Twins Select Elliot Soto
The Twins announced Monday that they’ve selected the contract of infielder Elliot Soto from Triple-A St. Paul. Right-hander Cole Sands was optioned to St. Paul to make room on the active roster, while righty Cody Stashak was transferred from the 10-day IL to the 60-day IL to open a spot on the 40-man roster. Stashak underwent season-ending shoulder surgery recently.
Soto, a 32-year-old journeyman, made his big league debut with the Angels in 2020 and went 2-for-6 in a brief three-game cup of coffee. Originally a 15th-round pick by the Cubs back in 2010, he’s seen action with the Cubs, Marlins, Rockies, Angels, Dodgers and now Twins over a 12-year minor league career. He was never a top-ranked prospect with any of those teams, although Baseball America at one point rated him as the best defensive infielder in the Cubs’ system.
Thus far in 2022, Soto has appeared in 41 games with the Saints and posted a .213/.327/.331 batting line. He’s a career .262/.341/.371 hitter in 1680 plate appearances at the Triple-A level. The Twins recently lost Royce Lewis for the season when he re-tore the ACL in his surgically repaired knee, and a seemingly minor hamstring issue for Nick Gordon have thinned things out a bit further. Gordon exited Saturday’s game against the Rays early and didn’t start Sunday, though he entered the game in the eighth inning.
Even if Gordon is available to start, Minnesota had been playing with a short bench and a 14-man pitching staff prior to optioning Sands, so Soto will give manager Rocco Baldelli a bit more flexibility.
Twins Release Derek Fisher
The Twins released outfielder Derek Fisher from their Triple-A affiliate over the weekend, per the transactions log at MiLB.com. The former Astros, Jays and Brewers outfielder inked a minor league deal with Minnesota over the winter.
Once regarded as one of the game’s top outfield prospects, Fisher has managed just a .195/.285/.378 batting line through 466 plate appearances at the MLB level. Strikeouts have been a major problem for the now-28-year-old former No. 37 overall draft pick, as he’s punched out at a 35.4% clip in the big leagues.
Despite those Major League struggles, Fisher never seemed to have much trouble handling Triple-A opponents — at least until last season. He slashed .205/.271/.308 in 85 plate appearances with the Brewers’ top affiliate in 2021, and his .158/.259/.305 batting line through 108 trips to the plate for the Twins’ Triple-A affiliate in St. Paul marked an even bigger step back. He got out to a decent start with the Saints, but Fisher collected just four hits over his final 45 at-bats prior to his release, missing two weeks with a shoulder issue along the way.
Fisher is still a 28-year-old .272/.361/.486 hitter in parts of six minor league seasons overall, so another club might take a look on a minor league deal, even his recent work doesn’t inspire much confidence.
Twins Select Tyler Thornburg
The Twins announced that they have selected the contract of right-hander Tyler Thornburg. He will take both the active roster spot and 40-man roster spot of Chi Chi Gonzalez, who was designated for assignment yesterday.
Thornburg had a nice run of success pitching for the Brewers in his first five seasons. From 2012 to 2016, he threw 219 2/3 innings in 144 games with a 2.87 ERA, 24.2% strikeout rate, 10% walk rate and 35.8% ground ball rate. However, he’s dealt with injuries and underperformance since then, only throwing 59 MLB frames since the end of the 2016 campaign.
This year, he started the season with Atlanta, throwing 9 1/3 innings with a 3.86 ERA, 21.3% strikeout rate, 10.6% walk rate and 25% ground ball rate. Despite that respectable showing, he got designated for assignment when the club needed a fresh arm. He landed with the Twins on a minor league deal and has had a pair of good outings, logging three innings with five Ks and no walks or earned runs.
He’ll provide a fresh arm to a pitching corps that has been fairly snakebit recently, with Cody Stashak, Danny Coulombe, Sonny Gray, Josh Winder, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober and Chris Paddack all land on the IL in the past month.
Twins Designate Chi Chi Gonzalez For Assignment
5:13PM: Gonzalez has been designated for assignment, MLB.com’s Do-Hyoung Park reports (Twitter link). Gonzalez allowed three runs in four innings during today’s start, as the Twins went on to capture a 6-5 win over the Rays.
11:57AM: The Twins have purchased the contract of Chi Chi Gonzalez and added him to the active roster, optioning Yennier Cano to open the roster spot, per The Athletic’s Dan Hayes (via Twitter). Royce Lewis was moved to the 60-day injured list to open a spot on the 40-man roster.
