himself each day, on and off the field. After every game, he also has a large support group of teammates, friends, and family he can lean on for support, but as he said, his dad will always be the one who gets what he’s going through best. “He’s been a tremendous help, and my whole family has been, and my girlfriend and the Twins organization, too. And it’s not easy, because I’m trying to be a big-leaguer and get there as fast as I can, and I’m not going to let my own mind get in the way." View full article

That was an editor's note, not me writing the two at-bats off. I'm aware they count as plate appearances.

The Saints have had over 13 players move onto and off of their roster recently, due to options, injuries, or development list transactions. Catch up on all the moves from the team's two-week road trip, and who will be in their clubhouse ahead of their six-game homestand against the Syracuse Mets. Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-USA TODAY Sports ST. PAUL– The Saints return to CHS Field this week for a six-game homestand with the Syracuse Mets, after a two-week road trip in upstate New York. Over those two weeks, many players were shuffled through the Saints roster, and there are some new and returning faces in the clubhouse as they return home. Toby Gardenhire was available ahead of the opener Tuesday night (though it was eventually postponed), and provided updates on all the transactions over the last two weeks. May 19, Will Holland activated from the 7-day IL, hamstring strain Holland had gone down running the bases on Apr. 25, in a game against the Rochester Red Wings. He’d been out for nearly four weeks, until the conclusion of the Saints' last homestand against the Omaha Storm Chasers. Holland has played in 10 games for the Saints all over the diamond since being activated, and has seen some mixed results. He’s 6-32 (.187), with two home runs, six RBIs, and three walks. But the small-sample struggle isn’t a concern for Gardenhire. “Will, he can do a lot of things, he can run, he can play good defense and he’s been swinging bat and he isn’t chasing bad pitches,” said Gardenhire. May 21, Adam Plutko assigned to St. Paul The Twins signed Plutko on May 3 out of the KBO, where he had been pitching the last two seasons. Plutko’s 2024 season was delayed due to a hip injury, which kept him in Ft. Myers for a few weeks to rebuild his strength. Plutko has made three starts for the Saints since his arrival, throwing 7 ⅓ innings, and posting a 3.68 ERA with six strikeouts and a walk. “He’s doing great for coming back from surgery," Gardenhire said. "He’s still building back up right now, but his last outing he was really good, so if we can keep building off of that we’re going to be great." May 25, Royce Lewis Sent on Rehab Assignment with St. Paul (Activated June 4) Every Twins fan who could did their part to keep up with Lewis and his rehab assignment with the Saints in Buffalo and Rochester. In his first game since Mar. 29, Royce Lewis led off with a single and stole a base. The stolen base was a frustrating action by Lewis to Twins manager Rocco Baldelli and the front office, as they wanted to prevent further injury. Lewis would go on to play in six games on his rehab assignment, playing half his games at third base and the other half at DH. While his results at the plate weren’t encouraging (he went 4-23), he still showed signs of being healthy and having star upside--no surprise to the Twins or Twins fans. “He's healthy. He’s been all over the place making plays, and he had a few really good swings at the plate," said Gardenhire. "I was talking to Rocco yesterday. He’s one of those guys who will hit a home run in his first at-bat no matter what he does in the Minor Leagues. He’s a limelight guy, so he’ll be fine.” Hey, he was almost right about that! Two at-bats off. May 27, Kody Funderburk optioned to St. Paul, Jay Jackson outrighted to St. Paul Two relievers who have spent a significant amount of time in the Twins bullpen this season joined the Saints as they arrived in Rochester last Monday. Funderburk was optioned to the Saints for the second time this year, and Jackson cleared waivers, remaining in the Twins organization. Both have pitched at least one game since joining the Saints. Funderburk has had two scoreless outings, while Jackson gave up a run “They’re both really good guys. They just want to work and get a chance to get back up to the big leagues, so that’s what they’re doing," said the duo's new boss. "[Funderburk] threw the ball really well the other day. [Jackson]’s been good, too, so I think both those guys will be big for us here." May 27, Josh Winder activated from rehab assignment, optioned to Saints Winder spent a month rehabbing between the Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels and Saints before being activated by them on May 27. He was recovering from shoulder inflammation on the right side. Hitters were still taking advantage of Winder’s ailing shoulder when he began his rehab assignment in Ft. Myers. Still, he eventually came into a good groove with the Saints, firing three straight scoreless outings from May 21-28. His last outing on May 31 wasn’t as sharp, as Winder surrendered three runs on two hits and two walks in only one inning of work. Despite his last outing, Gardenhire says he’s on an upward trajectory from where his season started. “He’s coming back from some stuff, and he’s working through the rehab process, it was kind of slow going getting him back to where he needs to be. But he looked really good for a few outings out there, and hopefully, we can keep that going, because when he’s throwing hard and his slider is working good, he’s dominant." May 28, Jeff Brigham Activated from Injured List Brigham was on the Saints' Opening Day roster, expecting to be one of the secret weapons out of their bullpen. As he was working a second inning against the Nashville Sounds on Apr. 4, he felt something go wrong in his side, and two days later, Brigham was shut down with a left oblique strain. Nearly two months later, Brigham was activated and returned to the Saints bullpen on May 28. He made his first appearance the next day against the Red Wings. He was flawless in his first outing throwing a perfect inning. His next time out three days later wasn’t as sharp, as Brigham let in three runs on three walks in the bottom of the fifth. The control issues are something Brigham will address this week, but Gardenhire sees there will still be much better to come as he returns to his routine. “Brigham has great stuff. He’s a really good pitcher, and I have high expectations of him that he’ll turn around and be really good for us. We’re still building him in slow; you’re not going to see him out there for three innings. But we’re going to get him in there and let him keep building." May 28, Caleb Baragar, Placed on 7-Day IL with a Right Hip Strain Another recent signing by the Twins organization, Baragar was signed away from the Lancaster Stormers out of the Atlantic League. The former Cleveland Guardian has made two starts with the Saints so far, but he only threw three innings in his second start on May 24 after allowing four runs on five hits and three walks. Four days later, he was diagnosed with a right hip strain. There is no clear timeframe on when Baragar will return from his injury according to Gardenhire, but it will be still some time before he’s back. “He was doing okay, he came out of that start a little sore. We worked through some stuff and decided to put him on the IL but as far as I know, he’s doing pretty good with it,” said Gardenhire. May 29, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., Placed on 7-Day IL with a Left Calf Strain The injury to Keirsey Jr. is one of the most devastating to the Saints roster this last week. Keirsey Jr. last played on May 26 and went 2-4 with a two-run home run and a stolen base. The next day, something did not feel right in his left calf, and he remained on the bench. Three days after