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The Minnesota Twins front office has been criticized up and down over the years for making decisions that could ultimately be looked back upon as wrong. When looking at the 2023 trade deadline, Derek Falvey and Thad Levine decided to bet on the group they had assembled. It was a gutsy move, but they were right. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Coming into the year, Derek Falvey gave Rocco Baldelli a roster that included star power in the form of Carlos Correa. He provided depth in the form of Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro, Michael A. Taylor, and Donovan Solano. He got ownership’s blessing to spend to a threshold the franchise had never before seen. This team wasn’t complete, but it was a very strong foot forward. With the Twins playing through multiple months of baseball and clinging onto a slim lead atop the AL Central division, Minnesota’s leaders opted against adding at the deadline. They had conversations with teams that wound up hanging onto their assets. Maybe they didn’t cast a wide enough net, and they certainly could’ve afforded to bring in relief help. Their inaction suggested one thing though, they believed in what they had. Now, halfway through September, Minnesota leads the Cleveland Guardians by 8.5 games in the division and recently clinched the AL Central. Terry Francona’s club made a last-ditch effort in claiming former Angels Lucas Giolito, Matt Moore, and Reynaldo Lopez. Even though Minnesota put in claims for some of those talents, their play on the field proved they weren’t needed. With only a handful of game’s left in the regular season, the front office’s belief that the guys were already in the organization is again starting to rear its head. Brock Stewart was put on ice before the All-Star Break, and his absence has been lengthier than imagined, but he is trending towards a return at the opportune time. Nick Gordon is available for a return to the roster, and Chris Paddack will be called upon as well. More than any other time during the season, they’ll have a roster crunch to sort out. Maybe it’s unfair to suggest that Falvey knew each of his injured players would return, but behind the scenes Minnesota was certainly operating with that belief. While not all of them may be needed on the initial postseason roster, having them for the final games in September, and as an option when games matter most, is a good thing. There’s also an unspoken belief in the youth that Minnesota’s inaction has provided. By bringing in additional bodies at the deadline, it’s uncertain how much playing time guys like Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, and Matt Wallner may have ceded. Louie Varland probably isn’t transitioning to the bullpen, and though he's a veteran, Kenta Maeda working out of there may not be an option either. It’s a great thing for a clubhouse to feel like the front office believes in them enough to supplement, but there is also a message sent in saying the talent we have already is enough for us to get the job done. How things go in October remains to be seen, but it will be difficult to suggest that the Twins didn’t put their best foot forward. The veteran depth that has served them well all year can round out the edges of the roster, and the youth movement that has stepped up in a big way will be given their first true time to shine. What Minnesota could have done at the deadline may have made a difference in a few key spots, but that the roster got it done on their own, and no prospects were pieced out, is a feather in the cap of leadership as well. View full article

Game 2 of the Midwest League Championship Series between the Cedar Rapids Kernels and Great Lakes Loons wasn’t able to be completed on Tuesday night, but it was a great game until the rain moved in. The Saints game in St. Paul saw a plethora of rehabbers play a role, including a couple fantastic outings from rehabbing pitchers you may be interested in. Image courtesy of William Parmeter, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (photo of Andrew Morris) TRANSACTIONS The Saints had an active day in transactions, with a bunch of major league rehabbers joining the team across the river in St. Paul. RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Jorge Alcala, and LF Joey Gallo were all sent on rehab assignments with Saints. RHP Carlos Luna was transferred to the development list. RHP Curtis Taylor was promoted from the Wichita Wind Surge to the Saints. SAINTS SENTINEL Toledo 2, St. Paul 4 Box Score With the plethora of major league rehabbers joining the roster, the St. Paul Saints went with a bullpen game of sorts on Tuesday. The entire staff of seven who made an appearance was basically lights out against the Mud Hens. Hunter McMahon served as the opener and delivered a scoreless inning, working around one hit and two walks by inducing an inning-ending double-play. That would be a theme for the night, as the Saints completed four of them in total, while Toledo added three more. Austin Schulfer was the next man up and walked one and struck out one in a scoreless second inning. In the bottom half of the frame the Saints got their scoring started. Yunior Severino led off with a walk, and two-batters later Jair Camargo clubbed his 20th home run of the season for a 2-0 lead. The home team then turned the ball over to their first rehabber, in right-hander Chris Paddack. It didn’t go so well after a strikeout to his first batter, as a walk and two singles loaded the bases with one out, but Paddack bore down and struck out the next two hitters to keep the Mud Hens scoreless in the third. He went on to retire the final eight hitters he faced, picking up another strikeout in each inning to finish with five in his outing. Overall he allowed two hits, walked one, and struck out five while topping out above 98 MPH with his fastball. In the bottom of the fifth inning, the Saints extended their lead to 4-0 when DaShawn Keirsey Jr. led off with a single, rehabber Nick Gordon was hit by a pitch, and rehabber Joey Gallo delivered an RBI single. Trevor Larnach followed with a single of his own to complete their two-run inning and add insurance. After Paddack’s exit Michael Boyle (1 IP, 2 K) delivered a scoreless inning before giving way to Brock Stewart. Stewart ratcheted his fastball up to 99 MPH in his inning of work, walking one in striking out one in another scoreless frame for the pitching staff. Another rehabber, Jorge Alcala then did the same in the eighth, giving up one hit but inducing another double-play ball. In the ninth, Jordan Balazovic allowed two walks to start the inning, but got a big double-play grounder himself to keep this one from going sideways. It could have done that, because the next batter slugged a two-run homer for Toledo’s only runs of the game. Balazovic struck out the final hitter to close out the win. Nick Gordon (2-for-3, R, 2B, K) and Trevor Larnach (3-for-4, RBI, K) led the way with multiple hits. Joey Gallo finished 1-for-3 with a walk, RBI, and no strikeouts. Yunior Severino drew two walks and scored a run. KERNELS NUGGETS Great Lakes 1, Cedar Rapids 0 (Suspended in the 5th inning - Rain) Box Score Well, I’m not going to be able to crown the Cedar Rapids Kernels the Midwest League Champions tonight, as their game with the Great Lakes Loons was suspended in the fifth inning. The Kernels came into the game with a 1-0 lead in the three-game series, and sent right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris to the mound. He was excellent in his five innings before the suspension, with his only blemish being a solo home run in the fourth inning. He set the Loons down in order in each of the first and third innings, needing just five pitches in the third to do so. He finished with the one run allowed on three hits, no walks, and struck out seven. Both teams have just three hits to this point, with Emmanuel Rodriguez, Jorel Ortega, and Luke Keaschall all delivering singles. Rodriguez also stole a base but the Kernels are only 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position thus far. Game two of this championship series will resume tomorrow at 5:30 PM, with the Kernels up to bat in the bottom of the fifth, and Luke Keaschall due up. If Cedar Rapids is unable to make a comeback, game three will be a seven inning contest after this one’s completion. Right-hander Cory Lewis is the scheduled starter for game three, but there could be some shuffling of that due to this suspension. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Andrew Morris, Cedar Rapids Kernels (5 IP, 3 H, 1 ER, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Jair Camargo, St. Paul Saints (1-for-3, R, HR, 2 RBI) PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out our full top 20 list here and how they performed on Tuesday below! #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-for-4 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-2, K (game suspended) #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 1-for-3 #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-1 (game suspended) #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2 (game suspended) #14 - Yunior Severino (St. Paul) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB, K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1 IP, H, 2 BB, K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Toledo @ St. Paul (6:35 PM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (6-6, 4.92 ERA) Great Lakes @ Cedar Rapids, Game 3 (if necessary) - RHP Cory Lewis (0-0, 2.25 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

With the AL Central in hand, the Twins are now focused on whittling down their magic number and taking steps toward reaching full strength (or as close as they can get) in time for the playoffs. Last week they made positive progress in both pursuits. Image courtesy of Kamil Krzaczynski-USA TODAY Sports Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 9/11 through Sun, 9/17 *** Record Last Week: 4-3 (Overall: 79-71) Run Differential Last Week: +16 (Overall: +90) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (7.0 GA) Last Week's Game Results: Game 144 | TB 7, MIN 4: Bullpen Struggles After Gray's Early Exit Game 145 | MIN 3, TB 2: Julien and Castro Homers Tilt Close Game Game 146 | TB 5, MIN 4: Twins Rally Back But Fall Short, Drop Series Game 147 | MIN 10, CWS 2: Bats Lift Off, Maeda Cruises in Chicago Game 148 | MIN 10, CWS 2: Another Lewis Slam Fuels Another Blowout Game 149 | CWS 7, MIN 6: Early Pablo Struggles Too Much to Overcome Game 150 | MIN 4, CWS 0: Twins Take Series from Sox in Easy Shutout NEWS & NOTES As he battled through a series of attempted ramp-ups and setbacks, it started to look as though a return to action was not in the cards for Brock Stewart this year. With just a couple of weeks left to go, he's aiming to upend that narrative at the most crucial time possible. Stewart initiated a rehab stint at Triple-A St. Paul on Friday and looked fantastic, striking out two on 12 pitches in an inning of work. With his fastball ripping in the upper-90s, Stewart looked very much like the dominant specimen we saw in the first half. I'm guessing the Twins will get Stewart one or two more appearances in the minors before recalling him and letting him loose a few times in the majors before season's end. Those who remember how incredibly clutch the 31-year-old was in high-leverage spots back in May and June need not be reminded what a game-changing impact Stewart's arrival could have on the relief corps for October. Chris Paddack also took another positive step in his rehab, throwing four innings in a start for Wichita on Tuesday. The stuff looked good as Paddack struck out six with no walks, though he did give up a pair of runs, including one on a solo homer. The same night as Stewart kicked off his rehab stint with the Saints, Nick Gordon did the same. This development is less impactful for the playoff picture – Gordon likely won't make the roster, barring something unexpected – but it's good to see him make it back on the field at the end of a lost season. Gordon is hitless through seven plate appearances with the Saints. Will Bailey Ober play in the postseason? That's an open question, but the tea leaves seem to be signaling against it, even though Ober has had a very good year and was solid in his return to action on Friday night. He hurled five innings of two-run ball with six strikeouts and no walks. With a bullpen role in October seeming unlikely, Ober might just by playing out the string for this season. HIGHLIGHTS We've officially run out of superlatives to describe Royce Lewis. What is even going on. Manager Rocco Baldelli was rightfully astonished after watching the rookie phenom launch his fourth grand slam of the season and fifth in his young career on Friday night. Lewis' propensity for delivering big hits in key spots has already earned him legendary status at age 24. For the week, Lewis went 7-for-25 with three home runs, 10 RBIs, and six walks; the developing discipline is especially promising. Joining the fun in a week that saw Minnesota's explosive offense post two double-digit totals and rally for several comebacks: Max Kepler was 8-for-24, hitting for the cycle across six games while driving in four runs. His three-strikeout game on Saturday was, notably, his first of the season. Shaking free from a slump that was clearly frustrating him, Matt Wallner got back on track in a big way, tallying nine hits in 19 ABs. His OPS is back up over .850 thanks to the big surge. Edouard Julien, too, shook free from a mini-slump – though in his case "slumping" still tends to involve getting on base 40% of the time. He did just that last week, drawing five walks in six games, but he also chipped in three homers and a double. Despite being clearly slowed by a hamstring issue, Julien started all seven games. Having all of these hitters clicking the way they are – along with Jorge Polanco (5-for-15 with a homer last week) and Carlos Correa (three doubles, a homer and five walks) – bodes very well for the club's postseason outlook. Key developments are priming the pitching staff for postseason success as well. Chief among them: the emergence of Louie Varland as a bulldog out of the pen. He made two multi-inning appearances last week and was lights-out in both, holding the Rays scoreless for 2 ⅓ and then tossing two more shutout innings against the White Sox. Unleashing upper-90s heat and a newly weaponized cutter, Varland was utterly dominant, striking out seven with zero walks. Meanwhile, Kenta Maeda made a case for his readiness to assume an important postseason role, tossing seven innings of two-run ball in Thursday's blowout win over the White Sox. The outing matched Maeda's longest of the year (July 4th vs. KC) and the eight strikeouts were his most in nine starts. Maeda is probably behind Joe Ryan in line for a playoff start, but his proven postseason track record – comprising mostly relief work – makes