Twins Rumors

Twins Select Caleb Hamilton

By Anthony Franco | July 16, 2022 at 12:30pm CDT

July 16: Scans have revealed a slight fracture in Jeffers’ thumb, per MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park (via Twitter). The Twins backstop will require 6-to-8 weeks for the thumb to heal. The Twins will forge ahead with Sanchez and Hamilton as their catching tandem for the time being.

July 15: The Twins announced they’ve selected catcher/infielder Caleb Hamilton onto the big league roster, just minutes before tonight’s game against the White Sox. Ryan Jeffers lands on the 10-day injured list due to a right thumb contusion in a corresponding move. Minnesota already had a 40-man roster vacancy.

Hamilton, 27, reaches the major leagues for the first time. He entered pro ball as a 23rd-round draftee out of Oregon State University in 2016. Hamilton has spent six-plus seasons progressing up the minor league ladder, first reaching Triple-A in 2019 and logging the past few years in the upper minors. He’s spent this season with their top affiliate in St. Paul, hitting .252/.387/.491 with a massive 18% walk rate. He’s already set a personal-high with ten home runs across 194 plate appearances.

That breakout showing has come with a fair bit of swing-and-miss, as Hamilton has gone down on strikes in 27.8% of his trips to the dish. That’s been a concern throughout his professional tenure. Still, his combination of plate discipline, catching ability and this season’s improved power output will get him a look behind Gary Sánchez on the big league club.

Jeffers is having a decent third season in the majors. The 25-year-old backstop owns a .214/.291/.375 line across 214 plate appearances. That isn’t eye-popping offensive output, but it’s a bit better than this season’s .224/.293/.363 league average for catchers. Jeffers’ greater value is in what he’s provided behind the dish, as he’s a well-regarded defender who has rated favorably by Statcast’s pitch framing metrics this year.

Outrights: Minaya, Bracho

By Steve Adams | July 7, 2022 at 8:54am CDT

We’ll start the morning off with a pair of outright assignments from around the league…

Twins righty Juan Minaya went unclaimed on outright waivers and has accepted an assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, tweets Dan Hayes of The Athletic. The 31-year-old Minaya has spent the past couple seasons in the Twins organization and was a solid member of their bullpen in 2021, pitching to a 2.48 ERA in 40 innings. A 12% walk rate and sky-high 83.5% left-on-base rate always made it unlikely that Minaya would sustain that level of output, however, and he’s struggled both in Triple-A and the Majors this year. Minaya carries a 5.91 ERA in 21 1/3 Triple-A frames this year and a 5.59 mark in 9 2/3 big league innings, though in his most recent Major League stint he did toss 3 1/3 shutout innings with four strikeouts and no walks. Minaya could have opted for free agency but seems comfortable in the Twins organization, as he’s now accepted multiple outrights there this season and returned on a minor league deal after being outrighted at the end of the 2021 season.
Right-hander Silvino Bracho went unclaimed on outright waivers and has been assigned to Triple-A Gwinnett, the Braves announced. The 29-year-old righty, who opened the season with the Red Sox’ Triple-A affiliate, has had an eventful week and a half. Selected to Boston’s big league roster on June 28, Bracho was designated for assignment two days later — before he ever appeared in a game. The Braves acquired him for cash that same night, and he tossed a shutout frame for Atlanta the very next day — just his second inning of big league work since 2018. Bracho was again designated for assignment just three days later, however, and as a player with more than three years of MLB service, he’ll now have the ability to reject this outright assignment if he wishes. Bracho saw frequent use in the D-backs’ bullpen from 2015-18 but also battled myriad injuries along the way and has made only two MLB appearances since. He’s had a nice season in Triple-A so far, logging a 3.16 ERA and a 36-to-4 K/BB ratio in 31 1/3 innings with the WooSox.

Twins Outright Tyler Thornburg

By Steve Adams | July 4, 2022 at 5:48pm CDT

TODAY: Thornburg has cleared waivers and been outrighted off Minnesota’s 40-man roster. It isn’t yet known if he’ll accept the assignment to Triple-A or opt for free agency.

