In a surprise move, the Twins are set to promote top outfield prospect Alex Kirilloff for what would be his MLB debut during the first round of the postseason. Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reported last night that the move was being discussed, and both Seth Stohs of TwinsDaily.com and Jonathan Mayo of MLB.com (Twitter link) hear that Kirilloff is indeed being added to the big league roster. His contract will need to be formally selected, although fellow rookie outfielder Brent Rooker is on the 10-day IL with a season-ending forearm fracture, so he could just be moved to the 45-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
Kirilloff, 22, was the No. 15 overall pick of the 2016 draft. He missed the 2017 due to Tommy John surgery but cemented himself as one of the game’s top 50 overall prospects when he laid waste to Class-A pitching in his 2018 return. The Pittsburgh native split that season between Class-A and Class-A Advanced, posting a combined .348/.392/.578 slash with 20 homers, 44 doubles and seven triples in just 561 plate appearances. He followed that up with a .283/.343/.413 slash that was good for a 121 wRC+ in the pitcher-friendly Double-A Southern League last year.
The move to bring Kirilloff up could very well mean bad news for either Byron Buxton or Josh Donaldson, each of whom has been hobbled by injuries recently. Buxton showed concussion symptoms after being hit in the head by a pitch late last week, while Donaldson has again been dealing with calf issues. Both Buxton and Donaldson worked out with the club yesterday, and manager Rocco Baldelli tabbed it a “relatively good day” for both players.
If and when Kirilloff is added to the roster there’s no guarantee he’ll draw a start in the series. Even if Buxton is sidelined, the club could lean on Eddie Rosario, Jake Cave and Max Kepler across the outfield. Kirilloff, as is the case with that trio, is a left-handed bat, so he wouldn’t even necessarily draw a platoon-based date with Houston lefty Framber Valdez. At the very least, however, he’d give the club an intriguing lefty bat to pinch-hit. Kirilloff has experience at all three outfield positions and at first base as well, so Baldelli could work him into the mix in a variety of ways.
Kirilloff won’t get any big league service time for appearing on the Major League roster in the playoffs, but his promotion only further confirms that he’s on the cusp of an audition as an everyday piece in Minnesota. The only question is just where he’ll slot in. The Twins locked Kepler up on a five-year extension just last year and control Buxton through the 2022 season. Rosario, meanwhile, is only controlled through 2021. Between fellow top 100 prospect Trevor Larnach and the aforementioned Rooker, Minnesota is well stocked with corner outfield bats that are MLB-ready or quite close to it.
Whoa!
I love when teams do this.
why didnt they add him earlier to see if he was ready?
Felt the same way about Brailyn Marquez. Why call him up on the last day?
Service time manipulation?
He had to be added to the 40 this winter anyway, so it makes sense. The bat to ball, as they say, is extraordinary.
yeah, sorta figured this. Thanks.
If I’m not mistaken, Kirilloff has played some 1B in the minors as well.
If Twins lose again in the first round what’s excuse will they have now. They are finally not playing the Yankees.
I don’t recall any excuses being put forth about playing a perennial strong team like the Yankees. If I were you, I’d focus your attention on and be more concerned about your matchup with a talented Indians team. Your Yankees could very well be going home in three days or less.
Typical Yankees fan talk. Worrying bout the ALCS or the WS instead of what’s in front of them. They did that in ’06 and ’08 against my Tigers and got sent home both years! Lol
As a Tigers fan I usually wouldn’t care less about the outcome of this series. But a huge congrats to Alex Kirilloff on your call up. Being in the postseason as your first taste of the big leagues would be such a huge thrill! Can’t imagine what him and his family are feeling like today! Good luck to you kid, hoping you make a difference in this series and you’ve got me watching a series I probably would’ve ignored otherwise.
Agreed. I haven’t seen Alex in 20 years when he was just a little tyke, but I remember his dad and mom ran a hitting facility out of a garage in suburban Pittsburgh and were just wonderful people. All the best to him
I see that it doesn’t affect service time. Would he had to go on the 40 man to avoid the rule-5 draft this year?