he last played, the Saints placed Keirsey Jr. on the IL with the strain, and he is now wearing a boot on his left leg to promote healing. This is a massive setback for the Saints' team leader in many offensive categories (including batting average (.302), on-base percentage (.390), OPS (.928), stolen bases (16), and hits (55)). His absence leaves a bigger hole in the outfield, as Matt Wallner now remains the only outfielder on the Saints active roster. Gardenhire didn’t know the severity of the strain in medical terms, but if it’s anything more than a grade one, it could take anywhere from three to six weeks to recover. “Hopefully it’s not as long, you just never know. It’s all about how he progresses with everything. He is doing exercise and stuff every day, he wants to get back, so I know he’s going to work hard to do it. So we’ll see how it goes and let it progress." June 2, Jair Camargo sent on Rehab Assignment with Ft. Myers It’s been a month since Twins fans were able to see Camargo out on the field with the Saints, as he went down on May 1 with a right forearm strain. Camargo began his rehab assignment in Florida over the previous weekend. He’s 3-11 so far in his three rehab games, hitting .272 with a double and an RBI. Gardenhire said he could still be playing in a few more games with the Mighty Mussels before returning to the Saints lineup, and wouldn’t count on his return before the homestand against Syracuse is over. “Not sure if we’ll see him at all this week, but my guess would be either this week or next week, all depending on how everything goes. He’s been playing in those games down there, we’ve been watching him and he looks like he’s doing a good job so hopefully we’ll get him back up here soon.” Jun. 3, Edouard Julien optioned by the Twins It wasn’t official until Tuesday, but almost everyone and their mother knew Julien would be returning to St. Paul ahead of Lewis’s official activation from the injured list. Julien looked as though he was finally exiting his month-long slump with the Twins this past week, going 4-13 (.307), but he had yet to cut down on his strikeouts, as he leads all of Major League Baseball with strikeouts looking (34). Gardenhire and the Saints coaching staff are fully aware of what Julien is capable of at the plate and know he just needs a reset to cut down on his strikeouts and regain his confidence in Triple-A. “I think everybody knows Eddie can hit. We saw him do it at the big-league level last year, and we saw it down in the minor leagues for a long time. Sometimes, players just need a little bit of a breather from everything up there, they struggle a little bit, and the pressure starts to mount a little bit. Sometimes it’s good for these players to get down here and just get out and play every day, and that’s what we’re hoping for him here.” Jun. 4, Yoyner Fajardo traded to the Pittsburgh Pirates for cash considerations Prior to Tuesday’s scheduled game, the Saints traded away one of their outfielders, Yoyner Fajardo, to the Pittsburgh Pirates organization for cash considerations. Fajardo had spent the majority of his professional career in the Pirates system before he was claimed off waivers by the Twins on Dec. 7, 2022, and assigned to Double-A. Fajardo has been assigned to Triple-A Indianapolis, and will join former Twin Gilberto Celestino in their outfield. While Fajardo’s overall numbers didn’t flash off his stat page, he did provide the Saints with two walk-off wins this season and saw significant growth in his own development according to Gardy. “We all love him here. He had a great year last year in Double-A, he came up here and was doing a good job. He just ran into a numbers thing where we just have a bunch of guys who need to play and that just happens sometimes. But I wish him nothing but the best because he’s an awesome dude, awesome teammate and just a really good person,” Gardenhire said. Jun. 4, Brooks Lee activated from the injured list The long wait is over for Twins fans and the Saints coaching staff. Brooks Lee is back from the injured list and healed from his herniated disk surgery. His presence does crowd up the Saints infield more, making him the eighth infielder they officially have on the roster. But he is expected to get full playing time across the infield and it’s a welcome sight for Gardenhire. “I’m really happy for him that he’s here," Gardenhire said. "He just wants to play so just having him back up here even though I haven’t seen him play or do anything yet. I’m excited to have him back on the field and watch Brooks Lee play. I know what he’s capable of, he’s a good ball player and leader in this clubhouse." In total, the Saints have had 13 transactions over the last two weeks, and the shuffling around of players has their roster revamped for this homestand. The Saints currently have a 25-31 record on the season and are 14 out of 20 teams in the International League. But talent still abounds, with players such as Austin Martin, Wallner, Julien, Lee, and Michael Helman at the top of their lineup and Louie Varland, David Festa, and Randy Dobnak atop of their rotation. They are set up well to turn things around for the start of the summer and bring themselves back into contention for the Triple-A playoffs. View full article

Steven Okert has been one of the most heavily-used relievers out of the Twins bullpen this year. He's also been their most dependable lefty. Can he keep up the pace, as the Twins enter the beginning of summer? Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports The Twins have seen mixed results from their off-season acquisitions in 2024. Some players (such as Anthony DeSclafani and Justin Topa) haven’t pitched at all, due to injury. Others (like Jay Jackson and Manuel Margot) have had bad results. But there is at least one player the Twins acquired via trade who has returned plenty of value: Steven Okert. Okert has been a relief arm long desired by some Twins fans and writers. Back in July of 2022, the Twins were in contention for the American League Central and in dire need of reinforcements in the pen. Their relief corps was lacking in lefty depth, as Caleb Thielbar had an ERA just south of 5.00 going into the All-Star break. While Jovani Moran had an ERA of 0.98, he had only 26 ⅔ career innings to that point. Around that time, Okert was looking like one of the under-the-radar trade options on a struggling Marlins team, posting a 2.27 ERA and an opponent batting average of .161 across 31 ⅔ innings, in 38 games. The Twins didn’t put together a deal to get Okert by the trade deadline, as they settled instead on Michael Fulmer from the Tigers and Jorge López from the Orioles. But a year and a half later, Okert was their final addition to the bullpen, a week ahead of Spring Training. Now, two months into the 2024 season, Okert has proven to be the Twins' most reliable left-handed reliever. Thielbar began the season on the injured list, and has only slowly returned to form. Kody Funderburk has been inconsistent, and is now on his second optional assignment of the year with the Saints in St. Paul. Okert has pitched the second-most games out of the bullpen (22), behind Griffin Jax (28). He holds the second-lowest ERA from Twins relievers who have thrown a minimum of 15 innings (2.79) and opponents' batting average (.216). He's also had one of the more unique bullpen entrances in baseball this year, taking the Nationals' bullpen cart to the mound and tipping their driver a five-dollar bill for the ride--something the driver didn't expect and was very grateful for, as he told Twins Daily's Peter Labuza last week. Despite this success, there have been challenges for Okert this season. He's battled to establish feel for every pitch in his arsenal outside his slider. While his opponents' average with his slider sits at .140, the results are not the same with his fastball (.350), sinker (.250), and changeup (.333). The sample sizes for his sinker and changeup remain small, as Okert has only thrown his sinker 28 