JULY 1: The Twins announced Friday that they’ve selected the contract of right-hander Juan Minaya from Triple-A St. Paul and designated righty Tyler Thornburg for assignment to clear spot on the active and 40-man rosters.

Thornburg, 33, turned in four scoreless outings to start his Twins tenure, combining for eight innings in that time. He walked three hitters and recorded just four strikeouts during that span, however, and he was the latest Twins reliever to fail to put away the Guardians over the past couple weeks. Tasked with protecting a two-run lead while the Twins dealt with a depleted bullpen, Thornburg served up four runs (three earned) on two hits, a hit batter and three walks yesterday. Thornburg allowed the game to be tied in the eighth before yielding a walk-off home run to Andres Gimenez in the ninth — an incredible fifth blown lead for the Twins against the Guardians in eight games over the past two weeks.

The veteran Thornburg has totaled 19 innings between the Twins and Braves this season, pitching to a sound-looking 3.32 ERA that doesn’t mesh with far more concerning secondary numbers. Thornburg has walked a hefty 12.6% of his opponents, hit another and notched just a 16.2% strikeout rate. He’s also allowed just one home run despite a huge 50.8% fly-ball rate, and the resulting 3.2% homer-to-flyball ratio clocks in way shy of his career 10% mark. ERA alternatives like FIP (4.24) and SIERA (5.26) are far more bearish on his work thus far.

The Twins will have a week to trade Thornburg, pass him through outright waivers or release him. With six-plus years of MLB service, he can reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency in the event that he goes unclaimed.

Minaya, 31, will return for what will now be his fourth big league stint with the Twins in the past two seasons. He’s repeatedly ridden the DFA carousel in Minnesota, being selected to the roster, designated for assignment and accepting outright assignments on several occasions. Minaya posted a 2.48 ERA in 40 innings with the Twins in 2021, logging above-average strikeout and ground-ball rates along the way. He also walked 12% of his opponents, though, and he’s been torched both in the big leagues (six runs in 6 1/3 innings) and in Triple-A (5.91 ERA in 21 1/3 frames) so far in 2022.

The Twins are in obvious need of help to upgrade what has been an awful bullpen throughout the season, and that figures to be a key focus as the Aug. 2 trade deadline draws nearer. Rookie Jhoan Duran has been one of baseball’s best relievers, and converted starter Griffin Jax has emphatically secured a spot as well. The rest of the group has underwhelmed, to say the least, and the recent string of missed opportunities has kept the Twins from putting the Central largely out of reach. They currently hold a one-game lead over Cleveland.

Twins Designate Juan Minaya For Assignment

By Mark Polishuk | July 4, 2022 at 3:41pm CDT

The Twins have designated right-hander Juan Minaya for assignment. The move creates room for Trevor Megill to rejoin the active roster, as Megill was activated from the 15-day injured list.

Since first signing with Minnesota in the 2019-20 offseason, Minaya has now been designated four different times by the club, including another DFA just last month. Minaya was outrighted off the 40-man roster on both occasions, and he again has the option to elect free agency, though there isn’t any indication that he won’t just accept another assignment to Triple-A.

Minaya’s first season with the Twins was a success, as he posted a 2.48 ERA and 53% walk rate over 40 relief innings. Advanced metrics (such as a 4.00 SIERA) wasn’t as impressed with his work, however, and after the Twins non-tendered the righty, he had to settle for a minor league contract to return to Minnesota last winter. Though Minaya has a 3.67 SIERA over 9 2/3 innings this year, his luck has seemingly gone in the other direction, as he has a 5.59 ERA over that short sample size.

Megill is back after being (retroactively) placed on the 15-day IL on June 16 due to a right shoulder impingement. Now in his second big league season, Megill has done well thus far with the Twins, posting a 2.08 ERA over 13 innings out of the bullpen.

AL Central Notes: Twins, Guardians, Blitzer, Ilitch, Tigers

By Mark Polishuk | July 2, 2022 at 6:49pm CDT

The bullpen will be a focus for the Twins heading into the trade deadline, even though “the reliever (trade) market is always the toughest one to navigate and always the toughest one to pin down,” chief baseball officer Derek Falvey told The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman and other reporters. “It all depends on what’s available, but this year we’ll be more open-minded to adding whatever what we think will be something that will help us more toward the middle or the back end, ideally.”