him an X-factor for October. LOWLIGHTS The heart of the Twins relief unit is looking strong, with Varland on his way to joining Jhoan Duran and Caleb Thielbar as reliable high-leverage fixtures. But the postseason rewards deep bullpens, and a tough offense like Toronto or Seattle is likely to test Minnesota beyond its trusted back-end horses. Thus the pressure is mounting on guys like Griffin Jax and Dylan Floro, whose on-field results have lagged badly behind their expected numbers. Jax had another tough week, coughing up a game-winning home run to Randy Arozarena on Wednesday at home, where he was tagged with his 10th loss of the season. The right-hander entered the All-Star break with a 2.92 ERA but is at 5.76 since, with 27 hits and five homers allowed in 24 innings. Floro had actually put together a nice string of outings since his nightmare meltdown in Milwaukee, but lapsed against the Rays last Monday, surrendering three runs in the fifth inning of an eventual three-run loss. In both cases, there are underlying metrics that inspire some level of faith. Jax has a 2.92 xERA on the season, compared to his 4.13 actual ERA. For Floro, it's 3.36 versus 4.97. But theoretical expected numbers don't mean much when they are consistently misaligned with results, and that's only more true in the playoffs. A solid stretch to close the season from either of these two would go a long way toward instilling piece of mind for Twins fans, and lessening the urgency for Stewart and/or Paddack to come back and work miracles. TRENDING STORYLINE In an article for the Star Tribune last week, Bobby Nightengale detailed Correa's painful battle with plantar fasciitis, which the shortstop said continues to affect him on a daily basis. "It's just tough to move around," Correa said in the piece. "Defense is not all hands. It's moving your feet and getting yourself in the right spot. It makes everything tougher, even just walking in the morning. It's just harder to move around, but at the same time, I have to finish plays." This has been noticeable in watching Correa miss some plays he characteristically makes at shortstop, though his bat does seem to be coming around. And while Nightengale's article affirms what we've consistently heard – a few days or even weeks off won't solve the problem – it does appear the Twins are making efforts to get Correa off his feet more with the division all but clinched. Correa had started 23 consecutive games before getting the day off on Wednesday, and Rocco Baldelli was committed enough to making it a true day off that he bypassed subbing Correa in a key late-game pinch hitting situation, turning instead of the vastly inferior Christian Vázquez. Correa also got Thursday off. He returned to play all three games over the weekend, going 3-for-11 with a double and three walks, but it would be no surprise to see him spelled frequently in the final two weeks. In fact I'd be surprised if he's not, and I hope the small respites can help Correa bring his A-game when it counts most. LOOKING AHEAD The Twins wrap up their midwest swing with a trip to Cincinnati that is solid (five games above .500) but out of contention. The Reds haven't announced starters for Monday or Tuesday yet, but Hunter Greene is slated to start on Wednesday, setting up a matchup between the No. 1 (Lewis) and No. 2 (Greene) overall picks in the 2017 draft. Minnesota returns home against the weekend to face the Angels, which should be an easy matchup except the Halos are throwing three left-handers. I'll be curious to see how much Baldelli tests his lefty hitters in that series, given the presumably low stakes. MONDAY, 9/18: TWINS @ REDS – RHP Joe Ryan v. TBD TUESDAY, 9/19: TWINS @ REDS – RHP Kenta Maeda v. TBD WEDNESDAY, 9/20: TWINS @ REDS – RHP Bailey Ober v. RHP Hunter Greene FRIDAY, 9/22: ANGELS @ TWINS – LHP Tyler Anderson v. RHP Pablo Lopez SATURDAY, 9/23: ANGELS @ TWINS – LHP Reid Detmers v. RHP Sonny Gray SUNDAY, 9/24: ANGELS @ TWINS – LHP Patrick Sandoval v. RHP Joe Ryan View full article

Royce Lewis did it again. He set the Minnesota Twins single-season record by hitting his fourth grand slam of the season. He’s also the fastest player to five career grand slams by nearly a half season. That big blast led the Twins to a 10-2 victory over the White Sox Friday. In the minors, Brock Stewart and Nick Gordon both began their rehab assignments with St. Paul and the Kernels won their elimination game in convincing fashion. Cedar Rapids advances to the Midwest League Championship, a best-of-three series. View full video

While the St. Paul Saints coughed up an early lead, both the Wind Surge and Kernels found themselves victorious. For Cedar Rapids, that means they'll head to the Midwest League Championship series. Image courtesy of Ed Bailey, Wichita Wind Surge (photo of Yoyner Fajardo) TRANSACTIONS LHP Brent Headrick optioned to St. Paul RHP Bailey Ober recalled by Minnesota UTIL Nick Gordon begins a rehab assignment with St. Paul RHP Brock Stewart begins a rehab assignment with St. Paul SAINTS SENTINEL Iowa 7, St. Paul 6 Box Score Former Twins pitcher Stephen Gonsalves was on the bump Friday night for Iowa against St. Paul. The Saints gave the ball to Blayne Enlow looking to bounce back from the defeat on Thursday. Enlow worked an abbreviated three inning outing allowing two runs on five hits. He didn’t surrender a walk and struck out one. After Matt Mervis drove in the game's first run for Iowa, the Saints responded as Kyle Garlick doubled home Trevor Larnach in the top of the second inning. St. Paul then loaded the bases against Gonsalves, still with no outs, and added a second run with Anthony Prato taking a walk to drive in Garlick. Austin Martin also drew a walk to drive in DaShawn Keirsey Jr. making it a 3-1 game headed to the bottom of the second. With Iowa grabbing a run back in the third inning, St. Paul looked to find some extra breathing room again. Entering in the fourth inning, Twins reliever Brock Stewart made his first game appearance since June 25. Picking up where he left off, he struck out two of the three hitters he saw. Ronny Henriquez came on and worked a scoreless fifth inning of relief, but going back out for the sixth inning proved to be a disaster. He allowed five runs and recorded just two outs before Jordan Balazovic came on to take over. Continuing to run out former Twins prospects, the Cubs sent Nick Burdi to the mound in the eighth inning, and the 2014 second round pick worked a scoreless frame against his former organization. Closing out the game for Iowa was former Minnesota reliever Tyler Duffey . St. Paul tried to put together a rally in the ninth inning with Michael Helman grabbing a one-out single before Martin walked for the third time in the game. He got Lee to strike out on a ball in the dirt and it was on Trevor Larnach to extend the game. He blasted a pitch on the outside edge over the wall to bring St. Paul back within one. Garlick went down swinging to end the game. Nick Gordon was 0-for-3 in his appearances at the dish Friday night. With just seven hits to their credit, only Gilberto Celestino and Larnach recorded two on Friday night. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 7, Midland 0 Box Score Marco Raya was on the bump Friday night for the Wind Surge. He worked four innings of scoreless baseball allowing just a single hit and walk. Raya struck out four, and has now allowed just two earned runs over his past 17 innings pitched. It took a few innings for a run to come across the board, but Yoyner Fajardo plated a pair when he blasted his ninth home run, scoring Will Holland, in the third inning. A couple innings later, Jake Rucker took a ball over the fence for his ninth home run, and the solo shot made it a 3-0 game. Getting in the box score again, Fajardo tripled for the eighth time and drove in Alerick Soularie making it a 4-0 lead by the end of the fifth inning. Patrick Winkel joined the home run pair by blasting his tenth, a solo home run, in the sixth inning to make it a 5-0 game. The Wind Surge kept adding in the seventh inning, and it was again Fajardo at the center of it. His single drove in Holland before Winkel used a sacrifice fly to make it 7-0. Rehabbing Twins reliever Jorge Alcala worked 1 1/3 innings and struck out four batters. He did allow a hit and a walk. Taylor Floyd closed out the game with 1 2/3 innings of work. Fajardo was the highlight reel Friday with three hits. Both Winkel and Holland had two of their own. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 9, Peoria 3 Box Score Looking to win two in a row and utilize the home field advantage, Cedar Rapids sent C.J. Culpepper to the mound on Friday night. He was nearly flawless going five innings and allowing just a single earned run on four hits and a walk. Culpepper also struck out eight. The Kernels jumped out to an early lead, scoring four runs in the first inning. Andrew Cossetti singled home Emmanuel Rodriguez before Jorel Ortega drove in Kala’i Rosario with a single of his own. Luke Keaschall then singled in Cossetti and Jose Salas brought Ortega home on a ground out. Chasing the four-spot, Peoria did grab a run of their own in the top of the second inning. The Kernels answered that in the fifth inning when Noah Cardenas singled home Ortega and put the good guys back up by a grand slam. The two sides stretched and then the Kernels flexed their muscle again. In the bottom of the the seventh inning Cardenas singled home Cossetti before Jose Salas tripled in Keaschall and Cardenas to make it an 8-1 game. With time running out, the Kernels were inching their way towards a Midwest League Western Division championship. Piling on for good measure, Keaschall drove in Rodriguez before Peoria stepped in for their final at-bats, trailing 9-1. Kyle Jones remained on the mound and closed the game out working two innings, allowing just a pair of meaningless ninth inning runs. Both Keaschall and Cardenas grabbed three hits while Ortega had a pair of his own. Cedar Rapids will take on the Dodgers affiliate, the Great Lakes Loons, in the Midwest League Championship series. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – C.J. Culpepper (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Yoyner Fajardo (Wichita) - 3-5, R, 4 RBI, 3B, HR(9) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (St. Paul) - 0-4, 2 K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, 2 K #4 - Marco Raya (Wichita) - 4.0 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB 4 K #7 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - 0-2, RBI, 3 BB, 2 K #8 - Tanner Schobel (Wichita) - 1-4, K #10 - Luke Keaschall (Cedar Rapids) - 3-5, R, 2 RBI, K #13 - Kala’i Rosario (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, R, BB, 2 K #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - 1.1 IP, 1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 K SATURDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Iowa (6:08PM CST) - RHP Patrick Murphy Midland @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - RHP Jaylen Nowlin Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Friday’s games! View full article

The Twins have a lot of moving parts as they approach the playoffs, particularly on the pitching staff. With the bullpen having arguably the most question marks, Kenta Maeda could be an answer. Image courtesy of Nick Wosika-USA TODAY Sports Kenta Maeda has been an ace-level starting pitcher at times in his Twins career, even as recently as just a few weeks ago. After coming off the IL, Maeda went on a blistering stretch, posting a 2.47 ERA in eight starts leading up to August 10. Since then, he’s posted a 5.52 mark, possibly taking himself out of the running for the third spot in the postseason rotation with the return of Joe Ryan. As a result, Maeda should have a role in the postseason bullpen instead. It’s easy to forget that Maeda is still just a year removed from Tommy John surgery. He looked like he wasn’t at full strength to start the season, and while Maeda looked much stronger upon his return from the IL, he’s looked to be running on fumes in his last few starts. His 89 innings pitched don’t seem like many, but he threw zero in 2022 and 109 in 2021, and of course, only 66 in his Cy Young runner-up 2020. Fatigue may be starting to catch up. Fortunately, this possibility doesn’t have to take Maeda off the postseason roster entirely. The Twins bullpen remains arguably the most significant question mark on the team, as several young players like Kody Funderburk and Louie Varland are debuting to claim a spot. Paired with pitchers like Griffin Jax struggling and Brock Stewart being questionable at best to return from injury, the bullpen has plenty of openings. Maeda has made the bullpen transition before with the Dodgers. In 21 postseason appearances out of the bullpen in LA, Maeda has a 1.63 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 22 innings. His last relief appearance was in 2019, but he’s never been a flamethrower, and his offspeed pitches still appear capable of fooling opposing hitters. Shorter stints could allow him to lean into his offspeed even more and hopefully minimize the fatigue he may be having at this point in the season. Maeda was not a fan of this usage with the Dodgers, which was part of the reason he was traded to Minnesota. Likely, he wouldn’t be adamantly opposed to making this switch once again if the Twins were to ask, but it undoubtedly plays at least a minor factor in how they move forward. It’s also possible Maeda pitches out of the bullpen in the opening series with intentions of slotting back into a starter role should the Twins advance. Twins advance. He could be available for a multi-inning stint with eyes on starting game four of the ALDS. At any rate, it unfortunately has become challenging to see Maeda starting in a game three situation of the opening playoff series. With how he’s recently struggled, as well as Joe Ryan’s return, his best usage may be to help patch a relief corps leaking oil since the Twins declined not to add to it at the deadline meaningfully. Should Brock Stewart return to form and/or Varland becomes a legitimate weapon, Maeda could make the back end of games even more challenging to traverse for opposing lineups. Should the Twins consider moving Kenta Maeda to the bullpen for the playoffs? Let us know below! View full article

