Cory Moen

The Twins have acquired RHP Justin Lawrence from the Pittsburgh Pirates in exchange for cash considerations. Basically, this means the Twins paid a little extra to jump the teams ahead of them on the waiver wire to ensure they would acquire Lawrence. Lawrence has thrown 22 innings for the Pirates this year, and his results have been not great leading to the Pirates designating him for assignment on May 29. Over the 22 innings, Lawrence has 25 strikeouts, but has also given up 12 walks while surrending 20 runs (13 earned) in that time frame. Lawrence throws three pitches, a sinker, a sweeper, and a four seam fastball, throwing primarily the sinker (42.2%) and sweeper (39.6%). Lawrence will provide some depth in a bullpen that desperately needs it. The Twins are hoping his results can improve in a new situation. Last season, he looked much better out of the Pittsburgh bullpen, throwing 17.2 innings with 23 strikeouts and a 0.51 ERA and a 2.25 FIP. If he can get back to those type of results, he could earn some higher leverage spots in a bullpen that has struggled. View full rumor

The Twins announced a set of roster moves, recalling LHP Kody Funderburk from Triple-A St. Paul and reinstating RHP Cody Laweryson from the 15-day injured list. In corresponding moves, LHP Kendry Rojas was placed on the 15-day injured list with elbow inflammation, and Travis Adams was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul. Funderburk has had mixed results this year, pitching in five games with St. Paul and throwing five innings, where he gave up five runs while recording seven strikeouts. Earlier in the year at the major league level, Funderburk threw 16 innings for the Twins, where he struck out 10 hitters, earned a save, and had a much better 2.81 ERA, but his underlying metrics weren't as stellar (5.44 FIP). Laweryson has thrown 6 1/3 innings prior to the injury, striking out eight hitters, with a 2.43 FIP and a 0.789 WHIP. It's a small sample size, but he could be someone who serves as a solid option out of a bullpen, looking for solutions in various areas. Rojas was scratched from his most recent start and is having an MRI, which will reveal how serious the elbow injury is. Adams has had mixed results this year, mostly as a multi-inning reliever, throwing 10 innings for the Twins, striking out 12, but has given up eight runs, and a 4.77 FIP in that small sample size. He will likely return to the majors when a fresh arm is needed in the future. View full rumor

Image courtesy of © Kamil Krzaczynski-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Zebby Matthews - 6 IP, 5 H, 3 R, 3 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (88 pitches, 56 strikes (63.6% strikes)) Home Runs: Brooks Lee (6) Bottom 3 WPA (via Fangraphs): Josh Bell (-0.13), Kody Clemens (-0.12), Zebby Matthews (-0.09) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming off a series sweep in Boston, the Twins were looking to continue their winning ways against the South Siders in Chicago—and trying to get back to .500. The Twins got on the board quickly on a Brooks Lee solo shot off lefty Anthony Kay in the first inning. In the bottom half of the first inning, White Sox first baseman Munetaka Murakami kept the impressive start to his Stateside career going, taking Zebby Matthews deep to tie the game on his 18th home run of the season. The Twins were able to get three hits in the top of the second, but were unable to score. Making his major-league debut, Rikuu Nishida, a second baseman by trade, showed off a pretty solid throwing arm, throwing out Orlando Arcia at the plate on an Alex Jackson single. In the bottom of the second, the White Sox didn’t wait long to take a two-run lead. Drew Romo hit a two-run shot after Tristan Peters drew a four-pitch leadoff walk (those will haunt...) against Matthews. Both starting pitchers settled in, not giving up a run through the sixth inning. The bullpens took over from there. In the bottom of the sixth inning, the Twins showed off some defense, with Arcia making a barehanded play off of a deflection and Austin Martin making a diving play in right field. Simeon Woods Richardson threw two scoreless innings in relief of Matthews, and notably, his fastball sat at 94.1 MPH, touching a tick higher. Woods Richardson's success in this new role hinges on throwing a bit harder because of the transition; he's doing that. The Twins managed one hit in each of the final three innings off the White Sox bullpen, but were unable to string hits together to close the gap. Seranthony Domínguez closed the game out for the White Sox, securing his 11th save of the season. What’s Next? The Twins and White Sox will face off again on Tuesday evening, in the second game of a four-game series. The pitching matchup will feature Joe Ryan (3-3, 3.02 ERA) facing off against Sean Burke (2-3, 4.08 ERA). Ryan is coming off three straight quality starts, and will be looking to continue his solid start to his season. In his most recent start, he threw six innings and gave up one run against the Houston Astros. Bullpen Usage Chart THU FRI SAT SUN MON TOT Gómez 0 13 0 22 0 35 Rojas 0 0 45 0 0 45 Morris 0 0 32 0 0 32 Adams 0 29 0 1 0 30 Banda 0 14 0 10 0 24 Orze 0 14 0 10 0 24 Rogers 0 0 6 13 0 19 Woods Richardson 0 0 0 0 35 35 View full article