However, it doesn’t seem like a trade may come together quickly, as with a month still left before the trade deadline, Falvey noted that many teams still haven’t decided if they’ll be buying or selling. “You can’t really accelerate that part of the conversation,” Falvey said. “Sometimes it’s ’all right, we’ll wait and see, we’ll put you down as interested in Player X and we’ll circle back if we’re moving in that direction.’ ” While the Twins could push the market with an aggressive offer, that only increases the risk of overpaying for a player now when they could get the same pitcher for less in a few weeks’ time. Getting at least one of Emilio Pagan or Tyler Duffey pitching well would greatly help Minnesota’s bullpen and trade leverage, but until that happens, the club may need to continue to explore outside options.

Twins Name Pete Maki Pitching Coach

By Steve Adams | July 1, 2022 at 11:30am CDT

The Twins announced Friday that they’ve promoted bullpen coach Pete Maki to the position of pitching coach. Maki’s move up the coaching ladder comes on the heels of former pitching coach Wes Johnson’s surprising midseason departure. Johnson will reportedly receive a raise and can earn up to $750K to serve as the pitching coach at Louisiana State University — a position that will require far less travel over a shorter season and allow Johnson to spend more time with his young family. Minnesota also promoted Colby Suggs, previously an advance scout and the team’s coordinator of run prevention, to Maki’s former role of bullpen coach.

Maki, 39, has been with the Twins since 2018 — first serving as the organization’s minor league pitching coordinator before taking on the role of bullpen beginning in 2019. He’s a familiar voice for the staff to work with, though Johnson’s departure is still a notable loss, given his reputation around the game and his popularity within the clubhouse. Prior to working with the Twins, Maki (like Johnson and Suggs) coached in the college ranks, most recently as the pitching coach at Duke from 2015-17.

Suggs, still just 30 years old, was the No. 73 overall pick by the Marlins in 2013 but hasn’t pitched professionally since 2016. He launched his coaching career with the Arkansas Razorbacks, spending 2018 as the bullpen coach alongside none other than Johnson, who was the pitching coach at Arkansas prior to being hired by the Twins.

Johnson’s departure for an NCAA position may still strike some as strange, but R.J. Anderson of CBS Sports recently suggested that it could be the beginning of a trend both in the coaching and scouting ranks (Twitter thread). Colleges tend to offer larger salaries, more limited travel and greater control for coaches, Anderson observes, adding that Johnson’s situation may not ultimately prove to be unique.

Injury Notes: Eflin, Brantley, Woodruff, Polanco

By Anthony Franco | June 28, 2022 at 4:45pm CDT

The Phillies placed starter Zach Eflin on the 15-day injured list, retroactive to June 26, with a bruised right knee. Outfielder Oscar Mercado, claimed off waivers from the Guardians yesterday, has been added to the active roster in a corresponding move. Eflin told reporters he’s hopeful he could return after a minimal IL stay, which would only cost him two starts (via Todd Zolecki of MLB.com). The 28-year-old underwent surgery on both knees back in 2016, and he underwent another procedure to correct patellar issues in his right knee last September. His current injury doesn’t seem to be anywhere near as concerning, but the Phillies figure to be particularly cautious in bringing him back given that history.

An impending free agent, Eflin has made 13 starts this season. He owns a 4.37 ERA over 68 innings, striking out 19.6% of opposing hitters against a minuscule 5.3% walk rate. That kind of strike-throwing stability has made the former Padres farmhand a reliable member of the Philadelphia rotation for the past six-plus years. The Phils plan to recall left-hander Bailey Falter to start Friday night’s game in Eflin’s place, tweets Matt Gelb of the Athletic.

