Chris Hove

ESPN listed the top prospects moved at last year’s deadline. Let’s look at how they progressed with their new teams. 
 
Aiden Smith OF: Acquired by the Rays in the Randy Arozarena deal. At the time he had an FV of 50 while playing A Ball in Modesto. The most recent update has him with a FV of 40+ as he has advanced to high A. He has an uninspiring OPS of .716 and hasn’t made it to AA yet.
Jake Bloss SP: Acquired by Toronto in the Yusei Kikuchi deal. He had a good first half in AA with a 1.61 ERA over 8 starts in 2024. The Jays moved him to AAA where he posted a 6.91 ERA in 8 starts following the deadline. After 23 innings  in 2025 and a 6.46 ERA this year he is headed towards Tommy John surgery. By 2027 when he is fully ready to return he will be out of options.
George Klassen SP: Acquired by the Angels for closer Carlos Estevez. The former Gopher was lights out in A Ball at the time of the trade. He has moved to AA this year and has a 5.86 ERA with a lot of strikeouts and far too many walks. He did get invited to the futures game.
Augustin Ramirez C/DH: Acquired by the Marlins for Jazz Chisholm who had an 2+ years of control remaining. Ramirez is in the majors. He has started 32 games at catcher and has allowed 88% stolen base rate. He also leads the league in passed balls with 8 though he has only started 32 of 97 games. Fourteen wild pitches have also been thrown while he was catcher. He has DH’d more than he has caught this year and has a 103 wRC+. He will likely improve the bat and will need to in order to stick at DH. It doesn’t look like he will be anything beyond an emergency catcher.
Dylan Lesko SP: Acquired by the Rays in the Jason Adam deal. he has a great arm but has not pitched well in the minors yet following a 2022 Tommy John surgery. He pitched 14.1 innings after the deal last year with a 9.42 ERA and this year was shut down after 5 innings in which he gave up 10 runs. I am not sure of the status of his shut down.
Hindsight is 20/20 and there is one prospect traded that is flourishing. Kyle Stowers was acquired for Kevin Rogers. He was in ESPNs third tier of prospects. The corner outfielder appeared in the All Star game and looks to be a fixture. A high strike out rate might catch up with him as pitchers see him a second a third time but he looks to be the real deal.
Prospects always seem so promising. The reality is that success in the major leagues is really hard. Trading proven major leaguers for prospects is a risk. Teams acquiring the top tier of prospects were given good grades last year. In hindsight it sure looks like they didn’t get nearly enough. Maybe the Twins front office is much smarter than the front offices that acquired these players and there will be less risk.

The Minnesota Twins come into their weekend series as one of the hottest teams in the league, winning eleven straight games in a row; the Twins haven't seen much movement up in the Central Division standings due to the Tigers, Guardians, and Royals playing great baseball as well.
The Twins, however, have climbed into one of the three wild-card spots, with a 0.5-game lead on the Texas Rangers. The Twins have done everything during this winning streak and received contributions from the whole lineup. Byron Buxton continues to hit; he was in a little 0-12 funk before hitting his 10th home run of the year against Baltimore; he even added three walks in that series as well. He now maintains a respectable slash line of .261/.312/.522.
Brooks Lee had a couple of home runs, including a well-timed home run against Baltimore on Wednesday that started a four-run 4th inning. He has come up with some clutch hits but made a few mistakes at second base, resulting in his first three errors in the field. His flexibility to play 2B, 3B, and sometimes SS will help the Twins with their rotations. Trevor Larnach has found his swing over his last seven games, batting .322 with 3 HR and 8 RBI. Trevor has struggled to find permanent playing time with the Twins in his 5th year; he has been set back by inconsistent batting and injuries. Larnach has averaged 75 games played in four seasons from 2021 to 2024. So far this year, he has played 43 out of 44 games. Larnach is finally healthy this year, and with a logjam in the outfield between the Twins and their Minor Leagues, it will be interesting to see what the Twins' plans are for Larnach. Larnach commands a team-friendly contract of $2.1 million this year; he would be eligible for arbitration after this season.
 
 
The Twins got a few surprises from their complementary players, including Kody Clemens, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and Christian Vazquez. These three don't wow you with their high batting averages and big homerun totals, but they add another element for the Twins that most teams don't have. Clemens had two home runs in this 11-game stretch; one was to break a tie against Boston, and the other one resulted in a game-winner against Baltimore. Clemens is still battling to get his average over .200, but it has been climbing; he also plays 1B, 2B, LF, and RF, something the Twins need, especially with the recent injury news; in yesterday's game, Clemens played three different positions in one game before going back to second base for a fourth position switch. Keirsey Jr is another one who isn't hitting well but has provided some meaningful at-bats during this run. He had a game-winning hit against the Giants in extra innings and added two insurance runs with a home run against Baltimore in yesterday's game. I don't know what the future provides for Keirsey, considering the outfield depth the Twins have; Keirsey Jr also provides excellent speed for the Twins in certain situational times, but with injuries to Buxton and Bader, he could stay a little longer or bring up a hot hitting Carson McCusker, Austin Martin, or they could call up their #2 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez if they deem he's ready. Also, a rare Christian Vazquez go-ahead three-run homer gave the Twins the 6-3 win against Baltimore. Vazquez doesn't provide much hitting for the Twins, but he does give the Twins a good veteran backup catcher. He can help Ryan Jeffers and the Twins pitchers with a solid game plan.
The pitching staff has continued to dominate this season, outside of Simeon Woods Richardson, who was optioned to Triple-A yesterday for Zebby Mathews. Mathews will start Sunday in Milwaukee.
Over these 11 games, the Twins starters have a 3.27 ERA, 55 K, 14 BB, and .902 WHIP, and they only gave up 23 ER over 63.2 innings; 8 of those runs were by SWR. Joe Ryan is in the top 20 in ERA (2.74), K's (54), and 3rd in the MLB in Whip (0.83). Pablo Lopez would also be up there, but he missed three starts due to a hamstring injury.
Chris Paddack has had the most significant turnaround. He has a 2.06 ERA over his last 39.1 innings. He gave up nine earned runs in his first season start; since then, he's given up 12 runs in 8 starts.