Image courtesy of Kason Huckaby, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Ryan Gallagher) There are a few bigger changes to take a look at: specifically, who is moving up the rankings, who is moving down, and why that may be. The top three prospects, Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper, and Emmanuel Rodriguez, remain unchanged. The first change in the rankings is that Connor Prielipp and Eduardo Tait flipped spots from the first ranking of the season. Prielipp was previously ranked #5 and is now ranked #4, and Tait was previously #4 and is now ranked #5. This change is slight, and might mostly be because Prielipp has made his major league debut, and looked pretty good doing it. This does not mean Tait is not as good a prospect. He still has a very high ceiling, but is still a couple of years away from being seen at Target Field. There are some other changes to the top 20 list, but let’s take a look at the biggest risers, who may have dropped in the rankings, and who is on the outskirts of the list, but could make an appearance by years end, due to one of the guys losing their prospect status, or because they play their way into being ranked higher based on their performance. Biggest Risers The first riser that someone will notice on the list is 2025 first round pick Marek Houston. Houston has played this year at High-A Cedar Rapids and hit .306/.371/.441 so far this year. The biggest question about Houston as a prospect was whether his offense would be good enough since he is said to be ready for the majors defensively. If he can continue to develop offensively, he will continue to rise on these lists until he makes his major league debut. Another riser on the list is the other first-round pick from 2025, pitcher Riley Quick. At 22 years old, Quick started the year at Single-A and was called up to High-A after having three starts and giving up no runs. He threw eight innings and had 13 strikeouts at Single-A and was deemed ready to be called up to High-A Cedar Rapids. Quick has thrown eight more innings and struck out 11 hitters, so he has continued to look the part. Because of this strong start, Quick rose from the #11-ranked prospect to #8. He has the potential to continue moving up the minor league ladder, and moving up quickly, no pun intended. The last riser to highlight is pitcher Ryan Gallagher, who was not ranked in the top 20 when the year started and is now ranked #16. Gallagher was one of two prospects that came from the Cubs in the Willi Castro trade at last year’s trade deadline. Gallagher is currently with Double-A Wichita and has had a solid start to the season. He threw 18 innings over four starts, with a 3.50 ERA and 20 strikeouts, which earned him a call-up to Triple-A, where he has made two starts so far. He’s an intriguing arm and someone who fans could see at Target Field in the next year or so. Biggest Falls With Gallagher previously not being ranked, that means someone had to drop out. The unlucky prospect to drop off the list was Marco Raya. Previously a top pitching prospect in the system, Raya has struggled mightily in his transition to the bullpen this year. He has thrown 19.1 innings and struck out 20 hitters, but has an ERA of 7.91, with a decently high walk rate (12.6%), and has also given up five home runs. Another prospect that has slid on this list is outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez. As you may or may not remember, Gonzalez was acquired along with Justin Topa in the trade that sent Jorge Polanco to Seattle. Gonzalez has a slash line of .183/.255/.380 to start the year, which is not what he, or the Twins, hoped for. Still just 22 years old, Gonzalez is playing at Triple-A, so there is no reason to give up on him yet, but he will have to turn around offensively to not continue sliding on this list. The third player who slid on the list is second baseman Kyle DeBarge. Playing at Double-A, DeBarge has four home runs on the year, but his overall offensive numbers have been underwhelming, with a .593 OPS. Soon to be 23, DeBarge will look to turn his year around. One promising aspect of DeBarge’s season thus far is his 11 stolen bases over his first 29 games, so that’s something to keep an eye on if he is able to get on base at a higher clip. View full article

