Ted Schwerzler

TRANSACTIONS:
RHP Zebby Matthews promoted to Minnesota from St. Paul RHP Matt Bowman released by Minnesota RHP Randy Dobnak optioned to St. Paul DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 10, DSL Rangers Blue 9 (F/10)
Box Score
Jose Vasquez started and gave up a pair of runs over four innings of work. He struck out four. Unfortunately Fabian Herrera ceded three more and put the Twins in a sizable hole. The Twins responded with a run when Guillermo Sosa scored on a fifth inning wild pitch and they were within three at 5-2.
The Rangers added another run in the seventh inning, but the Twins added a pair of their own to make it a 6-4 game. After the Rangers added one in the eighth inning, the Twins responded with a four spot and took their first lead. They gave it back in the top of the ninth inning before tying it in the bottom half. Hernandez lifted a tenth inning sacrifice fly to score Sosa and walk it off.
The Twins had 11 hits and drew seven walks. Daiber De Los Santos and Nestor Urbina each had three hits. Hernandez picked up two. Sebastian Pulido got the win, his third.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Overall: 56-57 (2-4 last week) Fifth place in the IL West Overview: The Saints and Twins both played Cleveland teams this past week. Minnesota split while St. Paul dropped the series against the Clippers. Edouard Julien is heating up again and hit a pair of home runs while posting a 1.114 OPS. Anthony Prato played in just four games but went 6-for-13 with a double, triple, and a home run. DaShawn Keirsey Jr.’s .905 OPS was aided by a home run while he batted .273 and played in all six games. Zebby Matthews recorded his best Triple-A start allowing only a single run across five innings. His next turn will be his big league debut. Nick Wittgren led the team in strikeouts as he punched out six across five innings allowing only a single earned run. Aaron Rozek returned from Double-A Wichita and made another strong spot start as he allowed just two runs in six innings. What’s Next: St. Paul travels to Indianapolis for a series against the IL West’s 2nd to last place team. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Overall: 47-61 (4-2 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North Overview: Facing the bottom team in the South, Wichita took a series against Corpus Christi. Tanner Schobel had a great week with four dingers and a team-leading 6 RBI while batting .304 with a 1.186 OPS across six games. Andrew Cossetti played in only two games, but he went deep twice and plated three. Luke Keaschall’s season came to an end as he undergoes a previously scheduled Tommy John surgery. He should be ready for next spring. Cory Lewis delivered a lights out start going six innings with nine strikeouts and no earned runs. Andrew Morris also struck out nine in a seven inning start where he didn’t allow a run and gave up just two hits. Christian MacLeod struck out eight in his start. He worked five innings of one run ball before earning a promotion to Triple-A. What’s Next: The Wind Surge host Arkansas for a six game series. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Overall: 58-48 (3-3 last week) Second place in the Midwest League West Overview: Splitting a series with Peoria, the Kernels stayed put in the standings. Nick Lucky was promoted to High-A and responded with a home run and .917 OPS over six games last week. Nate Baez batted .353 with a pair of doubles in five games. Kevin Maitan’s four RBI were a team high. Ty Langenberg turned in a great six inning performance allowing no runs on four hits while striking out seven. Mike Paredes made a pair of relief outings and struck out five across 4 1/3 innings. Connor Prielipp walked three in his start, but didn’t give up a hit across 2 2/3 while striking out five. What’s Next: The Kernels host a South Bend team that brings up the rear in the West. Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
Overall: 56-47 (5-1 last week) Second place in Florida State League West Overview: Fort Myers nearly swept Jupiter despite the opposition being the second team in the East. Brandon Winokur blasted a pair of dingers to lead the team, and compiled an .846 OPS. Kaelen Culpepper made his professional debut and went 5-for-13 with two doubles and a home run. Billy Amick made his professional debut and batted .364 in five games with a double. Kyle DeBarge had a team-high five RBI while also swiping five stolen bases. Derek Bender, Khadim Diaw, Jaime Ferrer, Caden Kendle, and Jay Thomason all made their professional debuts as well. Tanner Hall punched out seven during a seven inning scoreless start. Jack Noble and Devin Kirby both worked a pair of games in relief and struck out seven each. Xander Hamilton picked up saves in each of his appearances striking out four across three scoreless innings. What’s Next: The Mighty Mussels are on the road in Tampa against the worst team in the West. Dominican Summer League: DSL Twins
Overall: 25-23 Fourth place in Dominican Summer League South Eduardo Beltre hit another home run and posted a 1.096 OPS across four games. Merphy Hernandez drove in five runs across four games played. PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 5-22, 2 R, 3 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K
#2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 2-7, 2B, RBI, K
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 2-13, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
#5 – Zebby Matthews (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
#6 - David Festa (Minnesota) -  8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 12 K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 4-18, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
#8 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 5-13, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K
#11 - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-22, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, SB
#13 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
#14 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 2-12, 2 R, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K, SB
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 6-22, 4 R, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 5 SB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
#20 – Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) – 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Hitter of the Week - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
Pitcher of the Week - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

TRANSACTIONS:
RHP Zebby Matthews promoted to Minnesota from St. Paul RHP Matt Bowman released by Minnesota RHP Randy Dobnak optioned to St. Paul DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 10, DSL Rangers Blue 9 (F/10)
Box Score
Jose Vasquez started and gave up a pair of runs over four innings of work. He struck out four. Unfortunately Fabian Herrera ceded three more and put the Twins in a sizable hole. The Twins responded with a run when Guillermo Sosa scored on a fifth inning wild pitch and they were within three at 5-2.
The Rangers added another run in the seventh inning, but the Twins added a pair of their own to make it a 6-4 game. After the Rangers added one in the eighth inning, the Twins responded with a four spot and took their first lead. They gave it back in the top of the ninth inning before tying it in the bottom half. Hernandez lifted a tenth inning sacrifice fly to score Sosa and walk it off.
The Twins had 11 hits and drew seven walks. Daiber De Los Santos and Nestor Urbina each had three hits. Hernandez picked up two. Sebastian Pulido got the win, his third.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Overall: 56-57 (2-4 last week) Fifth place in the IL West Overview: The Saints and Twins both played Cleveland teams this past week. Minnesota split while St. Paul dropped the series against the Clippers. Edouard Julien is heating up again and hit a pair of home runs while posting a 1.114 OPS. Anthony Prato played in just four games but went 6-for-13 with a double, triple, and a home run. DaShawn Keirsey Jr.’s .905 OPS was aided by a home run while he batted .273 and played in all six games. Zebby Matthews recorded his best Triple-A start allowing only a single run across five innings. His next turn will be his big league debut. Nick Wittgren led the team in strikeouts as he punched out six across five innings allowing only a single earned run. Aaron Rozek returned from Double-A Wichita and made another strong spot start as he allowed just two runs in six innings. What’s Next: St. Paul travels to Indianapolis for a series against the IL West’s 2nd to last place team. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Overall: 47-61 (4-2 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North Overview: Facing the bottom team in the South, Wichita took a series against Corpus Christi. Tanner Schobel had a great week with four dingers and a team-leading 6 RBI while batting .304 with a 1.186 OPS across six games. Andrew Cossetti played in only two games, but he went deep twice and plated three. Luke Keaschall’s season came to an end as he undergoes a previously scheduled Tommy John surgery. He should be ready for next spring. Cory Lewis delivered a lights out start going six innings with nine strikeouts and no earned runs. Andrew Morris also struck out nine in a seven inning start where he didn’t allow a run and gave up just two hits. Christian MacLeod struck out eight in his start. He worked five innings of one run ball before earning a promotion to Triple-A. What’s Next: The Wind Surge host Arkansas for a six game series. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Overall: 58-48 (3-3 last week) Second place in the Midwest League West Overview: Splitting a series with Peoria, the Kernels stayed put in the standings. Nick Lucky was promoted to High-A and responded with a home run and .917 OPS over six games last week. Nate Baez batted .353 with a pair of doubles in five games. Kevin Maitan’s four RBI were a team high. Ty Langenberg turned in a great six inning performance allowing no runs on four hits while striking out seven. Mike Paredes made a pair of relief outings and struck out five across 4 1/3 innings. Connor Prielipp walked three in his start, but didn’t give up a hit across 2 2/3 while striking out five. What’s Next: The Kernels host a South Bend team that brings up the rear in the West. Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
Overall: 56-47 (5-1 last week) Second place in Florida State League West Overview: Fort Myers nearly swept Jupiter despite the opposition being the second team in the East. Brandon Winokur blasted a pair of dingers to lead the team, and compiled an .846 OPS. Kaelen Culpepper made his professional debut and went 5-for-13 with two doubles and a home run. Billy Amick made his professional debut and batted .364 in five games with a double. Kyle DeBarge had a team-high five RBI while also swiping five stolen bases. Derek Bender, Khadim Diaw, Jaime Ferrer, Caden Kendle, and Jay Thomason all made their professional debuts as well. Tanner Hall punched out seven during a seven inning scoreless start. Jack Noble and Devin Kirby both worked a pair of games in relief and struck out seven each. Xander Hamilton picked up saves in each of his appearances striking out four across three scoreless innings. What’s Next: The Mighty Mussels are on the road in Tampa against the worst team in the West. Dominican Summer League: DSL Twins
Overall: 25-23 Fourth place in Dominican Summer League South Eduardo Beltre hit another home run and posted a 1.096 OPS across four games. Merphy Hernandez drove in five runs across four games played. PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 5-22, 2 R, 3 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K
#2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 2-7, 2B, RBI, K
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 2-13, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
#5 – Zebby Matthews (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
#6 - David Festa (Minnesota) -  8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 12 K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 4-18, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
#8 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 5-13, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K
#11 - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-22, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, SB
#13 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
#14 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 2-12, 2 R, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K, SB
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 6-22, 4 R, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 5 SB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
#20 – Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) – 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Hitter of the Week - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
Pitcher of the Week - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