The bullpen has been dominant all season long as Griffin Jax has battled back after a slow start. Jax has only given up 2 ER in his last 12 appearances. His 30:8 K/BB ratio is a good formula for getting hitters out. Jorge Alcala has looked good when he throws strikes, but has battled control issues so far this season and throughout his career. He has the pitches to be effective, but you don't know what you will get. The Twins have been able to mix and match different pitchers; the combination of Danny Coulombe, Cole Sands, and Jhoan Duran has seen hitters almost unhittable. Through 54.2 innings, these three have allowed 34 H and 7 ER, with an incredible 56:17 K/BB ratio. You can also mix Justin Topa, Louie Varland, and Brock Stewart; they all are strike throwers, and Stewart has a very live fastball, topping out at 96 MPH with good movement. Duran has converted all eight saves and is one of the best closers in the game right now. The Twins' pitching staff is now in the top 10 in six major categories. 5th in ERA, 9th in Hits, 5th in ER, 7th in K, 1st in BB, and 3rd in K. The Twins, all of a sudden, have one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB while also making a change in their rotation because of Woods-Richardson's ineffectiveness. With the hitting much better as of late and the pitching as dominant as it's been, who knows how long this streak can go, 12 games? 15 games?, 20?
 
The Twins head to Milwaukee for rivalry weekend.
A weekend series in Milwaukee is always something a Twins fan looks for on the schedule. Going on baseball trips as a kid with my dad, we would always take the nice 4 1/2 hour drive to Milwaukee to watch the Twins play the Brewers; as we get older, we look for the weekend series for specific reasons: beer, the not having to take off numerous days of work and oh yeah, beer. American Family Field, formerly Miller Park, is a great place to watch baseball, knowing that the game will almost certainly be played, as they have a retractable roof, and people who don't like flying can jump in their car and take a nice weekend vacation.
 
The Twins will put out their top two starters, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, on Friday and Saturday, and making his 2025 debut will be Zebby Mathews, who will pitch on Sunday. He was inserted after the Twins demoted the struggling Simeon Woods-Richardson to Triple-A. Mathews has been good in his seven starts at Triple-A, going 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. Mathews can hold on to that #5 starter spot if he can throw strikes, mix in his cutter and changeup effectively, and execute his two-strike approach.  
The Brewers will send out Chad Patrick, who's making his ninth start of the year. Patrick is 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Patrick isn't a big strikeout pitcher, but he has minimized the big innings.
The 17-year veteran Jose Quintana was supposed to start Saturday's game but was put on the IL Wednesday with a right shoulder impingement. Quintana is the seventh Milwaukee starter on the shelf, prompting the team to acquire Quinn Priester from the Red Sox. Tobias Myers was recalled from Triple-A and will likely get this start.
The Brewers will start RHP Freddy Peralta. Peralta has always been a good pitcher and is also off to a fast start this year. He is 4-3 with a 2.66 ERA on the year. He pitched a six-inning, two-hit shutout against the Twins at Target Field last year. The Brewers are 21-23 in the National League Central and trail the Chicago Cubs by four games for first place.
The Twins will look to win their 12th game in a row and try to make it five straight series wins in Milwaukee starting tonight. Considering all our injuries in the Baltimore series, it will be a very different lineup card tonight. Buxton and Correa collided in the outfield when it appeared Buxton hit his head into the back of Correa's head; both of them are in the MLB concussion protocol.
Bader is still experiencing groin soreness; Bader left in the 3rd inning vs. Baltimore and didn't play in the second game of the doubleheader or yesterday's game. Ty France left the same game after fouling a pitch off his foot; he didn't play in the second game against Baltimore but was forced to come in yesterday's game when Buxton and Correa left with injuries. France was 0-2 with a strikeout. No move has been made yet, and there is no injury news as of right now.

The Minnesota Twins come into their weekend series as one of the hottest teams in the league, winning eleven straight games in a row; the Twins haven't seen much movement up in the Central Division standings due to the Tigers, Guardians, and Royals playing great baseball as well.
The Twins, however, have climbed into one of the three wild-card spots, with a 0.5-game lead on the Texas Rangers. The Twins have done everything during this winning streak and received contributions from the whole lineup. Byron Buxton continues to hit; he was in a little 0-12 funk before hitting his 10th home run of the year against Baltimore; he even added three walks in that series as well. He now maintains a respectable slash line of .261/.312/.522.
Brooks Lee had a couple of home runs, including a well-timed home run against Baltimore on Wednesday that started a four-run 4th inning. He has come up with some clutch hits but made a few mistakes at second base, resulting in his first three errors in the field. His flexibility to play 2B, 3B, and sometimes SS will help the Twins with their rotations. Trevor Larnach has found his swing over his last seven games, batting .322 with 3 HR and 8 RBI. Trevor has struggled to find permanent playing time with the Twins in his 5th year; he has been set back by inconsistent batting and injuries. Larnach has averaged 75 games played in four seasons from 2021 to 2024. So far this year, he has played 43 out of 44 games. Larnach is finally healthy this year, and with a logjam in the outfield between the Twins and their Minor Leagues, it will be interesting to see what the Twins' plans are for Larnach. Larnach commands a team-friendly contract of $2.1 million this year; he would be eligible for arbitration after this season.
 