Yesterday, the Twins missed out on multiple reliever options on the waiver wire, so now the team's focus turns to internal options. Minnesota hopes these three arms will be able to return from injury and bolster the bullpen for the stretch run. Image courtesy of Jesse Johnson-USA TODAY Sports The Twins have relied heavily on specific relievers throughout the 2023 campaign, including Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Emilio Pagan, and Caleb Thielbar. Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has different levels of trust in these players, which makes it tough to employ a bullpen strategy from one close game to another. For most of the season, the Twins have needed this group to be flawless, which is a tall task for any bullpen. Minnesota had an opportunity to add to the bullpen group at the trade deadline. However, the club's only move was to ship Jorge Lopez to the Marlins for Dylan Floro. Floro's Twins tenure has gone imperfectly, as he has allowed seven earned runs in ten innings with a 2.00 WHIP and 13.5 H/9. The Twins front office might have been a little gun-shy when pulling the trigger on another reliever trade after trading multiple prospects for Lopez at last year's trade deadline. Instead, the team hopes these three players can effectively return from injury and join the bullpen picture. Brock Stewart, RHP Stewart was a revelation in the Twins bullpen earlier this season. In 25 2/3 innings, he posted a 0.70 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and 12.3 K/9. It was his first taste of the big leagues since 2019 after multiple arm issues, including Tommy John surgery and a second procedure to remove a bone spur. Stewart initially landed on the injured list on June 27th with soreness in his right forearm. At the time, the Twins hoped he'd be able to return shortly, but there have been setbacks throughout his ramp-up process. Stewart threw a 15-pitch bullpen session on August 25th and reported feeling good the following day. He threw all fastballs during the session and sat between 88-91 mph. His next bullpen session was on Monday, August 28th, and he will likely need another bullpen session after that. Stewart told reporters that his target return date is September 10th as a best-case scenario. Returning then would give him a couple of weeks to prove he can be effective for the team's postseason roster. Chris Paddack, RHP Last season, Kenta Maeda was returning from Tommy John surgery, and the Twins talked about adding him to the bullpen for the stretch run. Unfortunately, Minnesota fell apart in September, and there was no reason to rush Maeda back to the big leagues. Paddack is 15 months removed from Tommy John surgery and has been ramping up his workload in Fort Myers. According to reports, he has been hitting 95 mph, which is a good sign for his progression. Paddack told reporters he expects to begin a rehab assignment with Single-A Fort Myers on September 6th and he hopes to be ready for big-league action on September 22nd. Minnesota signed Paddack to a three-year extension in January, so he is part of the team's long-term plans as a starter. He likely hasn't built up to a starter's workload at this point in his recovery, so switching to the bullpen is intriguing. His pitch mix has traditionally included a four-seam fastball, a changeup, and a curveball. For his career, he has held left-handed batters to a .686 OPS, while righties have posted a .735 OPS. It would be interesting to see if he can add more velocity to his pitching arsenal if he is being used in a relief role. Jorge Alcala, RHP The Twins hoped Alcala would take the next step and become an integral part of the bullpen picture. He was placed on the IL back in the middle of May with a stress fracture to the radius bone in his right forearm. It is an uncommon injury for pitchers, making his timeline tough to predict. He's also been limited to 12 appearances over the last two seasons, so he seems the least likely contributor among this trio of pitchers. Alcala told reporters last Friday that he has thrown five bullpen sessions and is lined up to pitch another one later this week. One of those sessions included throwing live BP to Byron Buxton and Alex Kirilloff before they headed to St. Paul on a rehab assignment. "I'm hoping he'll be available towards the end of the season," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. "We're not ruling that out, but we don't have a timeline yet." Which pitcher can be most helpful to the Twins bullpen? What are the chances any of these injured players impact the team's postseason chances? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article

As the August 1st trade deadline approached, the Twins needed to add at least one reliever to their thin bullpen. They had added Dylan Floro a week prior but needed more help than he could provide. Despite the seemingly obvious need, the front office decided to stand pat, not making a single deadline acquisition. Image courtesy of Rick Osentoski-USA TODAY Sports They rationalized this decision by saying that teams they expected to sell ended up changing plans. While that may have been true, they could have paid more for a player who was moved or enticed a team to move a player who was not traded by ramping up their offer. By not adding a reliever, the front office put their playoff hopes in the hands of a questionable group- especially in the back and middle of the bullpen. They put their trust in continued success from unproven pitchers, who had shown some promise, rather than just paying a bit of extra prospect capital. This decision has proved disastrous. Since the deadline, the Twins bullpen ranks 28th in fWAR, 25th in ERA, and 28th in FIP. The Twins didn't sign a single major league free agent reliever and made just one trade for bullpen help in the Floro deal (while trading away another major league reliever) and are paying the price. Despite improved offensive performance, the bullpen's horrendous month of August has made it more difficult than necessary to pull away from the Guardians in the division. If they make the playoffs, it's hard to see them having a bullpen capable of making a playoff run. While Brock Stewart is trying to make a return early next month, that is far from a sure thing. They sure could've used additional help at the trade deadline. The Faltering Relievers The Twins believed they could get sustained solid middle relief from many of Jordan Balazovic, Jovani Moran, and Caleb Thielbar. That calculation has proved more wrong than even skeptics would've believed. Just how bad has each of those options been since the deadline? Balazovic only made five more appearances after the deadline. In those appearances, he pitched seven innings with a 7.71 ERA driven by a horrendous 6.43 K/9, matching an even worse 6.43 BB/9. Balzovic's success before the deadline was primarily smoke and mirrors, as he posted a minuscule 6.23 K/9 up to the deadline. He responded to their vote of confidence with a complete implosion. He is back up with the Twins, replacing the injured Oliver Ortega. Moran had been pitching regularly leading up to the deadline and not well. He made one final appearance after the deadline on August 6th, where his walk problem continued. He walked three in one inning (not giving up any runs), was promptly sent to AAA, and has yet to return. Thielbar had been on the injured list since June 9th, when he was brought back on July 30th after dealing with an oblique strain. Until he went on the injured list, Thielbar was very effective with a 1.74 ERA, but he missed two months and is 36 years old, so relying on him by not getting bullpen help seemed questionable. The veteran lefty has yet to be his usual self since his return. His 3.24 ERA is fine, but he carries a 5.07 FIP and 4.71 x FIP, suggesting he's due for some negative regression- unless he starts pitching better. The front office put their faith in getting results internally when they made no additions at the trade deadline. That hasn't happened. They got decent performances from Floro before his calamitous (and reasonably unlucky) inning in Milwaukee, but they needed more. Griffin Jax, Jhoan Duran, and Emilio Pagán are the only three fairly reliable relievers at Rocco Baldelli's disposal right now, and that's just not good enough for a team trying to wrap up a division title and maybe even make a run in the playoffs. The front office put the team in this position, and when their weak bullpen hurts their chances to make the playoffs or, more likely, destroys their opportunities to make a playoff run, they'll have nobody to blame but themselves. View full article

