Sam Caulder

Eric Wagaman’s versatility could make him a useful piece for the Twins, but his bat hasn’t exactly helped his case this spring. With a ground-ball heavy profile and limited production at the plate, his path to the roster might be getting tougher. View full video

I've heard more and more people saying the same thing. I think it's important to remember how good he was in 2024 when he was healthy.

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images It’s been a good few days of baseball to start the week for the Twins. After a tough 9-8 loss on Monday against the Braves, they followed it up with a 6-5 win over the Rays on Tuesday and a 2-1 walk-off victory over the Tigers on Wednesday. Wins and losses don’t carry a ton of weight this time of year, but the individual performances behind them can still be telling. With the calendar moving deeper into March, outings are getting longer, and players are starting to build real rhythm as roster battles continue to take shape. With that in mind, here’s a quick temperature check from the past few days of Twins action. Who’s Hot? 🔥 Luke Keaschall The Twins’ second baseman has had a great start to the week, going 3-for-5 with a double and a triple, along with a stolen base. Keaschall has made consistent hard contact throughout the spring, and that trend has continued over the past few days. If he can keep it up, he has the potential to be one of the most impactful bats in the Twins’ lineup this season. Matt Wallner Wallner had a very slow start to the spring, but he might just be starting to find things at the plate. He has two hits over his last four at-bats, including a home run on Tuesday and a hard-hit single on Wednesday. Both came off the bat at 108 mph, showing the kind of impact contact he’s capable of when he squares one up. There’s still some swing-and-miss present, but it’s encouraging to see him starting to drive the ball again. Taj Bradley The battle for a starting rotation spot has been fierce this spring, and Bradley showed Wednesday exactly why he deserves one. He needed just 69 pitches to get through five innings, allowing only one run on three hits and two walks while striking out seven. His fastball topped out at 98.8 mph and showed some sharp horizontal movement throughout the outing. Most notably, he limited hard contact as well as he has all spring against a lineup that featured several Tigers regulars. It was a strong performance for Bradley and another reminder that he has the kind of stuff to make a real impact in the Twins’ rotation. Josh Bell It’s been a good start to the week at the plate for Josh Bell. In six plate appearances, he’s gone 2-for-4 with a home run and a pair of walks. Three of the four balls he’s put in play have come off the bat at 95 mph or harder, classifying them as hard contact. There’s no need to read too much into Bell’s spring performance either way, given his long MLB track record. But it’s always nice to see a key piece of the lineup hitting the ball hard. Who’s Not? 🧊 Eric Wagaman It hasn’t been a great stretch for Eric Wagaman this week, and the timing isn’t ideal. He’s 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts, and none of the balls he’s put in play have left the infield. Wagaman’s defensive versatility is something that could really help the Twins, but a disappointing spring at the plate might make it harder for him to stick around. Zebby Matthews I considered leaving Zebby Matthews out, but his outing in Monday’s loss ended up being a costly one. He was pulled midway through the first inning after allowing three earned runs, leaving with the bases loaded and two outs. The reliever who came in allowed all three inherited runners to score, inflating Matthews’ final line. Because of spring training rules, Matthews was able to re-enter the game in the bottom of the second inning and eventually finished the fourth before being taken out for the second and final time. Over 3 ⅔ total innings, he allowed six earned runs on six hits and two walks while striking out five. While he looked better after re-entering the game, it wasn’t the outing Matthews needed at this point in camp, especially with the Twins likely facing some tough decisions about the final rotation spots in the coming weeks. Spring training is ultimately about progress, and the Twins are starting to see clearer signals from both sides of the roster. Some players are building momentum at the right time, while others are still trying to find their footing before decisions start getting finalized. With Opening Day getting closer, the next couple of weeks will likely go a long way in shaping how the roster comes together. View full article

Bailey Ober’s 2025 season looked rough on the surface. But the underlying reasons for the struggles might actually make him one of the Twins’ best bounce-back candidates this year. View full video

Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez, and Gabriel Gonzalez are all in Triple-A, ready for the majors. Who will get called up first, and does one name have a slight edge? View full video

