Steve Drumwright

While the trades (thus far) for left-handed reliever A.J. Minter and right-handed starter Dean Kremer weren't necessarily exciting additions, they did raise the floor for the Minnesota Twins this season. Now, they are hunting for a piece that will make a bigger difference in a push for the postseason. Next up on the Twins' shopping list is a late-inning right-handed reliever, according to Dan Hayes and Ken Rosenthal of The Athletic. That is quite the turn following last year's massive sell-off by the Twins at the deadline that alienated a lot of fans. Being buyers, even at a smaller level, is at least a goodwill gesture to try and regain some of that faith back. And adding someone to lock down the seventh, eighth or ninth innings would be huge for everyone involved. No names of late-inning relievers were mentioned, but the fact the Twins have added two veterans to the pitching staff and are looking for a third is certainly a positive development. View full rumor

For the second time this month, Byron Buxton is being sidelined by a hip injury. It couldn't come a worse time for the Minnesota Twins. The Twins placed the All-Star center fielder on the 10-day injured list Wednesday due to a right hip impingement. Infielder Tristan Gray was called up from Triple-A St. Paul. Buxton has been bothered for most of the last three months with the hip issue, but he played through it before landing on the IL on July 6 with a strained right hip. He came back July 20 and played in seven games since, hitting just .160 in that span. Without Buxton, the Twins are down their biggest bat as they make an unexpected push toward a postseason spot. He is slashing .263/.320/.544 with 25 homers and 45 RBIs in 82 games. Gray is back from Triple-A, where he has been since July 20 as he went down when Buxton came back. Gray has a slash line of .232/.271/.333 with four homers and 29 homers in 63 games with the Twins. View full rumor

With the Minnesota Twins in buy mode and Monday's trade deadline coming at them, there is a reliever that fits this year's push and will remain part of the immediate future. Introducing Baltimore Orioles right-hander Yennier Cano. With two years of club control beyond this season, Cano would fit nicely into the Twins' plans. The 32-year-old, a bit of a late bloomer, is "one of the most coveted" late-inning relievers, according to MLB Network's Jon Morosi. Cano, who is making $1.6 million this season in his first year of arbitration, has a 2.55 FIP (2.27 ERA) in 35⅔ innings with a 5.6% walk rate and 21% strikeout rate entering play Wednesday. He had a breakout season in 2023 when he was named an AL All-Star with a 2.84 FIP (2.11 ERA) with a 4.6% walk rate and 23% strikeout rate, notching eight saves in 72⅔ innings. In order to acquire Cano, it would take a notable prospect due to the control the Orioles still have of the reliever, but would be worth it if the Twins can get back into the postseason after two fourth-place finishes in the AL Central, including last year's massive sell-off at the trade deadline. View full rumor

Just in time for a push before the trade deadline, Buck is back. The Minnesota Twins on Monday activated All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton from the 10-day injured list and optioned infielder Tristan Gray to Triple-A St. Paul. Buxton had been out since going on the IL July 7 with a strained right hip, the same ailment that kept him out for four games that week. Now, Buxton rejoins the Twins after being out for nearly two weeks and will be in the lineup Monday as Minnesota opens a big four-game series on the road against the Cleveland Guardians, who are in second place in the AL Central, just three games ahead of the Twins and one game behind the first-place Chicago White Sox. Buxton is slashing .271/.328/.575 with 25 homers, which ranks eighth in MLB, and 45 RBIs. Buxton, who has a lengthy injury history, hit a career-high 35 homers last year. Gray has been a valuable defensive piece on the infield, seeing quite a bit of time at shortstop, but has a slash line of just .232/.271/.333 with four homers and 29 RBIs. This likely opens the door for Ryan Kreidler to see a bulk of the time at shortstop and Brooks Lee backing him up. View full rumor

