Sam Caulder

For the first month and a half of the season, Austin Martin looked like one of the biggest success stories on the Twins roster. From Opening Day through the middle of May, Martin batted .333 and reached base seemingly every night. He drew more walks than strikeouts, posted a contact rate around 90%, and quickly established himself as one of the toughest hitters in baseball to get out. It wasn't just a nice story. It earned him a bigger role. With Matt Wallner struggling early in the season, Martin forced his way into everyday playing time in the Twins outfield. The former first-round pick was finally looking like the offensive catalyst the organization had hoped for when they acquired him. Lately, though, the production has disappeared. Over the last two and a half weeks, Martin is just 8-for-59, good for a .136 batting average. The plate discipline that fueled his breakout has also taken a step backward. After drawing walks at an elite rate for much of April and early May, Martin has drawn just two walks during that stretch despite remaining in the lineup almost every day. Quite frankly, he has looked like a completely different player. So what exactly is going on? There are probably a couple of different explanations. The first is fairly straightforward: the Twins aren't seeing nearly as many left-handed pitchers anymore. During the first 22 games of the season, Minnesota faced 13 left-handed starting pitchers. That's an absurd number, and one that happened to play directly into Martin's strengths. Even with his recent slump, Martin is still hitting .295 against left-handed pitching this season. More impressively, he’s drawn 16 walks while striking out only eight times against southpaws. Before he became an everyday player, Martin was largely deployed in favorable matchups against lefties. As his hot streak continued, the Twins expanded his role and began playing him against virtually everyone. The problem is that right-handed pitching has been a much different story. Martin is hitting just .243 against righties this year, and his ability to get on base has taken a significant hit. As Minnesota's schedule has shifted toward more right-handed starters, the weaknesses in his offensive profile have become more noticeable. That doesn't explain everything, but it's certainly part of the equation. The second reason is a little more concerning. While Martin's season-long plate discipline numbers still look excellent, the underlying trends suggest he's started drifting away from the approach that made him successful in the first place. His overall chase rate remains extremely low at roughly 18%, but that number has been climbing steadily over the past few weeks. More importantly, pitchers appear to have identified a specific weakness and have begun attacking it aggressively. Martin has struggled badly against pitches below the strike zone. His whiff rates on pitches that miss down-and-away and down-and-in are staggering, sitting at 71% and 63%, respectively. Pitchers have increasingly challenged him with breaking balls and off-speed offerings in those locations, and Martin hasn't consistently shown he can lay off them. Troublingly, too, he seems to have a pretty grooved swing: his contact rate is above-average within the zone but below-average outside it. Normally, you see that from power hitters—guys with big bat speed and a knack for pulling the ball in the air. Martin isn't that kind of player, so not being able to make contact outside the zone applies extra pressure to keep his swing decisions immaculate. To Martin's credit, he's aware adjustments are being made. "I've been getting attacked differently," Martin said Monday night, after a game in which he snapped an 0-for-18. "And it's on me to adjust to that." That's often how the game works. Martin spent the first six weeks of the season making pitchers pay for mistakes, but opposing teams eventually adjusted. Now, the challenge is making a counter-adjustment of his own. Martin believes the answer is staying committed to the process, rather than overhauling everything. "I definitely can feel the fact I haven't been on first base in a while," he said. "But at the end of the day, it's just a matter of not getting away from my approach." That mindset is probably the right one. Slumps happen. A rough two-and-a-half-week stretch doesn't automatically erase everything he accomplished during the first six weeks of the season. Still, it's fair to wonder whether expectations got a little ahead of reality. What if Martin isn't an everyday player? What if he's simply an extremely valuable platoon bat who thrives against left-handed pitching but struggles to provide the same production against righties? To some extent, that was the narrative around him entering the season, but his hot start put that to bed (at least temporarily). However, it now feels like a question that’s worth asking again. That doesn't mean the Twins have reached any conclusions. Martin still has plenty of time to turn things around, and this may be simply a cold stretch that will be forgotten by the end of the summer. But something has to change. The version of Martin the Twins saw in April was an impact player who consistently pressured opposing pitchers and found ways to reach base. The version they've seen recently hasn't provided nearly enough offensive production to justify everyday at-bats. With several left-handed-hitting outfield options continuing to perform in the minors, playing time against right-handed pitching could become harder to come by if the struggles continue. The good news for Martin is that the ball is still in his court. The league has adjusted, and now it’s his turn.