Some other injured list moves from around the game:

The Astros placed left fielder Michael Brantley on the 10-day injured list, retroactive to June 27, due to right shoulder discomfort. Chas McCormick, who’d been optioned over the weekend, has been recalled to take his place on the active roster. (Position players typically need to spend a minimum of ten days in the minors after being optioned, but they can be recalled earlier if replacing an injured player). Brantley downplayed any long-term concerns, telling reporters (including Brian McTaggart of MLB.com) he was hopeful he could make it back after a brief stint. The 35-year-old continues to perform very well at the plate, carrying a .288/.370/.416 line through 277 plate appearances this season.
The Brewers welcomed a pair of key contributors back from the injured list this evening. Righty Brandon Woodruff and second baseman Kolten Wong have each been reinstated, with Trevor Kelley and Pablo Reyes optioned out in corresponding moves. Woodruff will get the start during today’s game with the Rays, while Wong steps back in at the keystone. It’s the first MLB start in a month for Woodruff, who’s been out while dealing with a high ankle sprain and some hand numbness stemming from Raynaud’s syndrome. Wong has been out for three weeks on account of a calf strain.
Between games of today’s doubleheader with the Guardians, the Twins brought back second baseman Jorge Polanco from the injured list. Outfielder Mark Contreras was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul to open active roster space. The switch-hitting Polanco is hitting fifth for the nightcap against Cleveland. He missed a little less than two weeks with some lower back tightness. Through 250 plate appearances, Polanco is hitting .245/.340/.389 with seven home runs. His return figures to push Luis Arraez back to first base and designated hitter, perhaps freeing Alex Kirilloff to see more time in left field. Minnesota lost primary left fielder Trevor Larnach to a core muscle injury over the weekend; he’s undergoing surgery and expected to miss six weeks.

Trevor Larnach To Undergo Core Surgery, Expected To Miss Six Weeks

By Anthony Franco | June 27, 2022 at 5:52pm CDT

Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach will undergo a bilateral surgical repair to address a core muscle strain, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey informed reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press). Falvey estimated it’ll be six weeks before Larnach is ready to return to the major league team.

It’s a setback for a Minnesota club holding a two-game edge over the Guardians in the AL Central standings. A former first-round draftee and top prospect, Larnach has appeared in 51 of the club’s 74 games. He’d settled in as manager Rocco Baldelli’s primary left fielder over the past few weeks and is amidst a decent season.

Through 180 plate appearances, Larnach owns a .231/.306/.406 line that checks in right around league average by measure of wRC+. While the left-handed hitter has continued to strike out at an alarming rate (31.7%), he’s walked at a quality 10% clip and collected 18 extra-base hits. Defensive metrics have judged his corner outfield work favorably as well, making for a nice start to the Oregon State product’s second season in the big leagues.

With Larnach out of action for the past few days, Baldelli has turned to utilityman Nick Gordon in left field. The 26-year-old has just a .250/.287/.365 line with a pair of homers through 56 games, making him an imperfect fit for regular action at a bat-first position. Alex Kirilloff is capable of working in the corner outfield, but he’s kicked to first base while Luis Arraez has moved to second after the club lost Jorge Polanco to the IL last week.

Twins Pitching Coach Wes Johnson Hired As LSU Pitching Coach

By Mark Polishuk | June 27, 2022 at 9:25am CDT

June 27: The Twins formally announced this morning that Johnson will depart the organization to accept his new role at LSU. His final day with the Twins will be Thursday.

“Wes Johnson has been an integral part of our organization over the last three and a half seasons and has helped guide our pitchers at the highest level,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said in a press release. “His leadership, insight, creativity, and ability to effectively work across a diverse team were hallmarks of his time with the Minnesota Twins. His influence and impact will continue to be realized in Minnesota through the pitchers and staff members he helped mentor. We wish him and his family all the best during his next stop at LSU.”

June 26, 11:03PM: Johnson will receive a $380K annual salary from LSU, according to the school, a modest increase over the approximately $350K per year that the coach received from the Twins. Johnson will indeed leave for LSU when the Twins’ series in Cleveland concludes on Thursday.

7:17PM: Maki will be promoted and become the Twins’ new pitching coach, Gleeman and Hayes report (via Twitter). Also from Hayes, talks between the Twins and Johnson were more about “what might make [the] job more appealing” to Johnson, and he didn’t ask the club for more money. LSU, meanwhile, was “very aggressive” in recruiting Johnson.