By promoting Gonzalez, the Twins will keep him in the organization. Gonzalez has an opt-out clause that he was prepared to trigger today if he was not added to the active roster. The former Ranger and Rockie did make one appearance for the Twins this season, tossing three innings and giving up three earned runs to the Blue Jays on June 3rd. He’s done well enough in Triple-A, registering a 3.44 ERA over 36 2/3 innings.
The Twins rotation has been decimated by injuries with Chris Paddack and Kenta Maeda both undergoing Tommy John surgery, Sonny Gray and Bailey Ober both landing on the injured list, and most recently, Joe Ryan being placed on the COVID injured list. That’s a full rotation on the injured list, paving the way for Gonzalez.
Cano has struggled in his two stints with the big league club this season, posting a 9.26 ERA over 11 2/3 innings with a 12-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. The 28-year-old Cuban has a much more respectable 5.88 FIP over those same nine appearances.
Royce Lewis Diagnosed With Torn ACL Again, To Undergo Season-Ending Surgery
The Twins announced to reporters, including Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com, that Royce Lewis has a partial tear of the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, the same ligament he had surgically repaired last year, which will require another surgery. The estimated recovery time is 12 months.
This comes as brutal news for both Lewis and the team, as the youngster already went through this whole process a year ago. It was February of last year that Lewis underwent the procedure the first time, which wiped out the entirety of his 2021 season. This year, he was able to finish the long journey back to health and showed tremendous signs of promise over the first few months of the season.
With Carlos Correa missing some time this year, Lewis was able to make his major league debut. Although he was optioned when Correa returned, he eventually came back with the aim of being a super utility player of sorts, not letting Correa’s presence stop him from getting into the lineup. Such a plan was feasible because Lewis was hitting so incredibly well on the year. In 12 MLB games, he hit .300/.317/.550 for a 148 wRC+, while also slashing .313/.405/.534 in Triple-A for a wRC+ of 151.
Unfortunately, the very day he was recalled, he left the game with a bone bruise in his right knee, which will now finish his season. Unlike his recovery from surgery last year, Lewis will be on the major league injured list, thus entitling him to MLB pay and service time. Since he was in the minors for the first month of the season and then another stretch when he was optioned in May, he will come up short of earning a full year of service. He will still have a shot at earning Super Two status and qualifying for arbitration after the 2024 season, though future optional assignments could also change that trajectory. For his part, Lewis seems to be staying positive about the whole situation, telling Park that he’s not afraid of the surgery because he’s already been through it before.
For the Twins, they will now be without one of their most exciting young players, who was capable of covering shortstop for Carlos Correa but was also spending some time at third base and in the outfield in order to get into the lineup when Correa was healthy. Correa’s contract affords him the ability to opt-out of his contract at the end of this year, something he is expected to do. Many had considered Lewis to be the heir apparent at shortstop, with his dalliances at other positions a temporary measure just for this season. Now the club will likely go into the winter with less certainty around their shortstop situation next year, with the potential that neither Correa nor Lewis will man the position when Opening Day 2023 rolls around.
Chi Chi Gonzalez Triggers Opt-Out In Twins’ Deal
Right-hander Chi Chi González has exercised an opt-out clause in his minor league contract with the Twins, reports Darren Wolfson of SKOR North (Twitter link). Minnesota has until Saturday to decide whether to select him onto the big league roster or grant him his release.
González has made one MLB start for the Twins, getting the ball last Friday against the Blue Jays. He allowed three runs in as many innings in an eventual 9-3 Minnesota win. He’d been called up as a designated COVID-19 substitute, however, replacing a quartet of players who weren’t permitted to attend the Toronto series because of their vaccination status. The substitute designation meant González only occupied a temporary spot on the roster, and he was quickly returned to the minor leagues thereafter.
This time around, the Twins have to decide whether González merits a more defined spot on the big league club. He’s out of minor league option years, so adding him to the 40-man means he’d have to take a place on the MLB active roster as well. Wolfson floats the possibility of the organization selecting González, having him start Saturday’s game against the Rays — the Minnesota starter is still listed as to be determined — then designating him for assignment anyhow. If that’s the course of action the organization takes, they’d likely lose González next week, as he’d have the right to refuse an outright assignment even if he passes through waivers unclaimed.
Minnesota could also choose to keep González on the big league roster as a long relief/rotation depth option, as they’re currently dealing with various pitching injuries. Sonny Gray and Bailey Ober recently landed on the injured list, joining Josh Winder and Joe Ryan on the shelf. The Twins have already been without or lost Chris Paddack, Kenta Maeda and Randy Dobnak to longer-term issues, and while Gray and Ryan seem to be trending towards a return, there’s an argument for stockpiling depth considering the injury histories of most of Minnesota’s arms.
