Steve Lein

Haha, Po-tay-to, po-tah-to 😂 https://www.autozone.com/diy/suspension/lug-bolts-vs-lug-nuts

I've been trying to find any info I can on Canterino, but there isn't anything new. He's on a two-year Minor League deal, but I'm more worried about the shoulder procedure he had and isn't back from yet. If it gets into July/August and there isn't anything out there about him I'd expect nothing until 2027.

No service time considerations at this point. He wouldn't accrue a year of service at this point (unless he turns into a Rookie of the Year contender), but he could lose rookie eligibility. I'll note there have been some rule changes that not many people seem to be aware of where this type of thing is less of a concern: 1. The RotY thing I mentioned. Top finishers in this award voting are granted 1 year of service time no matter how many days they spent on an active MLB roster. 172 days is the normal threshold (of 187), so if they spent 171 or 50 and win this award, they get a year of service. 2. The Prospect Promotion Incentive. Rookies who factor into awards at the end of the season can earn their team a pretty good draft pick. Some good info: https://www.mlb.com/news/prospect-promotion-incentive-faq

I think there is still a bit too much chase in his swing. Some of the time I think he's guessing. Which there's nothing wrong with if you're picking and choosing those spots to try and do damage, but there's a lot more pitchers in MLB who will bend one in the spot you're used to locking in on velocity. It's an overall minor gripe, but he's a guy I want ready to stick and not be yo-yo'd when he does get the call.

Maybe the Twins don't or won't have much of a choice, but I'm in the camp that Culpepper needs a bit more baking in the oven as a hitter.

He's been in the outfield for more games than at catcher, but pretty even split. Then DH appearances mixed in about once a week. As an observation, the Lugnuts were running on the combination of him and Hill pretty much every chance they got in this one. Diaw threw out 1 of 8 attempts (the one out was to 3B). I think I put the blame a bit more on Hill in this instance, but Diaw also has never eclipsed even a 20% caught stealing percentage.

Image courtesy of Malamut Photography (Photo of Khadim Diaw) TRANSACTIONS OF Alan Roden is close to returning to Triple-A, as the St. Paul Saints sent him on a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. The Wichita Turbo Tubs…ahem…Wind Surge were assigned SS Cody Morissette and placed IF Jose Salas on the 7-day injured list. Morissette had played 14 games with the Jacksonville Jumbo Shrimp in 2026, the Triple-A affiliate of the Miami Marlins, hitting .216/.293/.360. Down in the Dominican Republic, the DSL Twins were assigned IF Nolwer Barboza. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Toledo 12 Box Score In his last two turns right-hander Ryan Gallagher picked up two wins by putting zeros up in every inning, finishing five frames in each. He was not as fortunate in this one. His first five pitches were called balls, then in his next four he allowed a single and a three-run homer to allow the Mud Hens to jump out to a 3-0 lead. He did recover to retire the next nine hitters in a row, but Toledo got to him again in the fourth. A single, pair of doubles, and another home run put the Mud Hens in front 7-2 and they never looked back. Gallagher did again finish five innings, but was charged with seven earned runs on eight hits and a walk. He struck out three. The Saints closed the Mud Hens early lead to one run after a bases loaded groundout off the bat of Kyler Fedko scored one in the third, and Aaron Sabato delivered a sac fly in the top of the fourth. They added two more in the seventh thanks to Tanner Schobel’s second home run of the season with the Saints, but the Mud Hens immediately answered again in the bottom half to extend their leads. Relievers Andrew Bash (1 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB), Alejandro Hidalgo (2/3 IP, 3 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, K), and Jake Higginbotham (1 1/3 IP, H, K) finished off the rest of the game for St. Paul’s bullpen. The Saints were outhit 14-4 on the night, with Kaelen Culpepper (2-for-4, 2B) and Schobel (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) the only batters to collect a hit. Gabriel Gonzalez and Ben Ross each scored a run thanks to drawing walks. Tigers top prospect Max Clark led off for the Mud Hens and finished 0-for-3 with a run scored, a pair of walks, and a strikeout. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 0, Tulsa 5 Box Score Wichita’s lineup was unable to buy any hits on Tuesday, and their tubs took a drilling from Tulsa as a result in their series opener. Preston Johnson made his second start for the Wind Surge and was solid over his four frames. He scattered five hits and a walk, allowing only one earned run while striking out six. 42 of his 67 pitches went for strikes (63%), including 11 swinging. Darren Bowen was the first arm summoned from the bullpen to start the fifth, and he delivered a one-two-three inning to keep the game within one. In the bottom of the sixth however, a single, walk, and three-run homer put Tulsa in control at 4-0. Jarret Whorff (1 IP, H) and Hunter Gregory (1 IP, 2 H, ER, K) pitched an inning apiece to finish the game for the Wichita pitching staff. The Wind Surge lineup was never able to put anything together, advancing a runner to third base only one time, and that was thanks to an errant pickoff throw from the catcher trying to back-pick a runner at first base. They went just 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, leaving seven men on base. Andrew Cossetti led the way by going 2-for-3 with a walk. Kyle DeBarge and Jaime Ferrer collected the other two hits. In statistical oddities that annoy me, the Wind Surge lead the Texas League in home runs with 80 on the season in 56 games, but rank last in batting average at an abysmal .208. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Lansing 5 Box Score Top lefty pitching prospect Dasan Hill was on the mound for the Kernels, looking to turn around his recent fortunes. After a three-start run in early May where he allowed no earned runs in 10 2/3 innings, his last two turns had gone the other way. He allowed four earned runs on six walks on May 28th, then two earned runs on four hits and three walks on June 3rd. He went a bit further in this start finishing three innings, but similar inconsistency reared its head along the way. His six strikeouts were a nice notch in the pitching line, but they came with five runs (four earned on six hits and three walks. Of Hill’s 77 pitches, just 46 went for strikes (60%). In the top of the first the first three hitters loaded the bases, but he was able to recover and strike out the next three for a scoreless inning. The Lugnuts erupted for four runs in the second, and another in the third to end his outing. Before that Cedar Rapids had taken a 2-0 lead thanks to a home run from Khadim Diaw in the top of the first. His blast drove in Brandon Winokur who had drawn a two-out walk in front of him. The Kernels didn’t score again until the sixth, but again it came off the bat of Diaw. His second home run of the game was of the solo variety, and later in the inning Jay Thomason clubbed one of his own to close the score to 5-4 Lansing. In relief of Hill right-hander Cole Peschl kept the Lugnuts off the board for his two innings. He allowed two hits and a walk while striking out four. Nolan Santos got the next two frames, setting the opposition down in order in each, striking out two. Nick Trabacchi struck out one in a one-two-three bottom of the eighth. The Kernels threatened in the top of the eighth after Yasser Mercedes reached base on a fielder’s choice, stole second, and advanced to third on an errant throw. But he wasn’t able to make it the final 90 feet. Rayne Doncon led off the top of the ninth with a single to put the tying run on base, but Danny De Andrade popped out and Marek Houston grounded into a doubleplay to end the game. Diaw (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI) and Thomason (2-for-3, R, 2B, HR, RBI, BB, K) provided most of the hits, as the rest of the Kernels offense combined to go 2-for-25. The team went hitless in their four at-bats with runners in scoring position, and left only six men on base. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 6, Fort Myers 5 (10 innings) Box Score Dunedin scored first against Fort Myers starter Jason Reitz in the top of the second inning. A leadoff walk, stolen base, and two-out RBI single made it 1-0. But that was all Reitz would allow. He finished 3 1/3 innings, reaching his pitch count in the fourth. He allowed just one hit and one walk, while striking out two. In the bottom of the fourth the Mighty Mussels lineup finally figured out the Blue Jays starter. Ryan Sprock led off with a single, Graham Brown followed with one of his own, and after a pair of strikeouts Merphy Hernandez tied the game at one with an RBI double. Dameury Pena followed with a two-run single to give them the lead, and an error let another run score to make it 4-1 for the home team. They extended their lead to four in the bottom of the sixth thanks to a sac fly from Pena. Matthew Dalquist relieved Reitz in the middle of the fourth and finished 2 2/3 innings of his own. But back out for the seventh frame he wasn’t able to record another out. Three consecutive singles and a passed ball brought the Blue Jays within two. After a pitching change to Jake Murray an error, double, and single led to a tie game. When the dust settled Dalquist was charged with three earned runs on six hits and a walk, striking out three. Murray completed the seventh allowing two hits, an unearned run, and struck out two. The score remained tied in regulation thanks to two scoreless innings out of Michael Hilker, who walked three and struck out two, so to extra innings this one went. Fort Myers went to right-hander Mike McKenna for the top of the tenth and after a leadoff single put runners on the corners, he struck out the next three hitters to complete the inning. Unfortunately, on the first of those the Blue Jays also executed a double-steal to take a one run lead. In the bottom half Ryan Sprock drew a leadoff walk, but instead of moving the runners up a base the Mighty Mussels opted to let their lineup swing away. Graham Brown and Quentin Young went down swinging before Luis Fragoza broke his bat on a groundout to end the game. Each team had 10 hits on the night, but Dunedin finished 6-for-18 with runners in scoring position while Fort Myers went 2-for-12. Sprock led the way for the offense, reaching base in all five of his plate appearances. He finished 4-for-4 with a run scored and a walk. Brown was 2-for-5 with a run scored. Alan Roden was 2-for-5 with a double in his first rehab game with the Mighty Mussels. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Pirates 6, FCL Twins 10 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins and Pirates got the scoring started early, with each team putting up a crooked number in the first inning, but the Twins came out of it with a two-run lead. Righty Callan Fang got the start and went the first 1 2/3 innings. He allowed two earned runs on two hits and two walks, while striking out two. Cristian Hernandez did the bulk work to pick up the win, finishing the next 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with three runs (one earned) on five hits and a walk, striking out six. Jack Walker took the final frame, giving up one earned run on one hit and two walks. He struck out one. The Twins lineup scored four runs in the first and then again in the fifth to take control of the game. Yovanny Duran (3-for-4, 3 R, 3B, 3 RBI, SB) and Darwin Almanzar (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, 3B, 2 RBI) led the way with multiple knocks. Almanzar’s triple in the first scored two, and Duran’s in the fifth did the same. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL NYY Yankees 10, DSL Twins 14 Box Score While you might think this one was a slugfest based on the score, there were actually no home runs and most of the scoring was because of the number of walks. The Yankees had just five hits but drew thirteen walks in the game. The Twins had 13 hits and nine walks. In a strange disparity that is attributed to all those walks, the Yankees went just 1-for-8 with runners in scoring position, while the Twins finished 10-for-27. The Yankees scored first against Twins starter Yosangel Braffit, hitting him for four earned runs in 2 1/3 innings. He allowed three hits, walked five, and struck out two. The Twins offense scored at least one run in six of their eight at-bats, including five in the bottom of the sixth that made the score 11-7 at the time. Right-hander Failin Placencio finished off the third inning, striking out one. Other relievers Emmanuel Mena (2 IP, H, ER, BB, K), Jeremy Jimenez (W, BS, 3IP, H, 5 R (4 ER), 5 BB, 3 K), and Juan Germosen (1 IP, 2 BB, 2 K) finished off the rest of the game for the pitching staff. Six of the nine Twins hitters had multiple knocks, led by leadoff man Jendy Martinez who finished 2-for-4 with two runs scored, a walk, a pair of doubles, four runs batted in, and a stolen base. Enmanuel Merlo (3-for-6, 3 R, 2 RBI, K) and Luis Duarte (3-for-5, R, 2 RBI) each hit three hits. Fabian Ulloa drew three walks in addition to two singles, two runs scored, two RBI, and two stolen bases. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Preston Johnson, Wichita Wind Surge (4 IP, 5 H, ER, BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day – Khadim Diaw, Cedar Rapids Kernels (3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2B #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-4, K #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids): 3 IP, 6 H 5 R (4 ER), 3 BB, 6 K #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, BB #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, R, BB, 2 K #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 0-for-3, BB, K #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 0-for-5, 3 K #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-3, R, BB, K #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul): L, 5 IP, 8 H, 7 ER, BB, 3 K #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (4), 3 RBI #20 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-4 WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Toledo (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Mick Abel (0-0, -.--, rehab assignment. Will face the also rehabbing Justin Verlander) Wichita @ Tulsa (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Jose Olivares (0-4, 5.88 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Lansing (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Michael Ross (4-3, 6.97 ERA) Dunedin @ Fort Myers (6:05 PM CDT) - RHP Charlee Soto (0-0, 27.00 ERA, rehab assignment) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