Image courtesy of © Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images After a delayed start to spring training due to back tightness, Minnesota Twins ace Joe Ryan finally took the mound in game action for the first time on Tuesday. He faced the Tampa Bay Rays, the organization that originally drafted him back in 2018. Despite some apparent rust, Ryan delivered three scoreless innings, showcasing both his full arsenal and his ability to attack hitters with confidence. Ryan’s outing was efficient and controlled, though not necessarily flashy. He threw a total of 48 pitches over his three frames, allowing just two hits and two walks, but he also recorded no strikeouts. Of those pitches, 31 found the strike zone, indicating that while Ryan wasn’t missing bats in this first spring appearance, he was effectively challenging hitters. Notably, only four of Ryan’s 48 pitches were thrown to right-handed hitters, so the bulk of his work came against lefties. Given that he struggled more against left-handed hitters last season, it was valuable for him to get early reps against a predominantly left-handed lineup. The Twins’ ace set the tone early. After needing just four pitches to record his first two outs, he navigated a two-out double and a walk before finishing the inning unscathed. His second inning was his most efficient, a 10-pitch 1-2-3 frame, before he closed out the third inning by working around another two-out base hit and a walk. While the surface stats may not jump off the page, Ryan’s ability to manage base runners and escape trouble is emblematic of the pitching intelligence that has made him a cornerstone of Minnesota’s rotation. Ryan’s pitch mix was on full display during the outing, but he's far from midseason form. His four-seam fastball had an average velocity of 92 MPH and reached a peak of 93.5, only slightly below his 2025 average of 93.7. It had decent movement, generating over 12 inches of run and 14 inches of rise on average, keeping hitters off balance and setting up his secondary pitches. By consistently locating his fastball up in the zone, Ryan was able to manipulate the lower portion of the strike zone with his breaking and off-speed pitches. His splitter generated all three of the whiffs he got on the day. Meanwhile, both the sweeper and curveball consistently landed near the bottom of the zone with sharp glove-side movement, keeping hitters guessing and preventing them from sitting on one pitch. It's normal to see a pitcher work slightly below their in-season averages during their first game or two of spring training. but it's impossible to ignore the fact that Ryan's stuff was down on Tuesday. Across the board, he was missing about 2 MPH on each of his offerings, relative to last season. To compare apples to apples, let's line up his averages Tuesday with his spring training numbers from the last two years. 2024 2025 2026 Pitch Type Velocity Hor. Mvmt. Ind. Vert. Break Velocity Hor. Mvmt. Ind. Vert. Break Velocity Hor. Mvmt. Ind. Vert. Break Four-Seamer 93.2 12 13.9 92 12.3 13.3 92 12 14 Sinker 92.2 16.4 9 90.6 15 7.7 90.1 17 8 Splitter 87.8 14.5 0.9 86.6 14.2 -1.1 85.7 15 6 Slider 86.2 -2.4 3.8 85.6 4.1 3 84.3 -3 6 Sweeper 80.7 -14.8 2.1 79.1 -18.4 -0.5 78.2 -15 -2 Curveball 77.4 -14 -10 His fastball was right where it was last year, but note how down the velocities on his splitter, slider and sweeper are. For the balance of the spring, those numbers will be worth watching. Looking ahead, the expectation is that Ryan’s velocity will return to normal as he continues his spring ramp-up. If that happens, his secondary pitches should play better, generating more swings and misses and making him an even tougher assignment for opposing hitters. For the Twins, having their ace healthy and executing his repertoire effectively early in spring is a critical step toward maintaining a strong rotation in 2026. All things considered, Joe Ryan’s first outing of 2026 spring training can be viewed as a success. He demonstrated poise, command, and the ability to attack hitters while showcasing his full arsenal. There are several boxes he didn't check, but it was his first taste of competition. If his stuff ticks up as he gets into the routine of the Grapefruit League, he should be the same frontline starter he was throughout 2025. View full article

Things haven’t gone according to plan this spring for Justin Topa. With loud contact piling up and the bullpen competition getting crowded, his path to the Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster is suddenly looking very uncertain. Twins Daily's Cody Schoenmann wrote about this topic; click here to read more. View full video