The Minnesota Twins, who had a massive sell-off at last year's trade deadline, appear to be a buyer this year. The Twins on Friday acquired right-handed reliever Tommy Nance from the Toronto Blue Jays in exchange for minor-league catcher-third baseman Ryan Sprock. Nance is a 35-year-old who has appeared in 32 games this year for the Jays, posting a 4.20 FIP (3.82 ERA) in 33 innings, walking 9.4% of batters, while striking out 24.5%. Nance made his MLB debut in 2021 and has appeared in 144 games, all but two in relief, with a 3.72 FIP (4.25 ERA). He has a 9.3% career walk rate and 25.3% strikeout rate. Nance is making $809,700 this season and is under club control for another three seasons. Sprock, 21, was an eighth-round draft choice a year ago out of Elon. He was just promoted to High-A Cedar Rapids, where he played two games, going 0-for-7. He had been at Low-A Fort Myers, where he had a .306/.436/.441 slash line with five homers and 37 RBIs in 65 games. He also had 14 stolen bases. Sprock is not on Twins Daily's Top 20 prospects list. He made 31 starts at catcher, 18 at third base and five in left field in addition to 11 as a designated hitter. View full rumor

One of the Minnesota Twins' All-Stars won't be going to Philadelphia after all. The Twins on Tuesday placed center fielder Byron Buxton on the 10-day injured list due to an ailing right hip. Outfielder Alan Roden was called up from Triple-A St. Paul. Also, the Twins officially added right-handed reliever Woo-Suk Go, acquired in a cash trade Sunday with the Detroit Tigers, to the roster. He will be making his MLB debut. Buxton was selected Saturday to his third All-Star Game, but will not be playing in the game due to his injury. He has a .271/.328/.575 slash line and is among the AL leaders with 25 homers. He hit a career-high 35 homers a year ago. Buxton's career is littered with injuries that have prevented him from consistently putting up monster numbers. Roden has been having a good season at St. Paul this year, slashing .272/.397/.512 with eight homers and 24 RBIs in 33 games. Roden spent time on the injured list this season due to a labrum tear. He appeared in 55 games last year between the Twins and Toronto Blue Jays, with a .191/.261/.294 slash line, hitting two homers and driving in nine. Roden and left-hander Kendry Rojas were the return in the trade with the Jays for right-handed reliever Louis Varland and first baseman Ty France. View full rumor

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images (photos of Buxton, Ryan) Make that All-Star starting outfielder Byron Buxton. The Minnesota Twins’ center fielder and right-handed starter Joe Ryan on Saturday were named to the AL team for the July 14 All-Star Game at Citizens Bank Park in Philadelphia. Buxton was voted in as a starting outfielder. Buxton and Ryan will be joined by manager Derek Shelton, in his first season leading Minnesota and who was selected to be on the coaching staff for the AL by John Schneider of the Toronto Blue Jays. This is Buxton’s third selection, having also had the honor in 2022 and last year. Buxton, who missed four games with a hip injury before returning to the Twins’ lineup Saturday, is having one of his best seasons of his 12-year career, putting up a slash line of .268/.325/.573 with 25 homers and 45 RBIs entering play Saturday. Buxton’s 25 homers are tied for fourth in MLB. Joe Ryan is making his second straight appearance in the All-Star Game. He has a 3.61 ERA in an MLB-leading 18 starts over 97 1/3 innings, with a 5.5% walk rate and 28.3% strikeout rate. Former Twins also making the trip to the All-Star Game are Philadelphia Phillies right-handed closer Jhoan Duran, San Francisco Giants second baseman Luis Arraez, Toronto Blue Jays right-handed reliever Louis Varland and fellow Minnesotan and former Gopher pitcher Max Meyer of the Miami Marlins. Buxton was a reserve last year, too, when the game was played in Atlanta, near his hometown of Baxley, Ga. He went 1-for-2 with a ninth-inning double off Robert Suarez and scored a run as the AL tied the game 6-6 and forced a decisive swing-off, won by the NL. The nine starters for each team were determined by two rounds of fan balloting, with Los Angeles Dodgers designated hitter Shohei Ohtani and Blue Jays second baseman Ernie Clement getting automatically selected to start by virtue of leading the first round in the NL and AL, respectively. The 23 reserves, which includes 12 pitchers as that position is not up for voting, are selected by player voting and the Commissioner's Office, which ensures that each team has a representative in the game. View full article