TRANSACTIONS:
RHP Zebby Matthews promoted to Minnesota from St. Paul RHP Matt Bowman released by Minnesota RHP Randy Dobnak optioned to St. Paul DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 10, DSL Rangers Blue 9 (F/10)
Box Score
Jose Vasquez started and gave up a pair of runs over four innings of work. He struck out four. Unfortunately Fabian Herrera ceded three more and put the Twins in a sizable hole. The Twins responded with a run when Guillermo Sosa scored on a fifth inning wild pitch and they were within three at 5-2.
The Rangers added another run in the seventh inning, but the Twins added a pair of their own to make it a 6-4 game. After the Rangers added one in the eighth inning, the Twins responded with a four spot and took their first lead. They gave it back in the top of the ninth inning before tying it in the bottom half. Hernandez lifted a tenth inning sacrifice fly to score Sosa and walk it off.
The Twins had 11 hits and drew seven walks. Daiber De Los Santos and Nestor Urbina each had three hits. Hernandez picked up two. Sebastian Pulido got the win, his third.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Overall: 56-57 (2-4 last week) Fifth place in the IL West Overview: The Saints and Twins both played Cleveland teams this past week. Minnesota split while St. Paul dropped the series against the Clippers. Edouard Julien is heating up again and hit a pair of home runs while posting a 1.114 OPS. Anthony Prato played in just four games but went 6-for-13 with a double, triple, and a home run. DaShawn Keirsey Jr.’s .905 OPS was aided by a home run while he batted .273 and played in all six games. Zebby Matthews recorded his best Triple-A start allowing only a single run across five innings. His next turn will be his big league debut. Nick Wittgren led the team in strikeouts as he punched out six across five innings allowing only a single earned run. Aaron Rozek returned from Double-A Wichita and made another strong spot start as he allowed just two runs in six innings. What’s Next: St. Paul travels to Indianapolis for a series against the IL West’s 2nd to last place team. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Overall: 47-61 (4-2 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North Overview: Facing the bottom team in the South, Wichita took a series against Corpus Christi. Tanner Schobel had a great week with four dingers and a team-leading 6 RBI while batting .304 with a 1.186 OPS across six games. Andrew Cossetti played in only two games, but he went deep twice and plated three. Luke Keaschall’s season came to an end as he undergoes a previously scheduled Tommy John surgery. He should be ready for next spring. Cory Lewis delivered a lights out start going six innings with nine strikeouts and no earned runs. Andrew Morris also struck out nine in a seven inning start where he didn’t allow a run and gave up just two hits. Christian MacLeod struck out eight in his start. He worked five innings of one run ball before earning a promotion to Triple-A. What’s Next: The Wind Surge host Arkansas for a six game series. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Overall: 58-48 (3-3 last week) Second place in the Midwest League West Overview: Splitting a series with Peoria, the Kernels stayed put in the standings. Nick Lucky was promoted to High-A and responded with a home run and .917 OPS over six games last week. Nate Baez batted .353 with a pair of doubles in five games. Kevin Maitan’s four RBI were a team high. Ty Langenberg turned in a great six inning performance allowing no runs on four hits while striking out seven. Mike Paredes made a pair of relief outings and struck out five across 4 1/3 innings. Connor Prielipp walked three in his start, but didn’t give up a hit across 2 2/3 while striking out five. What’s Next: The Kernels host a South Bend team that brings up the rear in the West. Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
Overall: 56-47 (5-1 last week) Second place in Florida State League West Overview: Fort Myers nearly swept Jupiter despite the opposition being the second team in the East. Brandon Winokur blasted a pair of dingers to lead the team, and compiled an .846 OPS. Kaelen Culpepper made his professional debut and went 5-for-13 with two doubles and a home run. Billy Amick made his professional debut and batted .364 in five games with a double. Kyle DeBarge had a team-high five RBI while also swiping five stolen bases. Derek Bender, Khadim Diaw, Jaime Ferrer, Caden Kendle, and Jay Thomason all made their professional debuts as well. Tanner Hall punched out seven during a seven inning scoreless start. Jack Noble and Devin Kirby both worked a pair of games in relief and struck out seven each. Xander Hamilton picked up saves in each of his appearances striking out four across three scoreless innings. What’s Next: The Mighty Mussels are on the road in Tampa against the worst team in the West. Dominican Summer League: DSL Twins
Overall: 25-23 Fourth place in Dominican Summer League South Eduardo Beltre hit another home run and posted a 1.096 OPS across four games. Merphy Hernandez drove in five runs across four games played. PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 5-22, 2 R, 3 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K
#2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 2-7, 2B, RBI, K
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 2-13, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
#5 – Zebby Matthews (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
#6 - David Festa (Minnesota) -  8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 12 K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 4-18, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
#8 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 5-13, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K
#11 - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-22, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, SB
#13 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
#14 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 2-12, 2 R, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K, SB
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 6-22, 4 R, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 5 SB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
#20 – Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) – 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Hitter of the Week - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
Pitcher of the Week - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

TRANSACTIONS:
RHP Zebby Matthews promoted to Minnesota from St. Paul RHP Matt Bowman released by Minnesota RHP Randy Dobnak optioned to St. Paul DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 10, DSL Rangers Blue 9 (F/10)
Box Score
Jose Vasquez started and gave up a pair of runs over four innings of work. He struck out four. Unfortunately Fabian Herrera ceded three more and put the Twins in a sizable hole. The Twins responded with a run when Guillermo Sosa scored on a fifth inning wild pitch and they were within three at 5-2.
The Rangers added another run in the seventh inning, but the Twins added a pair of their own to make it a 6-4 game. After the Rangers added one in the eighth inning, the Twins responded with a four spot and took their first lead. They gave it back in the top of the ninth inning before tying it in the bottom half. Hernandez lifted a tenth inning sacrifice fly to score Sosa and walk it off.
The Twins had 11 hits and drew seven walks. Daiber De Los Santos and Nestor Urbina each had three hits. Hernandez picked up two. Sebastian Pulido got the win, his third.
WEEK IN REVIEW
Triple-A: St. Paul Saints
Overall: 56-57 (2-4 last week) Fifth place in the IL West Overview: The Saints and Twins both played Cleveland teams this past week. Minnesota split while St. Paul dropped the series against the Clippers. Edouard Julien is heating up again and hit a pair of home runs while posting a 1.114 OPS. Anthony Prato played in just four games but went 6-for-13 with a double, triple, and a home run. DaShawn Keirsey Jr.’s .905 OPS was aided by a home run while he batted .273 and played in all six games. Zebby Matthews recorded his best Triple-A start allowing only a single run across five innings. His next turn will be his big league debut. Nick Wittgren led the team in strikeouts as he punched out six across five innings allowing only a single earned run. Aaron Rozek returned from Double-A Wichita and made another strong spot start as he allowed just two runs in six innings. What’s Next: St. Paul travels to Indianapolis for a series against the IL West’s 2nd to last place team. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge
Overall: 47-61 (4-2 last week) Fifth place in the Texas League North Overview: Facing the bottom team in the South, Wichita took a series against Corpus Christi. Tanner Schobel had a great week with four dingers and a team-leading 6 RBI while batting .304 with a 1.186 OPS across six games. Andrew Cossetti played in only two games, but he went deep twice and plated three. Luke Keaschall’s season came to an end as he undergoes a previously scheduled Tommy John surgery. He should be ready for next spring. Cory Lewis delivered a lights out start going six innings with nine strikeouts and no earned runs. Andrew Morris also struck out nine in a seven inning start where he didn’t allow a run and gave up just two hits. Christian MacLeod struck out eight in his start. He worked five innings of one run ball before earning a promotion to Triple-A. What’s Next: The Wind Surge host Arkansas for a six game series. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels
Overall: 58-48 (3-3 last week) Second place in the Midwest League West Overview: Splitting a series with Peoria, the Kernels stayed put in the standings. Nick Lucky was promoted to High-A and responded with a home run and .917 OPS over six games last week. Nate Baez batted .353 with a pair of doubles in five games. Kevin Maitan’s four RBI were a team high. Ty Langenberg turned in a great six inning performance allowing no runs on four hits while striking out seven. Mike Paredes made a pair of relief outings and struck out five across 4 1/3 innings. Connor Prielipp walked three in his start, but didn’t give up a hit across 2 2/3 while striking out five. What’s Next: The Kernels host a South Bend team that brings up the rear in the West. Low-A: Fort Myers Mighty Mussels
Overall: 56-47 (5-1 last week) Second place in Florida State League West Overview: Fort Myers nearly swept Jupiter despite the opposition being the second team in the East. Brandon Winokur blasted a pair of dingers to lead the team, and compiled an .846 OPS. Kaelen Culpepper made his professional debut and went 5-for-13 with two doubles and a home run. Billy Amick made his professional debut and batted .364 in five games with a double. Kyle DeBarge had a team-high five RBI while also swiping five stolen bases. Derek Bender, Khadim Diaw, Jaime Ferrer, Caden Kendle, and Jay Thomason all made their professional debuts as well. Tanner Hall punched out seven during a seven inning scoreless start. Jack Noble and Devin Kirby both worked a pair of games in relief and struck out seven each. Xander Hamilton picked up saves in each of his appearances striking out four across three scoreless innings. What’s Next: The Mighty Mussels are on the road in Tampa against the worst team in the West. Dominican Summer League: DSL Twins
Overall: 25-23 Fourth place in Dominican Summer League South Eduardo Beltre hit another home run and posted a 1.096 OPS across four games. Merphy Hernandez drove in five runs across four games played. PROSPECT SUMMARY
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 5-22, 2 R, 3 2B, 3B, 2 RBI, BB, 3 K
#2 – Brooks Lee (Minnesota) – 2-7, 2B, RBI, K
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 2-13, R, HR, 2 RBI, K
#5 – Zebby Matthews (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K
#6 - David Festa (Minnesota) -  8.1 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 5 BB, 12 K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 4-18, 2 R, 3 BB, 5 K
#8 – Charlee Soto (Fort Myers) – 5.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 5-13, 3 R, 2 2B, HR, 4 RBI, 2 BB, K, SB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, BB, 3 K
#11 - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 5-22, 2 R, 2 HR, 3 RBI, 4 BB, 7 K, SB
#13 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
#14 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 2-12, 2 R, 2B, 3 BB, 4 K, SB
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 6-22, 4 R, 2B, 3B, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, 5 SB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
#20 – Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) – 2.2 IP, 0 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 3 BB, 5 K
Hitter of the Week - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 7-23, 6 R, 4 HR, 6 RBI, 2 BB, 4 K, 2 SB
Pitcher of the Week - Andrew Morris (Wichita) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 9 K

Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (89 pitches, 62 strikes)
Home Runs: N/A
Bottom 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (-.136), Max Kepler (-.134), Trevor Larnach (-.114)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Kwan Krushes Early
While there was a great celebration for Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek’s induction into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, the timing of the game was impacted. That’s always a tough situation to manage for the starting pitcher. First pitch was delayed by more than 40 minutes, and Simeon Woods Richardson was tasked with working around his routine. Steven Kwan stepped in and quickly greeted the Minnesota starter with a solo shot. Rocco Baldelli’s starter responded with three quick outs, including a pair of strikeouts.
Woods Richardson then responded by shutting the Guardians down. He blanked them in four consecutive innings and racked up six strikeouts during that stretch. Unfortunately for the Minnesota starter, his lineup couldn’t do any damage against Gavin Williams. Bo Naylor took Woods Richardson deep to open the sixth inning and the Twins found themselves down by a pair.
Woods Richardson Keeps Minnesota In It
There has been arguably no greater level of development for a big league player within the organization than what Woods Richardson has done over the past year. Now touching 96 mph with his fastball and pitching deep into games, he looks like an entirely different starter. Despite giving up a pair of solo shots, he was nothing short of lights out on Saturday. The lineup couldn’t get much going behind his seven innings of work, but Matt Wallner did cash in a sixth inning leadoff double for Willi Castro to make it 2-1.
Josh Winder gave the Twins big innings on Wednesday against the Cubs and showed up against on Saturday. Another multi-inning outing, this time two frames, saw him shut down Cleveland and send it to the bottom of the ninth with Minnesota needing a run. Emmanuel Clase toed the rubber for the Guardians.
The Twins went down in order against Clase and finished the evening with just four hits. Baldelli’s lineup went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.
Notes
The Twins learned that Joe Ryan’s timeline could potentially have him out for the season. David Festa and Zebby Matthews will be tasked with stepping up in a big way. Similar to what they did last season with Dallas Keuchel, they could opt to bring back veteran Rich Hill in order to eat innings.
Recently designated reliever Josh Staumont has signed with the Chicago Cubs. He will begin at Triple-A but should be back in the big leagues.
Matt Bowman has exercised his opt out with the Twins. The club must promote him to the big leagues by Monday or he will again be a free agent.
Justin Topa has been pulled off his rehab assignment. Although he had shown promising results, the velocity hasn’t been where it needs to be. Now the Twins are ending his road back as he deals with arm fatigue.
Both Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame Saturday. The turnout was significant.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Rookie David Festa goes on Sunday afternoon with a series win on the line. He faces Tanner Bibee for Cleveland, and the Twins can get back to within 1.5 games of the AL Central lead with a victory. They will welcome Kansas City to Target Field on Monday.
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (89 pitches, 62 strikes)
Home Runs: N/A
Bottom 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (-.136), Max Kepler (-.134), Trevor Larnach (-.114)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Kwan Krushes Early
While there was a great celebration for Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek’s induction into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, the timing of the game was impacted. That’s always a tough situation to manage for the starting pitcher. First pitch was delayed by more than 40 minutes, and Simeon Woods Richardson was tasked with working around his routine. Steven Kwan stepped in and quickly greeted the Minnesota starter with a solo shot. Rocco Baldelli’s starter responded with three quick outs, including a pair of strikeouts.
Woods Richardson then responded by shutting the Guardians down. He blanked them in four consecutive innings and racked up six strikeouts during that stretch. Unfortunately for the Minnesota starter, his lineup couldn’t do any damage against Gavin Williams. Bo Naylor took Woods Richardson deep to open the sixth inning and the Twins found themselves down by a pair.
Woods Richardson Keeps Minnesota In It
There has been arguably no greater level of development for a big league player within the organization than what Woods Richardson has done over the past year. Now touching 96 mph with his fastball and pitching deep into games, he looks like an entirely different starter. Despite giving up a pair of solo shots, he was nothing short of lights out on Saturday. The lineup couldn’t get much going behind his seven innings of work, but Matt Wallner did cash in a sixth inning leadoff double for Willi Castro to make it 2-1.
Josh Winder gave the Twins big innings on Wednesday against the Cubs and showed up against on Saturday. Another multi-inning outing, this time two frames, saw him shut down Cleveland and send it to the bottom of the ninth with Minnesota needing a run. Emmanuel Clase toed the rubber for the Guardians.
The Twins went down in order against Clase and finished the evening with just four hits. Baldelli’s lineup went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.
Notes
The Twins learned that Joe Ryan’s timeline could potentially have him out for the season. David Festa and Zebby Matthews will be tasked with stepping up in a big way. Similar to what they did last season with Dallas Keuchel, they could opt to bring back veteran Rich Hill in order to eat innings.
Recently designated reliever Josh Staumont has signed with the Chicago Cubs. He will begin at Triple-A but should be back in the big leagues.
Matt Bowman has exercised his opt out with the Twins. The club must promote him to the big leagues by Monday or he will again be a free agent.
Justin Topa has been pulled off his rehab assignment. Although he had shown promising results, the velocity hasn’t been where it needs to be. Now the Twins are ending his road back as he deals with arm fatigue.
Both Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame Saturday. The turnout was significant.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Rookie David Festa goes on Sunday afternoon with a series win on the line. He faces Tanner Bibee for Cleveland, and the Twins can get back to within 1.5 games of the AL Central lead with a victory. They will welcome Kansas City to Target Field on Monday.
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (89 pitches, 62 strikes)
Home Runs: N/A
Bottom 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (-.136), Max Kepler (-.134), Trevor Larnach (-.114)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Kwan Krushes Early
While there was a great celebration for Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek’s induction into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, the timing of the game was impacted. That’s always a tough situation to manage for the starting pitcher. First pitch was delayed by more than 40 minutes, and Simeon Woods Richardson was tasked with working around his routine. Steven Kwan stepped in and quickly greeted the Minnesota starter with a solo shot. Rocco Baldelli’s starter responded with three quick outs, including a pair of strikeouts.
Woods Richardson then responded by shutting the Guardians down. He blanked them in four consecutive innings and racked up six strikeouts during that stretch. Unfortunately for the Minnesota starter, his lineup couldn’t do any damage against Gavin Williams. Bo Naylor took Woods Richardson deep to open the sixth inning and the Twins found themselves down by a pair.
Woods Richardson Keeps Minnesota In It
There has been arguably no greater level of development for a big league player within the organization than what Woods Richardson has done over the past year. Now touching 96 mph with his fastball and pitching deep into games, he looks like an entirely different starter. Despite giving up a pair of solo shots, he was nothing short of lights out on Saturday. The lineup couldn’t get much going behind his seven innings of work, but Matt Wallner did cash in a sixth inning leadoff double for Willi Castro to make it 2-1.
Josh Winder gave the Twins big innings on Wednesday against the Cubs and showed up against on Saturday. Another multi-inning outing, this time two frames, saw him shut down Cleveland and send it to the bottom of the ninth with Minnesota needing a run. Emmanuel Clase toed the rubber for the Guardians.
The Twins went down in order against Clase and finished the evening with just four hits. Baldelli’s lineup went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.
Notes
The Twins learned that Joe Ryan’s timeline could potentially have him out for the season. David Festa and Zebby Matthews will be tasked with stepping up in a big way. Similar to what they did last season with Dallas Keuchel, they could opt to bring back veteran Rich Hill in order to eat innings.
Recently designated reliever Josh Staumont has signed with the Chicago Cubs. He will begin at Triple-A but should be back in the big leagues.
Matt Bowman has exercised his opt out with the Twins. The club must promote him to the big leagues by Monday or he will again be a free agent.
Justin Topa has been pulled off his rehab assignment. Although he had shown promising results, the velocity hasn’t been where it needs to be. Now the Twins are ending his road back as he deals with arm fatigue.
Both Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame Saturday. The turnout was significant.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Rookie David Festa goes on Sunday afternoon with a series win on the line. He faces Tanner Bibee for Cleveland, and the Twins can get back to within 1.5 games of the AL Central lead with a victory. They will welcome Kansas City to Target Field on Monday.
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