times and his changeup seven times. But his fastball is not the same, as opponents are 7-for-20 against his fastball. Command continues to be an issue with his heater, as he’s only landed it in the strike zone 25% of the time, down from 38.6% in 2023. But when he is landing it in the zone, it’s usually in the wrong place. Take his appearance against Anthony Santander on Apr. 17, for example. The Twins were tied 1-1 after six strong innings from Pablo López. Okert entered the game in the seventh and retired the first batter, Austin Hays, on a fastball right down the middle. It was a very well-hit ball, but it nestled harmlessly into the glove of Austin Martin in center field. Santander was next up. Okert went right after him, with fastballs just like those he threw to Hays. He got away with the first. The second, a bit lower, left Santander's bat at 107.4 miles per hour and landed in the Orioles Splash Zone. While it may appear that Okert has also inherited many runners in his outings, he has only had six outings where he's inherited runners and come in with a total of 12 runners aboard. His most recent outing where this occurred was against Houston on Sunday, as he entered the game with runners on first and second, one out, and the game tied at 3-3. This was one of Okert's highest-leverage outings of the season. Entering the game, he faced a leverage index of 3.16, meaning the situation was more than three times as important to the outcome as an average plate appearance. He retired Kyle Tucker on five pitches, throwing four sliders and a fastball to get him out. Alex Bregman got a single on a fastball on the upper outside corner of the strike zone to load the bases for Astros slugger Yordan Alvarez. Alvarez is a tough opponent for many pitchers, but Okert only needed three sliders and a sinker to get him out and keep the game tied for the Twins, and survived one of the toughest trios of hitters in the game. Okert’s biggest flaw is proving to be his fastball and his lack of trust in it, which has been the case throughout his career. Last season, opponents went 24-for-83 (.289 BA) against his fastball, seeing it in the strike zone more frequently. His slider continues to be his best asset, though, as it has landed in the strike zone 61.3% to 68% over the last three seasons and has never exceeded an opponent's average of .194 in that time. The Twins love their slider-first pitchers. It’s a big reason why they acquired Okert. But he needs to improve upon his fastball command and trust that it’ll get hitters to chase outside on the corners, rather than right down the middle of the plate. If he can develop his fastball into a more reliable secondary pitch as the summer goes on, he will prove to be the Twins' most dependable lefty going into the postseason crunch time in September. That's what the Twins need right now, as they face off against the Yankees (hopefully) for one last time this year. View full article

Jamie welcomes the guest for this week's DTS, Twins Manager of Scouting Research, Ezra Wise. Ezra breaks down his time in Major League Baseball and the journey he took to get to the Twins front office which started back in 2014 when a former Twins Fan Favorite was in Low-A in the Phillies system where Wise had his first internship. View full video

There are a lot of players hurt across all levels of the Twins organization, but many of them will still return to play in 2024. Let's break down 19 players, from Low-A to the majors, who are expected to return to their teams before the season is over. Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports Injuries are a constant problem for every big-league franchise, and a constant part of the narrative for the Twins. From Royce Lewis and Brock Stewart on the big-league roster to Walker Jenkins and José Rodríguez with Low-A Ft. Myers, injuries have marred the first quarter of the year for the whole organization. Some of these players could be returning to their respective teams soon, but others will require substantially more time. Here’s a breakdown of every injured player in the Twins organization who is expected to come back this year. Twins 40-Man Roster and 60-Day Injured List It’s well known Anthony DeSclafani and Daniel Duarte are out for the season, but one of the remaining two men on the Twins' 60-day injured list could be back soon as a long relief option for the bullpen. Josh Winder Josh Winder has been on a rehab assignment since the end of April, as he works his way back from a right shoulder injury that had him shut down before any other Twin in Spring Training. He made two rehab outings with Ft. Myers before being transferred to the Saints on May 7. Winder’s outings have not had encouraging outcomes, as he’s allowed at least one earned run in each of his five rehab outings. He’s worked a total of 8 ⅔ innings over his five appearances and allowed nine earned runs, accumulating an ERA of 9.35. He has, at least, recorded 12 strikeouts in his five outings, with a whiff rate of 18.6%. Winder can be activated from his rehab assignment as early as May 28, but his outings are resulting in less-than-favorable numbers; it’s possible he could be optioned to remain in St. Paul once activated. Zack Weiss The other man on the 60-day IL who could be returning before the All-Star break is Zack Weiss. Our last update on Weiss's teres major strain came May 14, when Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta informed Twins beat reporters that Weiss had been throwing from 75 feet, but not off a mound. Weiss has been shelved since March 1, but if his next steps are steady, there’s a likelihood he can begin a rehab assignment sometime in the middle of June. Twins 40-Man Roster, 10 or 15-Day Injured List Players Royce Lewis There's no one Twins fans are more excited to get back, and Lewis might not be as far away as once feared. His stint on the 10-day IL has taken as much time as expected when he landed there with a quadriceps injury, but he could join the St. Paul Saints for rehab as early as their next series in Rochester, New York, beginning the day after Memorial Day. Lewis’s absence has been felt of late in the lineup, as the Twins just broke out of a seven-game losing skid born mostly of offensive incompetence. There’s no guarantee he’ll return to form immediately upon return, but Mr. Grand Slam will have plenty of opportunities to flash his brilliance as summer rolls around. Justin Topa Justin Topa is still listed as being on rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, but with the slight tear in his right knee and a six-week setback, he'll be recalled from it. The Twins have a full 20 days from the last time Topa was out on the mound to take him off rehab assignment. His last rehab outing came on May 5 against the Louisville Bats. He only threw one inning and allowed one hit with a strikeout, but his fastball velocity was still down around 92 MPH. With the setback sidelining him for the next six weeks, Topa figures not to actually join the big-league bullpen until after the All-Star break. If all goes well from Topa’s plasma cortisone shot and next rehab assignment, he could be a de facto trade deadline addition to the relief corps. Brock Stewart Stewart has been absent from the Twins bullpen since May 2 with right shoulder inflammation, and the hope had been that he might start his own rehab assignment around this time. Alas: setbacks. Stewart has yet to throw a baseball at all, as Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported, meaning his return timeframe could be longer than (for instance) Lewis’s. If that is the case, it could be the middle of June (or later) when Stewart finally makes his return to the Twins bullpen. Triple-A Injuries Jair Camargo Twins fans haven’t heard much about Camargo of late, and that’s because has been out since May 1 with a right forearm contusion. He had played in 17 games up to that point between the St. Paul Saints and Minnesota Twins, and had decent numbers at the plate in Triple-A, posting