Joe Ryan has been everything the Minnesota Twins could have hoped for this season. Through his first 70 1/3 innings, the right-hander has posted a 3.20 ERA while striking out 79 hitters and establishing himself as one of the most reliable starters in the American League. He had a minor hiccup against the White Sox Monday night, but still, he's on a run of dominant outings stretching back to the end of April. The advanced metrics suggest his success is no fluke, either. Ryan's expected ERA sits below his actual ERA, while his FIP is even lower. The underlying numbers paint the picture of a pitcher who has legitimately taken another step forward in 2026. Put simply, Ryan has pitched like an ace. And that's exactly why the Twins should consider trading him. That might sound counterintuitive. But Ryan's combination of performance, affordability, and remaining control is precisely what would make him one of the most coveted players on the trade market. If the Twins decide they aren't positioned to seriously contend in the near future, there may never be a better opportunity to maximize the value of one of their most important assets. One of the biggest reasons why is Ryan's contract situation. If he were approaching free agency, the decision would be relatively straightforward. The Twins would either keep him for a playoff push or move him for whatever return they could get before losing him. But that's not the situation here. Ryan isn’t a free agent until after next season, meaning whatever team (hypothetically) acquired him would be getting him beyond this year. Acquiring a frontline starter for one postseason run is valuable. Acquiring one for multiple seasons is something entirely different. That's why teams are often willing to pay a premium for pitchers in Ryan's position. They're buying a pitcher who can slot near the top of the rotation immediately. They're buying cost-controlled production, and a player they don't have to compete for on the open market for multiple years. Those players rarely become available. And when they do, bidding wars tend to follow. A recent example (to an extent) is the Garrett Crochet trade. When the White Sox moved Crochet to Boston, they landed four prospects in return, including a pair who ranked highly on Top-100 lists. While Ryan wouldn't command quite that level of return, the comparison illustrates the type of value that frontline pitching can generate. The Twins could realistically target a package built around a Top-100 prospect and additional high-upside talent. More importantly, they would probably have multiple teams competing to make those offers. The market for starting pitching is almost always aggressive, and there are plenty of contenders who could use help. The Braves, Padres, Yankees, Diamondbacks, Cubs and Brewers are all firmly in the postseason hunt that could really use a top-of-the-rotation starter like Ryan. Other clubs (the Cardinals? the A's?) might get involved if they hang around longer than expected and their rebuild seems to be ahead of schedule. The point is that the Twins wouldn't be negotiating from a position of weakness. They would be negotiating from a position of strength. If Ryan were made available, Minnesota could afford to be selective. The front office could compare offers, identify the prospects they like the most, and ultimately choose the package that best fits the organization's long-term vision. That's a luxury many sellers don't have. Of course, none of this means trading Ryan would be easy. In fact, it would probably be one of the most difficult decisions the front office could make. Ryan is a popular name. He's developed into exactly the type of pitcher every team wants leading its rotation. Trading players like that is never fun. But front offices have to separate emotion from evaluation. The question isn't whether Ryan is good; the answer to that is obvious. The question is whether keeping Ryan gives the Twins a better chance to build a championship-caliber roster than trading him for a significant haul of young talent. That's where things become more complicated. If the Twins were clearly positioned to compete for a World Series over the next couple years, holding onto Ryan would be an easy decision. You keep great players when you're trying to win championships. But if the organization believes it's still several pieces away, then Ryan becomes something different. He becomes an opportunity to add multiple young players and improve the organization's long-term outlook. An opportunity to accelerate a retooling process without committing to a full rebuild. While Ryan is still relatively young, there's also the reality that pitcher value can change quickly. Pitchers get hurt, performance fluctuates, and circumstances change. There's no guarantee Ryan's trade value will ever be higher than it is right now. That's what makes this summer so intriguing. It's what made his elbow scare in May so paralyzing. The Twins have one of the most valuable trade assets in baseball: a pitcher performing at an ace level, multiple years of team control remaining, and a market that would almost certainly be filled with interested buyers. Whether the front office ultimately agrees is another question entirely. They may view Ryan as a foundational piece worth building around, and that's a reasonable position to take. But at the very least, the Twins should strongly consider the possibility. Because as difficult as it would be to trade a pitcher as good as Joe Ryan, the return might ultimately do more for the future of the franchise than keeping him ever could.