Box Score
SP: Simeon Woods Richardson 7.0 IP, 4 H, 2 R, 2 ER, 0 BB, 7 K (89 pitches, 62 strikes)
Home Runs: N/A
Bottom 3 WPA: Matt Wallner (-.136), Max Kepler (-.134), Trevor Larnach (-.114)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Kwan Krushes Early
While there was a great celebration for Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek’s induction into the Minnesota Twins Hall of Fame, the timing of the game was impacted. That’s always a tough situation to manage for the starting pitcher. First pitch was delayed by more than 40 minutes, and Simeon Woods Richardson was tasked with working around his routine. Steven Kwan stepped in and quickly greeted the Minnesota starter with a solo shot. Rocco Baldelli’s starter responded with three quick outs, including a pair of strikeouts.
Woods Richardson then responded by shutting the Guardians down. He blanked them in four consecutive innings and racked up six strikeouts during that stretch. Unfortunately for the Minnesota starter, his lineup couldn’t do any damage against Gavin Williams. Bo Naylor took Woods Richardson deep to open the sixth inning and the Twins found themselves down by a pair.
Woods Richardson Keeps Minnesota In It
There has been arguably no greater level of development for a big league player within the organization than what Woods Richardson has done over the past year. Now touching 96 mph with his fastball and pitching deep into games, he looks like an entirely different starter. Despite giving up a pair of solo shots, he was nothing short of lights out on Saturday. The lineup couldn’t get much going behind his seven innings of work, but Matt Wallner did cash in a sixth inning leadoff double for Willi Castro to make it 2-1.
Josh Winder gave the Twins big innings on Wednesday against the Cubs and showed up against on Saturday. Another multi-inning outing, this time two frames, saw him shut down Cleveland and send it to the bottom of the ninth with Minnesota needing a run. Emmanuel Clase toed the rubber for the Guardians.
The Twins went down in order against Clase and finished the evening with just four hits. Baldelli’s lineup went 0-for-5 with runners in scoring position and left four on base.
Notes
The Twins learned that Joe Ryan’s timeline could potentially have him out for the season. David Festa and Zebby Matthews will be tasked with stepping up in a big way. Similar to what they did last season with Dallas Keuchel, they could opt to bring back veteran Rich Hill in order to eat innings.
Recently designated reliever Josh Staumont has signed with the Chicago Cubs. He will begin at Triple-A but should be back in the big leagues.
Matt Bowman has exercised his opt out with the Twins. The club must promote him to the big leagues by Monday or he will again be a free agent.
Justin Topa has been pulled off his rehab assignment. Although he had shown promising results, the velocity hasn’t been where it needs to be. Now the Twins are ending his road back as he deals with arm fatigue.
Both Terry Ryan and Rick Stelmaszek were inducted into the Twins Hall of Fame Saturday. The turnout was significant.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Rookie David Festa goes on Sunday afternoon with a series win on the line. He faces Tanner Bibee for Cleveland, and the Twins can get back to within 1.5 games of the AL Central lead with a victory. They will welcome Kansas City to Target Field on Monday.
Postgame Interviews
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 65-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-61
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-48
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-47
DSL Twins: 24-23
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Scott Blewett contract purchased by Minnesota. INF Kyle Farmer completed a rehab assignment, returned to Minnesota. LHP Aaron Rozek transferred to St. Paul. INF Luke Keaschall will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery for Wichita. UTIL Dalton Shuffield transferred to Wichita. INF Rixon Wingrove promoted to Cedar Rapids. INF Kaelen Culpepper added to Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL
Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (F/10)
Box Score
Transferred from Wichita on Friday, Aaron Rozek made the start for St. Paul. He worked six innings allowing just a pair of runs on six hits. Rozek walked two and struck out one while giving the Saints a chance to win.
Down 2-0 after the top of the second inning, St. Paul responded with a Chris Williams sacrifice fly to score Diego A. Castillo. The sides remained within a run until the seventh inning when the Clippers added another tally to make it a 3-1 game.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sent his 12th big fly over the fence in the eighth inning to tie things at three. The home run scored Edouard Julien and made it a 3-3 ballgame. Hobie Harris struck out the side and gave the Saints a chance in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Clippers got Harris for a pair of runs (one earned) in the tenth inning, and the Saints had work to do. With runners on first and second, Keirsey Jr. ripped a liner that wound up in a game-ending double play. St. Paul found themselves coming up just short. Julien and Williams both wound up with a pair of hits on the night.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 4, Wichita 1
Box Score
Marco Raya was on the mound to start and he went six innings of scoreless baseball. The top prospect allowed only two hits and walked one while striking out three. It was one of his best starts this season.
Both sides remained scoreless until the seventh inning. Wichita plated a run when Tanner Schobel scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately the Hooks responded with a four-spot in the bottom half and Corpus Christi was ahead.
Wichita finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring positions and left six runners on base. Their five hits were scattered evenly with no one recording a pair. None of the base knocks went for extra bases either.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 1, Cedar Rapids 0
Box Score
It was C.J. Culpepper on the mound for the Kernels. He lasted just three innings but gave up only a single run. Culpepper worked around three hits and didn’t allow a walk while striking out four. Spencer Bengard came on in relief and pitched five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The Chiefs pushed across a run in the third inning to make it 1-0. That was the only tally of the game and Cedar Rapids never was able to come up with an answer.
Cedar Rapids recorded just five hits in the game and owned a 7/1 K/BB. Walker Jenkins was the lone batter to reach twice with hits, and one of his tallies was a double. The recently promoted Rixon Wingrove drew the only walk.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Jupiter 10, Fort Myers 5
Box Score
Jose Olivares drew the start and worked 2 2/3 innings while allowing a single run. He gave up three hits and a walk but struck out three. Paulshawn Pasqualotto was done in with six runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Kaelen Culpepper doubled in his first professional at bat and Kyle DeBarge brought him home with a first inning double. Billy Amick then singled to make it a 2-0 game. After Jupiter answered with a run of their own, DeBarge singled again to bring in Byron Chourio and make it 3-1. In the third inning Jaime Ferrer doubled in Khadim Diaw and Derek Bender reached on a fielding error to score Ferrer and make it 5-1. It was downhill from there as Jupiter ripped off nine unanswered and won 10-5.
Culpepper made his professional debut with a pair of hits while DeBarge and Amick joined him there. Fort Myers racked up eight strikeouts but walked four times on the evening.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Tigers2 21, DSL Twins 7
Box Score
The Twins and Tigers played each other for the second time in consecutive days. The result went the opposite way on Friday with the Tigers grabbing three touchdowns. Enyer Cepeda recorded just a single out while giving up four runs.
The TIgers put up a ridiculous 21 runs on 15 hits. Merphy Hernandez and Eduardo Beltra recorded a pair of hits but the Twins couldn’t mount a comeback with their offensive output. The Twins struck out six times while drawing five walks.
Irvin Nunez doubled, as did Beltre. Hernandez tripled and homered while Beltre went yard.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Spencer Bengard (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitter of the Day – DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(12), BB, 2 K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2B K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2B, BB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-5, K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-4, R, K
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-4, 4.57 ERA)
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams (4-7, 4.28 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – LHP Connor Prielipp (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games!
 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 65-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-61
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-48
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-47
DSL Twins: 24-23
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Scott Blewett contract purchased by Minnesota. INF Kyle Farmer completed a rehab assignment, returned to Minnesota. LHP Aaron Rozek transferred to St. Paul. INF Luke Keaschall will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery for Wichita. UTIL Dalton Shuffield transferred to Wichita. INF Rixon Wingrove promoted to Cedar Rapids. INF Kaelen Culpepper added to Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL
Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (F/10)
Box Score
Transferred from Wichita on Friday, Aaron Rozek made the start for St. Paul. He worked six innings allowing just a pair of runs on six hits. Rozek walked two and struck out one while giving the Saints a chance to win.
Down 2-0 after the top of the second inning, St. Paul responded with a Chris Williams sacrifice fly to score Diego A. Castillo. The sides remained within a run until the seventh inning when the Clippers added another tally to make it a 3-1 game.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sent his 12th big fly over the fence in the eighth inning to tie things at three. The home run scored Edouard Julien and made it a 3-3 ballgame. Hobie Harris struck out the side and gave the Saints a chance in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Clippers got Harris for a pair of runs (one earned) in the tenth inning, and the Saints had work to do. With runners on first and second, Keirsey Jr. ripped a liner that wound up in a game-ending double play. St. Paul found themselves coming up just short. Julien and Williams both wound up with a pair of hits on the night.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 4, Wichita 1
Box Score
Marco Raya was on the mound to start and he went six innings of scoreless baseball. The top prospect allowed only two hits and walked one while striking out three. It was one of his best starts this season.
Both sides remained scoreless until the seventh inning. Wichita plated a run when Tanner Schobel scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately the Hooks responded with a four-spot in the bottom half and Corpus Christi was ahead.
Wichita finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring positions and left six runners on base. Their five hits were scattered evenly with no one recording a pair. None of the base knocks went for extra bases either.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 1, Cedar Rapids 0
Box Score
It was C.J. Culpepper on the mound for the Kernels. He lasted just three innings but gave up only a single run. Culpepper worked around three hits and didn’t allow a walk while striking out four. Spencer Bengard came on in relief and pitched five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The Chiefs pushed across a run in the third inning to make it 1-0. That was the only tally of the game and Cedar Rapids never was able to come up with an answer.
Cedar Rapids recorded just five hits in the game and owned a 7/1 K/BB. Walker Jenkins was the lone batter to reach twice with hits, and one of his tallies was a double. The recently promoted Rixon Wingrove drew the only walk.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Jupiter 10, Fort Myers 5
Box Score
Jose Olivares drew the start and worked 2 2/3 innings while allowing a single run. He gave up three hits and a walk but struck out three. Paulshawn Pasqualotto was done in with six runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Kaelen Culpepper doubled in his first professional at bat and Kyle DeBarge brought him home with a first inning double. Billy Amick then singled to make it a 2-0 game. After Jupiter answered with a run of their own, DeBarge singled again to bring in Byron Chourio and make it 3-1. In the third inning Jaime Ferrer doubled in Khadim Diaw and Derek Bender reached on a fielding error to score Ferrer and make it 5-1. It was downhill from there as Jupiter ripped off nine unanswered and won 10-5.
Culpepper made his professional debut with a pair of hits while DeBarge and Amick joined him there. Fort Myers racked up eight strikeouts but walked four times on the evening.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Tigers2 21, DSL Twins 7
Box Score
The Twins and Tigers played each other for the second time in consecutive days. The result went the opposite way on Friday with the Tigers grabbing three touchdowns. Enyer Cepeda recorded just a single out while giving up four runs.
The TIgers put up a ridiculous 21 runs on 15 hits. Merphy Hernandez and Eduardo Beltra recorded a pair of hits but the Twins couldn’t mount a comeback with their offensive output. The Twins struck out six times while drawing five walks.
Irvin Nunez doubled, as did Beltre. Hernandez tripled and homered while Beltre went yard.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Spencer Bengard (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitter of the Day – DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(12), BB, 2 K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2B K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2B, BB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-5, K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-4, R, K
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-4, 4.57 ERA)
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams (4-7, 4.28 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – LHP Connor Prielipp (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games!
 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 65-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-61
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-48
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-47
DSL Twins: 24-23
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Scott Blewett contract purchased by Minnesota. INF Kyle Farmer completed a rehab assignment, returned to Minnesota. LHP Aaron Rozek transferred to St. Paul. INF Luke Keaschall will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery for Wichita. UTIL Dalton Shuffield transferred to Wichita. INF Rixon Wingrove promoted to Cedar Rapids. INF Kaelen Culpepper added to Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL
Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (F/10)
Box Score
Transferred from Wichita on Friday, Aaron Rozek made the start for St. Paul. He worked six innings allowing just a pair of runs on six hits. Rozek walked two and struck out one while giving the Saints a chance to win.
Down 2-0 after the top of the second inning, St. Paul responded with a Chris Williams sacrifice fly to score Diego A. Castillo. The sides remained within a run until the seventh inning when the Clippers added another tally to make it a 3-1 game.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sent his 12th big fly over the fence in the eighth inning to tie things at three. The home run scored Edouard Julien and made it a 3-3 ballgame. Hobie Harris struck out the side and gave the Saints a chance in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Clippers got Harris for a pair of runs (one earned) in the tenth inning, and the Saints had work to do. With runners on first and second, Keirsey Jr. ripped a liner that wound up in a game-ending double play. St. Paul found themselves coming up just short. Julien and Williams both wound up with a pair of hits on the night.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 4, Wichita 1
Box Score
Marco Raya was on the mound to start and he went six innings of scoreless baseball. The top prospect allowed only two hits and walked one while striking out three. It was one of his best starts this season.
Both sides remained scoreless until the seventh inning. Wichita plated a run when Tanner Schobel scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately the Hooks responded with a four-spot in the bottom half and Corpus Christi was ahead.
Wichita finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring positions and left six runners on base. Their five hits were scattered evenly with no one recording a pair. None of the base knocks went for extra bases either.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 1, Cedar Rapids 0
Box Score
It was C.J. Culpepper on the mound for the Kernels. He lasted just three innings but gave up only a single run. Culpepper worked around three hits and didn’t allow a walk while striking out four. Spencer Bengard came on in relief and pitched five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The Chiefs pushed across a run in the third inning to make it 1-0. That was the only tally of the game and Cedar Rapids never was able to come up with an answer.
Cedar Rapids recorded just five hits in the game and owned a 7/1 K/BB. Walker Jenkins was the lone batter to reach twice with hits, and one of his tallies was a double. The recently promoted Rixon Wingrove drew the only walk.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Jupiter 10, Fort Myers 5
Box Score
Jose Olivares drew the start and worked 2 2/3 innings while allowing a single run. He gave up three hits and a walk but struck out three. Paulshawn Pasqualotto was done in with six runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Kaelen Culpepper doubled in his first professional at bat and Kyle DeBarge brought him home with a first inning double. Billy Amick then singled to make it a 2-0 game. After Jupiter answered with a run of their own, DeBarge singled again to bring in Byron Chourio and make it 3-1. In the third inning Jaime Ferrer doubled in Khadim Diaw and Derek Bender reached on a fielding error to score Ferrer and make it 5-1. It was downhill from there as Jupiter ripped off nine unanswered and won 10-5.
Culpepper made his professional debut with a pair of hits while DeBarge and Amick joined him there. Fort Myers racked up eight strikeouts but walked four times on the evening.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Tigers2 21, DSL Twins 7
Box Score
The Twins and Tigers played each other for the second time in consecutive days. The result went the opposite way on Friday with the Tigers grabbing three touchdowns. Enyer Cepeda recorded just a single out while giving up four runs.
The TIgers put up a ridiculous 21 runs on 15 hits. Merphy Hernandez and Eduardo Beltra recorded a pair of hits but the Twins couldn’t mount a comeback with their offensive output. The Twins struck out six times while drawing five walks.
Irvin Nunez doubled, as did Beltre. Hernandez tripled and homered while Beltre went yard.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Spencer Bengard (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitter of the Day – DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(12), BB, 2 K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2B K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2B, BB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-5, K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-4, R, K
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-4, 4.57 ERA)
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams (4-7, 4.28 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – LHP Connor Prielipp (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games!
 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 65-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-61
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-48
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-47
DSL Twins: 24-23
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Scott Blewett contract purchased by Minnesota. INF Kyle Farmer completed a rehab assignment, returned to Minnesota. LHP Aaron Rozek transferred to St. Paul. INF Luke Keaschall will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery for Wichita. UTIL Dalton Shuffield transferred to Wichita. INF Rixon Wingrove promoted to Cedar Rapids. INF Kaelen Culpepper added to Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL
Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (F/10)
Box Score
Transferred from Wichita on Friday, Aaron Rozek made the start for St. Paul. He worked six innings allowing just a pair of runs on six hits. Rozek walked two and struck out one while giving the Saints a chance to win.
Down 2-0 after the top of the second inning, St. Paul responded with a Chris Williams sacrifice fly to score Diego A. Castillo. The sides remained within a run until the seventh inning when the Clippers added another tally to make it a 3-1 game.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sent his 12th big fly over the fence in the eighth inning to tie things at three. The home run scored Edouard Julien and made it a 3-3 ballgame. Hobie Harris struck out the side and gave the Saints a chance in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Clippers got Harris for a pair of runs (one earned) in the tenth inning, and the Saints had work to do. With runners on first and second, Keirsey Jr. ripped a liner that wound up in a game-ending double play. St. Paul found themselves coming up just short. Julien and Williams both wound up with a pair of hits on the night.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 4, Wichita 1
Box Score
Marco Raya was on the mound to start and he went six innings of scoreless baseball. The top prospect allowed only two hits and walked one while striking out three. It was one of his best starts this season.
Both sides remained scoreless until the seventh inning. Wichita plated a run when Tanner Schobel scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately the Hooks responded with a four-spot in the bottom half and Corpus Christi was ahead.
Wichita finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring positions and left six runners on base. Their five hits were scattered evenly with no one recording a pair. None of the base knocks went for extra bases either.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 1, Cedar Rapids 0
Box Score
It was C.J. Culpepper on the mound for the Kernels. He lasted just three innings but gave up only a single run. Culpepper worked around three hits and didn’t allow a walk while striking out four. Spencer Bengard came on in relief and pitched five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The Chiefs pushed across a run in the third inning to make it 1-0. That was the only tally of the game and Cedar Rapids never was able to come up with an answer.
Cedar Rapids recorded just five hits in the game and owned a 7/1 K/BB. Walker Jenkins was the lone batter to reach twice with hits, and one of his tallies was a double. The recently promoted Rixon Wingrove drew the only walk.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Jupiter 10, Fort Myers 5
Box Score
Jose Olivares drew the start and worked 2 2/3 innings while allowing a single run. He gave up three hits and a walk but struck out three. Paulshawn Pasqualotto was done in with six runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Kaelen Culpepper doubled in his first professional at bat and Kyle DeBarge brought him home with a first inning double. Billy Amick then singled to make it a 2-0 game. After Jupiter answered with a run of their own, DeBarge singled again to bring in Byron Chourio and make it 3-1. In the third inning Jaime Ferrer doubled in Khadim Diaw and Derek Bender reached on a fielding error to score Ferrer and make it 5-1. It was downhill from there as Jupiter ripped off nine unanswered and won 10-5.
Culpepper made his professional debut with a pair of hits while DeBarge and Amick joined him there. Fort Myers racked up eight strikeouts but walked four times on the evening.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Tigers2 21, DSL Twins 7
Box Score
The Twins and Tigers played each other for the second time in consecutive days. The result went the opposite way on Friday with the Tigers grabbing three touchdowns. Enyer Cepeda recorded just a single out while giving up four runs.
The TIgers put up a ridiculous 21 runs on 15 hits. Merphy Hernandez and Eduardo Beltra recorded a pair of hits but the Twins couldn’t mount a comeback with their offensive output. The Twins struck out six times while drawing five walks.
Irvin Nunez doubled, as did Beltre. Hernandez tripled and homered while Beltre went yard.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Spencer Bengard (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitter of the Day – DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(12), BB, 2 K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2B K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2B, BB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-5, K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-4, R, K
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-4, 4.57 ERA)
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams (4-7, 4.28 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – LHP Connor Prielipp (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games!
 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 65-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-61
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-48
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-47
DSL Twins: 24-23
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Scott Blewett contract purchased by Minnesota. INF Kyle Farmer completed a rehab assignment, returned to Minnesota. LHP Aaron Rozek transferred to St. Paul. INF Luke Keaschall will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery for Wichita. UTIL Dalton Shuffield transferred to Wichita. INF Rixon Wingrove promoted to Cedar Rapids. INF Kaelen Culpepper added to Fort Myers. SAINTS SENTINEL
Columbus 5, St. Paul 3 (F/10)
Box Score
Transferred from Wichita on Friday, Aaron Rozek made the start for St. Paul. He worked six innings allowing just a pair of runs on six hits. Rozek walked two and struck out one while giving the Saints a chance to win.
Down 2-0 after the top of the second inning, St. Paul responded with a Chris Williams sacrifice fly to score Diego A. Castillo. The sides remained within a run until the seventh inning when the Clippers added another tally to make it a 3-1 game.
DaShawn Keirsey Jr. sent his 12th big fly over the fence in the eighth inning to tie things at three. The home run scored Edouard Julien and made it a 3-3 ballgame. Hobie Harris struck out the side and gave the Saints a chance in the bottom of the ninth inning.
The Clippers got Harris for a pair of runs (one earned) in the tenth inning, and the Saints had work to do. With runners on first and second, Keirsey Jr. ripped a liner that wound up in a game-ending double play. St. Paul found themselves coming up just short. Julien and Williams both wound up with a pair of hits on the night.

WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 4, Wichita 1
Box Score
Marco Raya was on the mound to start and he went six innings of scoreless baseball. The top prospect allowed only two hits and walked one while striking out three. It was one of his best starts this season.
Both sides remained scoreless until the seventh inning. Wichita plated a run when Tanner Schobel scored on a wild pitch. Unfortunately the Hooks responded with a four-spot in the bottom half and Corpus Christi was ahead.
Wichita finished 0-for-9 with runners in scoring positions and left six runners on base. Their five hits were scattered evenly with no one recording a pair. None of the base knocks went for extra bases either.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Peoria 1, Cedar Rapids 0
Box Score
It was C.J. Culpepper on the mound for the Kernels. He lasted just three innings but gave up only a single run. Culpepper worked around three hits and didn’t allow a walk while striking out four. Spencer Bengard came on in relief and pitched five scoreless innings with a pair of strikeouts.
The Chiefs pushed across a run in the third inning to make it 1-0. That was the only tally of the game and Cedar Rapids never was able to come up with an answer.
Cedar Rapids recorded just five hits in the game and owned a 7/1 K/BB. Walker Jenkins was the lone batter to reach twice with hits, and one of his tallies was a double. The recently promoted Rixon Wingrove drew the only walk.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Jupiter 10, Fort Myers 5
Box Score
Jose Olivares drew the start and worked 2 2/3 innings while allowing a single run. He gave up three hits and a walk but struck out three. Paulshawn Pasqualotto was done in with six runs in 1 1/3 innings of relief.
Kaelen Culpepper doubled in his first professional at bat and Kyle DeBarge brought him home with a first inning double. Billy Amick then singled to make it a 2-0 game. After Jupiter answered with a run of their own, DeBarge singled again to bring in Byron Chourio and make it 3-1. In the third inning Jaime Ferrer doubled in Khadim Diaw and Derek Bender reached on a fielding error to score Ferrer and make it 5-1. It was downhill from there as Jupiter ripped off nine unanswered and won 10-5.
Culpepper made his professional debut with a pair of hits while DeBarge and Amick joined him there. Fort Myers racked up eight strikeouts but walked four times on the evening.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Tigers2 21, DSL Twins 7
Box Score
The Twins and Tigers played each other for the second time in consecutive days. The result went the opposite way on Friday with the Tigers grabbing three touchdowns. Enyer Cepeda recorded just a single out while giving up four runs.
The TIgers put up a ridiculous 21 runs on 15 hits. Merphy Hernandez and Eduardo Beltra recorded a pair of hits but the Twins couldn’t mount a comeback with their offensive output. The Twins struck out six times while drawing five walks.
Irvin Nunez doubled, as did Beltre. Hernandez tripled and homered while Beltre went yard.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Spencer Bengard (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 3 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 2 K
Hitter of the Day – DaShawn Keirsey (St. Paul) - 1-3, R, 2 RBI, HR(12), BB, 2 K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 2-4, 2B K
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, 3 K
#9 - Kaelen Culpepper (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2B, BB
#10 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 3 K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 0-5, K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 2-4, R, 2 RBI, 2B, BB
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-4, R, K
#19 - C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 0 BB, 4 K
SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (6:37 PM CST) – RHP Caleb Boushley (9-4, 4.57 ERA)
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Travis Adams (4-7, 4.28 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – LHP Connor Prielipp (0-1, 5.79 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:00 PM CST) – RHP Adrian Bohorquez (0-0, 0.00 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games!
 

Despite having played just over 100 big-league games, there are an infinite number of highlight moments for Royce Lewis. He has hit home runs at a prolific pace during the regular season. He has launched grand slams like he will eventually track down Alex Rodríguez. He has shown up in massive postseason moments. It has been a Joe Mauer or Kirby Puckett-style ascent toward superstardom.
Of course, the caveat for Lewis is that he has been hurt, and hurt often. Various ailments have cost him significant time. Fluke ACL injuries have been the biggest culprits, but soft-tissue maladies have derailed each of what would otherwise have been his two full seasons. The only thing that has stopped Lewis from performing thus far has been his body itself.
That’s not new for the Minnesota Twins. Byron Buxton falls in a similar situation, and the franchise appropriately paid the man. In agreeing to a seven-year deal worth $100 million, both sides took on a certain amount of risk. The franchise is hoping that Buxton stays healthy and outperforms the deal. The player is seeking to earn individual accolades that bump his pay to where health may have allowed it to be.
Would Scott Boras allow for something similar to take place with Lewis?
Boras is among the most influential agents in Major League Baseball. Beyond representing individual players, his reach permeates into the league itself. He is notable for getting his players the top dollar, no matter what that takes, and Lewis is among his most high-profile pre-arbitration clients.
That said, Boras has also taken some sizable losses of late. It's because of two deals falling apart that Carlos Correa is with the Minnesota Twins at all. Blake Snell and Matt Chapman both sat on the open market forever this past offseason. So did Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery. Of course, established veterans are a different beast altogether, but Lewis is going to hit arbitration with, at most, 160 big-league games under his belt.
What that means is Lewis will be scrutinized through an arbitration system that awards longevity of performance. It doesn’t matter that the Twins' youngster has been incredible when he has played, given how sporadically he has played. There is also the possibility of another injury that keeps him further away from any expected payday.
Lewis will reach arbitration this offseason as a Super Two player, and although he got a $6.725 million signing bonus upon being drafted, it’s this first contract that would represent generational money. A full year younger, with better performance, and boasting a clean bill of health, Bobby Witt Jr. landed an 11-year deal worth nearly $300 million this offseason. Lewis won’t see that sort of money, but the parameters for an extension are there.
It stands to reason that Minnesota would be against going to 10 years on a contract for a player with a significant injury history. The questions as to how his body ages could be limitless. A six-year deal with options may be the sweet spot. That would take Lewis through his age-31 season, and buy out his first two years of free agency. Options could be tacked on to reward health and production on the back end, and it’s still possible he is paid handsomely on the open market, should he choose to take his talents elsewhere at that time.
Boras would be wise to argue for $20 million per season, but $120 million is probably too rich in the short term for Minnesota ownership. The Twins could counter at $100 million, but a $16.6 million AAV might not be enough to get it done. Minnesota would presumably need to backload the deal rather than adding to a 2025 payroll expected to decline. Still, though, this offseason may be the last chance for the front office to get something hammered out that doesn’t break the bank.
Due to his per-game production, Lewis should angle for a premium during his first year of arbitration. From there, he’ll quickly price himself out of anything the Twins would have initially been able to do. Getting Boras on board is part of the equation. Getting ownership on board is another beast altogether. Similar to what was done for Mauer, Buxton, and Correa, it makes sense for Minnesota to lock in their stars, and Lewis joining that group would be great to see.

Despite having played just over 100 big-league games, there are an infinite number of highlight moments for Royce Lewis. He has hit home runs at a prolific pace during the regular season. He has launched grand slams like he will eventually track down Alex Rodríguez. He has shown up in massive postseason moments. It has been a Joe Mauer or Kirby Puckett-style ascent toward superstardom.
Of course, the caveat for Lewis is that he has been hurt, and hurt often. Various ailments have cost him significant time. Fluke ACL injuries have been the biggest culprits, but soft-tissue maladies have derailed each of what would otherwise have been his two full seasons. The only thing that has stopped Lewis from performing thus far has been his body itself.
That’s not new for the Minnesota Twins. Byron Buxton falls in a similar situation, and the franchise appropriately paid the man. In agreeing to a seven-year deal worth $100 million, both sides took on a certain amount of risk. The franchise is hoping that Buxton stays healthy and outperforms the deal. The player is seeking to earn individual accolades that bump his pay to where health may have allowed it to be.
Would Scott Boras allow for something similar to take place with Lewis?
Boras is among the most influential agents in Major League Baseball. Beyond representing individual players, his reach permeates into the league itself. He is notable for getting his players the top dollar, no matter what that takes, and Lewis is among his most high-profile pre-arbitration clients.
That said, Boras has also taken some sizable losses of late. It's because of two deals falling apart that Carlos Correa is with the Minnesota Twins at all. Blake Snell and Matt Chapman both sat on the open market forever this past offseason. So did Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery. Of course, established veterans are a different beast altogether, but Lewis is going to hit arbitration with, at most, 160 big-league games under his belt.
What that means is Lewis will be scrutinized through an arbitration system that awards longevity of performance. It doesn’t matter that the Twins' youngster has been incredible when he has played, given how sporadically he has played. There is also the possibility of another injury that keeps him further away from any expected payday.
Lewis will reach arbitration this offseason as a Super Two player, and although he got a $6.725 million signing bonus upon being drafted, it’s this first contract that would represent generational money. A full year younger, with better performance, and boasting a clean bill of health, Bobby Witt Jr. landed an 11-year deal worth nearly $300 million this offseason. Lewis won’t see that sort of money, but the parameters for an extension are there.
It stands to reason that Minnesota would be against going to 10 years on a contract for a player with a significant injury history. The questions as to how his body ages could be limitless. A six-year deal with options may be the sweet spot. That would take Lewis through his age-31 season, and buy out his first two years of free agency. Options could be tacked on to reward health and production on the back end, and it’s still possible he is paid handsomely on the open market, should he choose to take his talents elsewhere at that time.
Boras would be wise to argue for $20 million per season, but $120 million is probably too rich in the short term for Minnesota ownership. The Twins could counter at $100 million, but a $16.6 million AAV might not be enough to get it done. Minnesota would presumably need to backload the deal rather than adding to a 2025 payroll expected to decline. Still, though, this offseason may be the last chance for the front office to get something hammered out that doesn’t break the bank.
Due to his per-game production, Lewis should angle for a premium during his first year of arbitration. From there, he’ll quickly price himself out of anything the Twins would have initially been able to do. Getting Boras on board is part of the equation. Getting ownership on board is another beast altogether. Similar to what was done for Mauer, Buxton, and Correa, it makes sense for Minnesota to lock in their stars, and Lewis joining that group would be great to see.