a .263/.354/.474 triple slash, along with three home runs and 13 runs batted in. The Saints have not been without catchers in Camargo’s absence, as he is one of four on their roster. But his absence has been felt much more in the lineup, as the Saints offense has a Triple-A-worst .219 batting average. Camargo has missed three weeks of play, and there is no clear timeframe of how soon he will be activated to rejoin this meek Saints lineup. Brooks Lee The long-awaited update arrived early this week: Lee is, indeed, beginning a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Twins, and is on his way back to Triple-A. So far, Lee has only accumulated one hit in eight at-bats, but his level of comfort in his back while playing takes precedence over results. There’s no clear indication yet on whether he’ll rejoin the St. Paul Saints on their current two-week road trip in upstate New York, or wait until they return to CHS Field to begin the month of June. If the Twins front office wants to take their time with Lee, he will probably spend some more time in Ft. Myers with the Mighty Mussels before joining the Saints. Matt Canterino It was another unfortunate setback for Matt Canterino this spring, when he began the season on the IL with a right rotator cuff strain in camp. Fortunately, there was a good update on the status of his health back on May 14, by MLB.com Twins reporter Do-Hyoung Park. Canterino is throwing from 90 feet, and as long as all goes well, he could start his rehab assignment by the start of June. He missed all of 2023 recovering from Tommy John surgery and looked relatively healthy to begin Spring Training. When he begins his rehab assignment, it’ll be the first time he’s pitched in a professional game since July 30, 2022. Jeff Brigham Brigham looked good in two games during the Saints' first week of the season. But as he tried to complete a second inning of work against the Nashville Sounds, something felt off after hitting their right fielder Chavez Young with a pitch. Brigham exited that game with a left oblique strain, and was placed on the IL the following day, Apr. 6. His estimated timetable for return remains unknown, but the Saints' bullpen has been one of their stronger units. Brent Headrick Brent Headrick started his 2024 season in the Saints rotation and looked really solid in his first two starts. He had a 2.08 ERA in 8 ⅔ innings of work and struck out 15 batters while only walking three. Following his second start on April 6 against the Nashville Sounds, he suffered a left forearm flexor strain. Headrick was shut down on Apr. 8, and is anticipated to need a significant amount of time before he can be activated from the 60-day IL. While there’s no clear timeframe on his return, his return in 2024 is not ruled out. Late July or early August feel like the right target ranges for a comeback, but if this injury doesn't respond to rest, surgery could be a lurking risk. Double-A Injuries Cory Lewis One of the biggest names in the Cedar Rapids Kernels pitching rotation was Cory Lewis, who garnered national interest for using a knuckleball to round out his arsenal. However, he has yet to throw a pitch in 2024, as he began the season on the IL with a right shoulder impingement. There have been few updates on his health since the Wind Surge’s Opening Day on Apr. 5, but he’s still expected to be in their starting rotation before the 2024 season is over. Cody Laweryson Cody Laweryson has been shut down since Apr. 10 with an undisclosed injury. The 26-year-old from Bingham, Maine spent all of last season in the Saints bullpen and pitched in only one game this season before being shut down. Sean Mooney Sean Mooney is another of many Twins minor-league pitchers who began the season on the injured list. He has been out since Mar. 20 recovering from right rotator cuff surgery. The surgery takes anywhere from four to six months to fully heal, and there is no indication on where Mooney currently lands in that timeframe, but he has yet to be ruled out for 2024. High-A Injuries Gabriel Gonzalez The Twins’ top prospect acquisition in the Jorge Polanco trade has been out since May 8 with a lower back strain. He had a solid first 20 games with the Kernels before being placed on the IL posting a .265/.315/.456 line. The setback is expected to be minimal for the 20-year-old outfielder, and he could return to the Kernels lineup as early as this weekend if all goes well in his recovery. Danny De Andrade De Andrade took a bad roll on his left ankle playing shortstop for the Kernels on May 16. The following day, the Kernels placed him on the 7-day injured list with a left ankle sprain. De Andrade’s time frame for return is currently unknown. He had played in 29 games before his injury and hit .243/.333/.359, along with two home runs and 19 runs batted in. Connor Prielipp The unfortunate narrative of injuries has stuck with Prielipp since the Twins drafted him in 2022. He has only made two starts, two months apart from each other in 2023, and began the 2024 season on the IL as he still recovers from an internal brace placement last July. He isn’t expected to resume baseball activities until June at the earliest, following last summer's procedure. While there is no clear update on his timeframe of return, the hope is that he'll finis the summer in the rotation somewhere in the lower half of the Twins system. Low-A Injuries Walker Jenkins The run of bad luck with the health of Twins top prospects continued with Jenkins. In the second inning of the Mussels' first game, he pulled his hamstring trying to catch a fly ball in center field. Fortunately, he’s begun a rehab assignment alongside Lee in the Florida Complex League. He’s only played in one game on Monday, and went 0-4 at the plate. The setback is a bummer to Jenkins's season, but he will still be back with the Mighty Mussels before the dog days of summer. José Rodríguez The injury to Rodríguez is recent, as he went down with a right thumb contusion on Fri., May 17. While his numbers haven’t been eye-popping in 33 games, he has one of the biggest hits in the Mighty Mussels' season so far: he hit a walk-off grand slam on May 7 to give the Mussels the 8-7 win over the Dunedin Blue Jays. Thumb contusions can take six weeks to recover from, putting his ETA to return to the Mussels lineup at the beginning of July. Carlos Aguiar Aguiar has been out since Apr. 20 with a right intercostal strain. The 22-year-old outfielder was hitless in three games with the Mighty Mussels before going down with his injury. The typical time for an intercostal strain to heal is anywhere from three to seven weeks. It has been nearly five weeks since Aguiar suffered the strain, making it likely he could still need another two before his return. There are many more injured Twins players and prospects who could be out for the remainder of the season. But for these 19 players, the campaign probably isn't over, and the franchise will be relieved to get them back when they can. 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“I just want to be a part of someone’s journey, so that whenever they do make it, I can know I did help them out in some way." Read up on Tony Kemp's first month with the St. Paul Saints and his impact on younger players. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints St. Paul–Compared to his last several years, this one has been a hectic campaign of travel for Tony Kemp. The 32-year-old utility man joined the Cincinnati Reds on a minor-league deal on Feb. 24. Nearly four weeks later, he was released by the Reds, and a week after that, the Baltimore Orioles signed him on a minor-league deal and added him to their Opening Day roster. But his stay in Baltimore would be brief as well. Kemp had only 10 plate appearances in five games for the O’s, and reached base only once over those five games, on a walk. Baltimore designated him for assignment on Apr. 10, as they called up MLB’s number-one prospect, Jackson Holliday, to make his MLB debut. “I think the hardest part about it is just moving your family around to all those different places,” Kemp said, as he reflected on his first two months of the 2024 season. “But by now, we’re used to the baseball life as I got drafted a minute ago.” His time returning to baseball purgatory, waiting to find the next team, would once again be short-lived. After being let go by the Orioles. Kemp elected free agency on Apr. 13, and four days later, he signed a minor-league deal with the Twins. He's been with Triple-A St. Paul ever since. The Twins organization has garnered a reputation that Kemp has respected over the last few years; it’s one of the many reasons he signed a contract with them. “As I said, this organization is good and there are a lot of good guys who are close to getting to the big leagues here that just want to get that taste and it’s cool to be a part of it,” said Kemp. One of the biggest additions that Kemp has brought to the Saints clubhouse is veteran leadership--something Saints manager Toby Gardenhire said had been absent during the first few weeks of the season. “Tony’s awesome,” said Gardenhire. “He brings a veteran leadership which we didn’t have at the start of the year. We’re really young, and it helps to have veteran guys in the clubhouse that have been around for a little while and understand the way everything works.” Kemp recognizes the role he has within the Saints clubhouse, as it’s one he’s grown into over the last few seasons with the Oakland Athletics, as many more younger faces joined their roster while veteran teammates were traded away. “I feel like just being able to be myself and understand who I am over the last couple of years. Getting that veteran status, I guess you can say, but it’s one that you don’t take lightly and it’s a blessing to be in a place like this. Because this game is hard and everyone has a different journey throughout their career,” said Kemp. Coming from a franchise that has seen a lot of turnover in players (for better and for worse), Kemp has honed in on what makes him approachable for the younger guys. “The biggest thing is to get a relationship that everyone is comfortable with," Kemp said. "When you’re talking about someone’s career, you want to be sensitive to how they take in criticism. But I just want to be a guy that anybody can bounce what they’re feeling off of.” The younger players have already taken advantage of Kemp’s mentorship and wisdom. Whether it’s Matt Wallner (who’s returned to St. Paul for a full reset with his swing at the plate), or a player like Anthony Prato who is still itching for that first chance at the major leagues. Kemp has been their guy to approach for insight about what it takes. “I just want to be a part of someone’s journey, so that whenever they do make it, I can know I did help them out in some way,” Kemp reflected. “He can talk to the young guys about a bunch of different things. The ups and downs of baseball are really hard," Gardenhire said. "When you have guys who have been around a long time and can steer the ship a little bit, it really helps, and Tony’s great for that.” One player currently on the Twins' current big-league roster Kemp has already done that for is Austin Martin. Kemp and Martin are fellow alumni of Vanderbilt, and shortly after Martin was drafted by the Blue Jays in 2020, he spent his offseason working out with Kemp. “I was able to pick his brain then,” said Martin on his relationship with Kemp. “But he’s just a guy that, me personally, I feel like he goes about everything the right way. As someone I gravitated to while I was in college and outside of college, it’ll be the same thing." Martin only had two games in the Saints clubhouse alongside Kemp, before he was recalled to the Twins once again on May 3. Martin wasted no time reuniting with his old friend. “That’s a guy who has a lot of knowledge, he has a lot of experience in this game at the highest level. So just being able to pick his brain and seeing how he goes about his business will only help me,” said Martin. Kemp’s time with the Saints isn’t his first stint playing ball in Minnesota. He spent the summer of 2011 playing for the Northwoods League's Rochester Honkers, flashing his glove across the diamond at Mayo Field. “I’ve always enjoyed Minnesota, and I am still in contact with my host family from Rochester," said Kemp. Like every player in Triple-A, Kemp is doing all he can to get his next opportunity in the majors. His 16 games with the Saints haven’t been eye-catching with his stats, as he has a triple slash of .192/.354/.269 in 52 at-bats. But the numbers are not what Kemp is fixating on. “It was only nine or ten at-bats with the Orioles, but a couple of lineouts mixed in," he said. "There were some unlucky things that were involved with my season last year I didn’t think much about, and just kind of got rid of all that stuff, moved on and I am working to better myself and I think that comes with not dwelling on the negative.” The positive stat among all those mentioned is his on-base percentage, at .354. Kemp has drawn a walk for every strikeout with the Saints (12 apiece), and it’s that makeup of patience that is helping him get on the right trajectory for himself while also being the veteran mentor in the clubhouse. “I’m not the home-run hitter. I am the guy who gets on base for the home-run hitter. I feel like I’ve been able to stick around because of that.” View full article

While the Twins lost their game to the Yankees on Tuesday night, all four of their Minor League affiliates pulled of wins big and small. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints TRANSACTIONS None SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 13, Omaha 7 Box Score The Saints are back home for the week facing off against the Kansas City Royals Triple-A affiliate, the Omaha Storm Chasers. On the mound to start the series for St. Paul was Caleb Boushley, making his third outing since being sent back down by the Twins on May 2. But the story of the game was the Saints' offense in the back-and-forth battle of offense as they rallied together 13 runs for the second time this season. The spark plug for their offense was third baseman Diego A. Castillo, who had his second four-hit game of the season, going 4-for-4 with three singles, a double, and a walk. “I think I made the adjustments I needed to to be on time,” said Castillo. “I’m more on time right now, I can see the ball better and I feel it was a blessed day too. It’s good being on this team, they never stop fighting every at-bat, every inning, every pitch, it’s really fun.” On the mound, Boushley was perfect through the first three innings retiring the minimum on 40 pitches. While he cruised through three, everything changed for Boushley in the top of the fourth. Storm Chasers left fielder John Rave hit a ball to left field that just barely stayed fair for a double. Boushley then walked into a nightmare giving up five straight hits as the Storm Chasers rallied for six runs of three singles and back-to-back home runs from first baseman Davin Mann and second baseman Ryan Fitzgerald, taking a 6-3 lead with no outs. Boushley and the Saints lineup recovered retiring the bottom third of the Storm Chasers lineup to escape the fourth without further damage. He went back out on the mound in the fifth and retired the minimum on 11 pitches ending his day on a better note. After the game, Boushley spoke on what happened with his pitches in the fourth after cruising through the first three innings. “I was filling up the zone and able to get some early contact in the first three innings,” Boushley said. “In the fourth, the first four hits were good pitches and they were pitches where I wanted to throw them. And that’s baseball sometimes where you beat a guy and they still find a hole. And then the two home runs were just first-pitch ambushes, and again, that’s just baseball and you have to tip your cap.” Fortunately, the best was yet to come from the Saints lineup as they entered the bottom of