Twins Daily recently held a public vote on our top 20 prospects ranking, and the newest addition, coming in ranked 16th overall, is right-handed pitcher Ryan Gallagher. Who is Gallagher, and why is he climbing prospect lists? Bats: L / Throws: R Age: 23 Stats in 2025: (High-A, Double-A) 121.2 IP 133 SO 4.07 ERA 1.21 WHIP Rule 5 Eligible: After 2028 Season ETA: 2027 Ranking to Start 2026: NR What’s to Like It’s interesting to look at Gallagher’s raw stuff because he doesn’t overpower hitters, throwing his fastball at approximately 91 mph. While he doesn’t throw super hard, he is still intriguing due to his command and his changeup and slider, which he uses both to get swing and misses. He was acquired at the 2025 trade deadline from the Chicago Cubs along with Sam Armstrong for utility player Willi Castro. In 2025, he pitched with the Cubs High-A and Double-A teams before finishing the year with the Twins Double-A team in Wichita. Across those three stops, he threw 121.2 innings, racking up 133 strikeouts, and having a 4.07 ERA and 1.21 WHIP. At 23 years old, he is still being used as a starter but could end up as a multi-inning reliever, similar to how the Twins have used other prospects in recent years. Gallagher offers a bit more upside and is someone to keep an eye on if he can remain a starter throughout his time in the minors. What’s Left to Work On Gallagher will need to continue to be a strike thrower if he hopes to have success. He has walked six batters over his first seven innings in Triple-A, but his history of throwing strikes suggests it will not be a big problem going forward. Gallagher has a repeatable delivery and is someone who could be used in multiple roles, either as a starter or a multi-inning reliever. Proving his worth as a starter at Triple-A will be key in him not moving into a role that others like Pierson Ohl or Travis Adams have slid into, which isn’t a bad role, but not one he is likely to want to take if he, or the Twins, had the choice. What’s Next? Gallagher is currently at Triple-A St. Paul, so he is on the doorstep of the major leagues. He will continue to develop as a starter, but the key will be to keep throwing strikes and gain more experience against higher-level competition. He will likely spend the majority of the year at Triple-A with a chance to make his major league debut, depending on team need and his own personal development over the next few months. Gallagher still has upside and will look to prove that he was worth betting on at the 2025 trade deadline in his first full year in the Twins organization. View full article

Walker JenkinsKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippEmmanuel RodriguezEduardo TaitDasan HillMarek HoustonKendry RojasRiley QuickCharlee SotoHendry MendezGabriel GonzalezQuentin YoungRyan GallagherAndrew MorrisBrandon WinokurAdrian BohorquezCJ CulpepperKyler FedkoKhadim Diaw

Image courtesy of © Geoff Burke-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Bailey Ober - 5 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 2 BB, 3 K (82 pitches, 52 strikes (63.4% strikes)) Home Runs: Matt Wallner (4) Bottom 3 WPA (via FanGraphs): Ober (-0.31), Byron Buxton (-0.09), Brooks Lee (-0.08) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming off an offensive outburst in game one of the series, the Twins handed the ball to Bailey Ober to face the Nationals and veteran starting pitcher Miles Mikolas Wednesday night. Ober was coming off three straight quality starts. Mikolas was struggling coming into the game, and has been struggling for multiple seasons, really. Both Ober and Mikolas started with two perfect innings, so it was starting to look like a potential pitcher’s duel. The Twins got the first baserunner on a leadoff check-swing double by Luke Keaschall in the top of the third inning, his eighth double of the season. In the very next at-bat, Matt Wallner hit a 106-MPH single, giving the Twins a 1-0 lead. The Nationals finally broke through in the bottom of the fourth inning, on a CJ Abrams one-out double to tie the game. The tie didn’t last long, as the Twins took the lead in the top of the fifth on a Wallner solo home run. You may not believe me, but I was talking to my dad on the phone and I called the homer. (I guess, maybe, you'll believe me this one time, since Mikolas was pitching.) The Nationals responded in the bottom of the fifth, though, on a Drew Millas two-run home run, after a leadoff single by Jacob Young. Ober was chased from the game in the sixth inning, after giving up back-to-back doubles to Abrams and Brady House, giving the Nationals a two-run lead. Jose Tena greeted Andrew Morris with a double of his own, stretching the lead to three runs. The Twins rookie wasn’t able to get out of the inning after giving up a two-out triple to Nationals second baseman Nasim Nuñez, making it 6-2. The Twins were into their pen, and the rout was soon on. The Nationals added insult to injury on a House two-run home run in the bottom of the seventh inning off of Justin Topa. Topa and Luis García went to pieces, and the game turned from that taut early battle into a bruising blowout by a bad team. Tena didn’t want to be left out of the home run party, adding a solo shot of his own and giving the Nationals a 15-2 lead. Former Twin Zak Kent made his debut with the Nationals by pitching a scoreless ninth inning. The Twins will look to forget about this game and move on quickly in the final game of the series in DC. What’s Next? The Twins and Nationals will face off on Thursday afternoon in game three of the series. The Twins will send Simeon Woods Richardson (0-5, 6.49 ERA), while the Nationals will counter with Minnesota native Jake Irvin (1-4, 4.93 ERA). Woods Richardson will look to get on track after struggling for much of the year thus far. In his most recent start, he threw 4 2/3 innings and gave up four earned run in a loss to the Toronto Blue Jays. After tomorrow’s game, the Twins will travel to Cleveland to face the Guardians in a three-game series. SAT SUN MON TUE WED TOT Orze 0 24 0 16 0 40 Morris 0 57 0 0 14 71 Rogers 0 32 0 0 0 32 Garcia 18 0 0 13 14 45 Banda 18 0 0 19 0 37 Topa 10 17 0 0 32 59 Funderburk 14 3 0 0 17 34 Klein 12 0 0 0 0 12 View full article