Despite having played just over 100 big-league games, there are an infinite number of highlight moments for Royce Lewis. He has hit home runs at a prolific pace during the regular season. He has launched grand slams like he will eventually track down Alex Rodríguez. He has shown up in massive postseason moments. It has been a Joe Mauer or Kirby Puckett-style ascent toward superstardom.
Of course, the caveat for Lewis is that he has been hurt, and hurt often. Various ailments have cost him significant time. Fluke ACL injuries have been the biggest culprits, but soft-tissue maladies have derailed each of what would otherwise have been his two full seasons. The only thing that has stopped Lewis from performing thus far has been his body itself.
That’s not new for the Minnesota Twins. Byron Buxton falls in a similar situation, and the franchise appropriately paid the man. In agreeing to a seven-year deal worth $100 million, both sides took on a certain amount of risk. The franchise is hoping that Buxton stays healthy and outperforms the deal. The player is seeking to earn individual accolades that bump his pay to where health may have allowed it to be.
Would Scott Boras allow for something similar to take place with Lewis?
Boras is among the most influential agents in Major League Baseball. Beyond representing individual players, his reach permeates into the league itself. He is notable for getting his players the top dollar, no matter what that takes, and Lewis is among his most high-profile pre-arbitration clients.
That said, Boras has also taken some sizable losses of late. It's because of two deals falling apart that Carlos Correa is with the Minnesota Twins at all. Blake Snell and Matt Chapman both sat on the open market forever this past offseason. So did Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery. Of course, established veterans are a different beast altogether, but Lewis is going to hit arbitration with, at most, 160 big-league games under his belt.
What that means is Lewis will be scrutinized through an arbitration system that awards longevity of performance. It doesn’t matter that the Twins' youngster has been incredible when he has played, given how sporadically he has played. There is also the possibility of another injury that keeps him further away from any expected payday.
Lewis will reach arbitration this offseason as a Super Two player, and although he got a $6.725 million signing bonus upon being drafted, it’s this first contract that would represent generational money. A full year younger, with better performance, and boasting a clean bill of health, Bobby Witt Jr. landed an 11-year deal worth nearly $300 million this offseason. Lewis won’t see that sort of money, but the parameters for an extension are there.
It stands to reason that Minnesota would be against going to 10 years on a contract for a player with a significant injury history. The questions as to how his body ages could be limitless. A six-year deal with options may be the sweet spot. That would take Lewis through his age-31 season, and buy out his first two years of free agency. Options could be tacked on to reward health and production on the back end, and it’s still possible he is paid handsomely on the open market, should he choose to take his talents elsewhere at that time.
Boras would be wise to argue for $20 million per season, but $120 million is probably too rich in the short term for Minnesota ownership. The Twins could counter at $100 million, but a $16.6 million AAV might not be enough to get it done. Minnesota would presumably need to backload the deal rather than adding to a 2025 payroll expected to decline. Still, though, this offseason may be the last chance for the front office to get something hammered out that doesn’t break the bank.
Due to his per-game production, Lewis should angle for a premium during his first year of arbitration. From there, he’ll quickly price himself out of anything the Twins would have initially been able to do. Getting Boras on board is part of the equation. Getting ownership on board is another beast altogether. Similar to what was done for Mauer, Buxton, and Correa, it makes sense for Minnesota to lock in their stars, and Lewis joining that group would be great to see.

Box Score
SP: Bailey Ober 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (106 pitches, 70 strikes)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana(15), Ryan Jeffers(17)
Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.301), Carlos Santana (.085), Griffin Jax (.074)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Manny for MVP
Bailey Ober started Game 1 for the Minnesota Twins and made quick work of the Cleveland Guardians. Of course Rocco Baldelli’s team had yet to beat Stephen Vogt’s this year, and the rescheduled rainout would be a great place to change that. Manuel Margot led off, against a lefty, which basically means he’ll play like an All-Star. Stepping in against Joey Cantillo, Margot doubled. Byron Buxton moved him over and Royce Lewis cashed him in. Jose Miranda looked to extend the inning with a single to right center, but a big turn at first base got him thrown out.
Carlos Santana found lift-off against his former team in the second inning. He took Cantillo deep for his 15th home run of the season. The solo shot made it a 2-0 game early.
Bailey Dominates
Ryan Jeffers gave Bailey Ober some additional breathing room when he launched his 17th home run of the season in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 Twins. Minnesota needs to see their star catcher to rake once again and he has shown signs in recent weeks. Ober wrapped up his day going six innings, allowing just two hits, and no runs. He walked a pair and struck out nine. With a myriad of pitching issues currently in play, the start was a necessary one.
Brayan Rocchio drove in Andres Gimenez with a seventh inning home run, but that brought Cleveland to within just a single run. Kyle Farmer, who returned to the lineup following a stretch on the injured list, scored Max Kepler with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to make it a 4-2 game.
After Griffin Jax worked his 18th hold of the season, Jhoan Duran came on and grabbed his 16th save while striking out the side.
Notes
The morning couldn’t have been busier with roster moves. Unfortunately Brock Stewart’s once minor shoulder injury now will require surgery. He is set to undergo that on Tuesday, and will miss the rest of the season. A 5-6 month rehab should have him back for spring training.
As expected, Joe Ryan is also going on the injured list with a grade 2 teres major strain. Brooks Lee will join him there. The news for Ryan is crushing as it likely takes him out for the regular season, if not ending his year. Kyle Farmer completed his rehab assignment with St. Paul and rejoined the roster, starting at second base in game one. Lee was originally announced as the game one starter at second base, so hopefully his injury is not serious.
Scott Blewett joins the roster and is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He has a 3.66 ERA in more than 50 innings for the Saints this season. It is curious he was the addition to the bullpen rather than Justin Topa. The build up may still be a work in progress though.
With the injuries to the bullpen, Griffin Jax’s dominance becomes that much more imperative. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball for a while now. Given his pitch mix, there continues to be chatter about him moving back to the rotation, but that would be an offseason move if considered at all.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Back to just a single game on Saturday, Simeon Woods Richardson gets the pearl for Minnesota. He will be opposed by Gavin Williams with the series on the line. Continued strong starts from the rookie are a must given the latest pitching injuries.
Postgame Interviews
 
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

 

Box Score
SP: Bailey Ober 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (106 pitches, 70 strikes)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana(15), Ryan Jeffers(17)
Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.301), Carlos Santana (.085), Griffin Jax (.074)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Manny for MVP
Bailey Ober started Game 1 for the Minnesota Twins and made quick work of the Cleveland Guardians. Of course Rocco Baldelli’s team had yet to beat Stephen Vogt’s this year, and the rescheduled rainout would be a great place to change that. Manuel Margot led off, against a lefty, which basically means he’ll play like an All-Star. Stepping in against Joey Cantillo, Margot doubled. Byron Buxton moved him over and Royce Lewis cashed him in. Jose Miranda looked to extend the inning with a single to right center, but a big turn at first base got him thrown out.
Carlos Santana found lift-off against his former team in the second inning. He took Cantillo deep for his 15th home run of the season. The solo shot made it a 2-0 game early.
Bailey Dominates
Ryan Jeffers gave Bailey Ober some additional breathing room when he launched his 17th home run of the season in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 Twins. Minnesota needs to see their star catcher to rake once again and he has shown signs in recent weeks. Ober wrapped up his day going six innings, allowing just two hits, and no runs. He walked a pair and struck out nine. With a myriad of pitching issues currently in play, the start was a necessary one.
Brayan Rocchio drove in Andres Gimenez with a seventh inning home run, but that brought Cleveland to within just a single run. Kyle Farmer, who returned to the lineup following a stretch on the injured list, scored Max Kepler with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to make it a 4-2 game.
After Griffin Jax worked his 18th hold of the season, Jhoan Duran came on and grabbed his 16th save while striking out the side.
Notes
The morning couldn’t have been busier with roster moves. Unfortunately Brock Stewart’s once minor shoulder injury now will require surgery. He is set to undergo that on Tuesday, and will miss the rest of the season. A 5-6 month rehab should have him back for spring training.
As expected, Joe Ryan is also going on the injured list with a grade 2 teres major strain. Brooks Lee will join him there. The news for Ryan is crushing as it likely takes him out for the regular season, if not ending his year. Kyle Farmer completed his rehab assignment with St. Paul and rejoined the roster, starting at second base in game one. Lee was originally announced as the game one starter at second base, so hopefully his injury is not serious.
Scott Blewett joins the roster and is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He has a 3.66 ERA in more than 50 innings for the Saints this season. It is curious he was the addition to the bullpen rather than Justin Topa. The build up may still be a work in progress though.
With the injuries to the bullpen, Griffin Jax’s dominance becomes that much more imperative. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball for a while now. Given his pitch mix, there continues to be chatter about him moving back to the rotation, but that would be an offseason move if considered at all.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Back to just a single game on Saturday, Simeon Woods Richardson gets the pearl for Minnesota. He will be opposed by Gavin Williams with the series on the line. Continued strong starts from the rookie are a must given the latest pitching injuries.
Postgame Interviews
 
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

 

