John Bonnes

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Image courtesy of © Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the Twins are placing right-handed starting pitcher Taj Bradley on the 15-day injured list with right pectoral muscle inflammation, and recalling right-hander Travis Adams from Triple-A St. Paul to take his roster spot. Bradley had been scheduled to start on Sunday. It's a frustrating setback for a pitcher who has been the bright spot of Minnesota's rotation. Through eight starts, Bradley owns a 2.87 ERA with 52 strikeouts in 47 innings, having gone at least six innings in six of his last seven outings and allowing more than two earned runs just once all year. His fastball has touched 99 mph and averaged better than 96.5, a tick up from where he sat a year ago. On Tuesday in Washington, he carved up the Nationals over six innings while generating 13 swings and misses, the latest in a string of dominant starts that have him pitching like a frontline starter. The injury is also unwelcome history. Bradley missed the start of the 2024 season with a right pec strain as a member of the Rays, costing him two months. The Twins have not yet announced a timetable for his return. Bradley was acquired from Tampa Bay minutes before the end of last summer's trade deadline, with the Twins sending All-Star reliever Griffin Jax to the Rays in exchange. Jax was one of the Twins' best relievers, and under team control through 2027, so the deal was widely criticized. Bradley’s breakout this April and May has completely flipped that narrative. Adams, recently activated from his own triceps injury, could provide bullpen length or could play a part in how the Twins backfill Sunday's start. Zebby Matthews, who pitched for the Twins last year, struggled early this year in AAA-St. Paul, but has recently refound velocity and success there, and could be a longer term replacement as well. But he would not be an option for Sunday, as he pitched Friday night for the Saints. View full article

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You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, GleemanAndTheGeek.com, click this link or you can listen to it or watch it below. View full article

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You can listen by downloading us from iTunes, Spotify, YouTube, iHeartRadio, Stitcher, GleemanAndTheGeek.com, click this link or you can listen to it or watch it below. For even more Twins talk all season long, join Patreon.com/Gleeman and get 20% off an annual membership with the code TWINS2026 through first pitch of Opening Day. View full article

Image courtesy of © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images FORT MYERS - Bailey Ober made his first spring training start Friday night and looked crisp from the outset, tossing two scoreless innings on just 25 pitches, including 19 strikes. He did not allow a hit or a walk and recorded one strikeout, an efficient first step as he begins building toward the regular season. More than anything, Ober sounded relieved to finally be back in game conditions after progressing through live batting practice. “Felt great,” Ober said of his outing. “Felt really good to be out there during game action instead of being in live BP like I have been. Felt really good to put the uniform on, have the defense behind me and be in a game atmosphere.” Ober said he was especially focused on getting a feel for his changeup early in the outing, wanting to reestablish a pitch that remains central to his arsenal. “It’s my pitch — my highest off speed usage pitch,” Ober said. “Just trying to get a feel of it early so I can progress that and put it in my back pocket.” That process appeared to go well; he threw nine changeups, six for strikes, and got two swings and misses with the pitch. By Ober’s own assessment, the outing checked a lot of boxes. “Definitely taking steps forward to where I want to be,” he said. “I felt like the ball was coming out good. I felt like I had uncomfortable at-bats the whole time. I was throwing strikes. Didn’t seem like anyone really hit anything hard.” He added that while he would still like to sharpen his two-strike execution to turn more of those counts into strikeouts, the overall objective was clear: “That’s kind of what I’m looking for when I’m out there — just being able to locate.” Maybe more important than the results was how Ober felt physically. After pitching through a nagging hip issue last season, he said taking the mound healthy again changed everything. “It’s night and day,” Ober said. “It doesn’t matter what I did out there. I was gonna have a smile on my face, just being able to feel healthy and do what I love, pain free.” Ober said the plan is to continue stretching out over his next few outings, with three innings likely next time, then four, then five, as he ramps up toward being ready for his first turn in the regular-season rotation. Two Wrongs Make A Right Major League Baseball’s new ABS (Automated Ball Strike) system gave fans a jolt of energy in the first inning Saturday night. View full article