Image courtesy of © Nick Wosika-Imagn Images Box Score Starting Pitcher: Joe Ryan - 6 IP, 6 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 1 BB, 6 K (88 pitches, 62 strikes (70.5% strikes)) Home Runs: Byron Buxton (7) Lowest WPA: Cole Sands (-0.21), Tristan Gray (-0.16), Victor Caratini (-0.13) Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs) Coming off a win in game one of the series, the Twins turned to Joe Ryan to face off with Logan Gilbert and the Mariners. Ryan was dominant early. He got into a little trouble in the third inning, giving up two hits and having runners on first and third with one out, but then struck Cal Raleigh out before getting Julio Rodríguez to ground out to end the inning. In the bottom half of the inning, the Twins got singles from Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton, but were unable to push a run across. The game remained scoreless until Byron Buxton led off the bottom of the fifth inning with his seventh home run of the season—and second of the series. Alas, the third turned out to be a better microcosm of the night than the fifth was. The Twins were only able to get one run while Logan Gilbert was in the game, but they did force him to throw more pitches than he would have liked. Gilbert lasted five innings and threw 92 pitches. That got the Twins into the Seattle bullpen, but the bullpen turned out to be up to that lengthy task. The Mariners got a couple of two-out hits in the top of the sixth, tying the game on a Josh Naylor single. They broke the tie after a leadoff double from Randy Arozarena in the top of the seventh, which chased Ryan from the game. Mariners second baseman Cole Young got the two-out single off Kody Funderburk that, as it turned out, opened the floodgates. The Twins bullpen had an unfortunate eighth inning, giving up three hits and three runs. Josh Naylor got his third hit of the night (a three-run home run off Cole Sands), giving the Mariners a four-run lead. Check out the bat flip. Meanwhole, the Twins offense was virtually lifeless against the Mariners bullpen, mustering one hit over four innings against four separate Mariners relievers. Eduard Bazardo, Gabe Speier, Matt Brash and Cooper Criswell all threw a scoreless frame, without the traffic and sense of danger Gilbert seemed to deal with all night. Added to the roster before the game, righty Luis García made his Twins debut and gave up two runs in the top half of the ninth inning, on a two-out double by Rodríguez. Garrett Acton hit the injured list just minutes before the first pitch, with a shoulder strain, so García might be needed for a while. On the other hand, the team might swap him out for another fresh arm after his underwhelming team debut. What’s Next? The Twins will look to bounce back and win game three on Wednesday afternoon against the Mariners. Taj Bradley (3-1, 2.91 ERA) will face off against George Kirby (4-2, 2.97 ERA). Bradley has been a bright spot for the Twins this year and will look to get back on track after giving up six runs against the Tampa Bay Rays in his last start. Kirby will look to continue his very good start to the year, most recently giving up two runs over six innings versus the St. Louis Cardinals. First pitch is scheduled for 12:40 PM CT. FRI SAT SUN MON TUES TOT Morris 0 0 0 40 0 40 Orze 10 9 0 0 0 19 Topa 0 0 10 0 0 10 Rogers 0 15 0 14 0 29 Banda 7 0 9 0 0 16 Funderburk 0 0 20 0 15 35 Garcia 0 0 0 0 23 23 Sands 0 0 7 0 13 20 View full article