 
The Twins got a few surprises from their complementary players, including Kody Clemens, DaShawn Keirsey Jr., and Christian Vazquez. These three don't wow you with their high batting averages and big homerun totals, but they add another element for the Twins that most teams don't have. Clemens had two home runs in this 11-game stretch; one was to break a tie against Boston, and the other one resulted in a game-winner against Baltimore. Clemens is still battling to get his average over .200, but it has been climbing; he also plays 1B, 2B, LF, and RF, something the Twins need, especially with the recent injury news; in yesterday's game, Clemens played three different positions in one game before going back to second base for a fourth position switch. Keirsey Jr is another one who isn't hitting well but has provided some meaningful at-bats during this run. He had a game-winning hit against the Giants in extra innings and added two insurance runs with a home run against Baltimore in yesterday's game. I don't know what the future provides for Keirsey, considering the outfield depth the Twins have; Keirsey Jr also provides excellent speed for the Twins in certain situational times, but with injuries to Buxton and Bader, he could stay a little longer or bring up a hot hitting Carson McCusker, Austin Martin, or they could call up their #2 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez if they deem he's ready. Also, a rare Christian Vazquez go-ahead three-run homer gave the Twins the 6-3 win against Baltimore. Vazquez doesn't provide much hitting for the Twins, but he does give the Twins a good veteran backup catcher. He can help Ryan Jeffers and the Twins pitchers with a solid game plan.
The pitching staff has continued to dominate this season, outside of Simeon Woods Richardson, who was optioned to Triple-A yesterday for Zebby Mathews. Mathews will start Sunday in Milwaukee.
Over these 11 games, the Twins starters have a 3.27 ERA, 55 K, 14 BB, and .902 WHIP, and they only gave up 23 ER over 63.2 innings; 8 of those runs were by SWR. Joe Ryan is in the top 20 in ERA (2.74), K's (54), and 3rd in the MLB in Whip (0.83). Pablo Lopez would also be up there, but he missed three starts due to a hamstring injury.
Chris Paddack has had the most significant turnaround. He has a 2.06 ERA over his last 39.1 innings. He gave up nine earned runs in his first season start; since then, he's given up 12 runs in 8 starts.

The bullpen has been dominant all season long as Griffin Jax has battled back after a slow start. Jax has only given up 2 ER in his last 12 appearances. His 30:8 K/BB ratio is a good formula for getting hitters out. Jorge Alcala has looked good when he throws strikes, but has battled control issues so far this season and throughout his career. He has the pitches to be effective, but you don't know what you will get. The Twins have been able to mix and match different pitchers; the combination of Danny Coulombe, Cole Sands, and Jhoan Duran has seen hitters almost unhittable. Through 54.2 innings, these three have allowed 34 H and 7 ER, with an incredible 56:17 K/BB ratio. You can also mix Justin Topa, Louie Varland, and Brock Stewart; they all are strike throwers, and Stewart has a very live fastball, topping out at 96 MPH with good movement. Duran has converted all eight saves and is one of the best closers in the game right now. The Twins' pitching staff is now in the top 10 in six major categories. 5th in ERA, 9th in Hits, 5th in ER, 7th in K, 1st in BB, and 3rd in K. The Twins, all of a sudden, have one of the best pitching staffs in the MLB while also making a change in their rotation because of Woods-Richardson's ineffectiveness. With the hitting much better as of late and the pitching as dominant as it's been, who knows how long this streak can go, 12 games? 15 games?, 20?
 
The Twins head to Milwaukee for rivalry weekend.
A weekend series in Milwaukee is always something a Twins fan looks for on the schedule. Going on baseball trips as a kid with my dad, we would always take the nice 4 1/2 hour drive to Milwaukee to watch the Twins play the Brewers; as we get older, we look for the weekend series for specific reasons: beer, the not having to take off numerous days of work and oh yeah, beer. American Family Field, formerly Miller Park, is a great place to watch baseball, knowing that the game will almost certainly be played, as they have a retractable roof, and people who don't like flying can jump in their car and take a nice weekend vacation.
 
The Twins will put out their top two starters, Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez, on Friday and Saturday, and making his 2025 debut will be Zebby Mathews, who will pitch on Sunday. He was inserted after the Twins demoted the struggling Simeon Woods-Richardson to Triple-A. Mathews has been good in his seven starts at Triple-A, going 2-1 with a 1.93 ERA. Mathews can hold on to that #5 starter spot if he can throw strikes, mix in his cutter and changeup effectively, and execute his two-strike approach.  
The Brewers will send out Chad Patrick, who's making his ninth start of the year. Patrick is 2-3 with a 3.19 ERA. Patrick isn't a big strikeout pitcher, but he has minimized the big innings.
The 17-year veteran Jose Quintana was supposed to start Saturday's game but was put on the IL Wednesday with a right shoulder impingement. Quintana is the seventh Milwaukee starter on the shelf, prompting the team to acquire Quinn Priester from the Red Sox. Tobias Myers was recalled from Triple-A and will likely get this start.
The Brewers will start RHP Freddy Peralta. Peralta has always been a good pitcher and is also off to a fast start this year. He is 4-3 with a 2.66 ERA on the year. He pitched a six-inning, two-hit shutout against the Twins at Target Field last year. The Brewers are 21-23 in the National League Central and trail the Chicago Cubs by four games for first place.
The Twins will look to win their 12th game in a row and try to make it five straight series wins in Milwaukee starting tonight. Considering all our injuries in the Baltimore series, it will be a very different lineup card tonight. Buxton and Correa collided in the outfield when it appeared Buxton hit his head into the back of Correa's head; both of them are in the MLB concussion protocol.
Bader is still experiencing groin soreness; Bader left in the 3rd inning vs. Baltimore and didn't play in the second game of the doubleheader or yesterday's game. Ty France left the same game after fouling a pitch off his foot; he didn't play in the second game against Baltimore but was forced to come in yesterday's game when Buxton and Correa left with injuries. France was 0-2 with a strikeout. No move has been made yet, and there is no injury news as of right now.