6:30PM: In a surprise midseason move, Twins pitching coach Wes Johnson is leaving the team to return to the college ranks, as D1 Baseball’s Kendall Rogers (Twitter link) reports that Johnson has been hired as LSU’s new pitching coach. Johnson is in his fourth season with the Twins, but has previous SEC ties — he worked as a pitching coach at Mississippi State and at Arkansas before joining Minnesota in November 2018.

Johnson had never worked in pro baseball prior to being hired by the Twins, though several teams in recent years have hired coaches with more varied resumes than the usual background as a player, coach, or manager at the MLB or minor league levels. In that regard, Johnson was something of a forerunner to this trend, as he was an early adopter of Trackman technology even at the college level.

Since the start of the 2019 season, Minnesota pitchers rank 10th in baseball in fWAR (46.8), which is a strong total even factoring in the injuries and performance drop-offs that plagued the Twins during their disappointing 2021 campaign. Starting pitching was seen as a big question mark for the Twins heading into 2022, but the club has weathered another set of injuries to post strong-to-respectable numbers in several categories. The success stories include Chris Archer’s comeback year, and rookie Joe Ryan pitching well in his first full MLB season.

The pitching has been a reason behind the Twins’ 41-33 record, and rise to first place in the AL Central. With this in mind, it makes it all the more unusual that Johnson would leave so abruptly — The Athletic’s Dan Hayes reports that the Twins only learned yesterday about Johnson’s negotiations with LSU. With Minnesota about to begin an important five-game series against the Guardians, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic adds that Johnson is expected to remain with the Twins until that series is over.

Presumably, assistant pitching coach Luis Ramirez or bullpen coach Pete Maki are the likeliest candidates to step into Minnesota’s pitching coach role on at least an interim basis. Given the sudden nature of Johnson’s departure, the Twins are perhaps more apt to wait until after the season to hire a permanent replacement.

AL Central Injury Notes: Moncada, Smith, Staumont, Meadows

By Mark Polishuk | June 26, 2022 at 4:51pm CDT

White Sox third baseman Yoan Moncada should be activated from the 10-day injured list on Tuesday, manager Tony La Russa told MLB.com’s Scott Merkin and other reporters. Moncada’s placement (due to a right hamstring strain) was retroactive to June 18, so Tuesday would represent the minimum 10 days for the infielder.

Between this brief IL visit and the oblique injury that sidelined Moncada for the first month of the season, Moncada seems to have barely gotten out of the blocks in 2022, hitting only .179/.230/.292 in 113 plate appearances. While the Sox are happy to remove a name from their increasingly crowded injured list, they’ll need Moncada to get back to his old form in order for Chicago to start making a move in the playoff race.

Let’s catch up on some other injury situations from around the AL Central…

The Twins placed veteran reliever Joe Smith on the 15-day injured list due to tightness in his upper trap muscle. Left-hander Jovani Moran was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move. Now in his 15th Major League season, Smith has 2.78 ERA over 22 2/3 innings out of Minnesota’s bullpen, with his 62.7% grounder rate helping make up for an unimpressive set of Statcast metrics.
The Royals placed right-hander Josh Staumont on the 15-day IL (retroactive to June 23) due to a neck strain. In corresponding moves, K.C. also optioned lefty Foster Griffin to Triple-A and called up right-handers Jackson Kowar and Matt Peacock. Staumont told MLB.com’s Anne Rogers and other reporters that his neck problem had been “lingering for the past couple games,” and Rogers noted that Staumont’s velocity had clearly been impacted over those last few outings. Staumont has a 3.81 ERA, 27.6% strikeout rate, and a high 14.7% walk rate over 26 innings for the Royals this season, and six of Staumont’s 17 walks allowed have come over his last four games.
Austin Meadows will start a minor league rehab assignment this week, with Tigers manager A.J. Hinch telling reporters (including Chris McCosky of The Detroit News) that Meadows will likely start game action on Tuesday. Meadows was placed on the COVID-related IL on June 17 after testing positive for the coronavirus, but he has now cleared health protocols.

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