While their Major League brothers were “walking it off” at Target Field with a bunt, a top prospect in Cedar Rapids had grander ambitions on Tuesday night. Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Brent Headrick) TRANSACTIONS The Cedar Rapids Kernels placed C Charles Mack on the 7-day injured list (concussion) and C Wilfri Castro was assigned from the FCL Twins in a corresponding move. OF/1B Alex Kirilloff was sent on a rehab assignment with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. He would bat third in the lineup and play first base in their game. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 10, Indianapolis 6 (12 innings) Box Score Brent Headrick made his second appearance of the young season for the Saints in this one, and it was much better than his first. He finished five innings, allowing just one run on four hits and one walk, while punching out eight. 50 of his 72 pitches went for strikes (69%), including thirteen swinging strikes. St. Paul got on the scoreboard first, when Edouard Julien clubbed an RBI double in the third inning to score Tony Wolters. Of note, is Julien was removed from the game after just two at-bats, as he’s been booked a flight to Minneapolis! Julien will be the first prospect from my preseason list to make his MLB debut for the Twins in 2023, and that will be especially fun for me since I’ll be at the game tomorrow. The Saints extended their lead to 3-1 thanks to a wild pitch in the sixth and Julien’s replacement, Hernan Perez's RBI single in the seventh. The score remained that way until the bottom of the ninth when Indianapolis finally got to the St. Paul bullpen. Patrick Murphy was summoned for the save opportunity and promptly loaded the bases. He managed to keep the game tied after allowing a two-run single, getting a strikeout and double-play ball to send it to extra innings. St. Paul and Indianapolis traded runs in each of the 10th (one each) and eleventh (two each) before the Saints broke it open with four in the 12th inning. Jose De Leon then closed the game out by picking up a pair of strikeouts. The Saints got multiple hits from Perez (2-for-3, 2 R, RBI, BB, K), Andrew Stevenson (3-for-6, 2 K, SB), and Wolters (3-for-4, 3 R, 2 2B), RBI, BB, K). In relief of Headrick, Brock Stewart continued his promising start to the 2023 season, going three innings and allowing just one hit and one walk, while striking out four (he had struck out all seven hitters he had faced before this outing). WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 1, Wichita 3 Box Score The Wind Surge grabbed an early 1-0 lead in the bottom of the first, after Brooks Lee led off the game for the home team with a double, and was driven in by a sac fly from Jake Rucker. They remained in the lead until the top of the fifth when the Naturals finally got a hit off starter Carlos Luna. He retired the first thirteen hitters of the game before allowing a solo home run to tie it at one in the fifth, and went on to finish 5 2/3 innings. Luna needed just 66 pitches (48 for strikes) while racking up 10 strikeouts in the outing. Kody Funderburk got the last out of the sixth and worked the next two innings, giving up two hits and one walk while striking out three. Alex Scherff finished off the game to pick up the win, walking one and striking out two in 1 1/3 innings pitched. Wichita took back the lead in the bottom of the eighth inning as they loaded the bases with one out. A wild pitch allowed Lee to scamper home before a bases-loaded walk to Pat Winkel made the final score of 3-1. Of note during that sequence, is Aaron Sabato was hit by a pitch and left the game. The teams combined for just five hits in the game with Wichita only collecting two. But they were able to take advantage of five walks and a pair of errors from the NW Arkansas defense late to steal the win in their home opener. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 4, Cedar Rapids 8 Box Score Making the start for the Kernels was 2022 Fort Myers standout, Pierson Ohl. The right-hander finished five innings, allowing three runs (two earned) on five hits and a walk, while punching out six. Malik Barrington was the first man on in relief and went the next two innings, allowing just one hit and one walk while striking out five. At that point in the game, the River Bandits were up 3-2, with the Kernel's runs coming on a wild pitch in the third inning and an RBI groundout from Willie Joe Garry Jr. in the fifth. They would take a 4-3 lead in the bottom of the eighth on RBI singles from Tanner Schobel and Ben Ross. Iowa native Matt Mullenbach delivered a scoreless eighth inning and was back out for the ninth, and if not for the solo home run he allowed, we would not have seen what happened in the bottom of the ninth. Tied at four, the Kernels' Noah Cardenas, Garry Jr., and Noah Miller all drew walks to load the bases for top outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez with no outs. He jumped on the first pitch he saw and, well, enjoy: The walk-off grand slam was Rodriguez’s first home run of the season, the Kernels only extra-base hit on the game (they were outhit 10-to-5 as a team), and he finished 1-for-3 with two runs scored, two walks, and four RBI. Joining him with two runs scored were Miller (0-for-3, 2 BB, K), Cardenas (0-for-2, BB, 2 K), and Garry Jr. (1-for-3, RBI, BB, K, SB). Tanner Schobel chipped in two hits and an RBI. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 0, Clearwater 6 Box Score The Mighty Mussels were blanked by the Threshers on Tuesday, as they managed just three hits and three walks in the game. Jorel Ortega provided their only extra-base hit with a double. They were just 0-for-2 with runners in scoring position as a team, leaving only four men on base. The biggest story among the hitters in this one was the rehabbing major leaguers, including the beginning of a rehab assignment for Alex Kirilloff. He picked up one of their three hits, finishing 1-for-3 with a strikeout. Fellow rehabber Jorge Polanco also was 1-for-3 playing second base, struck out twice, and both major leaguers were substituted to begin the eighth inning. Righthander Tomas Cleto made the start for Fort Myers and went the first four innings. He allowed two runs (one earned) on three hits while striking out two. Josh Winder made his second rehab appearance for the Mighty Mussels, pitching the fifth inning and setting the Threshers down in order, including a strikeout to end his inning. Wilker Reyes then went multiple innings but allowed runs in each before being lifted for Jackson Hicks with two outs in the eighth. Reyes was charged with four earned runs on six hits and two walks in 2 1/3 innings while striking out two. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Carlos Luna, Wichita Wind Surge (5 2/3 IP, H, ER, 10 K) Hitter of the Day - Emmanuel Rodriguez, Cedar Rapids Kernels (1-for-3, 2 R, GS, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K) PROSPECT SUMMARY #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-for-3, 2 R, 2B, BB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 2 R, GS, 4 RBI, 2 BB, 2 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, 2B, RBI #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-4, 2 K #11 - Matt Wallner (Minnesota) - 0-for-4, 3 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, RBI #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, BB, 2 K WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Indianapolis (10:05 AM CDT) - RHP Bailey Ober (0-1, 6.75 ERA) NW Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Blayne Enlow (0-0, 1.80 ERA) Quad Cities @ Cedar Rapids (6:35 PM CDT) - LHP Jaylen Nowlin (0-0, 0.00 ERA) Fort Myers @ Clearwater (5:30 PM CDT) - RHP C.J. Culpepper (2023 debut) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games! View full article