Joe Ryan came into the 2025 season with something to prove after his injury-shortened season last year. Ryan made 23 starts in 2024, going 7-7 with an ERA of 3.60 before cutting his season short with a right shoulder strain. He has been one of the most important pitchers in the rotation since making his debut in 2021. 
In the 2025 season, Ryan had been nothing short of dominant. Ryan has a nice five-pitch repertoire, which he features the four-seam fastball and sweeper 73% of the time. His fastball has averaged 93 MPH with 18 inches of movement. These two figures have allowed Joe to be at the top of the league in run value (6). The hitters haven't figured out how to successfully hit his fastball as he's holding batters to a .189 BA when throwing it. 
Ryan has always had a great fastball in getting hitters out and causing them to make weak contact. He's on pace to have a better run value than last year, when he finished in the top 5% when throwing his 4-seam fastball.
This year, he has tweaked his sweeper by adding more vertical drop from 39.2 inches to 43.6. Joe has also increased his spin rate on the sweeper to 68%, resulting in a 41.3 Whiff%. He's also relying on his sweeper to put away hitters; Increased Whiff% on both pitches has been an enormous strength. It also allows him to mix in his great fastball when needed.
 
 
Ryan is technically the #2 pitcher on the Twins' starting staff, but he deserves to be #1, not just on the Twins but on many other teams needing starting pitching. Not many teams have a #2 starter putting up numbers like Joe has through his first seven starts
Ryan's consistently throwing strikes and reliance on compelling secondary pitches help him gain an advantage over hitters. He has put up some more elite numbers across the league in his first seven starts despite having the seventh-worst run support in all of baseball (2.29).
 
Although Ryan threw some shade at the Twins hitters a few starts ago by saying he would like more time between innings. "It would be nice to have a little bit more time between innings," he said via the Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. “I turned around and got my water bottle, and I was running back out there real quick. Like a minute or two would be nice.   The run support hasn't bothered the way he throws or his overall game plan when out on the mound. He still comes out hitting his spots, mixing in pitches, and throwing strikes, though it's frustrating not getting wins after throwing some of the gems he has this year.
 
Ryan also ranks top 25 in ERA (2.93), top 15 in K's (47), top 10 in K/9 (10.6), tied 8th in WAR (1.2), 6th in WHIP (0.90), and amazingly top 5 in BB% (3.2).

These numbers suggest ace status; one thinks he will only get better at 28. Ryan has looked like he can pitch with the other aces in the league. He is 2-2 this year with a 2.93 ERA over 40 innings. There's also the question of whether management will look to trade Ryan? With the Twins not playing like a playoff team, and the owners not looking to improve much or wanting to compete, that has to be in the minds of us Twins fans. You would think they would want to hold on to Joe Ryan since he has come up through the organization from day one and has developed into a great pitcher. You never know what the Pohlads will do.
 
His next start will be against the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday at Target Field, where he's only given up five runs in his three starts at home. Ryan will look to keep his strong start going against an Orioles team that ranks near the bottom in batting average, hits, and runs.

As we all know the twins are all prone to injuries we can all agree on that but Walker Jenkins and the saints are just as prone to injury as the Minnesota Twins but the main person I want to focus on is Walker Jenkins. Who missed both spring breakouts because of injury. Both were Left ankle sprains and they were both around the time of the spring breakout both years and right in the middle of spring training. Jenkins a 30 year old 1st round pick top prospect  out of South Brunswick HS. Has a good potential but very much injury prone just like some other players we know (Buxton,Correa,Lewis ETC...). He is a righty with a batting average near late 2.00 and early 3.00. Only having a couple stretches of slumping and 2 injuries. But lets take a look into his future and if he will be good and potentially injured prone in the future. According to sports illustrated he is expected to make his debut in early or middle 2026. if he can finish out this year strong and have a good spring training with out injury and if he can prove himself he is most likely on track for a early debut in 2026. He has around a 48% Chance of getting injured early in the year during the rest of the career. Also i forgot to mention he is injured now. 

Source/Credit: Fan Graphs
 
Walker Jenkins is also very young so if he can not be injured and have good consistent at bats he can be very good and promising in the majors and for the twins. In my opinion he will be very good and I see him playing left field in the future and he can be very good on defense With hopefully Buxton in center throughout his early career and Wallner and Larnach in right field throughout his middle and late career.
He was also pretty injury prone throughout his high school career as well The South Brunswick Cougars missed had a lousy end to the season because of his injuries meaning he inst new to injures and he may potentially in the future. But twins Fans like me are praying that this does not happen.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Minnesota Twins are off to a 9-16 start. The team's hitting has been pretty close to non-existent in the first 25 games. They have been able to see guys like Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall slug the ball all over the ballpark. Both Keaschall and Buxton have a slugging percentage over .450. The Twins' renewed effort to steal bases has been a pleasant surprise. Although the Twins sit in the bottom half of the league in steals, they are almost 25% of the way there to last year's total.
While Keaschall and Buxton have been good at taking good at-bats and setting the tone for other Twins hitters, it's too bad they can't hit in every spot of the order. Coming into Thursday's game against the Chicago white Sox, the Twins ranked in the bottom half in batting average (.216), runs (85), and hitting with runners in scoring position (.216), which this number will be lower because the Twins finished Thursday's game going 0-8. A big reason has been that Carlos Correa's bat must have gotten lost down in Florida at their Minor League camp when the team headed north.
Correa is off to one of the worst starts of his career with a batting average of .167 and splits that look like .222/.274/.496. Those numbers are the third lowest in all of baseball with players who have recorded 80+ at-bats. He has primarily hit out of the fifth spot all year, so I don't think it's a lineup spot issue.
Correa has seen his Exit Velocity at its lowest it's been his whole career at 87.8, couple that with his lowest Max EV. since 2020 at 110.1, to me it looks like he's just missing pitches down and in and pitches in the zone. His barrel percentage is a pitiful 4.4%. One thing I have noticed is that his quality of contact has been more towards topping the ball; his numbers suggest that 44.1% of his swings are on top of the ball, and put that with a 2.9% solid contact rate means he's not seeing the ball well and is resulting to him grounding into the second most double plays (6) so far this year.
I haven't heard of him making any significant batting changes or mechanical issues, but it's clear that he's missing balls that are in the zone and whiffing at balls down and in. Correa says he feels good and that it's not an injury issue, he's just getting unlucky with the harder hit balls, and that he's not too far off from breaking loose. Right now, Correa is in the 74th percentile in Whiff% and 84th percentile in K%, but as you can see from the charts below, a lot of his misses have come in the strike zone. 