Box Score
SP: Bailey Ober 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (106 pitches, 70 strikes)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana(15), Ryan Jeffers(17)
Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.301), Carlos Santana (.085), Griffin Jax (.074)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Manny for MVP
Bailey Ober started Game 1 for the Minnesota Twins and made quick work of the Cleveland Guardians. Of course Rocco Baldelli’s team had yet to beat Stephen Vogt’s this year, and the rescheduled rainout would be a great place to change that. Manuel Margot led off, against a lefty, which basically means he’ll play like an All-Star. Stepping in against Joey Cantillo, Margot doubled. Byron Buxton moved him over and Royce Lewis cashed him in. Jose Miranda looked to extend the inning with a single to right center, but a big turn at first base got him thrown out.
Carlos Santana found lift-off against his former team in the second inning. He took Cantillo deep for his 15th home run of the season. The solo shot made it a 2-0 game early.
Bailey Dominates
Ryan Jeffers gave Bailey Ober some additional breathing room when he launched his 17th home run of the season in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 Twins. Minnesota needs to see their star catcher to rake once again and he has shown signs in recent weeks. Ober wrapped up his day going six innings, allowing just two hits, and no runs. He walked a pair and struck out nine. With a myriad of pitching issues currently in play, the start was a necessary one.
Brayan Rocchio drove in Andres Gimenez with a seventh inning home run, but that brought Cleveland to within just a single run. Kyle Farmer, who returned to the lineup following a stretch on the injured list, scored Max Kepler with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to make it a 4-2 game.
After Griffin Jax worked his 18th hold of the season, Jhoan Duran came on and grabbed his 16th save while striking out the side.
Notes
The morning couldn’t have been busier with roster moves. Unfortunately Brock Stewart’s once minor shoulder injury now will require surgery. He is set to undergo that on Tuesday, and will miss the rest of the season. A 5-6 month rehab should have him back for spring training.
As expected, Joe Ryan is also going on the injured list with a grade 2 teres major strain. Brooks Lee will join him there. The news for Ryan is crushing as it likely takes him out for the regular season, if not ending his year. Kyle Farmer completed his rehab assignment with St. Paul and rejoined the roster, starting at second base in game one. Lee was originally announced as the game one starter at second base, so hopefully his injury is not serious.
Scott Blewett joins the roster and is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He has a 3.66 ERA in more than 50 innings for the Saints this season. It is curious he was the addition to the bullpen rather than Justin Topa. The build up may still be a work in progress though.
With the injuries to the bullpen, Griffin Jax’s dominance becomes that much more imperative. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball for a while now. Given his pitch mix, there continues to be chatter about him moving back to the rotation, but that would be an offseason move if considered at all.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Back to just a single game on Saturday, Simeon Woods Richardson gets the pearl for Minnesota. He will be opposed by Gavin Williams with the series on the line. Continued strong starts from the rookie are a must given the latest pitching injuries.
Postgame Interviews
 
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

 

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 63-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-60
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-47
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-46
DSL Twins: 24-22
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Adam Plutko placed on IL by St. Paul with a forearm strain. RHP Louie Varland will be recalled by Minnesota to start on Friday. SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 1, Columbus 1
Box Score
Zebby Matthews started for the Saints and it appears he has begun to settle in. Matthews worked five innings allowing just a single run on two hits and (gasp) a walk. Matthews also struck out five and continues to look like an arm that Rocco Baldelli may call on for the big league club down the stretch.
Columbus scored on a Will Brennan first inning home run before the Saints answered with an Anthony Prato single in the second inning. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. scored and the sides remained even until the ninth inning. With no one out and runners on second and third, Rylan Bannon stepped in. He drew a walk to load the bases. Dalton Shuffield was up looking to drive in the winning run, and St. Paul needed to improve from their ugly 1-for-13 with RISP on the evening. Unfortunately he struck out. Jair Camargo did not though, and his single brought Prato in to walk it off. 
Rehabbing Twins infielder Kyle Farmer went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Prato also had a pair of hits, while Edouard Julien doubled. Giovanny Gallegos worked a scoreless inning in relief and Matt Bowman got the victory.
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 2, Wichita 1
Box Score
Cory Lewis was on the bump Thursday night for the Wind Surge and he turned in the best Double-A outing of his career. Lewis threw six innings of one (unearned) run baseball. He allowed just a pair of hits, and though he walked three, he struck out nine. Lewis also threw 56 of his 87 pitches for strikes.
Wichita trailed 1-0 into the ninth inning until Tanner Schobel went yard for the eighth time this season to tie things up. Jarret Whorff, who was one of the Twins best minor league relievers in July, got Wichita in position by throwing a pair of perfect innings with three strikeouts.
Unfortunately Regi Grace couldn’t get Wichita to the tenth inning and a Hooks run walked them off. Both sides recorded just three hits. Schobel’s was the only extra-base knock for Wichita. He also stole his 11th base of the season, and Aaron Sabato grabbed his seventh.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 4
Box Score
It was bump day for Ricky Castro with the Kernels on Thursday. He worked three innings allowing three runs on five hits and a pair of walks. The Kernels starter struck out a pair.
Misael Urbina drove in Nate Baez in the second inning to score the game’s first run. Cedar Rapids then coughed up three in the bottom half. Peoria pushed it to a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning, but the Kernels answered with a run in the eighth inning. Nick Lucky drove in Rubel Cespedes on a single to make it 4-2. Jose Salas then clubbed a bases-loaded double, scoring Agustin Ruiz, Baez, and Lucky to give the Kernels their first lead of the night.
Jordan Carr, Juan Mendez, and Rafael Marcano combined to work five innings of relief. The only run allowed was an unearned tally tacked to Carr’s outing. Cedar Rapids tallied seven hits with Cespedes and Kyle Hess grabbing two of them each. Both of Hess’ hits were doubles.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 2, Jupiter 0
Box Score
Tanner Hall started for the Mighty Mussels and was nearly perfect. The Fort Myers starter worked seven scoreless innings allowing just a pair of hits while striking out seven. He gave up only a single walk.
Brandon Winokur kicked off the scoring early with a solo shot, his ninth, in the first inning. Fort Myers added a second run when Khadim Diaw scored on an error. Winokur’s pair of hits were the only multi-hit effort, and the homer was the only extra-base hit.
Fort Myers struck out ten times but drew five walks.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 7, DSL Tigers2 4
Box Score
Anderson Chacon started for the Twins and worked 3 1/3 innings allowing a single run (unearned). He did give up three free passes though and didn’t record a strikeout on the day. Aiberson Ventura got the win with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
While the Twins struck out seven times and didn’t draw a walk, they did rack up 11 hits on the day. Merphy Hernandez, Eduardo Beltre, Carlos Silva, and Guillermo Sosa all recorded two-hit games. Silva picked up a double while Hernandez and Daiber De Los Santos both tripled.
Hernandez continues to be a menace on the bases and stole his 29th bag. In just 39 games, he has been thrown out only twice this season.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Tanner Hall (Fort Myers) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Hitter of the Day – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) - 2-3, R, RBI, HR(9), 2 BB, K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 0-4
#5 – Zebby Matthews (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 2-3, R, RBI, HR(9), 2 BB, K
#13 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
#14 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 1-5, 3 K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 0-4, BB, K
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-3, R, RBI, HR(8), BB, K, SB(11)
FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (7:07 PM CST) – TBD
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Marco Raya (1-3, 5.54 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-1, 2.88 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Jose Olivares (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

Box Score
SP: Bailey Ober 6.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 9 K (106 pitches, 70 strikes)
Home Runs: Carlos Santana(15), Ryan Jeffers(17)
Top 3 WPA: Bailey Ober (.301), Carlos Santana (.085), Griffin Jax (.074)
Win Probability Chart (via FanGraphs)

Manny for MVP
Bailey Ober started Game 1 for the Minnesota Twins and made quick work of the Cleveland Guardians. Of course Rocco Baldelli’s team had yet to beat Stephen Vogt’s this year, and the rescheduled rainout would be a great place to change that. Manuel Margot led off, against a lefty, which basically means he’ll play like an All-Star. Stepping in against Joey Cantillo, Margot doubled. Byron Buxton moved him over and Royce Lewis cashed him in. Jose Miranda looked to extend the inning with a single to right center, but a big turn at first base got him thrown out.
Carlos Santana found lift-off against his former team in the second inning. He took Cantillo deep for his 15th home run of the season. The solo shot made it a 2-0 game early.
Bailey Dominates
Ryan Jeffers gave Bailey Ober some additional breathing room when he launched his 17th home run of the season in the fourth inning to make it 3-0 Twins. Minnesota needs to see their star catcher to rake once again and he has shown signs in recent weeks. Ober wrapped up his day going six innings, allowing just two hits, and no runs. He walked a pair and struck out nine. With a myriad of pitching issues currently in play, the start was a necessary one.
Brayan Rocchio drove in Andres Gimenez with a seventh inning home run, but that brought Cleveland to within just a single run. Kyle Farmer, who returned to the lineup following a stretch on the injured list, scored Max Kepler with a sacrifice fly in the bottom half to make it a 4-2 game.
After Griffin Jax worked his 18th hold of the season, Jhoan Duran came on and grabbed his 16th save while striking out the side.
Notes
The morning couldn’t have been busier with roster moves. Unfortunately Brock Stewart’s once minor shoulder injury now will require surgery. He is set to undergo that on Tuesday, and will miss the rest of the season. A 5-6 month rehab should have him back for spring training.
As expected, Joe Ryan is also going on the injured list with a grade 2 teres major strain. Brooks Lee will join him there. The news for Ryan is crushing as it likely takes him out for the regular season, if not ending his year. Kyle Farmer completed his rehab assignment with St. Paul and rejoined the roster, starting at second base in game one. Lee was originally announced as the game one starter at second base, so hopefully his injury is not serious.
Scott Blewett joins the roster and is back in the big leagues for the first time since 2021. He has a 3.66 ERA in more than 50 innings for the Saints this season. It is curious he was the addition to the bullpen rather than Justin Topa. The build up may still be a work in progress though.
With the injuries to the bullpen, Griffin Jax’s dominance becomes that much more imperative. He has been one of the best relievers in baseball for a while now. Given his pitch mix, there continues to be chatter about him moving back to the rotation, but that would be an offseason move if considered at all.
Remember that through both AL Central series the Twins are offering fee free tickets.
What’s Next?
Back to just a single game on Saturday, Simeon Woods Richardson gets the pearl for Minnesota. He will be opposed by Gavin Williams with the series on the line. Continued strong starts from the rookie are a must given the latest pitching injuries.
Postgame Interviews
 
Bullpen Usage Spreadsheet

 

During the 2020 season, Willi Castro posted a 153 OPS+ and finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. The next two seasons, of traditional length, saw him post just a 79 OPS+ across 237 games. Although the Tigers aren’t a juggernaut by any means, they decided his services were no longer needed. Given his performance and their change in leadership right at that time, it's hard to blame them.
Castro had a solid first season with Minnesota after signing a minor-league free-agent deal, but 2024 has taken it to another level. Despite the presence of Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, José Miranda, and Carlos Correa on the infield, Castro has been available for whatever role Rocco Baldelli has asked of him. It has resulted in a career-best 112 OPS+ and made him an All-Star for the first time in his career.
This season, Castro is being paid just $3.3 million through arbitration. Even with his strong season, that number shouldn’t jump to much more than $6 million next year. Next season is his final year of arbitration eligibility, but it’s also a moment when Minnesota could generate some cost certainty and buy out some of his free agency.
Twenty-eight years old in 2025, Castro and the Twins could find a middle ground on a three-year deal that would buy out the first two years of his free agency. He would still hit the market as a young 30-year-old, and his utility may then be enticing for a franchise within sniffing distance of the World Series.
For Minnesota, Castro’s presence over the next three years can help to mitigate whatever growing pains some of the less tested talents go through. He is playable both on the dirt and in the outfield. That skillset shouldn’t wane in the short term, and he’s above-average at the plate. His presence doesn’t force anyone out of the picture, and he has proven to be among the most valuable Twins this season.
Of course, Castro should want to capitalize on his earning potential, but he doesn’t hit free agency this offseason, and that’s where the opportunity exists for Minnesota. Trading in some future certainty for the sake of additional dollars may be in Castro’s best interest. After all, he has been sent packing before.
I’m not sure if three years and $20 million would be enough to get the job done, but $30 million should. Facing self-imposed payroll restrictions, the Twins could push the money to the final two years of the deal, in hopes that the Pohlads have their business ventures figured out at that point. Tacking on an option at the end may be a possibility, as well.
Castro has provided tremendous surplus value each of the past two seasons. Rewarding him for that would be fun to see, and it seems to be something that could be beneficial for both sides. Castro appears to have found a level of comfort with the Twins, and his manager has consistently spoken fondly of him as well. We'll see whether the front office is as exuberant.