González has started five of eight games with the Twins’ top affiliate in St. Paul this season. He’s worked 36 2/3 innings with a 3.44 ERA, striking out a league average 23.2% of opponents with an excellent 55.7% ground-ball rate. That’s solid work in the high minors for the former first-round pick, but he struggled to a 6.15 ERA in the majors with the Rockies from 2019-21.
Cody Stashak To Undergo Season-Ending Shoulder Surgery
JUNE 10: Stashak told reporters that while he hopes to be ready for next Spring Training, he’s likelier to be out into May (via Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com). HIs procedure is scheduled for next Thursday.
JUNE 8: Twins reliever Cody Stashak will undergo surgery to repair a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder, the club informed reporters (including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune). He’ll miss the remainder of the season.
Stashak hasn’t pitched since May 21, when he landed on the 15-day injured list with what the team called a shoulder impingement. Unfortunately, further testing has revealed a more serious issue that’ll cost him the remainder of the 2022 campaign. Minnesota is sure to transfer him to the 60-day IL whenever they have a need for a spot on the 40-man roster.
The 28-year-old Stashak has emerged as a unheralded but productive member of the Minnesota relief corps in recent years. A former 13th-round draft choice, the St. John’s product didn’t draw much prospect attention. He’s nevertheless had a decent run at the big league level, pitching to a 4.13 ERA with excellent strikeout and walk rates (27.6% and 4.7%, respectively) through 72 innings since debuting in 2019.
That aggregate run prevention number is inflated by an outlier 2021 season in which Stashak was tagged for nearly seven earned runs per nine innings. He’s posted a sub-4.00 mark in each of his other three years, including a 3.86 across 16 1/3 frames this season. Stashak struck out 15 batters and didn’t issue a single free pass in that time.
The only silver lining is that he’ll collect MLB service time and pay for the rest of the season while rehabbing. Stashak will surpass the three-year service threshold and reach arbitration-eligibility for the first time next winter, and he’s controllable through the end of the 2025 campaign.
In other Twins’ bullpen news, the club announced that righty Jorge Alcalá has halted his rehab process after experiencing elbow stiffness (via Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press). The 26-year-old had made one rehab appearance with Low-A Fort Myers last Wednesday but hasn’t pitched in a game since that point. Alcalá went on the shelf after just two MLB outings, and Minnesota moved him to the 60-day IL in late April. He posted a 3.92 ERA across 59 2/3 innings last season, earning some higher-leverage opportunities late in the year.
Twins, Gary Sanchez Avoid Arbitration
The Twins and catcher Gary Sánchez have avoided arbitration by agreeing to terms on a $9MM salary, the Associated Press reports. That’s the midpoint between the parties’ respective $9.5MM and $8.5MM filing figures, negating the need for a hearing that had been set to take place next week.
Minnesota acquired Sánchez from the Yankees as part of the Spring Training blockbuster that sent Josh Donaldson and Isiah Kiner-Falefa to New York. He’s appeared in 44 games with his new club, hitting .224/.282/.435 in 177 trips to the plate. Sánchez has struggled to reach base, largely due to a personal-low 5.6% walk rate, but he’s popped seven home runs and 13 doubles to make a strong impact from a power perspective. The 29-year-old has started 24 games behind the plate and collected 18 appearances as the team’s designated hitter.
This was Sánchez’s final trip through the arbitration process. He’ll hit free agency for the first time in his career next offseason, part of a fairly deep catching class. Willson Contreras is the clear headliner of the group, with Sánchez joining such players as Omar Narváez, Mike Zunino, Christian Vázquez and Tucker Barnhart among the other potential regulars. Sánchez has as much offensive upside as anyone aside from Contreras, but he’d come under fire for his defense in the Bronx and has ceded the majority of starts behind the plate to Ryan Jeffers in Minneapolis.
Minnesota has now wrapped up its arbitration class without the need for any hearings. The Twins agreed to terms with Tyler Duffey, Gio Urshela, Caleb Thielbar and Danny Coulombe before the start of the season, while they settled with Luis Arraez last month. Chris Paddack and Emilio Pagán, the team’s other two arbitration-eligible players, had agreed to terms with the Padres before being traded to Minnesota on Opening Day.