I haven't heard of him making any significant batting changes or mechanical issues, but it's clear that he's missing balls that are in the zone and whiffing at balls down and in. Correa says he feels good and that it's not an injury issue, he's just getting unlucky with the harder hit balls, and that he's not too far off from breaking loose.

 
Carlos Correa is expected to remain the Twins' primary shortstop. Carlos Correa is expected to remain the Twins' primary shortstop due to the team's current injury situation and the lack of a Minor League shortstop prospect ready for immediate Major League impact. With Willi Castro just landing on the IL, the Twins are thin at middle infielders. Brooks Lee will likely have to play third until Royce Lewis comes back, and newly acquired Jonah Bride has never played shortstop.
Correa signed a six-year, $200 million contract in 2023, and his 2025 annual salary is $36 million, resulting in a total payroll salary of $37.33 million for this season. That also might be another reason why the Twins are reluctant to make a move. He has shown that he hasn't lost much on the defensive side, already tracking down some in-between hits that any other normal shortstop wouldn't have made a play on, essentially giving the Twins the defensive skills that they don't have with anyone else.
Another possibility would be for the Twins to move him further down in the lineup and shift players like Harrison Bader, Brooks Lee, or Ty France up to the five-hole. The Twins need to desperately get his bat going, especially when Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis come off the injured list. It would be ideal for the Twins to have all hands on deck. Can Correa get going and save his season at the plate?  

The Twins reinstated Brock Stewart from the injured list on Saturday. Stewart has been on the injured list all season due to a left hamstring strain he suffered in spring training. He made two appearances in Single A, throwing 1.2 innings while striking out all five batters. He will replace left-hander Kody Funderburk, who was optioned to Triple-A. Funderburk appeared in two games this year, throwing 4.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
Stewart only pitched in 16 games last year, mostly due to right shoulder tendinitis. The Twins are hopeful that, now fully healthy and ready, he can return to his 2023 performance, during which he struck out 39 batters in 27.2 innings and had a 0.65 WHIP. That season, Stewart also topped many statistical pitching categories. His fastball averaged around 97 MPH, Whiff% 41.5, K% 35.8, Barrel% 3.4, and Hard-Hit% 31.0. Those are all great stats when you compare relievers, but that was 2023 when he was healthy. Fast forward two years, and now completely healthy, it will be interesting to see how fast he can bounce back.
With a hefty 11.25 ERA and having blown the Twins' last two leads, struggling reliever Griffin Jax will also benefit from his reinstatement. By taking on some high-leverage situations, Stewart could give struggling Jax a breather, with the ultimate goal of Jax returning to his 2024 level. Will Rocco throw him out there right away? That remains to be seen.
Michael Tonkin, back for his third stint with the Twins, has been sidelined all year with a right shoulder strain. He will begin a rehab stint Friday with Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Assuming that goes well and there are no setbacks, I see him back sometime at the end of April. Who will be the odd man out in the bullpen is the bigger question?
Pablo Lopez, who has been out since April 8 due to a strained right hamstring, will make a rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A St. Paul. Assuming no setbacks, Lopez will probably only need one start. Look for him to rejoin the Twins rotation around Wednesday, as that is when he is eligible to return from the IL.
Royce Lewis is probably the farthest away, although reports say he is making some progress. He has been running and doing baseball activities, including hitting, for a while now, but he was scheduled to advance his running progression Thursday with some light baserunning work. Although his return to game action is still weeks away, rather than days, he continues to progress in his recovery from a strained left hamstring.
 With Matt Wallner recently hitting the IL due to a strained hamstring, there's no new information regarding him, Austin Martin, or Jose Miranda. This comes at a bad time for Wallner, as he was one of the Twins' most consistent hitters and an on-base threat. His slash lines look like this: .263 average, .373/.474/..847.  Miranda will likely return in the middle of next week when his stint is over.  Despite his struggles this year, Miranda would provide much-needed depth for the Twins. He was injured while shopping at Target when he dropped a pack of water and strained his left hand trying to re-grab it, yes, that's no joke, Twins fans. He could add some depth if Correa and Castro continue to nurse injuries.
Willi Castro (oblique) and Christian Vazquez (hand) remain day-to-day due to injuries. The Twins will also continue to monitor Carlos Correa, who sustained a wrist injury earlier this week but has played in subsequent games.

With a 7-15 record, the Twins come into the season holding the second-worst mark in the American League. They open up a three-game series against the worst team in the American League, the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are bringing statistically one of the worst teams in baseball to Target Field.
It was the same day last year, April 22nd, the Twins were 7-13 and were getting ready to host a four-game series vs the White Sox. Their sweep of the White Sox then sparked a 12-game winning streak. From April 22nd through roughly the second week of August, the Twins performed like one of the best teams in baseball. We all know what would happen after that. Is this the series that gets the Twins rolling? Or is this team different?