Despite having played just over 100 big-league games, there are an infinite number of highlight moments for Royce Lewis. He has hit home runs at a prolific pace during the regular season. He has launched grand slams like he will eventually track down Alex Rodríguez. He has shown up in massive postseason moments. It has been a Joe Mauer or Kirby Puckett-style ascent toward superstardom.
Of course, the caveat for Lewis is that he has been hurt, and hurt often. Various ailments have cost him significant time. Fluke ACL injuries have been the biggest culprits, but soft-tissue maladies have derailed each of what would otherwise have been his two full seasons. The only thing that has stopped Lewis from performing thus far has been his body itself.
That’s not new for the Minnesota Twins. Byron Buxton falls in a similar situation, and the franchise appropriately paid the man. In agreeing to a seven-year deal worth $100 million, both sides took on a certain amount of risk. The franchise is hoping that Buxton stays healthy and outperforms the deal. The player is seeking to earn individual accolades that bump his pay to where health may have allowed it to be.
Would Scott Boras allow for something similar to take place with Lewis?
Boras is among the most influential agents in Major League Baseball. Beyond representing individual players, his reach permeates into the league itself. He is notable for getting his players the top dollar, no matter what that takes, and Lewis is among his most high-profile pre-arbitration clients.
That said, Boras has also taken some sizable losses of late. It's because of two deals falling apart that Carlos Correa is with the Minnesota Twins at all. Blake Snell and Matt Chapman both sat on the open market forever this past offseason. So did Cody Bellinger and Jordan Montgomery. Of course, established veterans are a different beast altogether, but Lewis is going to hit arbitration with, at most, 160 big-league games under his belt.
What that means is Lewis will be scrutinized through an arbitration system that awards longevity of performance. It doesn’t matter that the Twins' youngster has been incredible when he has played, given how sporadically he has played. There is also the possibility of another injury that keeps him further away from any expected payday.
Lewis will reach arbitration this offseason as a Super Two player, and although he got a $6.725 million signing bonus upon being drafted, it’s this first contract that would represent generational money. A full year younger, with better performance, and boasting a clean bill of health, Bobby Witt Jr. landed an 11-year deal worth nearly $300 million this offseason. Lewis won’t see that sort of money, but the parameters for an extension are there.
It stands to reason that Minnesota would be against going to 10 years on a contract for a player with a significant injury history. The questions as to how his body ages could be limitless. A six-year deal with options may be the sweet spot. That would take Lewis through his age-31 season, and buy out his first two years of free agency. Options could be tacked on to reward health and production on the back end, and it’s still possible he is paid handsomely on the open market, should he choose to take his talents elsewhere at that time.
Boras would be wise to argue for $20 million per season, but $120 million is probably too rich in the short term for Minnesota ownership. The Twins could counter at $100 million, but a $16.6 million AAV might not be enough to get it done. Minnesota would presumably need to backload the deal rather than adding to a 2025 payroll expected to decline. Still, though, this offseason may be the last chance for the front office to get something hammered out that doesn’t break the bank.
Due to his per-game production, Lewis should angle for a premium during his first year of arbitration. From there, he’ll quickly price himself out of anything the Twins would have initially been able to do. Getting Boras on board is part of the equation. Getting ownership on board is another beast altogether. Similar to what was done for Mauer, Buxton, and Correa, it makes sense for Minnesota to lock in their stars, and Lewis joining that group would be great to see.

CURRENT W-L Records
Minnesota Twins: 63-50
St. Paul Saints: 56-54
Wichita Wind Surge: 45-60
Cedar Rapids Kernels: 56-47
Fort Myers Mighty Mussels: 54-46
DSL Twins: 24-22
TRANSACTIONS
RHP Adam Plutko placed on IL by St. Paul with a forearm strain. RHP Louie Varland will be recalled by Minnesota to start on Friday. SAINTS SENTINEL
St. Paul 1, Columbus 1
Box Score
Zebby Matthews started for the Saints and it appears he has begun to settle in. Matthews worked five innings allowing just a single run on two hits and (gasp) a walk. Matthews also struck out five and continues to look like an arm that Rocco Baldelli may call on for the big league club down the stretch.
Columbus scored on a Will Brennan first inning home run before the Saints answered with an Anthony Prato single in the second inning. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. scored and the sides remained even until the ninth inning. With no one out and runners on second and third, Rylan Bannon stepped in. He drew a walk to load the bases. Dalton Shuffield was up looking to drive in the winning run, and St. Paul needed to improve from their ugly 1-for-13 with RISP on the evening. Unfortunately he struck out. Jair Camargo did not though, and his single brought Prato in to walk it off. 
Rehabbing Twins infielder Kyle Farmer went 2-for-3 with a double and a walk. Prato also had a pair of hits, while Edouard Julien doubled. Giovanny Gallegos worked a scoreless inning in relief and Matt Bowman got the victory.
WIND SURGE WISDOM
Corpus Christi 2, Wichita 1
Box Score
Cory Lewis was on the bump Thursday night for the Wind Surge and he turned in the best Double-A outing of his career. Lewis threw six innings of one (unearned) run baseball. He allowed just a pair of hits, and though he walked three, he struck out nine. Lewis also threw 56 of his 87 pitches for strikes.
Wichita trailed 1-0 into the ninth inning until Tanner Schobel went yard for the eighth time this season to tie things up. Jarret Whorff, who was one of the Twins best minor league relievers in July, got Wichita in position by throwing a pair of perfect innings with three strikeouts.
Unfortunately Regi Grace couldn’t get Wichita to the tenth inning and a Hooks run walked them off. Both sides recorded just three hits. Schobel’s was the only extra-base knock for Wichita. He also stole his 11th base of the season, and Aaron Sabato grabbed his seventh.
KERNELS NUGGETS
Cedar Rapids 5, Peoria 4
Box Score
It was bump day for Ricky Castro with the Kernels on Thursday. He worked three innings allowing three runs on five hits and a pair of walks. The Kernels starter struck out a pair.
Misael Urbina drove in Nate Baez in the second inning to score the game’s first run. Cedar Rapids then coughed up three in the bottom half. Peoria pushed it to a 4-1 lead in the sixth inning, but the Kernels answered with a run in the eighth inning. Nick Lucky drove in Rubel Cespedes on a single to make it 4-2. Jose Salas then clubbed a bases-loaded double, scoring Agustin Ruiz, Baez, and Lucky to give the Kernels their first lead of the night.
Jordan Carr, Juan Mendez, and Rafael Marcano combined to work five innings of relief. The only run allowed was an unearned tally tacked to Carr’s outing. Cedar Rapids tallied seven hits with Cespedes and Kyle Hess grabbing two of them each. Both of Hess’ hits were doubles.
MUSSEL MATTERS
Fort Myers 2, Jupiter 0
Box Score
Tanner Hall started for the Mighty Mussels and was nearly perfect. The Fort Myers starter worked seven scoreless innings allowing just a pair of hits while striking out seven. He gave up only a single walk.
Brandon Winokur kicked off the scoring early with a solo shot, his ninth, in the first inning. Fort Myers added a second run when Khadim Diaw scored on an error. Winokur’s pair of hits were the only multi-hit effort, and the homer was the only extra-base hit.
Fort Myers struck out ten times but drew five walks.

DOMINICAN DAILIES
DSL Twins 7, DSL Tigers2 4
Box Score
Anderson Chacon started for the Twins and worked 3 1/3 innings allowing a single run (unearned). He did give up three free passes though and didn’t record a strikeout on the day. Aiberson Ventura got the win with 2 2/3 innings of scoreless relief.
While the Twins struck out seven times and didn’t draw a walk, they did rack up 11 hits on the day. Merphy Hernandez, Eduardo Beltre, Carlos Silva, and Guillermo Sosa all recorded two-hit games. Silva picked up a double while Hernandez and Daiber De Los Santos both tripled.
Hernandez continues to be a menace on the bases and stole his 29th bag. In just 39 games, he has been thrown out only twice this season.

TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY
Pitcher of the Day – Tanner Hall (Fort Myers) - 7.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 7 K
Hitter of the Day – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) - 2-3, R, RBI, HR(9), 2 BB, K
PROSPECT SUMMARY
Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Thursday. 
#1– Walker Jenkins (Cedar Rapids) – 
#4 – Luke Keaschall (Wichita) – 0-4
#5 – Zebby Matthews (St. Paul) – 5.0 IP, 
#7 – Gabriel Gonzalez (Cedar Rapids) – 0-4, K
#12 – Brandon Winokur (Fort Myers) – 2-3, R, RBI, HR(9), 2 BB, K
#13 – Cory Lewis (Wichita) – 6.0 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 9 K
#14 - Yasser Mercedes (Fort Myers) - 1-5, 3 K
#16 - Kyle DeBarge (Fort Myers) - 0-4, BB, K
#17 – Tanner Schobel (Wichita) – 1-3, R, RBI, HR(8), BB, K, SB(11)
FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS
St. Paul vs Columbus (7:07 PM CST) – TBD
Wichita @ Corpus Christi (7:05 PM) - RHP Marco Raya (1-3, 5.54 ERA)
Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:05 PM CST) – RHP C.J. Culpepper (2-1, 2.88 ERA)
Fort Myers @ Jupiter (5:30 PM CST) – RHP Jose Olivares (2-1, 2.86 ERA)
Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

During the 2020 season, Willi Castro posted a 153 OPS+ and finished fourth in American League Rookie of the Year voting. The next two seasons, of traditional length, saw him post just a 79 OPS+ across 237 games. Although the Tigers aren’t a juggernaut by any means, they decided his services were no longer needed. Given his performance and their change in leadership right at that time, it's hard to blame them.
Castro had a solid first season with Minnesota after signing a minor-league free-agent deal, but 2024 has taken it to another level. Despite the presence of Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, José Miranda, and Carlos Correa on the infield, Castro has been available for whatever role Rocco Baldelli has asked of him. It has resulted in a career-best 112 OPS+ and made him an All-Star for the first time in his career.
This season, Castro is being paid just $3.3 million through arbitration. Even with his strong season, that number shouldn’t jump to much more than $6 million next year. Next season is his final year of arbitration eligibility, but it’s also a moment when Minnesota could generate some cost certainty and buy out some of his free agency.
Twenty-eight years old in 2025, Castro and the Twins could find a middle ground on a three-year deal that would buy out the first two years of his free agency. He would still hit the market as a young 30-year-old, and his utility may then be enticing for a franchise within sniffing distance of the World Series.
For Minnesota, Castro’s presence over the next three years can help to mitigate whatever growing pains some of the less tested talents go through. He is playable both on the dirt and in the outfield. That skillset shouldn’t wane in the short term, and he’s above-average at the plate. His presence doesn’t force anyone out of the picture, and he has proven to be among the most valuable Twins this season.
Of course, Castro should want to capitalize on his earning potential, but he doesn’t hit free agency this offseason, and that’s where the opportunity exists for Minnesota. Trading in some future certainty for the sake of additional dollars may be in Castro’s best interest. After all, he has been sent packing before.
I’m not sure if three years and $20 million would be enough to get the job done, but $30 million should. Facing self-imposed payroll restrictions, the Twins could push the money to the final two years of the deal, in hopes that the Pohlads have their business ventures figured out at that point. Tacking on an option at the end may be a possibility, as well.
Castro has provided tremendous surplus value each of the past two seasons. Rewarding him for that would be fun to see, and it seems to be something that could be beneficial for both sides. Castro appears to have found a level of comfort with the Twins, and his manager has consistently spoken fondly of him as well. We'll see whether the front office is as exuberant.