Twins Reinstate Carlos Correa, Select Jharel Cotton
The Twins announced they’ve reinstated Carlos Correa from the injured list, a bit more than a week after the star shortstop tested positive for COVID-19. Jermaine Palacios, who was selected to the majors as a designated “substitute” once Correa went on the IL, has been returned to Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move. Minnesota also selected reliever Jharel Cotton back to the big league club, filling the spot vacated when they designated Juan Minaya for assignment last night.
Correa is back in the lineup tonight against the Yankees, although manager Rocco Baldelli will ease him in with a start at designated hitter. Minnesota’s marquee offseason pickup has overcome a slow start to carry a quality .279/.344/.407 season line into play tonight. He’s only hit three home runs, but the 27-year-old has collected nine doubles and a batting average and on-base percentage well better than the respective .240 and .311 league marks.
The virus absence was the second of the season for Correa, who also landed on the shelf with a bruised finger. That proved a brief stay, one that was welcome after initial x-rays suggested he’d potentially suffered a fracture. Correa has only appeared in 35 of the Twins’ 57 games as a result, but the club has nevertheless built a four-game lead in the American League Central. They’ll hope the two-time All-Star — who can opt out of the final two years and $70.2MM on his deal next offseason — remains in the lineup for good through the summer months.
Palacios picked up eight starts at shortstop in Correa’s absence, struggling in his first look at big league pitching. He heads back to St. Paul, where he’s posted a .262/.325/.376 line through 163 trips to the plate. Palacios will no longer occupy a spot on the 40-man roster, and the Twins weren’t required to run him through waivers because he’d been specifically brought to the big leagues as a virus substitute. He’ll look to earn a more lasting promotion with the Saints.
Cotton followed that path, getting called up just two days after being returned to the minors. The right-hander was selected as a substitute for the players who went on the restricted list for the team’s weekend series in Toronto, but he was taken back off the roster when that group was reinstated on Monday.
This time around, Cotton is earning a more typical promotion to the majors. He’s now longer a substitute, so Minnesota would have to designate him for assignment and try to run him through waivers were they to again look to remove him from the 40-man roster. They’ve already done so once this year, as Cotton was outrighted off the roster last month but accepted an assignment to Triple-A and has worked his way back.
The 30-year-old has appeared in six games for the MLB club this year, tossing 9 2/3 innings of two-run ball with ten strikeouts but six walks. Cotton has had a strong showing in ten outings with St. Paul, allowing four runs in 11 2/3 frames while punching out a third of the batters he’s faced. He rejoins the big league bullpen as a result, taking the place of the struggling Minaya. Cotton is out of minor league option years, so he has to stick on the MLB roster or again be exposed to waivers now that he’s reclaimed a 40-man spot.
Twins Designate Juan Minaya For Assignment
The Twins designated right-hander Juan Minaya for assignment following last night’s game against the Yankees, tweets Dan Hayes of The Athletic. They’ll bring up a fresh arm for the bullpen today.
Minaya, 31, has spent the 2021-22 seasons with Minnesota. This marks his second DFA with the Twins, who also non-tendered him over the winter but ultimately re-signed him to a minor league deal. He accepted an outright assignment with the Twins a year ago to the date after clearing waivers, and the Twins will have a week to either trade him or attempt to pass him through waivers once more. As was the case last year, he’ll have the right to reject an outright assignment in favor of free agency.
Minaya returned from his first DFA and outright in 2021 to solidify a spot in the Minnesota bullpen over the final few months. In 40 innings last year, the right-hander pitched to an excellent 2.48 ERA with an above-average 25.7% strikeout rate and a very strong 53% ground-ball rate. Those numbers were somewhat offset by an ugly 12% walk rate, but Minaya looked the part of a solid enough middle reliever.
The Twins still moved on via non-tender, or at least it seemed that way at the time. However, despite last year’s strong showing, Minaya didn’t find a big league offer following the lockout and returned to the Twins on another minor league pact. The Twins selected him to the big league roster late last month despite a rocky showing in Triple-A St. Paul (6.06 ERA, 16 strikeouts, eight walks in 16 1/3 innings), and those struggles have continued in the big leagues. He’s yielded six runs on six hits and five walks with seven strikeouts through 6 1/3 frames — and done so while averaging 94 mph on a fastball that sat at 95.3 mph in 2021.
Minaya is out of minor league options, so any team interested in picking him up would need to carry him on its big league roster. In parts of six MLB seasons (four with the White Sox and two with the Twins), he’s totaled 174 2/3 innings and pitched to a 3.76 ERA with a 25.1% strikeout rate, an 11.9% walk rate and a 39.1% ground-ball rate.