With a 7-15 record, the Twins come into the season holding the second-worst mark in the American League. They open up a three-game series against the worst team in the American League, the Chicago White Sox. The White Sox are bringing statistically one of the worst teams in baseball to Target Field.
It was the same day last year, April 22nd, the Twins were 7-13 and were getting ready to host a four-game series vs the White Sox. Their sweep of the White Sox then sparked a 12-game winning streak. From April 22nd through roughly the second week of August, the Twins performed like one of the best teams in baseball. We all know what would happen after that. Is this the series that gets the Twins rolling? Or is this team different?

Despite the Atlanta Braves' struggling lineup, which ranks in the bottom half of every offensive category this season, the Minnesota Twins were unexpectedly swept in their series. Chris Paddack showed flashes of what the Twins were expecting out of him. He went 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB. He didn't factor into the win on Friday as the Twins lost 6-4. Despite his 2 clunker starts, Paddack has bounced back nicely with 10 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 11 K, 3 BB. Despite possessing a four-pitch arsenal, Paddack has primarily relied on his fastball and changeup over these two starts.
His fastball and changeup usage were 81% in these two games against the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. Paddack has had a good change of speeds with his fastball topping out around 95-96 MPH and his changeup at 84 MPH. These two pitches are his primary put-away pitches. Paddack has lowered his ERA to 7.27. He will look for another start Thursday against the White Sox at Target Field.
Saturday's game was a bullpen game with Justin Topa starting. Topa would go one inning, giving up 3 H and 1 ER in one inning. Simeon Woods Richardson struggled to contain the Braves' offense, surrendering seven hits and three runs over 4.1 innings. The bright spot was that Byron Buxton had three hits and his team-leading fifth stolen base. Twins' bats would go silent after the sixth inning as the Braves' bullpen sent them down in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. Twins lose 4-3.
Joe Ryan started Sunday, and the Braves continued where they left off on Saturday, putting together eight hits and 6 runs off Ryan. Those runs were more than enough to beat the Twins 6-2. Byron Buxton stayed hot, going 2-5 with a double and a solo homerun. He finished up the three-game trip vs Atlanta going 5-13 with 5 H, 3 XBH, 2 R, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base. The fresh call-up Luke Keaschall had a hit in every game while also collecting a double in all three games. 
The Twins are now 7-15 on the season and are coming close to falling into last place, where the White Sox are 1.5 games behind the Twins in the American League Central Division. They have already experienced four three-game losing streaks in 22 games. Coming into Sunday's game, the Twins were ranked 27th in BA (.214), 25th in runs (73), and 27th in OPS (.625). and tied for 24th in run differential (-20). The Twins' pitching, all in all, ranks in the middle of the pack for most standard categories. However, they're one save ranks 29th in the league, ahead of the Chicago White Sox, who have yet to record a save on the season. 
The six-game homestand will start on Tuesday with three games against the Chicago White Sox and three against the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins will look to get on a winning streak against the Chicago White Sox, who rank last in every statistical category in baseball.

Tuesday vs Chicago White Sox
MIN Bailey Ober (1-1, 6.16) vs CHI Davis Martin (1-2, 4.84)
Wednesday vs Chicago White Sox
MIN David Festa (0-0, 0.00) vs CHI Undecided
Thursday vs Chicago White Sox
MIN Chris Paddack (0-2, 7.27) vs CHI Shane Smith (0-1, 2.82)
Friday vs Los Angeles Angels
MIN Simeon Woods Richardson (1-2, 4.74) vs LAA Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 4.50)
Saturday vs Los Angeles Angels
Joe Ryan (1-2, 4.00) vs LAA Yusei Kikuchi (0-3, 3.38)
Sunday vs Los Angeles Angels
Bailey Ober (1-1, 6.16) vs LAA Jose Soriano (2-2, 3.16)
 
 

Despite the Atlanta Braves' struggling lineup, which ranks in the bottom half of every offensive category this season, the Minnesota Twins were unexpectedly swept in their series. Chris Paddack showed flashes of what the Twins were expecting out of him. He went 5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 5 K, 1 BB. He didn't factor into the win on Friday as the Twins lost 6-4. Despite his 2 clunker starts, Paddack has bounced back nicely with 10 IP, 5 H, 2 ER, 11 K, 3 BB. Despite possessing a four-pitch arsenal, Paddack has primarily relied on his fastball and changeup over these two starts.
His fastball and changeup usage were 81% in these two games against the Detroit Tigers and Atlanta Braves. Paddack has had a good change of speeds with his fastball topping out around 95-96 MPH and his changeup at 84 MPH. These two pitches are his primary put-away pitches. Paddack has lowered his ERA to 7.27. He will look for another start Thursday against the White Sox at Target Field.
Saturday's game was a bullpen game with Justin Topa starting. Topa would go one inning, giving up 3 H and 1 ER in one inning. Simeon Woods Richardson struggled to contain the Braves' offense, surrendering seven hits and three runs over 4.1 innings. The bright spot was that Byron Buxton had three hits and his team-leading fifth stolen base. Twins' bats would go silent after the sixth inning as the Braves' bullpen sent them down in order in the seventh, eighth, and ninth innings. Twins lose 4-3.
Joe Ryan started Sunday, and the Braves continued where they left off on Saturday, putting together eight hits and 6 runs off Ryan. Those runs were more than enough to beat the Twins 6-2. Byron Buxton stayed hot, going 2-5 with a double and a solo homerun. He finished up the three-game trip vs Atlanta going 5-13 with 5 H, 3 XBH, 2 R, 2 RBIs, and a stolen base. The fresh call-up Luke Keaschall had a hit in every game while also collecting a double in all three games. 
The Twins are now 7-15 on the season and are coming close to falling into last place, where the White Sox are 1.5 games behind the Twins in the American League Central Division. They have already experienced four three-game losing streaks in 22 games. Coming into Sunday's game, the Twins were ranked 27th in BA (.214), 25th in runs (73), and 27th in OPS (.625). and tied for 24th in run differential (-20). The Twins' pitching, all in all, ranks in the middle of the pack for most standard categories. However, they're one save ranks 29th in the league, ahead of the Chicago White Sox, who have yet to record a save on the season. 
The six-game homestand will start on Tuesday with three games against the Chicago White Sox and three against the Los Angeles Angels. The Twins will look to get on a winning streak against the Chicago White Sox, who rank last in every statistical category in baseball.