I think I'm more interested in Flora than the 3 hitters at this point, but don't think they can go wrong necessarily where they are picking. Good problem to have.

They gave a "missed catch" error to Gabby on this one. The broadcast talked about how it was a prime example of a guy learning a new position and it's nuances. The idea of you "stretch to catch" as a first baseman. Gabby's stretch was well ahead of this throw's catch.

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints (photo of Royce Lewis) TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins sent RHP Cole Sands on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints and also optioned LHP Kody Funderburk. C Luis Hernandez was brought up from Cedar Rapids to fill Ricardo Olivar’s catching void. LHP Jake Higginbotham was also promoted from the Wichita Wind Surge. In Double-A, Wichita received a bunch of pitching reinforcements. They were assigned MiLB free agent RHP Nick Mikolajchak, activated RHP Kyle Bischoff from the temporary inactive list, then RHP Paulshawn Pasqualotto and RHP Yehizon Sanchez from the Cedar Rapids Kernels. In the Midwest League the Kernels received C Ian Daugherty and LHP Cesar Lares from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. In addition, RHP Adrian Bohorquez was sent on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. With the Mighty Mussels, RHP Eric Hammond was activated from the 7-day injured list and sent SS Yilber Herrera to the FCL Twins roster. In the Rookie Leagues RHP Aldwin Morillo was assigned to the DSL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL Indianapolis 6, St. Paul 7 Box Score As has been his modus operandi on many occasions this season, Kaelen Culpepper led off the bottom of the first for the Saints with his 13th home run of the season. It is the sixth time he has led off a game with a home run so far on the season, which is ludicrous. Saints starter Aaron Rozek was solid over his four innings. He held Indianapolis to just one hit and a pair of walks, while striking out four. He threw 59 pitches, with 32 going for strikes (54%). The home team added three runs in the bottom of the third when Royce Lewis clubbed his eighth home run of the season. His three-run shot drove in Ben Ross who drew a walk, and Hendry Mendez who singled in front of him. Matt Wallner led off the bottom of the fourth with a double and later scored on a sac fly from Aaron Sabato. Another Sac fly in the fifth from Kyler Fedko made it 6-0 Saints. Lewis then hit his second home run of the game to make it 7-1 after seventh. Lewis has now played 12 games on the season with the Saints, and his home run total sits at nine. Just his slugging percentage sits at .958 in Triple-A after this one. Cole Sands made his first rehab appearance as the first reliever summoned for the fifth inning, and worked a one-two-three frame, including a strikeout. Alejandro Hidalgo went the next two innings, allowing a solo home run, two additional hits, and two walks, while striking out three. Andrew Bash came on to start the eighth inning and before it was done Indianapolis had pulled within one. Bash finished just 2/3 of an inning and was charged with five runs (four earned) on four hits and a walk, including a grand slam that made it 7-5. Raul Brito came on and induced what should have been an inning ending groundball to short, but Gabriel Gonzalez at first base wasn’t able to squeeze the glove on the throw and was charged with a missed catch error that closed the lead to one. Brito was back out for the ninth and though he put the tying run on base with a walk, was able to close it out. He walked one and struck out one in his 1 1/3 innings. Culpepper (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI), Lewis (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI), and Wallner (2-for-4, R, 2B) each had two hits. Aaron Sabato added his 14th double of the season. WIND SURGE WISDOM San Antonio 4, Wichita 1 Box Score The second hitter of the game for the Wind Surge was second baseman Kyle DeBarge, and he lined a single into left field for their first hit of the game. Unfortunately, they would not get another. After the Missions took a 1-0 lead in the top of the second inning, the Wind Surge did score a run after getting a leadoff walk from Billy Amick and a hit-by-pitch on Kala’i Rosario in the bottom half. A throwing error on a double-play ball led to their lone run. Amick drew both the walks they were able to coax out of Ian Koenig, the Missions starting pitcher who completed seven one-hit innings. Wichita starting pitcher Sam Armstrong was able to complete the first four innings. He allowed two earned runs on six hits and a pair of walks, while striking out three. William Fleming went the next two innings, giving up a pair of earned runs on a walk and two hits. He struck out one. Darren Bowen (1 IP, H, 2 K) and Yehizon Sanchez (2 IP, H, BB, 2 K) finished off the final three innings. It was Sanchez’s Double-A debut. Despite only one hit and two walks for the offense, they also had four hit batters which allowed them to go 0-for-4 with runners in scoring position, leaving five men on base. This was the sixth loss in a row for the Wind Surge. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 14, Cedar Rapids 11 Box Score The Kernels fell behind big early, stormed back with a big inning to take a lead in the middle frames, but then collapsed in the final ones to fall to the Timber Rattlers in this week's series opener. None of the Cedar Rapids pitchers came out of this one unscathed, as Wisconsin put up crooked numbers in six of their nine at-bats. Ivran Romero got the starting nod and finished three innings. He was charged with six earned runs (two in each inning) on five hits and four walks, striking out three. Nick Trabacchi got them through the fifth inning but gave up three runs (two earned) of his own on four hits in his two innings. He struck out three. The Kernels offense scored their first run in the bottom of the second thanks to the speed of Yasser Mercedes. He drew a walk to lead off the inning, stole second and third base, and then executed a double steal with Quinn McDaniel to steal home. In the bottom of the third Brandon Winokur led off with a double, and Khadim Diaw drove him in with a single. An error and RBI single from Winokur in the fourth made it 6-4 after four. Xavier Kolhosser took the mound in the sixth and despite loading the bases, got through his first inning unscathed. Then the Kernels offense came alive, batting around in the bottom of the sixth and plating seven runs to take an 11-9 lead. The first seven batters of the inning reached base, including three on errors, but the exclamation point was a grand slam from Jay Thomason that got them to 11. Kolhosser was back out for the top of the seventh and although he finished the inning, he was charged with three earned runs to immediately put the Timber Rattlers back in the lead. He allowed those runs on four hits and three walks in his two innings, while striking out four. Wisconsin added two insurance runs in the eighth against Sam Rochard, but he gave them a chance with a scoreless ninth. He allowed those two runs on one hit and two walks, while striking out three. In the bottom of the ninth walks to Diaw and McDaniel brought the tying runner to the plate, but Rayne Doncon popped out to end the game. The Kernels got multi-hit efforts from Winokur (2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K), Diaw (2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB), and Thomason (2-for-3, 2 R, GS HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K). McDaniel finished 1-for-3 with three walks, a run scored, and a stolen base. As a team the Kernels speedsters stole eight total bases without being thrown out. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 10, Lakeland 2 Box Score Merit Jones took the bump for the Mighty Mussels as was effective over the first five innings, working around eight total hits and two walks with eight strikeouts to limit the damage he gave up to just a pair of solo home runs. Those eight strikeouts set a career high. The offense backed him up with crooked numbers in the third and fifth innings to jump out to a lead they would not relinquish. Bryan Acuna got it started with a triple in the top of the third, scoring on a Dameury Pena single. A pair of walks then loaded the bases for Henry Kusiak, who drove in two with a double. In the fifth Enriquie Jimenez led off with a single, Ramiro Dominguez followed with a double, and after a run-scoring wild-pitch, JP Smith launched his sixth home run of the year to make it 6-2 Fort Myers. Jones picked up his second win of the year as that offense added three more in the top of the seventh. Luis Fragoza drove in the first run with a double, and a pair of wild pitches scored two more. They finished their scoring off in the top of the ninth with an RBI double from Acuna to make the final score. Relievers Jonathan Stevens (1 IP, 2 K), Eric Hammond (2 IP, 2 K), and Matt DesMarets (1 IP, K) kept the Flying Tigers hitless over the final four innings to close this one out. The offense got multi-hit efforts from Jimenez (3-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB), Fragoza (2-for-5, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 K), and Acuna (2-for-4, R, 2B, 3B, RBI, BB, K). Six of their 10 total hits went for extra bases. COMPLEX CHRONICLES FCL Twins 4, FCL Rays 5 Box Score Right-hander Adrian Bohorquez made the rehab start and pitched the first inning, throwing 21 total pitches (15 for strikes). He gave up a double, a single, and hit a batter with a pitch, but allowed no runs and struck out one. Per the MLB gameday tracking, he also hit 98+ MPH with his fastball multiple times, topping out at 99.4. After his rehab appearance the Rays attacked righty Cristian Hernandez to the tune of five runs (three earned) over the next three innings. He gave up five hits, including two home runs, walked three, and struck out four. Jack Walker (2 1/3 IP, H, BB, 4 K) and Brad Rudis (1 2/3 IP, 2 BB, 3 K) held the Rays scoreless over the final four innings to give the Twins lineup a chance. The good guys scored their first run in the top of the third frame thanks to a two-out double from Teilon Serrano to drive in Yovanny Duran. They closed the Rays lead to one in the top of the fifth thanks to a run scoring error, an RBI double from Carlos Taveras, and an RBI single from Ricardo Pena. While they had at least one baserunner in each of the final four innings, they were unable to push one across the plate to tie the game. Taveras led the way for the Twins with two doubles in five at bats, scored a run, and drove in one. DOMINICAN DAILY DSL Twins 2, DSL Tigers 4 (7 innings) Box Score The Tigers 2 squad jumped out to a 4-1 lead after the third inning, and that would be enough to hold up through the seven-inning contest. Emmanuel Mena pitched the first inning for the Twins and allowed a two-run homer for the early 2-0 Tigers lead. He gave up two total hits and struck out two in his lone inning. Yosangel Braffit did the bulk work, going the next three innings. He was charged with two earned runs on three hits and six walks, striking out one. After three consecutive of those six walks in the bottom of the fifth, the Twins called on Jermy Jimenez. He escaped that bases loaded and no outs jam by getting a pop-up and inducing a double play ball. He also set the Tigers down in order in the sixth to finish out the game for the Twins. Jimenez went two innings and allowed no baserunners. The Twins as a team outhit the Tigers 7-5, but while the Tigers got two home runs all the Twins hits were singles. They scored their first run in the top of the third thanks to a sac fly from Jhon Gonzalez to score Jendy Martinez, who had singled earlier, stole second base, and reached third on a wild pitch. In the top of the fourth Luis Suarez delivered an RBI single to make it 4-2, but that’s as close as they would get. Enmanuel Merlo (2-for-3, BB) and Suarez (2-for-3, RBI, K) each collected two hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Rozek, St. Paul Saints (4 IP, H, 2 BB, 4 K) Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis, St. Paul Saints (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR, 4 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (13), RBI, SB (13) #4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota): W, 6 IP, 6 H, 4 ER, 2 BB, 7 K #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, R, RBI, BB, K #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, 2 BB, 2 K #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-4, 2 K #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota): 2/3 IP, H, 2 K #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 1-for-3, R, BB, K #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 0-for-5, 2 K #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2 R, 2B, RBI, 2 BB, K #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, R, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 BB #20 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-3 WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (1:07 PM CDT) - RHP Ryan Gallager (1-1, 7.04 ERA) San Antonio @ Wichita (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-1, 6.52 ERA) Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - LHP Dasan Hill (1-4, 6.26 ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Charlee Soto (0-0, -.-- ERA, rehab assignment) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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I agree on Tait. Strikeout rate is down a bit, walk rate up, and more balls leaving the park. All good signs for a player much younger in the league! For DeBarge, I always love when leadoff men are aggressive and get rewarded! Olivar definitely working himself into the conversation for a promotion. With Jeffers' injury, it may be time now. Olivar has been catching in about half his games, primarily DH-ing the others but some LF mixed in, too.