Unable to acquire a right-handed hitting outfielder at the trade deadline, the Twins claimed outfielder Jordan Luplow from the Blue Jays. Image courtesy of Kevin Sousa-USA TODAY Sports Well, this move certainly won't excite the Twins fan base. However, looking for offense against left-handed pitching, Jordan Luplow certainly fits the bill. The 29-year-old was DFAd by the Blue Jays following Toronto's deadline day acquisitions. He had played just seven games with the Jays including three just before the deadline. To make room for Luplow on the 40-man roster, Brock Stewart was moved to the 60-Day Injured List. When he gets into a game with the Twins, it will mark his sixth big-league club that he has played for. He was originally a third-round draft pick by the Pirates in 2014 out of Fresno State. At 23, he made his MLB debut with 27 games in 2017. He played 37 games for the Pirates in 2018. Twins fans will likely mostly remember Jordan Luplow from his years with Cleveland. In parts of three seasons, he played in 150 games and hit .234/.348/.486 (834) with 25 doubles and 24 homers. Since then, he has become a journeyman. He's played for the Rays, the Diamondbacks, and the Blue Jays. In total, he has played in 329 big-league games and hit .213/.314/.428 (.742) with 37 doubles and 45 homers. In his career, he has hit just .199/.289/.354 (.644) with 16 doubles, three triples and 14 home runs off of right-handed pitching. However, against southpaws, he is a different player. He has hit .226/.337/.497 (.833). Not great numbers, by any means, but for a Twins team struggling mightily against lefties, the move is certainly understandable. He's not going to hit for batting average, but how many do at this point? He gets on base at a decent clip against lefties. He does have much more power and drives the ball against left-handers. In his career, he has mostly played the two corner outfield positions. He has also played 53 games at first base, mostly the last couple of years. He has played in 29 games against the Twins in his career, second only to the Detroit Tigers. In those games, he hit just .164 but did hit six home runs. Since 2018, he has played primarily in the big leagues. He has missed time with injury the last few years. In 48 games this year at Triple-A Buffalo, he hit .239/.341/.438 (.779). Against right-handers, he has a .653 OPS. Against lefties, his OPS is .914. If he spends the rest of the season with the Twins and they like him so much, he has one more arbitration season remaining, and he only signed for $1.4 million for 2023. This is definitely not a difference-maker, but it's a sneaky solid little pickup. Of course, the Twins still need to make a roster move to get Luplow onto the 26-man roster. That could be interesting. Share your thoughts below. View full article

The Twins did well in acquiring a reliable veteran reliever in Dylan Floro on Wednesday to slot into at least some leverage. Given the injury concerns in the bullpen and what we've seen in recent days, they should have their sights set on acquiring a second reliever. Image courtesy of Jay Biggerstaff-USA TODAY Sports The Twins bullpen is currently a house of cards held up by Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran. Dylan Floro has a lot to like in the profile but has struggled this year and even at his best slots in behind the big two. With injuries and uncertainty across the board throughout the rest of the receiving corps, the Twins should be looking to acquire one more reliever for the stretch run. The Twins have reached a troubling level of uncertainty in their bullpen. On days when Jax and Duran aren’t available, they often have to use multiple fringe MLB-caliber arms, and even Jax has blown several leads over the last week or so. The fringes of the bullpen are filled out by rarely called-upon names such as Cole Sands, as well as waiver claims and relievers who struggle to even get Triple-A hitters out such as Oliver Ortega and Josh Winder. It’s no certainty that help is on the way internally. They find themselves in this spot despite surprisingly quality innings from Emilio Pagán, as well as getting a collection of great innings from José De León and Brock Stewart before both went down with injury. Caleb Thielbar just began a rehab assignment, though he’ll surely be brought along slowly. He’s no guarantee to return to form from his oblique issue, as we saw earlier this season when he returned for one appearance and immediately hit the IL again. It’s a fun idea to rely on the dominant Brock Stewart’s return, but after being shut down for what was considered maintenance, a month has passed and there is still no timeline for a rehab assignment. Relying on either to save the bullpen could prove costly. In addition, there are no immediate options within the system. After Oliver Ortega was optioned, the Twins called Josh Winder up for depth. The former intriguing starting prospect has struggled to get Triple-A hitters out as a reliever this season. Brent Headrick is stretched out to start and should probably stay that way. Ronny Henriquez, a once-promising prospect himself, has been a complete mess in Triple-A in between injuries. Outside of the 40-man roster, a few names such as Cody Laweryson and Kody Funderburk have flashed at times, but there are no standout options to potentially become bullpen staples. In short, the only real help that’s coming internally is from Thielbar and Stewart, neither of which should be relied on too heavily. Recently acquired Dylan Floro would likely slot in behind these two if all are healthy, making him more of a depth option rather than a legitimate go-to guy like this recovering duo can be. Adding another high-leverage arm as insurance in the event that Thielbar or Stewart can't come back has little downside. Worst case scenario the Twins wind up with too many reliable relievers. One more potential high-leverage arm would help the Twins tremendously given the health questions they're facing in the final months of the season. With the offense coming around a bit and the starting pitching starting to falter, they should be doing all they can to acquire one more bullpen piece and make the end of games as air-tight as possible. Do you agree? View full article