Tuesday vs Chicago White Sox
MIN Bailey Ober (1-1, 6.16) vs CHI Davis Martin (1-2, 4.84)
Wednesday vs Chicago White Sox
MIN David Festa (0-0, 0.00) vs CHI Undecided
Thursday vs Chicago White Sox
MIN Chris Paddack (0-2, 7.27) vs CHI Shane Smith (0-1, 2.82)
Friday vs Los Angeles Angels
MIN Simeon Woods Richardson (1-2, 4.74) vs LAA Kyle Hendricks (0-2, 4.50)
Saturday vs Los Angeles Angels
Joe Ryan (1-2, 4.00) vs LAA Yusei Kikuchi (0-3, 3.38)
Sunday vs Los Angeles Angels
Bailey Ober (1-1, 6.16) vs LAA Jose Soriano (2-2, 3.16)
 
 

The Twins reinstated Brock Stewart from the injured list on Saturday. Stewart has been on the injured list all season due to a left hamstring strain he suffered in spring training. He made two appearances in Single A, throwing 1.2 innings while striking out all five batters. He will replace left-hander Kody Funderburk, who was optioned to Triple-A. Funderburk appeared in two games this year, throwing 4.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
Stewart only pitched in 16 games last year, mostly due to right shoulder tendinitis. The Twins are hopeful that, now fully healthy and ready, he can return to his 2023 performance, during which he struck out 39 batters in 27.2 innings and had a 0.65 WHIP. That season, Stewart also topped many statistical pitching categories. His fastball averaged around 97 MPH, Whiff% 41.5, K% 35.8, Barrel% 3.4, and Hard-Hit% 31.0. Those are all great stats when you compare relievers, but that was 2023 when he was healthy. Fast forward two years, and now completely healthy, it will be interesting to see how fast he can bounce back.
With a hefty 11.25 ERA and having blown the Twins' last two leads, struggling reliever Griffin Jax will also benefit from his reinstatement. By taking on some high-leverage situations, Stewart could give struggling Jax a breather, with the ultimate goal of Jax returning to his 2024 level. Will Rocco throw him out there right away? That remains to be seen.
Michael Tonkin, back for his third stint with the Twins, has been sidelined all year with a right shoulder strain. He will begin a rehab stint Friday with Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Assuming that goes well and there are no setbacks, I see him back sometime at the end of April. Who will be the odd man out in the bullpen is the bigger question?
Pablo Lopez, who has been out since April 8 due to a strained right hamstring, will make a rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A St. Paul. Assuming no setbacks, Lopez will probably only need one start. Look for him to rejoin the Twins rotation around Wednesday, as that is when he is eligible to return from the IL.
Royce Lewis is probably the farthest away, although reports say he is making some progress. He has been running and doing baseball activities, including hitting, for a while now, but he was scheduled to advance his running progression Thursday with some light baserunning work. Although his return to game action is still weeks away, rather than days, he continues to progress in his recovery from a strained left hamstring.
 With Matt Wallner recently hitting the IL due to a strained hamstring, there's no new information regarding him, Austin Martin, or Jose Miranda. This comes at a bad time for Wallner, as he was one of the Twins' most consistent hitters and an on-base threat. His slash lines look like this: .263 average, .373/.474/..847.  Miranda will likely return in the middle of next week when his stint is over.  Despite his struggles this year, Miranda would provide much-needed depth for the Twins. He was injured while shopping at Target when he dropped a pack of water and strained his left hand trying to re-grab it, yes, that's no joke, Twins fans. He could add some depth if Correa and Castro continue to nurse injuries.
Willi Castro (oblique) and Christian Vazquez (hand) remain day-to-day due to injuries. The Twins will also continue to monitor Carlos Correa, who sustained a wrist injury earlier this week but has played in subsequent games.

The Twins reinstated Brock Stewart from the injured list on Saturday. Stewart has been on the injured list all season due to a left hamstring strain he suffered in spring training. He made two appearances in Single A, throwing 1.2 innings while striking out all five batters. He will replace left-hander Kody Funderburk, who was optioned to Triple-A. Funderburk appeared in two games this year, throwing 4.0 innings with a 4.50 ERA.
Stewart only pitched in 16 games last year, mostly due to right shoulder tendinitis. The Twins are hopeful that, now fully healthy and ready, he can return to his 2023 performance, during which he struck out 39 batters in 27.2 innings and had a 0.65 WHIP. That season, Stewart also topped many statistical pitching categories. His fastball averaged around 97 MPH, Whiff% 41.5, K% 35.8, Barrel% 3.4, and Hard-Hit% 31.0. Those are all great stats when you compare relievers, but that was 2023 when he was healthy. Fast forward two years, and now completely healthy, it will be interesting to see how fast he can bounce back.
With a hefty 11.25 ERA and having blown the Twins' last two leads, struggling reliever Griffin Jax will also benefit from his reinstatement. By taking on some high-leverage situations, Stewart could give struggling Jax a breather, with the ultimate goal of Jax returning to his 2024 level. Will Rocco throw him out there right away? That remains to be seen.
Michael Tonkin, back for his third stint with the Twins, has been sidelined all year with a right shoulder strain. He will begin a rehab stint Friday with Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Assuming that goes well and there are no setbacks, I see him back sometime at the end of April. Who will be the odd man out in the bullpen is the bigger question?
Pablo Lopez, who has been out since April 8 due to a strained right hamstring, will make a rehab start on Saturday for Triple-A St. Paul. Assuming no setbacks, Lopez will probably only need one start. Look for him to rejoin the Twins rotation around Wednesday, as that is when he is eligible to return from the IL.
Royce Lewis is probably the farthest away, although reports say he is making some progress. He has been running and doing baseball activities, including hitting, for a while now, but he was scheduled to advance his running progression Thursday with some light baserunning work. Although his return to game action is still weeks away, rather than days, he continues to progress in his recovery from a strained left hamstring.
 With Matt Wallner recently hitting the IL due to a strained hamstring, there's no new information regarding him, Austin Martin, or Jose Miranda. This comes at a bad time for Wallner, as he was one of the Twins' most consistent hitters and an on-base threat. His slash lines look like this: .263 average, .373/.474/..847.  Miranda will likely return in the middle of next week when his stint is over.  Despite his struggles this year, Miranda would provide much-needed depth for the Twins. He was injured while shopping at Target when he dropped a pack of water and strained his left hand trying to re-grab it, yes, that's no joke, Twins fans. He could add some depth if Correa and Castro continue to nurse injuries.
Willi Castro (oblique) and Christian Vazquez (hand) remain day-to-day due to injuries. The Twins will also continue to monitor Carlos Correa, who sustained a wrist injury earlier this week but has played in subsequent games.