Image courtesy of David Malamut, Cedar Rapids Kernels (photo of Eduardo Tait) TRANSACTIONS The Minnesota Twins officially optioned 3B Royce Lewis to the St. Paul Saints on Tuesday. They also purchased the contract of infielder Orlando Arcia and recalled RHP Travis Adams. To fill in for catcher Ryan Jeffers, they also recalled C Alex Jackson. To make room on the 40 and 26-man rosters, the Twins also DFAd RHP Justin Topa and moved Garrett Acton to the 60-Day Injured List. In Double-A Wichita placed 3B Jake Rucker on the 7-day injured list and received SS Miguel Briceno from Cedar Rapids. The Wind Surge also activated LHP Jake Higginbotham who has pitched in Triple-A for multiple organizations the past three seasons but was in independent ball to begin 2026. The Kernels activated LHP Garrett Horn from the 7-day injured list. In the Florida State League, the Mighty Mussels placed RHP Jace Kaminska on the full-season injured list and sent RHP Matthew DesMarets to the FCL Twins. They also activated RHP Dylan Questad and RHP Jason Reitz from the 7-day injured list. In the Rookie Leagues, RHP Preston Johnson was assigned to the FCL Twins after signing with the Twins. He last made seven appearances in Triple-A with the Norfolk Tides in 2025. SAINTS SENTINEL Omaha 5, St. Paul 3 Box Score Over his last five outings starting pitcher Mike Paredes had delivered a 1.47 ERA for the St. Paul Saints. He continued that strong trend by allowing just one in his four innings in this one. He allowed just two hits, walked two, and struck out six. 35 of his 57 pitches went for strikes (61%), including 12 swings and misses. Over his last 22 1/3 innings after this one, Paredes has allowed just four earned runs on 15 hits and five walks, while striking out 21. He left the game with the Saints out front 2-1 thanks to an Aaron Sabato home run in the bottom of the second, and a bases loaded double-play ball to score a run in the third. An RBI single from Ben Ross in the sixth would be all of their scoring for the game, however. Matt Wallner finished 1-for-4 with a double and a pair of strikeouts. Ross was the only batter with multiple hits, finishing 2-for-4. Sabato (2), Kyler Fedko (8), and Wallner (1) all stole a base. Right-hander Andrew Bash was the first out of the bullpen in the fifth and was charged with two earned runs on two solo homers over his two innings. Marco Raya gave up a run of his own in the seventh, striking out one. Kody Funderburk had a scoreless inning, walking one but striking out two. Drew Smith allowed one earned run on two hits and a walk in the ninth. He struck out one. WIND SURGE WISDOM Tulsa 7, Wichita 5 Box Score After a scoreless top of the first inning from starting pitcher Sam Armstrong, leadoff man Kyle DeBarge wasted zero time getting this one going for the Wind Surge. He swung at the first pitch and launched it onto the berm in left field for the early 1-0 lead. Caleb Roberts followed with a walk and later scored on a double from Ricardo Olivar to make it 2-0 after one. An RBI groundout from Billy Amick in the second made it 3-0 after two, but Armstrong wasn’t able to keep the Drillers at bay. They scored three in the third then two in the fifth to chase him after 4 1/3 innings. He allowed those five runs (four earned) on seven hits and a walk but did strike out five. Spencer Bengard finished off the fifth and sixth innings but gave up two earned runs of his own on four hits while punching out four in his 1 2/3. The Wind Surge were able to tie the game at five in the bottom of the fifth after Amick was hit by a pitch to start the inning. Olivar delivered another double to put them on second and third, and a walk from Andrew Cossetti loaded the bases. Murphy Stehly scored one with a sac fly, then a run-scoring balk knotted it up before the Drillers were able to retake the lead against Bengard in the top of the sixth. Jarret Whorff (1 IP, H, BB) and Jacob Wosinski (2 IP) gave the lineup a chance by keeping the Drillers out of the run column the rest of the way, but Wichita’s offense wasn’t able to start any rallies over the final four frames. Olivar (2-for-4, R, 2 2B, RBI, K) was the only batter with multiple hits and they tallied just five as a team compared to Tulsa’s 12. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 10, Peoria 5 Box Score Catcher Eduardo Tait got the Kernels started early, launching his seventh home run of the season in the top of the first inning. Jacob McCombs followed up with a solo shot in the second inning for a 2-0 lead, before the Kernels plated three more in the fourth to take control. Danny De Andrade delivered a bases loaded single to score two and then executed a double steal with McCombs to make it 5-1 at the time. Taking the mound for Cedar Rapids to start the game was righty Ivran Romero and he went the first three innings. He was charged with one earned run on two hits and two walks, while striking out three. Nolan Santos was the first reliever out of the bullpen to begin the fourth inning and finished 1 1/3 to be credited with the win. He allowed one earned run on two hits and two walks, striking out one. Nick Trabacchi scattered five hits over the next 2 2/3 innings, allowing just one run. He also walked two and struck out three. In the top of the seventh the Kernels lineup got back to business. De Andrade hit his fourth home run of the season and Jay Thomason followed with his fifth for back-to-back shots to make it 7-2 Kernels. They tacked on three more insurance runs in the eighth thanks to an RBI double from Khadim Diaw, a run scoring balk, and an RBI groundout from McCombs. Reliever Cole Peschl finished off the final two innings for the pitching staff, allowing two earned runs on three hits while striking out three. While the Kernels four solo home runs were a big part of the win, the rest of the lineup's seven hits and situational success that did most of the damage on the scoreboard. Tait (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, RBI, 2 K), McCombs (2–for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) and De Andrade (2-for-4, HR, 2 RBI, 2 K) each had two hits in the win. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers @ Dunedin The series opening game in Dunedin was postponed on Tuesday as bad weather was moving into the area. They will make up the game as part of a doubleheader on Thursday. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Braves 0, FCL Twins 2 Box Score Four Twins pitchers combined for a shutout against the Braves on Monday. As a staff they allowed just four hits, no walks, and struck out 14 for a dominating effort. The rehabbing Garrett Horn made the start and went the first three innings, retiring all nine hitters he faced, including two strikeouts. Geremy Villoria pitched the fourth inning and struck out two. Hendry Chivilli began the fifth inning and finished the next three frames. He allowed two hits and struck out five. Nick McAuliffe finished off the final two innings to pick up the save. He gave up two hits and also struck out five. The Twins lineup scored the first run of the game in the bottom of the fourth. Murphy Hernandez was hit by a pitch, stole second base, and then scored on a double from Darwin Almanzar. Miguel Caraballo added an insurance run in the eighth with his second home run of the season to make the final score. Yovanny Duran had two of their six hits on the game out of the leadoff spot and stole a base. Tuesday: FCL Twins 3, FCL Braves 7 Box Score The same two teams switched venues on Tuesday, and the Braves were able to exact some revenge. Starting pitcher Cristian Hernandez held the Braves scoreless for the first four innings. He allowed three hits and three walks in his 4 1/3 innings but was not charged with any runs. Carter Holjes got the final two outs of the fifth with a pair of strikeouts. Up to that point the Twins had taken the lead thanks to Teilon Serrano driving in Enrique Jimenez with an RBI single in the first (Jimenez had doubled in front of him). Daiber De Los Santos tripled in the third inning and scored on a wild pitch. And Jhomnardo Reyes hit his second home run of the season, a solo shot, to make it 3-0 after the top of the fourth. But the Braves scored two runs against Rainer Marin (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, 2 BB, K) in the sixth, and five against Yoel Roque (1 1/3 IP, 6 H, 4 ER) and Brad Rudis (2/3 IP, 2 H, ER) in the eighth to take this one. Reyes (2-for-5, R, 2B, HR, RBI, 2 K) and De Los Santos (2-for-4, R, 3B) each had two hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Mike Paredes, St. Paul Saints (4 IP, 2 H, ER, 2 BB, 6 K) Hitter of the Day – Jacob McCombs, Cedar Rapids Kernels (2-for-3, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 0-for-2, R, BB #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 2-for-4, 2 R, HR (7), RBI, 2 K #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2B, 2 K #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 1-for-4, RBI, K #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 0-for-4, BB, K #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5, K #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-4, R, 2B, RBI, 2 K #20 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-4, R, HR (5), RBI, BB, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - LHP Aaron Rozek (0-0, 0.96 ERA) Tulsa @ Wichita (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (0-4, 4.71 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Michael Ross (2-2, 6.48 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Ramiro Villanueva (0-1, 2.08 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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While the timing stinks with him being injured, Saturday's game is Walker Jenkins bobblehead giveaway.