the sixth still down 6-5. Catcher Chris Williams lead off the inning with a missile of a home run to center field to get the game tied up at 6. Two batters later, right fielder Anthony Prato drew a walk, stole second and third base, and was driven in by Castillo to break the tie and have the Saints back in the lead at 7-6. But they didn’t stop there without some insurance runs as shortstop Michael Helman had an RBI single to give the Saints a 8-6 lead into the seventh. Williams spoke after the game and said the success in his plate discipline has been the result of the work he’s been putting in over the last week. “I was hitting a little bit of a slump before and I was just chasing pitches, not aggressive with pitches in the zone,” said Williams. “Talking with a few coaches, I just tried to simplify it, attack the heater, adjust to the off-speed pitches. It was just basic stuff I felt like I got away from.” Even with the lead back in their favor, the Storm Chasers still posed a threat in the top of the seventh, as Saints’ centerfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. barely missed a highlight reel catch in center that turned into a triple by Omaha right fielder Tyler Gentry. Omaha got a run back but not before Jorge Alacal was brought in to tamper the threat and keep the game at 8-7. Left fielder Alex Isola lead off the bottom of the seventh with a solo shot to get the Saints back up by two runs. Then in the bottom of the eighth the Saints batted around to rally for four more runs most of which came off a 3-run shot to left-center from shortstop Michael Helman. The other Diego Castillo came on for the ninth to rack up the last three outs and give the Saints a win on the homestand. After the game, Saints manager Toby Gardenhire and hitting coach Shawn Schlecter spoke on the resilience of their offense rallying back for the win. “It was a good game,” Gardenhire said. “We swung our bats well, we stayed after it. That was one of our best offensive games we had, we got some homers which was nice and it was nice to win on game one of the series.” “After taking a three-run lead, they punched back for us to continue to have quality at-bats and make sure we’re competing in the box and gave our team a chance to win every single at-bat,” said Schlecter. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 6, Tulsa 3 Box Score The Wind Surge have been off to a slow start to the season but Pierson Ohl dominated to start their six-game road series in Tulsa, Oklahoma on Tuesday night. Tanner Schobel got the scoring going early for the Wind Surge in the top of the first hitting an RBI single that scored Emmanuel Rodriguez and Kala’i Rosario to put them up 2-0. Ohl was locked into a pitcher’s duel against Orlando Ortiz-Mayr of the Drilles through the first five innings of the game. But in the top of the sixth, the Wind Surge were able to muster together three runs off of an RBI double from shortstop Ben Ross, and later a two-RBI single from Rosario to extend their lead to 5-0 and all but solidify their victory. Ohl took advantage of his three-run lead shutting down the Drillers' offense for one more inning. He ended his outing tying a career-high in strikeouts with 10 and had six shutout innings allowing only four hits and one walk on 74 pitches, 54 of which landed for strikes. The Wind Surge would go on to win the game 6-3 and improve their record to 14-19. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, Quad Cities 5, F/10 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels had a lower-scoring affair compared to the other Twins affiliates on Tuesday night. They battled back and forth against the Quad Cities River Bandits with both teams scoring a run each in the first inning. During the bottom of the second, the Kernels rallied back to take the lead off of RBI singles from left fielder Agustin Ruiz and catcher Ricardo Olivar to put Cedar Rapids up 4-1. However, the River Bandits rallied back for three more of their own in the top of the fourth to tie the game up at four runs a piece. Both teams would tally on one more run a piece, but the River Bandits' fifth run of the game came in the top of the ninth, and they calmed a Kernels rally in the bottom of the ninth to send the game into extras. Fortunately, the game wouldn’t have to go past the 10th as the Kernels rallied a walk-off game-winning double from center fielder Jay Harry to win the game 6-5. MUSSEL MATTERS Ft. Myers 11, Lakeland 8 Box Score The Mighty Mussels had a slugfest on the road in Lakeland following a bad start to the game where they were down 5-0 after the first inning. Charlee Soto had the shortest outing of his professional career so far on Tuesday night. He never made it out of the first inning as the Flying Tigers tallied five runs in the bottom of the first off Soto, allowing five hits, including a two-run home run to designated hitter Luis Santana. Soto threw 35 pitches, with 20 of them landing for strikes. The Mighty Mussels would begin to chip away at the Flying Tigers lead in the top of the fourth thanks to a three-run home run from left fielder Kyle Hess, his first home run in pro-ball in his first game with the Twins organization, to cut the Flying Tigers lead by half, at 6-3. Ft. Myers would add a run each in the fifth and sixth innings, but the game-winning rally would come in the seventh. Mighty Mussels second baseman Payton Eeles and right field Byron Chourio lead the inning off with back-to-back home runs and take a 7-6 lead. A few walks, singles, and wild pitches later they were able to extend the lead by four runs and secure their 11-8 victory. As the Mighty Mussels offense battled back for the victory, 22-year-old Spencer Bengard held things down on the mound following his relief of Soto. Bengard threw 5 1/3 innings gave up five hits and three walks, but only allowed one run and struck out five on 85 pitches. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Pierson Ohl (Wichita) - 6 IP, 4 H, 0 R, 1 BB, 10 K Hitter of the Day – Diego A. Castillo (St. Paul) - 4-for-4, 3 R, 2B, 2 RBI (16), BB PROSPECT SUMMARY Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 prospects performed today: #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Wichita) - (2-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 0 K) #7 - Austin Martin (Minnesota) - ( 1-for-2, 2B) #9 - Charlee Soto (Ft. Myers) - 0.2 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 1 K #10 - Brandon Winokur (Ft. Myers) - (2-for-4, 2B, 2 SB (9)) #11 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - (3-for-5, 1 R, 3H, 2 SB (5), 2 RBI (15)) #12 - Luke Keaschalll (Cedar Rapids) - (0-for-3, 1 R, 2 BB, K) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Wichita) - (1-for-4, 1 R, 1 H, 2 RBI (20), BB, 3 K) #15 - Danny De Andrade (Cedar Rapids) - (0-for-5) #16 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - (1-for-5, HR (6) RBI (17), 2 K) #19 - Ricardo Olivar (Cedar Rapids) - (1-for-5, 2 RBI (13) 2 K) WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS The Saints will play their second game at home against Omaha with Louie Varland on the mound. The game starts at 6:37 p.m. CT The Wind Surge will have their second game against Tulsa as Zebby Mathews makes his second start for Wichita. The first pitch is at noon central time. Kernels will play another game at home against the Quad Cities River Bandits. The first pitch is set for noon central time, with Andrew Morris on the mound. Ft. Myers will have Paulshawn Pasqualotto on the mound for a 5:30 start against the Flying Tigers on Wednesday. Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games. View full article