Danny Coulombe is in his second stint with the Twins. He pitched last year with the Baltimore Orioles. Coulumbe was very effective out of that Orioles bullpen, sporting a 2.12 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP over 29 2/3 innings last year. When the Twins re-signed him before this season, they were counting on him being the only lefty in the bullpen so they could use him in any matchup, especially against right-handed hitters. What the Twins have gotten out of Coulombe so far this year is one of the best starts to a season for him, and he also has a nice scoreless streak dating back to last year. Here are some of the incredible stats Coulumbe has put up this year and the latter part of 2024 with the Orioles
He has pitched 17 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings over his last 18 appearances, stretching back to last season. Here are some more astonishing stats so far this year.
9 games 7 2/3 INN 27 batters faced 3 hits 0.00 ERA 0.52 WHIP 0.91 OPP BA .130 OPP OBP .136 OPP SLG .145 BAbip (Batting Avg. on Balls in Play) 2-14 VS RHB 1-13 VS LHB This may be a small sample size this year, but Coulombe has been exceptionally good at getting hitters out this season. He's not a big strikeout pitcher, but he mixes speeds well and has a lot of movement on his pitches. Considering Griffin Jax's shaky start, the Twins should explore using Coulombe in higher-leverage spots.
 
 
 

Danny Coulombe is in his second stint with the Twins. He pitched last year with the Baltimore Orioles. Coulumbe was very effective out of that Orioles bullpen, sporting a 2.12 ERA and a 0.67 WHIP over 29 2/3 innings last year. When the Twins re-signed him before this season, they were counting on him being the only lefty in the bullpen so they could use him in any matchup, especially against right-handed hitters. What the Twins have gotten out of Coulombe so far this year is one of the best starts to a season for him, and he also has a nice scoreless streak dating back to last year. Here are some of the incredible stats Coulumbe has put up this year and the latter part of 2024 with the Orioles
He has pitched 17 2/3 consecutive scoreless innings over his last 18 appearances, stretching back to last season. Here are some more astonishing stats so far this year.
9 games 7 2/3 INN 27 batters faced 3 hits 0.00 ERA 0.52 WHIP 0.91 OPP BA .130 OPP OBP .136 OPP SLG .145 BAbip (Batting Avg. on Balls in Play) 2-14 VS RHB 1-13 VS LHB This may be a small sample size this year, but Coulombe has been exceptionally good at getting hitters out this season. He's not a big strikeout pitcher, but he mixes speeds well and has a lot of movement on his pitches. Considering Griffin Jax's shaky start, the Twins should explore using Coulombe in higher-leverage spots.
 
 
 

Byron Buxton is transforming back to the young Byron Buxton. Yeah, he's only hitting .215 with an OBP of .261 and two walks, but when on base, it's more than likely that he'll come around and score. He's been on base 20 times this season and has scored 15 runs, which is a (75%) clip.
The Twins' offense has gained a dynamic edge with Byron Buxton's increased aggressiveness on the basepaths. His ability to pick up extra bases often feels like a guaranteed run, a dimension unseen by fans in recent memory. However, this exhilarating style has unfortunately led to knee injuries and soreness. The team currently faces a balancing act, needing Buck's presence on the bases for the high probability of scoring.

Byron Buxton is transforming back to the young Byron Buxton. Yeah, he's only hitting .215 with an OBP of .261 and two walks, but when on base, it's more than likely that he'll come around and score. He's been on base 20 times this season and has scored 15 runs, which is a (75%) clip.
The Twins' offense has gained a dynamic edge with Byron Buxton's increased aggressiveness on the basepaths. His ability to pick up extra bases often feels like a guaranteed run, a dimension unseen by fans in recent memory. However, this exhilarating style has unfortunately led to knee injuries and soreness. The team currently faces a balancing act, needing Buck's presence on the bases for the high probability of scoring.

Byron Buxton is transforming back to the young Byron Buxton. Yeah, he's only hitting .215 with an OBP of .261 and two walks, but when on base, it's more than likely that he'll come around and score. He's been on base 20 times this season and has scored 15 runs, which is a (75%) clip.
The Twins' offense has gained a dynamic edge with Byron Buxton's increased aggressiveness on the basepaths. His ability to pick up extra bases often feels like a guaranteed run, a dimension unseen by fans in recent memory. However, this exhilarating style has unfortunately led to knee injuries and soreness. The team currently faces a balancing act, needing Buck's presence on the bases for the high probability of scoring.