Ooof. The article photo triggered my PTSD 😅 Senior year baseball, playing 2B and collided with my right-fielder like that. My gut took his knee at full speed. I stayed in the game for the next two batters thinking I just got the wind knocked out of me, but the popup to short made me realize the sky now looked purple and the clouds green to me... About an hour later I was in an ambulance heading toward HCMC. Yes friends, you can "lacerate" your spleen playing the game of baseball. Haha. Thankfully, I did not end up needing surgery.

No, as I alluded to, I noticed very early he was checking out his hand/finger quite often after throwing a pitch. Definitely looked like a blister-type situation. Jeff Johnson from Cedar Rapids made a note on Twitter after the game about Quick dealing with "finger cramps," but that sounds like a made up thing to me, haha.

It was a very good debut, definitely showed his tools throughout the game! The speed (2 SB), control of the strikezone by drawing a walk against some close pitches, the hard hit balls, and he ran down the final out on the warning track to end the game.

Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Quentin Young) TRANSACTIONS After the Minnesota Twins recalled RHP Travis Adams and LHP Kendry Rojas from Triple-A over the weekend, the St. Paul Saints activated LHP Kody Funderburk and received LHP Aaron Rozek from the Wichita Wind Surge. UT Harry Genth was sent back to Fort Myers after his week in Vegas with the Saints. To take Rozek’s spot on Wichita’s pitching staff, RHP Eli Jones was promoted from the Cedar Rapids Kernels. The Kernels received reinforcements in the form of OF Yasser Mercedes from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and RHP Miguelangel Boadas from the injured list. LHP Garrett Horn was sent on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. Fort Myers was assigned free agent signee UT Quinn McDaniel. In the FCL, the Twins were assigned free agent signee LHP Jack Walker. SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 5, St. Paul 10 Box Score After a one-two-three top of the first inning from starting pitcher John Klein, this is how a red-hot St. Paul Saints lineup started this one in the bottom half. Single. Double. Single. Walk. Single. Single. Forceout. Home run. Strikeout. Walk. Walk. Single. Strikeout. By the time it was over they had sent 13 men to the plate and were up 8-0. The home run came from Alex Jackson, his seventh of the season. Klein cruised through his three innings, needing just 40 pitches (27 for strikes) and allowing his only run on a solo homer. He struck out five. Marco Raya went the next two scoreless innings and picked up the win. He gave up one hit and struck out one. The Saints added two more runs in the bottom of the seventh thanks to a sac fly from Kaelen Culpepper, and a run-scoring balk. The bullpen trio of Raui Brito (1 IP, 2 H, 2 ER, BB, 3 K), Grant Hartwig (2 IP, H, 3 K), and Drew Smith (1 IP, 3 H, 3 ER, BB, 2 K) held off the Clippers over the final four innings. The Saints got multiple hits from Kyler Fedko (3-for-5, R, 2B, RBI, K), Orlando Arcia (2-for-5, R, 2B, 2 RBI), Hendry Mendez (2-for-4, BB), Jackson (2-for-4, 2 R, HR, 3 RBI), and Ben Ross (2-for-3, BB, K, SB). Aaron Sabato went 0-for-3 but drew two walks, scored two runs, and added an RBI. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 3, San Antonio 8 Box Score The Missions jumped all over Wind Surge starting pitcher Jose Olivares and never looked back in this one. Two batters in a home run made it 2-0 visitors, and five men after that a pair of other homers made it 6-0 before Wichita could get their bullpen active. Olivares was only able to record two outs, and was charged with those six earned runs on six hits and a walk. He struck out one. Spencer Bengard gave up a two-run homer of his own in the second, and those eight Missions runs were more than they would need the rest of the way. Bengard was charged with two earned runs on two hits and a walk in his 1 1/3 innings. The rest of the bullpen did a fine job finishing off their final six innings, as Darren Bowen (3 IP, 2 K), Luis Quinones (1 2/3 IP, 3 BB, 4 K), and Kyle Bischoff (1 1/3 IP, 2 K) held them hitless the rest of the way. Wichita scored all three of their runs in the top of sixth. Maddux Houghton led off with a double, then Garrett Spain and Kyle DeBarge drew walks to load the bases. After a pair of strikeouts Jake Rucker drew another walk to bring in their first run of the game, before Caleb Roberts lined a single into center to score two. It was Roberts first game with the Wind Surge. That was it for the Wichita offense as they had just four hits on the game, finished 1-for-4 with runners in scoring position, and left only five men on base. KERNELS NUGGETS Fort Wayne 2, Cedar Rapids 3 Box Score Early season standout pitching prospect Riley Quick took the mound for the Kernels on Tuesday night, making his third start in the Midwest League. It didn’t take long for fans and viewers alike to realize something wasn’t quite right. From his first pitch Quick had trouble finding the strikezone, as he walked two of the first three hitters of the game. Although they caught a runner stealing and he struck out the other two in the first, it took him 24 total pitches. In the top of the second the TinCaps took a 1-0 lead after a pair of doubles to start the inning, and eagle-eyed fans (or me watching on MiLB.TV) were probably noticing at this point that Quick was paying a lot of attention to his pitching hand while out on the mound. He picked up another strikeout on a 96 MPH fastball at the top of the zone, but that was followed by a pair of uncompetitive walks before the pitching coach and trainers came out to check on him. After 46 pitches, with only 21 going for strikes (46%), Quick exited the game while the Kernels had nobody getting loose in the bullpen. I’d guess he was dealing with something like a blister that just didn’t allow him to pitch the way he wanted to. Bummer. He finished just 1 2/3 innings, allowing one earned run on two hits and four walks, while striking out three. Christian Becerra took all the time he needed to warm up, and got the final out of the inning after walking the first man he faced. Jason Doktorczyzk, originally scheduled to piggy-back Quick’s outing, came on to start the third inning and went the next five frames, holding down the TinCaps. He was charged with a lone run from a solo homer, walked one, and struck out three. With the score in favor of Fort Way 2-0 in the bottom of the fourth, the Kernels finally got on the scoreboard after Yasser Mercedes led off the inning with a walk. He proceeded to steal second and third base, before Rayne Doncon brought him in with an RBI single to pull within one. The score remained that way until the bottom of the seventh inning, when big man Brandon Winokur stepped up to the plate with two outs. He delivered his league leading 17th hit of the month, a solo shot over the wall in center field to tie the game at two. It was his fourth home run of the season. Before the crowd had even calmed down, Eduardo Tait followed with his sixth blast, a mammoth shot deep to the same area of the field to take the lead. Righty Nick Trabacchi relieved Doktorczyk to begin the eighth and struck out the side, before also setting them down in order in the ninth to pick up his first save of the season. In addition to the home runs from Winokur and Tait, Jaime Ferrer (2-for-4) and Doncon (2-for-4, 2B, RBI) had multiple hits to lead the way. The Kernels pitching staff, despite the worrisome start from Quick, held the TinCaps to just three hits, and they had just two-at bats with runners in scoring position for the game. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 7, Bradenton 8 (10 innings) Box Score Starting pitcher Reed Moring came into the game looking to keep his perfect 0.00 ERA intact on the season. When he was done his 19 1/3 scoreless innings to begin the year became the fifth longest streak of any kind in Mighty Mussels franchise history. He did have to work a bit for it, and get some help, as he allowed five hits in his three innings, while not walking or striking out anybody. A throwing error of his own led to an unearned run in the second inning. In the bottom of the third he escaped a leadoff triple without allowing a run as he and the catcher were able to nab the runner at home on a pitch that got away. Fort Myers scored first in the top of the second thanks to an RBI single from Quentin Young to score Ramiro Dominguez, who had led off with a double. Matthew DesMarets followed Moring and allowed three runs (one earned) on four hits in his two innings. He walked two and struck out one. Xavier Kolhosser (2 1/3 IP, ER, 2 BB, 5 K) and Brian Zeldin (1 2/3 IP, H, ER, 3 K) got the Mighty Mussels through regulation. In the top of the sixth Fort Myers took a 6-4 lead by sending all nine hitters to the plate. Ryan Sprock led off with a double before Young hit his third home run of the season. Quinn McDaniel followed with a single and scored on a double from Harry Genth to tie it at four. Genth scored on a ground out from Bruin Agbayani before Henry Kusiak delivered an RBI double, his third of the season, to pull ahead by two. The Marauders tied the game at six in the eighth inning, and in the top of the 10th the good guys scored the Manfred Man on a sac fly from McDaniel for the one-run lead. Michael Hilker took the mound in the bottom half, and a leadoff single quickly tied the game, a double put the winning run on third, and a one-out single walked it off for Bradenton. Kusiak (3-for-5, 2 2B, RBI, K) and Young (3-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI) each had three hits. Smith, Sprock, and McDaniel also chipped in two hits apiece. Despite losing in the run column, the Mighty Mussels outhit the Marauders 16-13 on the game. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Twins 5, FCL Orioles 3 (7 innings) Box Score The Twins took an early lead in this one and held on late. Miguel Caraballo got it started with a double and was driven in later by Yovanny Duran for a 1-0 lead. Duran then stole all three bases to make it 2-0 (double-steal to take home). Right-hander Cory Lewis continued his rehab assignment by starting this one. He finished 2 1/3 innings, allowing one run (unearned) on two hits and two walks while striking out four. Santiago Rojas went the next 3 2/3 innings, giving up one earned run on two hits and two walks. He struck out three. Brad Rudis threw the final inning to pick up the save. He gave up one run on two hits and struck out one. The Twins added a single run in the sixth inning thanks to an RBI double from Victor Leal. In the top of the seventh Jhomnardo Reyes hit a solo homer, and Darwin Almanzar an RBI single to account for all the scoring. Tuesday: FCL Twins 8, FCL Rays 10 Box Score The Twins again jumped on opposing pitching, plating five runs over the first two innings, but they weren’t able to hold up in this one. A leadoff triple from Merphy Hernandez got the game started, and he was brought in by a sac fly from Caraballo. In the top of the second an RBI single from Joyner Perez, bases loaded wild pitch, and two-RBI single from Caraballo put them up 5-0. The rehabbing Garrett Horn kept the Rays off the scoreboard for the first three innings. He allowed just one hit, walked two, and struck out three. The Rays got to Twins pitchers Julian Merryweather (2/3 IP, 4 H, 4 ER) and Cristian Hernandez (2 2/3 IP, 3 H, 5 R (4 earned), 4 BB, 3 K) in the fourth and fifth innings. Carter Holjes got the final out of the fourth but allowed two hits. Yoel Roque got the final four outs, allowing one earned run on two hits. The Twins lineup scored two in the top of the sixth after a leadoff triple from Yilber Herrera. He was driven in by a single from Jose Barrios, who later scored on a pickle-play that ended the inning. In the top of the seventh a bases loaded walk to Barrios got the Twins within one, but that would be it. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – John Klein, St. Paul Saints (3 IP, H, ER, 5 K) Hitter of the Day – Quentin Young, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (3-for-5, R, HR, 3 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #1 - OF Walker Jenkins (St. Paul): Injured List #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 1-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K #3 - OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (St. Paul): Injured List #4 - LHP Connor Prielipp (Minnesota): Did Not Pitch #5 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-3, R, HR (6), RBI, BB #6 - LHP Dasan Hill (Cedar Rapids): Did Not Pitch. #7 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 0-for-5, K #8 - RHP Riley Quick (Cedar Rapids): 1 2/3 IP, 2 H, ER, 4 BB, 3 K #9 - LHP Kendry Rojas (Minnesota): Did Not Pitch. #10 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 0-for-4, R, BB, 2 K #11 - RHP Charlee Soto (Cedar Rapids): Injured List #12 - RHP Andrew Morris (Minnesota): Did Not Pitch #13 - OF Hendry Mendez (St. Paul): 2-for-4, BB #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 3-for-5, R, HR (3), 3 RBI #15 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-2, R, HR (4), RBI, 2 BB, K #16 - RHP Ryan Gallagher (St. Paul): Did Not Pitch #17 - RHP C.J. Culpepper (St. Paul): Did Not Pitch #18 - RHP James Ellwanger (Fort Myers): Injured List #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): Did Not Play. #20 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 0-for-3, R, BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Columbus @ St. Paul (6:37 PM CDT) - RHP Trent Baker (2-2, 8.82 ERA) Wichita @ San Antonio (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Eli Jones (0-0, -.-- ERA, Double-A debut) Fort Wayne @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Miguelangel Boadas (0-0, -.-- ERA) Fort Myers @ Bradenton (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP Merit Jones (0-1, 2.63 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Walker JenkinsEmmanuel RodriguezKaelen CulpepperConnor PrielippEduardo TaitDasan HillRiley QuickMarek HoustonKendry RojasGabriel GonzalezCharlee SotoAndrew MorrisHendry MendezQuentin YoungBrandon WinokurRyan GallagherCJ CulpepperBilly AmickJohn KleinKyle DeBarge