It was just over a week ago when the Twins called up Caleb Boushley for extra relief help out of the bullpen. Read up on his day in the majors and how Boushley has taken that experience back with him and turned it into success back in the minors. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints ST. PAUL – Caleb Boushley had a wild 48-hour journey to end April and begin the month of May. Following the St. Paul Saints 8-5 day game loss on Tuesday, the Minnesota Twins had a 40-man roster spot open up with the activation of Jhoan Duran from the injured list and designating Matt Bowman for assignment. The following day fans spent hours speculating who would be taking the open space prior to the Twins’ afternoon game against the White Sox to finish their three-game series on the south side of Chicago. Internally, the Twins had already had their guy in the clubhouse that morning as Boushley got the call Tuesday night he’d be returning to the Big Leagues. “It was unexpected, but that’s a good phone call whenever you get that,” said Boushley. Having the opportunity to go back up to the Major Leagues—obviously, I didn’t pitch yesterday—was still a good experience.” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire has made many phone calls to players over the last four years telling them they're going to the Big Leagues. But when it comes to a guy like Boushley, who has grinded in the minors waiting to get the call and is a fellow University of Wisconsin System alumni, it adds an extra special layer to the call for Gardy. “It was awesome,” Gardenhire said. “Getting a chance to tell him he’s going to the big leagues is awesome. I know he made it up to the Big Leagues at the end of last year, but it’s always cool when guys like him get a chance to go up there.” Boushley had a cup of coffee for his MLB debut last September with his hometown Milwaukee Brewers. He grew up in Appleton, Wisconsin, which is only an hour-and-a-half’s drive from Miller Park. In his MLB debut on September 29, Boushley threw 2 ⅓ innings against the Chicago Cubs, striking out five, walking two, and allowing only one hit on a home run to Ian Happ in the top of the 9th. While Happ's home run tied the game and sent it to extras, former Brewer and current Twins teammate Carlos Santana hit a walk-off double in the bottom of the 10th to give Boushley his first-ever MLB win. Reuniting with Santana and his new teammates for the first time since Spring Training, Boushley said he was welcomed by everyone as if he had been there all season. “It was brief, but everyone in that clubhouse was very welcoming and it was cool. I got to meet a handful of guys for the first time, and like I said, it was a very welcoming clubhouse, and it makes me want to go back,” said Boushley. Following their 10-5 win over the White Sox, Boushley returned on the Twins’ charter flight from Chicago back to Minnesota. The next morning, the Twins optioned him back to St. Paul, but since he was not used in Wednesday’s game, he was available to make the start for the Saints on regular rest. It’s a rare thing for pitchers to be sent back down to the minors and pitch the very same day. But Boushley went back out on the mound Thursday, May 2, to pitch as he was originally scheduled to for the Saints. “I didn’t throw at all yesterday with the Major League team so I didn’t see the point in skipping a day.” Boushley’s first four innings in his return to the minors were solid. He didn’t have a perfect inning, as the Lousiville Bats had a runner on base each inning, but Boushley kept all of them from advancing past second base. The pattern remained the same for Boushley in the top of the fifth. He allowed a single with one out to shortstop Erik Gonzalez, retired the next batter, but left a sweeper hanging for right fielder Rece Hinds who crushed the ball for one of the furthest home runs ever hit at CHS Field. His evening on the mound was done after that, as he was up to 71 pitches, 47 of which landed for strikes. Boushley’s last pitch of the night may have been his worst, but for a guy who had just been called up to the Majors the day before and sent back down the very next day, he gave the Saints enough length to alleviate their bullpen for 4 ⅔ innings. “I felt fine. I wasn’t as sharp as I was hoping to be, but I still made it into the fifth inning and made some pitches where I needed to,” Boushley said after his start. “He was great. He had a shutout going until the last pitch he threw, and the guy hit a two-run home run, but other than that, Bousley was outstanding. We were going to limit his pitch count a little bit because of all the crazy stuff and travel to the Major Leagues for him, but he did a great job,” said Gardenhire. Boushley made his second start since being sent back down on Wednesday afternoon against the Toledo MudHens. He faired much better going a full five innings for the Saints, allowing no walks, striking out three, and surrendering only one run off of four hits, none of which were extra-base hits. While Boushley may not have an overpowering velocity with his pitch arsenal, averaging 88 MPH on his fastball, he’s an old-school pitch-to-contact guy who would have been prized among the former Twins' front office regime of Terry Ryan. Even so, he’s proven to still be a valuable starting pitcher in the Saints rotation. If he keeps up the results he’s had over the first month of the season, he will likely be called up to the Twins again this season and finally make his debut out of the Twins bullpen to give his welcoming teammates relief. View full article

The winning streak may have ended at 12 games for the Twins on Sunday, but they looked to build a new one on Monday night as they welcomed the Seattle Mariners for a four-game series. With rookie Simeon Woods Richardson making his first career start against a team outside the AL Central, he’d have a chance to prove his worth against one of the American League’s top starters. Image courtesy of © Brad Rempel-USA TODAY Sports Box Score Starting Pitcher: Simeon Woods Richardson 6 IP, 1 H, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K (82 pitches, 51 strikes (62.1% strikes)) Home Runs: None Top 3 WPA: Woods Richardson .358, Carlos Correa .259, Max Kepler .122 Win Probability Chart Woods Richardson Goes Toe to Toe against Castillo The first four innings of this game were all pitching on both sides. The young and inexperienced Woods Richardson took the mound for the Twins against the Cy Young favorite Luis Castillo. To start things off, Woods Richardson struck out the side in the top of the first on just 16 pitches, including former Twin and teammate Jorge Polanco to end the inning. The second and third innings would be much of the same as Woods Richardson continued to pile up strikeouts, tallying up four more by the end of the third, but it did not come without giving up a lead-off single in the third to former Twin Mitch Garver. Woods Richardson’s first challenge came in the fifth as he allowed a lead-off walk to catcher Cal Raleigh. He was able to get the next batter Ty France out on a fly out to Max Kepler, but a wild pitch advanced Raleigh to second. Garver stepped to the plate with the first opportunity in the game for both teams to do damage with a running scoring position. But Woods Richardson came back to strike Garver out for his eighth of the game, and former Twin farm hand Luke Raley grounded out to end the inning. Woods Richardson didn’t record any strikeouts in the sixth but he still faced the minimum number of Mariners and kept them to one hit in his final inning of work. He’d end the night totaling eight strikeouts, getting Mariners batters to swing and miss at 27% of the pitches they swung at (10 for 37), and his third start this season where he’s only allowed one walk. Rebuttal in the Fifth The Twins followed up the Mariners' first threat to score in the top of the fifth with a little offensive spark of their own. Max Kepler would reach base on a fielding error that advanced him to second to lead off the Twins' half of the inning. Carlos Correa took advantage of this mistake made by the Mariners infield tagging a double of the right-center field scoreboard allowing Kepler to score the first run of the game and put the Twins up 1-0. But that would be the only run for the Twins in the fifth as only Carlos Santana followed Correa by reaching base on a walk. Twins