The Twins needed to find some bullpen depth when Brock Stewart went down. While the bullpen overall has pulled its weight, Jordan Balazovic may be the most noteworthy development in recent weeks. Image courtesy of Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports It seemed disaster was around the corner when the Twins lost Brock Stewart to injury before the all-star break. The resurgent flame thrower had become the Twins fireman to complement Griffin Jax and Jhoan Duran, and was arguably pitching better than either of them with Caleb Thielbar on the IL and Jorge Lopez not living up to expectations. The Twins were seemingly left with two reliable bullpen arms and a whole lot of questions. Emilio Pagan certainly deserves his praise, but Jordan Balazovic’s performance may be the most encouraging for the future of the Twins bullpen. Jordan Balazovic so far has posted a 2.93 ERA on the season. While his peripherals indicate regression is coming, his xERA is in the perfectly acceptable mid-3s. His FIP and xFIP are in the high 4s to mid 5s range, but they're being skewed quite a bit by his most recent outing where the Mariners put together two great at-bats, not chasing well-executed pitches to work walks before Dylan Moore ambushed Balazovic on a 95 mph fastball at the top of the zone. The stuff looked good despite the disappointing outcome. On Monday night, the Twins bullpen was depleted after having to use Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax on consecutive days. Balazovic was thrust into his first high-leverage opportunity. Facing the heart of the Mariners lineup, Balazovic stranded a runner at third base to preserve the lead. While Jax would allow a go-ahead homer in the ninth, Balazovic had himself set up for his first Major League hold. Despite it looking like Balazovic could be headed in the wrong direction by the numbers, it’s very possible he can stave off regression with some further adjusting. The Twins did Balazovic no favors when it comes to his MLB debut. He had spent his season in St. Paul as a long reliever before injuries forced him onto the Twins roster where he filled a single-inning role. It’s a completely different style of pitching, and now that he’s been fully transitioned to a one-inning relief role, it should be expected that he’ll adjust as he settles in. A big reason the underlying numbers aren’t big fans of Balazovic is the lack of strikeouts thus far. He hasn’t shown a lack of whiffs in the minors since 2017 and had struck out 31.1% of hitters in St. Paul this season before his call-up. It may take some playing around, but Balazovic should have the tools to collect punchouts at an acceptable rate. His mid-90s fastball paired with a slider that’s posted a 118 Stuff+ alone should collect more whiffs long-term, and he’s rarely used his changeup despite it posting a 37.5% whiff rate having only been thrown 17 times. For a starter-turned-long reliever-turned-traditional reliever all in the same season, things could be going worse for Jordan Balazovic, and he’s been a cog in a bullpen machine that could have easily misfired regularly while missing multiple important pieces. When some of the injured arms return or the Twins go out and acquire help at the deadline, Balazovic will be pushed back down into lower leverage. As long as the walks stay down, Balazovic has shown that he deserves a spot as at least a functional middle reliever, and given his prospect pedigree as a starter, it’s fair to imagine that there’s much more he has to offer over the next 6+ years of team control. With their backs against the wall, the Twins bullpen has held it’s own, and Jordan Balazovic has been a pleasantly surprising reason why. Can he parlay his fill-in performance into a bigger bullpen role in the next few years? View full article

Injuries have again impacted the Twins during the 2023 campaign, but hope is on the horizon with a handful of players on track to return. Here’s a ranking of the top five players returning from injury and what each can offer the roster. Image courtesy of Tommy Gilligan-USA TODAY Sports The team expects each injured player below to return at some point before the season ends. Below is a brief explanation of their injury and an expected timeline for their return. The Twins haven’t been the most reliable at meeting those timelines in the past, but the current medical staff was new at the beginning of the year and can be given the benefit of the doubt. Other injured players that didn’t make the top five include Jose Miranda, Jorge Alcala, and Chris Paddack. 5. Nick Gordon, OF/INF Injury: Right Tibia Fracture Expected Return: September Minnesota needs to improve offensive production from the corner outfield spots, and Gordon was looking to build off a 2022 season where he posted a 110 OPS+ in 136 games. Unfortunately, Gordon struggled out of the gate in 2023 with a .503 OPS in 34 games before fouling a ball off his leg and fracturing his right tibia. He had the cast and brace removed from his leg near the end of June. Gordon has yet to start running but has been working in the weight room. The Twins have other corner outfield options, but the 2022 version of Gordon would assist the offense. 4. Brock Stewart, RP Injury: Right Elbow Soreness Expected Return: August Stewart saved the bullpen earlier in the season when multiple players struggled in late-inning roles. He’s previously dealt with other arm injuries, and the Twins are attributing his latest injury to his increased workload in 2023. In 25 2/3 innings, he posted a 0.70 ERA with a 1.01 WHIP and a 35-to-11 strikeout-to-walk ratio. At the beginning of July, he threw from 90 feet without issue, but he will require a rehab stint before returning to the MLB level. Minnesota will likely be in the market for relief pitching at the trading deadline, especially since Stewart won’t return until August. 3. Caleb Thielbar, RP Injury: Right Oblique Strain Expected Return: August Like Stewart, Thielbar was a critical component of the bullpen in the first half. Oblique injuries are complicated, as he tried to return early this season before reinjuring himself. Over the weekend, he threw a 30-pitch bullpen session and expects to throw another one early this week. His next steps would be to throw live batting practice before starting a rehab assignment. He doesn’t seem likely to return to the roster before the trade deadline, so the Twins will likely be looking for bullpen upgrades. 2. Royce Lewis, 3B Injury: Left Oblique Strain Expected Return: August Lewis has been unable to catch a break regarding staying healthy, a trend that follows many of the team’s recent top prospects. Over the last two seasons, injuries have limited him to 38 big-league games, but he’s posted a 131 OPS+. He is expected to begin baseball activities this week after doing other core work over the last week. He may return to the line-up by early August, but more will be known after the team returns from their current road trip. There’s been some speculation that the Twins might be interested in trading for a third baseman, but it seems more likely for the team to rely on other players with the hope Lewis returns shortly after the deadline. 1. Jorge Polanco, 2B Injury: Left Hamstring Strain Expected Return: Late July Minnesota’s offense has lacked a particular element without infielders like Polanco and Lewis. His return can provide a veteran presence to the line-up, but the Twins will need to find a way for him and Edouard Julien to coexist in the same line-up. Polanco began a rehab assignment on July 16, and he will likely need multiple weeks to ramp up before joining the Twins. In 30 games this season, Polanco has posted a 102 OPS+ with nine doubles and five home runs. If the Twins make the playoffs, the line-up is better, with Polanco playing at full strength. How would you rank the injured Twins players on their importance to the club in the second half? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. View full article