Image courtesy of Elisa Chavez (photo of Ricardo Olivar) At Twins Daily, we agree with the "What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas" phrase, but we have been given the OK from both the St. Paul Saints and the Las Vegas Aviators to write about what happens this week at Last Vegas Ballpark this week. And trust me, you're going to want to see what the minor league leading home run-hitting Saints did on Tuesday night. Specifically, check out Aaron Sabato's performance! TRANSACTIONS There was a bunch of movement in the Minnesota Twins farm system in advance of games this week. The St. Paul Saints received OF/1B Hendry Mendez and RHP C.J. Culpepper from the Wichita Wind Surge. They also transferred RHP Grant Hartwig to the Development List and placed OF Walker Jenkins on the 7-day injured list after his crash into the wall at CHS Field over the weekend. RHP Julian Merryweather was sent on a rehab assignment with the FCL Twins. The Wind Surge received a pitching reinforcement from the Cedar Rapids Kernels in RHP Jacob Wosinski, who had a 2.51 ERA and 0.84 WHIP with 19 K’s and 2 BB’s in 14 1/3 innings thus far. Down in the Midwest League, the Kernels were assigned RHP Adam Falinski from the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels to take Wosinski’s place on their pitching staff. On Monday they placed OF Caden Kendle on the 7-day injured list and sent RHP Miguelangel Boadas on a rehab assignment in the FCL. The Mighty Mussels were assigned SS Henry Kusiak, who they just signed from the out of the Atlantic League. He was playing for the Long Island Ducks who are coached by #OldFriend and Twins legend, Lew Ford, before the Twins signed him. He hit .474 with two home runs, two doubles, eight RBI, with two stolen bases and a 1.395 OPS in five games for the Ducks on the season. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 15, Las Vegas 7 Box Score A couple of weird things in this one, as it is an International League team playing a Pacific Coast League one and also coincides with the start of the experiment with the “check-swing challenge” system in the PCL. In addition, about 20 minutes before first pitch, outfielder and leadoff man Kyler Fedko was replaced in the lineup by Kaelen Culpepper as the DH, and Alex Jackson took his spot in left field on defense. Could mean something, could mean nothing. All that said, Aaron Sabato, my friends. That’s it, that’s the summary. I kid. But really, when your first four at-bats in a game have you sitting at 4-for-4 with four runs scored, a double, three home runs, seven RBI, and you have only seen five total pitches, it might as well end there. In the top of the second Sabato got it started for the Saints with a bases clearing double on the first pitch that made it 3-2. Later in the inning Kaelen Culpepper lined a double the other way to bring in Sabato for the 4-2 lead. In the top of the fourth Sabato crushed a first pitch slider 440 feet to left center to lead off the inning. His next time up he took a first-pitch slider for a strike but clubbed the next one that caught more of the plate out to left for his second homer of the night to tie the game at six. After a Ben Ross double in the fourth, Sabato green lit himself again and took the first pitch over the fence in left for his third bomb of the game. The entire Saints lineup then started catching the vibe. Culpepper led off the eighth with his seventh home run of the year. Two batters later Gabriel Gonzalez launched a 434-foot shot for his eighth of the season. Two batters after that Alex Jackson launched his fifth homer of 2026. Sabato did go down swinging to end the eighth (with some healthy cuts), but you don’t forget those first five pitches. I guess there was some pitching in the game as well. Ryan Gallagher made his second start with St. Paul and finished the first 4 1/3 innings. He was charged with four runs (two earned) on four hits and three walks. He struck out one. Lefty Kendry Rojas went the next 2 2/3 frames, allowing two earned runs of his own on four hits and a walk while striking out two. Trent Baker finished off the final two innings, allowing one run on three hits while striking out two. Four other hitters in the Saints lineup finished with multiple knocks (Culpepper, Gonzalez, Orlando Arcia, and Ben Ross) as they racked up 15 as a team. They were 7-for-12 with runners in scoring position and left only four men on base. As for Sabato, I’ll leave you with this stat: he started the game with a .754 OPS on the season. He finished it with a mark of 1.018. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 9, Amarillo 4 Box Score The Wind Surge struck first and loudly in the second inning against the Sod Poodles on the road. Appropriate for the team leading the Texas League in home runs early in the season. Kala’i Rosario led off the frame with his sixth home run of the season for the 1-0 lead. After a pair of walks and a wild pitch, Jose Salas made it 2-0 with a sac fly. Ricardo Olivar blasted his eighth home in the top of the third to put Wichita up 3-0. Making the start for the Wind Surge was right-hander Sam Armstrong and he delivered a hitless first four innings. He walked only two hitters and struck out three. He threw 58 pitches in those four innings, with 33 going for strikes (57%). Ricky Castro was the first call to the bullpen, and Amarillo finally got their first hits of the game. Castro finished two innings but was charged with two earned runs on five hits and a walk. He struck out two. In the top of the seventh the Wind Surge used some more power to take control of the game. Salas led off with a double, stole third base, and scored on a sac fly from Jake Rucker to make it 4-2. Garrett Spain followed with a triple, then Kyle DeBarge clubbed his third home run of the season to make it 6-2. Jaylen Nowlin picked up his first win of the season by pitching the seventh inning. He allowed one run on one hit and a walk and struck out one. William Fleming (1 IP, H, ER, BB, K) and Sam Ryan (1 IP, K) finished off the final two innings. Wichita tacked on three more in the top of the ninth to make the final score. Sapin got it started with a double, DeBarge drew a walk, and Olivar hit his second homer of the game to make it 9-4. Check out the tear Olivar is on: The Wind Surge got multiple hits from Spain and Olivar, and DeBarge joined them by scoring two runs apiece as the top 3 hitters of the lineup. Andrew Cossetti (0-for-2, 3 BB, 2 K) and Billy Amick (0-for-3, R, 2 BB) reached base multiple times without a hit. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 3, Quad Cities 2 (10 innings) Box Score The Kernels and River Bandits went to extra innings after most of the game played out as a classic pitcher’s duel. Eli Jones made the start for Cedar Rapids and was solid through the first four innings. He had scattered five hits over those scoreless frames, but a pair of singles in the fifth finally put an end to his outing, and he was on the hook for both runners. An RBI single and wild pitch from reliever Nick Trabacchi led to those runs being charged to Jones. In total, he finished 4 2/3 innings and those two earned runs on seven hits, while striking out four. Cedar Rapids got on the scoreboard first in the top of the third inning when Brandon Winokur delivered a two-out RBI single for a 1-0 lead at the time. In the top of the fifth singles from Winokur and Khadim Diaw and a wild pitch gave them their second run of the game. The score would stay tied at two through the ninth, as Trabacchi (2 1/3 IP, 2 H, BB, 3 K) and Paulshawn Pasqualotto (2 IP, H, BB, 4 K) kept any further River Bandits shenanigans from occurring. The Kernels had a shot to retake the lead in the sixth after a one-out triple from Jay Thomason, but he would end up being thrown out at home on a double-steal attempt. In the top of the 10th the Manfred Man for the Kernels was Marek Houston, and with one out it was Winokur again who delivered another single to drive in Houston for a 3-2 lead. In the bottom-half Quad Cities moved the ghost-runner up to third with a sac bunt but were unable to move him any further as Christian Becerra retired the final two hitters after an intentional walk. Winokur (3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB) and Thomason (2-for-4, 3B, K) had multiple hits to pace the offense. Eduardo Tait added his sixth double of the season. Both teams combined to go 3-for-22 with runners in scoring position and left 19 men on base for the game. The win was the Kernels seventh in a row and improves their record to 15-13 on the season. MUSSEL MATTERS Tampa 9, Fort Myers 8 Box Score The Tarpons jumped all over Mighty Mussels starting pitcher Eric Hammond in the first, with a leadoff double being followed by an RBI triple for a 1-0 lead before an out was recorded. A wild pitch later in the inning made it 2-0, then in the second errors around a pair of singles and a walk led to three more runs and a 5-0 Tampa lead. Fort Myers got two of those runs back in the bottom of the second thanks to the powerful bat of Quentin Young, who launched a two-run shot the opposite way for his second home run of the season. Hammond went on to finish 3 2/3 innings, being charged with six runs (four earned) on five hits and three walks, while striking out three. Brian Zeldin went the next 2 1/3 innings and reeled in the Tarpons, striking out five and allowing his only baserunner on a hit-by-pitch. Down 6-2 in the bottom of the fifth, Jayson Bass and Harry Genth drew walks to start the inning, executed a double-steal, and then both scored on a wild pitch when the catcher's throw back toward home also went for an error. Tampa was able to pull away again in the top of the seventh against Mussels right-hander Mitch Mueller. In his lone inning he gave up three runs on three hits and a walk to make it 9-4 Tarpons. They needed all those runs as Fort Myers nearly batted around in the bottom half. Genth, Dameury Pena, and Bruin Agbayani loaded the bases with walks. Yasser Mercedes then shot a laser-beam of a single into left field to score the first run of the inning. Ramiro Dominguez followed with an RBI groundout in front of a JP Smith 2-run single to close the lead to one. Michael Hilker delivered two scoreless innings to give the Mighty Mussels chances. He struck out two and walked one. Mercedes delivered a two-out double in the bottom of the ninth to get the tying run in scoring position, but Dominguez grounded out to end the comeback attempt. Mercedes went 3-for-4 with a run scored, double, RBI, walk, and two stolen bases. His three hits matched the total of the rest of his team, but they did draw eight total walks and stole five bases in the game. Unfortunately, their four errors as a defense also loomed large. COMPLEX CHRONICLES Monday: FCL Pirates 11, FCL Twins 2 (7 innings) Box Score Twins hitters were unable to find many hits on Monday, being held to just three on the day as a team. Two of those came from Yovanny Duran, who finished 2-for-2 with a run scored and stolen base. Miguel Caraballo added his first double of the season to account for all of them. Santiago Rojas made the start and pitched into the third inning. He was charged with one earned run on one hit and three walks, while striking out three. Hendry Chivilli was the first reliever summoned after two batters reached base in the third, and retired all five hitters he faced, including inducing a double-play ball. Miguelangel Boadas made his first rehab appearance and finished two innings. He allowed four runs (two earned) on two hits and four walks. He struck out two. Omar Montano gave up six earned runs in his lone inning on five hits and three walks. He struck out one. Tuesday: FCL Twins 4, FCL Pirates 8 Box Score Right-hander Julian Merryweather made his first rehab appearance with the FCL Twins by starting this one. He allowed single runs in both the first and second innings and finished 1 2/3 innings total. He gave up three hits and struck out three. Cristian Hernandez took the brunt of the Pirates' damage in the game, allowing six earned runs on four hits and three walks in his 1 2/3 innings, striking out two. Relievers Nick McAuliffe (1 2/3 IP, H, BB, 2 K), Yoel Roque (2 IP, H, BB, 2 K), and Rainer Marin (1 IP) kept the Pirates off the scoreboard over the final 4 2/3. The Twins scored their first runs of the game in the top of the third, tying it at two briefly. Miguel Caraballo hit his first home run which also drove in Victor Leal, who had singled earlier. They added one in the fifth on a bases loaded sac fly from Teilon Serrano, and their final run in the seventh thanks to a homer from Daiber De Los Santos. He led the way for the lineup by finishing 2-for-4 with two runs scored. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Sam Armstrong, Wichita Wind Surge (4 IP, 0 H, 2 BB, 3 K) Hitter of the Day – Ricardo Olivar, Wichita Wind Surge (2-for-4, 2 R, 2 HR (9), 4 RBI, BB, K) Aaron Sabato, St. Paul Saints (4-for-5, 4 R, 2B, 3 HR (5), 7 RBI, K) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on our Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did today. #2 - IF Kaelen Culpepper (St. Paul): 2-for-5, 2B, HR (7), 2 RBI, BB #4 - C Eduardo Tait (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, 2B #7 - OF Gabriel Gonzalez (St. Paul): 2-for-6, R, HR (8), 2 RBI, K #8 - LHP Kendry Rojas (St. Paul): 2 2/3 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, 1 BB. 2 K, 53 pitches, 34 strikes (64.2%) #9 - SS Marek Houston (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5, R, K #13 - 3B/CF Brandon Winokur (Cedar Rapids): 3-for-5, R, 2 RBI, BB #14 - 3B/SS Quentin Young (Fort Myers): 1-for-4, R, HR (2), 2 RBI, 2 K #17 - 2B/OF Kyle DeBarge (Wichita): 1-for-4, 2 R, HR (3), 2 RBI, BB #19 - C/OF Khadim Diaw (Cedar Rapids): 1-for-5 WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Las Vegas (9:05 PM CDT) - RHP Mike Paredes (1-1, 4.76 ERA) Wichita @ Amarillo (11:05AM CDT) - RHP Ty Langenberg (0-2, 4.08 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30 PM CDT) - RHP Riley Quick (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (5:35 PM CDT) - RHP Matthew Dalquist (0-1, 5.40 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! 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Haha, no worries! To be fair, Seth does write most of them (Tuesday's are my day) 😉 And he needs more help than we've currently got in doing so.