Daily's winning "Make It Official!" game recaps are sponsored by Official Fried Chicken, which you can find in center field of Target Field. With a name like "Official," we know we have to be the best in the game every day, and from your first bite, you'll know thats a promise we make good on. Polanco’s Return Sparks Mariners' Comeback It was a bittersweet return for two former Twins on the Mariners Monday night, but no former Twin had as big a spotlight as Jorge Polanco. Polanco played his first-ever game against the team he’d spent all 15 years of his professional with before being traded to the Mariners on January 29. Like every other team in MLB, the Twins paid tribute to Polanco with a 90-second tribute video of some of his best moments in a Twins uniform before the start of the game. They also played Polanco’s walk-up song as he took his first-ever at-bat in a visiting uniform at Target Field. Polanco came into Target Field Monday night with a seven-game hitting streak on the line. It wouldn’t be until the seventh inning, when Griffin Jax entered the game that Polanco would get a hit to extend the hitting streak to eight games. The Mariners would rally around Polanco’s lead-off single as Mitch Haniger followed behind him with another single and Raleigh drew his second walk in the game. Garver would be the man to drive Polanco home on a sacrifice fly off of Griffin Jax. Jax would escape the jam started by his old teammate and keep the game tied at 1-1 into the bottom half of the seventh. Rallying For a New Sausage While the Twins' former second baseman was the spark plug to tie the game for the Mariners, the Twins returned to answer in the bottom of the seventh. Kepler took the lead to mount a rally drawing a lead-off walk against Castillo to start the inning. Correa doubled once again, but this time to left field, which kept Kepler from advancing past third to score. Willi Castro followed up with a hit right to first baseman Ty France, but France threw the ball to Mariners third baseman Josh Rojas as he and Raleigh caught Kepler in a rundown and prevented him from breaking the tie. With two runners on and Santana coming to the plate, the Mariners decided to take their chances with the bases loaded against catcher Christian Vazquez instead of letting Santana hit with runners on first and second. That decision came back to bite them as Vazquez achieved the bare minimum hitting a sacrifice fly and breaking the tie. The sacrifice fly was enough for Castillo to be pulled from the game, who had a no-hit bid through 4 ⅓ innings. Even with a fresh arm on the mound in Trent Thorton, the Twins wouldn’t stop adding runs as Manuel Margot broke out of a 1 for 14 cold streak with an RBI single to make it 3-1 Twins. Thielbar Continues Rebound From Cold Season Start With the Twins utilizing Jhoan Duran in the eighth inning, the save opportunity was given to Caleb Thielbar in the ninth. Thielbar had a rough start to his season, (which started late due to a hamstring injury), allowing five earned runs in his first three innings of work. But since then he’s kept opponents scoreless as he’s overcome jams that could have cost the Twins chances to keep their 12-game winning streak going. But Thielbar showed his vintage self on Monday night retiring the minimum number of Mariners, retiring the minimum with two strikeouts and a flyout to give the Twins a 3-1 victory. What’s Next? The Twins play the second game in the series against Seattle on Tuesday night with another 6:40 start time. Bailey Ober will go for the Twins against Mariners' rookie Emerson Hancock. Postgame Interview Coming soon. Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet View full article

Catcher Patrick Winkel was the bright spot in the Saints lineup on Tuesday, as they lost 7-5 to the Lousiville Bats. Read up on Winkel's successful game, and how he sees this as a turning point in the season. Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints ST. PAUL – When he arrived at the ballpark Tuesday morning, Patrick Winkel knew he wouldn’t be in the starting lineup for the St. Paul Saints as they took on the Louisville Bats. As a catcher, he went about his normal off-day routine, until an hour before the first pitch. Saints manager Toby Gardenhire flagged him down in the clubhouse and told Winkel the lineup plans had changed; he was starting at catcher. “I told him, ‘Hey, you got it,’ so he was in there,” said Gardenhire. Winkel hadn’t even picked up a bat in the cages beneath the CHS Field concourse to warm up. What took priority at that time was preparing for his role alongside his starting pitcher, David Festa. “I’ve come up through the system with him, so I have a good idea on how he pitches and we work well together,” said Winkel on Festa. “I’ve caught him a few times so I have a really good idea on how he likes to pitch. So if I have to come into a game an hour before first, this is the guy I want to have on the mound. You really don’t have to think about much.” That was the case in the first inning for Winkel, as Festa struck out the side to begin the game. Winkel was batting seventh in the order, but he had an opportunity in the first inning he hadn’t had all season: to do damage with the bases loaded. Michael Helman and Tony Kemp were on the corners via walks, and Yunior Severino was out at second base, having reached on an error. Even with the Saints up 1-0, any hitter walking into a bases-loaded situation has high pressure on them, but that wasn’t the case for Winkel as he approached the plate. “Honestly, you don’t have to worry about anything because whatever happens, happens. My thing was, I just haven’t swung today, I’m literally just going to try and swing the bat and see what happens,” Winkel said. And what happened next? Winkel drove the ball over the right-field wall for a grand slam and his first home run in Triple-A. “He goes in there and hits a grand slam. It’s good for him, he’s had a tough time early, so seeing him hit a big home run was cool for us,” said Gardenhire. “It felt good considering I wasn’t in the lineup an hour before the game, so the first time I actually touched a baseball bat was walking up to the plate. I took a couple of practice swings, but that was the first time I was holding a bat all day,” said Winkel. When Festa and Winkel went back out for the top of the second up 5-0, the Bats came back to score two runs of their own on a two-run home run from catcher Austin Wynns. Despite that dinger, though, Festa made his strongest start of the season, going five innings and striking out 10. Festa attributed a lot of his success in Tuesday’s start to his catching partner. “I was just trying to pound the zone, honestly. I think Pat did a great job of calling a great game,” said Festa. Winkel has caught two of Festa’s six starts so far this season. Jair Camargo has caught half of them, while Chris Williams just caught one. The Saints won the first game in which Winkel caught Festa this season, against the I-Cubs on Thurs., Apr. 11, 5-2. In 7 ⅔ innings catching Festa, Winkel has helped him to earn a 3.52 ERA. Winkel would go 2-4 at the plate to finish out Tuesday’s game. While it only brought his batting average up from .133 to .156 and his home run and RBI totals from zero to one and three to seven, it heated up Winkel during a cold month to start the season. He walked away from Tuesday’s game with the momentum of what he can do at the plate both as a hitter and catcher. “It’s good to see some hits and runs. Whether it was a home run or a single, I didn’t care if it was just a bloop hit. Just to see the ball drop and get on base and see what it looks like from first base, just to feel that again was good. That’s what I am going to take, just keep the feels that I have and keep building and taking this into the next game.” View full article

It's likely. The Twins will have a couple of moves today with a roster spot opening from Caleb Boushley being sent down yesterday too. I'd expect two moves before first pitch.