John Bonnes

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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

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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Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images FORT MYERS—Starting pitching was supposed to be abundant on this Twins team, but there have been a number of starters we have yet to see in a game. Pablo López is undergoing Tommy John surgery, Joe Ryan is dealing with a sore back, Bailey Ober has been limited to live batting practice sessions, and we haven’t seen David Festa in a game yet, either. So Wednesday’s home game versus the Red Sox had Kody Funderburk take the mound in an “opener” type move. To prepare, he tried to replicate the role of a reliever. “Just tried to keep it as close to a relief appearance as we could," explained Funderburk. “Try to time it out where warm up, in the bullpen, you know, finish up at 1:04. Take the field at 1:05.” It went well enough. Facing three batters who hit left-handed and two who bat right-handed, Funderburk threw a scoreless inning. His spot on the depth chart has become a lot more crowded, as Anthony Banda and Andrew Chafin were both late additions to camp and Taylor Rogers signed earlier as a free agent.. Funderburk doesn’t have the experience either of them has. But he finished last year strong, and unlike other lefty specialists, his five-pitch mix may allow him to keep right-handed batters off-balance, or at least off-balance enough to get by (.751 OPS against in 2025). Funderburk sounds like he’s trying not to think about it—because he messed that up before. View full article

Not yet. We've only seen him at 2B and DH. I expect he'll start tomorrow, but I think it'll be at 2B again.

Image courtesy of © Mike Watters-Imagn Images FORT MYERS—Barring injuries, 10 of the 13 position-player spots on the Twins' projected roster are already locked in: Josh Bell, Luke Keaschall, Brooks Lee, and Royce Lewis will start in the infield. Matt Wallner, Byron Buxton, and Trevor Larnach will start in the outfield. Ryan Jeffers and Victor Caratini will be the Twins' catchers. Kody Clemens will be a corner utility glove and likely start versus most right-handed pitchers, somewhere. That leaves three bench spots, so let’s look at the candidates, along with my percentage estimation that each makes the Opening Day roster. (Since there are three spots, those percentages have to add up to 300%.) The three spots are: 1. Backup Shortstop In the past, the Twins could look around their starting infield for backup shortstop options. No longer. Willi Castro is in Colorado, and Lee moved into the lead role at shortstop when Carlos Correa was traded. Thus, one of the bench spots has to be taken by a true shortstop who can step in when Lee needs to miss a game—or even needs a short IL stint. One of the following three players will be on the roster, and your guess is as good as mine about which one is in the lead. Tristan Gray (30%) is 29 years old and only has 122 MLB plate appearances with a .634 OPS, but that’s why he’s competing for a bench spot. He also has lots of flexibility in that he can play all over the infield, and his underlying metrics suggest he has the most offensive upside of the three. Ryan Kreidler (30%) has the best glove of the candidates, but he also has a career .383 OPS(!) over four years and 211 plate appearances. His Triple-A numbers (.717 OPS over 1,223 PA) suggest he’s better than that, but I mean, he has to be, right? One other advantage he has over the other two players is that he can also play center field. Orlando Arcia (40%) is the 10-year veteran who was an All-Star as recently as 2023, but has posted a .599 OPS over his last two years. Can the 31-year-old use spring training to show he’s back to his old self and prolong his career one more year? I’m not optimistic, but I’m still giving him a slight edge because he’s the veteran and could probably opt out of the organization if he doesn’t make the roster. Which is similar to the situation for…. 2. Backup Center Fielder Nobody is going to replace Byron Buxton’s impact in this lineup, but despite his last two (mostly) healthy seasons, an insurance policy for him isn’t just wise; it’s a necessity. If he’s out for an extended period of time, his replacement will probably come from Triple A. But for the occasional necessary day off, the Twins will need a Plan B. Even if Kreidler makes the team, I’m almost sure one of these two center field candidates will make the roster, too, for different reasons. James Outman (50%) was acquired at the trade deadline from the Dodgers, but didn’t hit any better with the Twins (.558 OPS) than he did with LA (.487 OPS). That means he hasn’t hit well since he was a 26-year-old rookie in 2023, and worse, he didn’t look very good defensively in center or left field, which was perceived to be his strength. But he does have one thing going for him: he’s out of minor-league options. If he doesn’t make the team, the Twins could lose him to another team without getting anything in return. That’s not something the asset-conscious Twins liked to do when the team was run by Derek Falvey and Rocco Baldelli, but we’ll see if that’s different under Jeremy Zoll and Derek Shelton. Austin Martin (90%) has several things going for him that make him a likely fit for the Twins roster. He can play center field, he’s right-handed, and he can steal bases. The Twins team needs all of those, and it probably helps that he’s a 26-year-old former top prospect. It makes too much sense for him to be on this roster for it not to happen, one way or the other. 3. Offensive Help The Twins’ offense ranked 23rd in runs scored last year, and a few spots in their lineup could benefit from platooning with a right-handed bat. Hence, the last spot on the roster will be focused on adding some offense. Eric Wagaman (25%) is a right-handed hitter who hits left-handed pitching (.783 OPS in 2025) but has never really hit righties, so his role would need to be limited. But that might work. He’s basically a right-handed version of Clemens, minus the ability to play second base. As such, the Twins could mix and match the two at several corner positions and have Wagaman available for high-leverage at-bats versus left-handed relievers late in games. Alan Roden (20%) is not a right-handed bat, but they traded for him last year at the deadline. He played left field for the Twins last year, and could be a fit there again this year if the Twins determine they would rather see Trevor Larnach mostly at designated hitter. If Roden makes the team, it probably won’t be as a bench bat, but as a starting left fielder. That would give the team another left-handed corner outfield bat to be added to Larnach, Wallner, and Clemens. Gio Urshela (15%) is a veteran right-handed bat, but with less defensive flexibility than Wagaman. That doesn’t mean he can’t win the job, but it seems like he’s on the outside looking in, unless there’s an injury or Wagaman looks overmatched. The truth is that one can mix and match these guys and end up with different strengths and different weaknesses that reflect what you value in a baseball team. So let’s hear your thoughts in the comments about your choices—and more importantly, your reasons. View full article

Image courtesy of © Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images Sigh of Relief Joe Ryan, who was scratched from Saturday’s start, had an MRI and it found only inflammation. He’s day-to-day, and the Twins and Ryan will re-evaluate his participation in the World Baseball Classic (WBC) in a few days. “Overall, really good news,” said Twins Manager Derek Shielton. “I think we’re happy with how we’re going to move forward.” Taj Gets A Challenge Since Sunday’s game was Atlanta’s Grapefruit League season opener, Twins pitcher Taj Bradley faced the Braves' “A” lineup. He threw 42 pitches over three innings, giving up five hits, one home run, and striking out five. He is already at 42 pitches because he’s preparing to represent Mexico in the WBC. He was asked about his splitter, because it was a pitch that was not as successful last year. View full article