The month of May was not kind to the Twins’ pitching staff. They allowed six or more runs in 12 of 28 games (including multiple 15-run nights) and were hit very hard by the injury bug. Taj Bradley missed a couple weeks, Cole Sands missed the entire month, and both Kendry Rojas and Bailey Ober were placed on the injured list over the weekend. Not to mention, Mick Abel is still hurt, and oh, Simeon Woods Richardson and Justin Topa were DFA’d. It’s been an eventful month, and not in a good way. Still, there were some positives, too. There have been some younger names who have thrived with increased opportunity, and the reps they’ve been able to get could be big for the future of Minnesota’s pitching staff. Here’s a look at the top-performing pitchers from May for the Twins. 4. Andrew Morris May Stats: 11 G, 12 1/3 IP, 2.19 ERA, 1.38 WHIP, 10 K, 6 BB, 2.91 FIP The Twins’ bullpen as a whole gets a lot of grief due to inconsistent play, but Morris was about as consistent as you could ask for in May. His month started with 3 2/3 scoreless innings after Joe Ryan’s early exit due to elbow soreness, and he finished as a reliable late-inning option. The underlying data shows he’s been elite when it comes to getting soft contact, which has been his calling card since entering the league. Morris has shown he can be used in multiple roles, and he should continue to be a staple of the Twins’ bullpen for the remainder of the year. 3. Kendry Rojas May Stats: 4 G, 12 1/3 IP, 1.46 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, 14 K, 7 BB, 2.75 FIP While his May ended on a sour note (an IL stint due to triceps inflammation), Rojas looked good in his four outings. While only one of those four came as the starting pitcher, he thrived in a long reliever/spot starter role. His arsenal, led by his fastball-slider combo, has generated a ton of whiffs, and he did a much better job of pounding the strike zone. For now, it remains unclear just how long he’ll be sidelined. He was set to be cleared to begin throwing again by Twins doctors Monday night, and Jeremy Zoll indicated that the ramp-up should be quick, given the short time that he was shut down. The month of May left a lot to be excited about for Kendry Rojas. 2. Yoendrys Gómez May Stats: 12 G, 10.1 IP, 0.87 ERA, 0.87 WHIP, 13 K, 4 BB, 2.30 FIP After being acquired from the Rays on May 6, Gómez has quickly emerged as a reliable late-inning option out of the Twins’ bullpen. He’s limited baserunners, and his May stats benefited as a result. While the underlying numbers would suggest he’s been better than he should be, games are won and lost on the field, not in tables or spreadsheets. Derek Shelton clearly trusts him, as he’s logged a pair of saves since his arrival. Gómez should continue to be a late-inning reliever for the Twins. Twins Pitcher of the Month: Joe Ryan May Stats: 5 G, 26 IP, 1.73 ERA, 0.77 WHIP, 31 K, 5 BB, 2.11 FIP Ryan’s May started with an immediate injury scare. But after being removed after just nine pitches on May 3, he looked every bit like an ace. All of Ryan’s starts after the early removal were quality, and he didn’t allow more than two earned runs in any of them. That length has been especially crucial over the last couple of weeks, since the Twins haven’t had an off day since May 21 and won’t for another week. Ryan’s dominance is especially interesting when you consider that he’s throwing his best pitch (his four-seam) about 10% less than he did at the start of the season. But that decline in usage has increased his whiff rate and has made that four-seam (along with the rest of his arsenal) more effective. As long as he’s healthy, Ryan will be the Twins’ #1 pitcher. But given his performance this year, how long he’ll be a Twin might be the bigger question. While the non-Ryan rotation options struggled in May, there are still some encouraging takeaways from the last month. Morris, Rojas, and Gómez are all young, promising arms that flashed and can serve multiple roles if needed. Injuries have done serious damage to the starting rotation over the last month, but we’ve already seen what that unit is capable of earlier in the season. It’s easier said than done, but a little more consistency (and health), mixed with further development from the bullpen, could lead to a promising pitching staff for the next few months and beyond.