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FORT MYERS—Joe Ryan took another step toward returning to the top of the Twins’ rotation on Wednesday, throwing a live batting practice session and coming away encouraged by how his body responded. “Most importantly… the back felt good,” Ryan said, noting he felt better than the first time he got back on the mound. Ryan was a late scratch from his first spring training start back on February 21 with a sore back that he has been rehabbing. Ryan faced, among others, Luke Keaschall, Matt Wallner, and Brooks Lee. He said there were only “maybe two pitches” he didn’t love location-wise, but overall he liked where his offspeed was, describing it as “comfortable coming out of the hand” and something he can trust. The next step, assuming his body feels healthy tomorrow, is likely to be a live game. The Twins’ road games on Monday, March 9, or Tuesday, March 10 would be five or six days out, allowing him to get an additional two or three starts in spring training to build up his pitch count. Ryan said his offseason program had him “a little ahead of schedule” prior to the sore back. Cuts, But Not Deep Cuts The Twins made their second round of cuts Wednesday, sending six players to minor-league camp and leaving them with 59 players still in major-league camp. The six players were catchers Andrew Cossetti and Ricardo Olivar; outfielder Walker Jenkins; right-handed pitchers Andrew Bash and Raul Brito; and left-handed pitcher Christian MacLeod to minor league camp. The most notable of these is Jenkins, Twiins Daily’s #1 prospect, who suffered a Grade 1 hamstring strain this week, which limited his ability to participate in the rest of camp. This is often when top prospects are sent down, after coaches have had an introductory look at them. So maybe more notable than who was sent down is those who were not—and why they were not. View full article

Image courtesy of © Matt Krohn-Imagn Images FORT MYERS — Joe Ryan’s spring training ramp-up will continue in Twins camp, but his World Baseball Classic debut with Team USA will wait at least a little longer. Twins GM Jeremy Zoll said Sunday that Ryan will not participate in the WBC pool play round (or the exhibition games leading into it), but will be eligible to join Team USA later in the tournament if the Americans advance. Zoll described the decision as a collaborative one involving Ryan, his agent, Team USA, and the Twins, emphasizing that the goal is to make the “smartest and best” choice for everyone while keeping a close eye on how things look once pool play concludes. Ryan’s build-up after a scratched start last weekend appears to be back on track. Ryan said he’s been feeling “really good all week,” and threw a bullpen session on Saturday. He said the session shifted from delivery-focused cues into more pure execution as the session progressed. He said a few things still need refining, but he was pleased with how his work translated. “I felt really good about it,” he reflected. His next steps are lined up: another live session in the coming days and then hopefully a game appearance after that. Whether or not he joins Team USA depends on how those go, and what their needs are as they (hopefully) advance to elimination rounds. Byron Buxton, who left today to join Team USA, said yesterday that his understanding is that Ryan is “in a great spot” based on what they’ve discussed. He added that while Ryan wants to be with Team USA, “we also know what’s important and what’s at stake,” and he expects Ryan to join the team at some point. What’s at stake for the Twins is pretty simple: they can’t afford to have setbacks with Ryan’s timeline, because the rotation has already taken hits and the margin for error is shrinking fast. With Pablo López lost to Tommy John and Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and David Festa already needing early-spring monitoring and modified build-ups, the Twins’ best-case scenario is getting to Opening Day with as many dependable, prepared starters as possible. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images FORT MYERS - For years, when we saw Byron Buxton in the lineup as a designated hitter, it was bad news. It meant that Buxton and the team were trying to figure out some way (usually, futilely) to keep him healthy. This spring, Buxton has already been the designated hitter twice, including in Saturday’s game against the Red Sox, but now it’s good news. He’s playing designated hitter because he and the Twins are playing him in back-to-back games early this spring, so he’s ready for the World Baseball Classic. “It's something we talked about when I first got down here,” said Buxton, who leaves the team on Sunday to join Team USA. “Feel good. Ready.” He started preparing a month earlier than usual this offseason. He’s also already played in three back-to-back games this spring, even though it’s not yet March. That’s necessary because he wants to be ready for the competitive environment that is inherent in the WBC. But it’s also because he could be away from camp through March 17th if Team USA advances to the finals. View full article

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