Image courtesy of © Jerome Miron-Imagn Images It’s been an eventful few days of spring baseball for the Twins. They opened the stretch with a dominant 15-0 win over the Yankees on Thursday before dropping a 4-1 decision to the Braves on Friday and a tight 3-2 game to the Orioles on Saturday. Sunday’s matchup with the Phillies provided some late drama, as the Twins walked it off in a 7-6 victory. The results themselves aren’t the main focus this time of year. Early March is more about individual progress, building innings, and seeing which players are starting to separate themselves as camp moves along. With that in mind, here’s the latest temperature check from the past few days of Twins spring action. Who’s Hot? 🔥 Bailey Ober Ober finally made his spring debut on Friday, and it couldn’t have gone much smoother. The right-hander tossed two scoreless innings without allowing a baserunner, giving the Twins exactly what they were hoping for in his first outing of camp. His fastball averaged around 90 mph, which is right in line with expectations. Ober has never been a power arm, typically working in the low 90s while relying on command and deception to keep hitters off balance. The biggest takeaway here is simply that he’s healthy and back on the mound, and his first appearance of the spring was a clean one. Brooks Lee The Twins’ starting shortstop put together a strong weekend at the plate. He went 3-for-6, including a triple and a double, and four of the five balls he put in play were classified as hard contact. For a player who hasn’t quite lived up to the early hype surrounding his prospect status yet, this is an encouraging sign. When Lee is driving the ball with authority like this, it’s a glimpse of the offensive impact the Twins believed he could provide when they drafted him. Mick Abel Through three spring starts, Abel continues to look like one of the most dominant pitchers in camp. In his latest outing, he threw four scoreless innings while allowing just two hits and no walks. That now gives him 10 innings this spring without issuing a free pass, to go along with 13 strikeouts. He didn’t rack up quite as many whiffs as he did in his first couple of appearances, but that was largely because Baltimore’s hitters were aggressively swinging early in counts as Abel attacked the zone with fastballs. He still consistently ran his heater up to 98 mph and needed just 41 pitches to get through four innings, 30 of which were strikes. Considering he was facing several Orioles regulars, it was another impressive showing and further evidence that Abel is making a strong case for a spot in the Twins’ rotation. James Outman Outman has quietly put together a strong stretch over the past few days. Since Thursday, he’s gone 3-for-7 with a home run and three stolen bases, showing off both his power and athleticism. A couple of his batted balls have come off the bat at 100 mph or harder, highlighting the kind of impact contact he’s capable of when he’s locked in. With several outfielders competing for limited spots on the Opening Day roster, performances like this keep Outman firmly in the mix. Who’s Not? 🧊 Justin Topa It’s been a rough spring for Topa, and that continued Sunday when he squandered a Twins lead against Philadelphia. He allowed four runs on three hits and a hit-by-pitch, and the damage came against a Phillies lineup made up mostly of backups rather than regulars. Through his appearances this spring, Topa’s ERA now sits north of 30, which obviously isn’t the kind of line you want to see this late into camp. There’s still time for him to turn things around, but each tough outing makes the battle for a bullpen spot a little more difficult. Kendry Rojas After looking electric in his first outing of the spring, things haven’t gone nearly as smoothly since for Rojas. On Friday against Atlanta, he was charged with the loss after allowing four earned runs across 2 ⅔ innings. He gave up five hits while striking out three, and while his changeup generated plenty of whiffs, his fastball and cutter caught too much of the plate, and hitters made him pay. The positive takeaway is that his command was solid; he threw 35 of his 50 pitches for strikes and didn’t walk a batter. The issue right now isn’t finding the zone, but rather leaving too many pitches over the heart of it. Royce Lewis It wasn’t the strongest weekend at the plate for Lewis, who went 0-for-6 with a pair of strikeouts. Most importantly, he’s healthy and on the field, which remains the top priority at this stage of the spring. Still, the quality of contact wasn’t there in this small sample. None of the balls he put in play left the infield, and only one was hit particularly hard. Both strikeouts also came on three pitches. It’s far too early to read much into a couple of quiet games, but it wasn’t Lewis’ most productive stretch offensively. It’s still early in camp, and none of these performances lock anyone into or out of a role. Spring training is about adjustments, building rhythm, and getting ready for the long season ahead. But as the innings start to pile up, the early trends are beginning to come into focus. View full article

Connor Prielipp entered the spring as one of the most intriguing arms in the Twins’ system, but the early results haven’t followed. So what’s actually behind Connor Prielipp’s slow start this spring? View full video

The designated hitter role could be more fluid for the Twins than it first appears. With Josh Bell and Trevor Larnach both likely to rotate through the spot, the numbers suggest the decision might come down to which alignment gets the most out of their bats. A closer look at their splits reveals why the DH spot could be one of the more interesting lineup decisions this season. View full video

Mick Abel is turning heads this spring, and the numbers are backing it up. The Twins' right-hander has been racking up whiffs and lighting up the radar gun through his first two outings. Are we watching Mick Abel’s breakout happen in real time? View full video

Emmanuel Rodriguez is turning heads in Twins camp this spring. The numbers are loud, the contact quality is real, and he’s making a serious case to be part of the Opening Day conversation. Could the Twins’ outfield prospect force his way into that fourth outfield spot? View full video