Box Score SP: Simeon Woods Richardson - 2 2/3 IP, 5 H, 5 R, 3 BB, 4 K (67 pitches, 40 strikes (60% strikes)) Home Runs: None Bottom 3 WPA: Simeon Woods Richardson (-0.28), Trevor Larnach (-0.06), Ryan Kreidler (-0.06) Win Probability Chart The Twins entered Thursday’s series finale against the White Sox desperately needing a bounce-back performance after getting blown out 15-2 the night before. Instead, another sloppy and frustrating afternoon pushed them further behind Chicago in the AL Central race. After Kendry Rojas was scratched roughly an hour before first pitch with elbow soreness, Simeon Woods Richardson was forced into an unexpected start. The Twins never found much rhythm offensively behind him, while Chicago capitalized on walks and mistakes throughout the afternoon to hand Minnesota a disappointing 6-2 loss and a three-out-of-four series defeat. The loss dropped the Twins to 27-30 on the season. WALKS AND MISTAKES PROVE COSTLY EARLY For a brief moment, it looked like Woods Richardson might settle in nicely despite the late change. The right-hander struck out Sam Antonacci and Munetaka Murakami to begin the bottom of the first. After getting ahead of Miguel Vargas 0-2, he appeared on the verge of a clean opening inning. Instead, Vargas worked a two-out walk, stole second base, and quickly came around to score when Colson Montgomery ripped a single back up the middle to give Chicago an early 1-0 lead. Minnesota’s defense helped Woods Richardson escape additional trouble in the inning, with Orlando Arcia making a sliding stop at second base to rob Chase Meidroth of a hit, but the warning signs were already there. After working around a leadoff double from Tristan Peters in the second inning, Woods Richardson completely unraveled in the third. Murakami drew a one-out walk, Montgomery singled for his second hit of the afternoon, and another walk to Meidroth loaded the bases with two outs. Peters then beat out a softly hit infield single to plate a run, before Randal Grichuk delivered the big blow. After getting a fastball at the bottom of the zone, Grichuk ripped a liner into right field that cleared the bases and stretched the White Sox lead to 5-0. All five runs charged to Woods Richardson scored after walks extended innings, once again highlighting the issue that has consistently haunted the Twins’ pitching staff throughout the season. He exited after just 2 2/3 innings. DAVIS MARTIN COMPLETELY SHUTS DOWN THE TWINS While Minnesota’s pitching staff battled command issues, White Sox starter Davis Martin looked completely locked in from the opening inning. Martin retired the first six Twins hitters he faced and needed only 23 pitches to get through the opening two frames. Even when Minnesota finally generated a little traffic in the third inning, Martin calmly worked through it. Tristan Gray recorded the Twins’ first hit of the afternoon with a single up the middle in the third. He later stole second base, and Byron Buxton followed with a walk to put two runners aboard. Martin responded by getting Brooks Lee to ground out and end the inning. That sequence ended up being one of Minnesota’s better opportunities against him all afternoon. The Twins managed just three hits through Martin’s six innings of work, while repeatedly falling behind in counts and struggling to generate consistent hard contact. He retired the side in order four separate times and finished six dominant innings on only 84 pitches. Minnesota finally scratched across its first run in the fifth inning after Arcia worked a leadoff walk and Gray doubled off the right field wall. Ryan Kreidler followed with a groundout that brought home Arcia and cut the deficit to 6-1, but the Twins were going to need a lot more than that. Even when Josh Bell snapped an 0-for-14 skid with an automatic double in the seventh inning, the Twins could only manufacture a sacrifice fly from Victor Caratini before the inning ended. The eighth inning briefly offered another opportunity after Buxton singled and Lee reached on an error, but Trevor Larnach and Kody Clemens both struck out swinging to strand the runners and effectively end any hopes of a comeback. THE TWINS NEVER RECOVER AFTER ANOTHER SLOPPY PERFORMANCE Minnesota’s pitching staff settled down after Woods Richardson’s rough third inning, but the damage had already been done. Andrew Morris struck out the side in the fourth despite allowing an unearned run after a throwing error on a pickoff attempt helped set up another Chicago score. Travis Adams bounced back from a difficult outing the night before with a clean fifth inning, while Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, and Yoendrys Gómez combined to keep the White Sox quiet over the final three innings. But the Twins’ offense simply never gave them much of a chance. Gray finished with two of Minnesota’s five hits, while Buxton, Bell, and Caratini accounted for the others. Outside of a few isolated moments, the lineup struggled to put together any sustained pressure against Chicago's pitching. After entering the series just a half-game behind the White Sox in the division standings, the Twins now leave Chicago having dropped three of four games to a divisional team directly ahead of them in the AL Central. And after an ugly blowout loss Wednesday night, Thursday’s frustrating finale only made an already disappointing series feel even worse. What’s Next? The Twins continue their road drop this weekend, as they travel to Pittsburgh to take on the Pirates in a three-game series starting tomorrow. Taj Bradley is lined up to start for the Twins, and right-hander Jared Jones will make his season debut for Pittsburgh. First pitch is set for 5:45 PM CT, on Apple TV+. Postgame Interviews Coming Soon! Bullpen Availability Chart SAT SUN MON TUE WED THU TOT Rojas 45 0 0 0 0 0 45 Orze 0 10 0 0 29 0 39 Gómez 0 22 0 18 0 17 40 Morris 32 0 0 8 0 29 40 Rogers 6 13 0 16 0 7 35 Woods Richardson 0 0 35 0 0 67 35 Adams 0 1 0 0 33 12 46 Banda 0 10 0 10 0 14 20