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Mickey Gasper, DaShawn Keirsey Make Twins’ Roster; Twins Exploring Bullpen Market

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March 25: Castellano has cleared waivers and been returned to the Phillies, per Nightengale.

March 24: The Twins optioned infielder/outfielder Austin Martin to Triple-A St. Paul this morning, per a team announcement. They’ve also informed catcher/infielder Mickey Gasper and outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. that they’ll break camp on the Opening Day roster, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. That sequence likely locks infielder Edouard Julien into the final spot on the position-player side of the roster.

Gasper, 29, came to the Twins in a December trade sending lefty reliever Jovani Moran back to the Red Sox. He has just 18 MLB plate appearances to his credit, but Gasper is a .317/.422/.498 hitter in 70 Triple-A games and a .276/.401/.455 batter in 176 Double-A games. He’s had a big camp, batting .308/.417/.487 with more walks than strikeouts. Gasper’s status was briefly up in the air after an infield collision yesterday resulted in a laceration on his ankle that required six stitches. He’s patched up and been cleared to start the season on a big league roster for the first time in an eight-year professional career.

Like Gasper, the 27-year-old Keirsey is a 2018 draftee who’s making his first Opening Day roster. He hit .275/.375/.375 this spring and is coming off a .300/.368/.476 performance in Triple-A last year. Keirsey is a plus runner and outfield defender who can handle all three slots. He made a brief big league debut last year, getting into six games and going 2-for-13 with a homer in that debut effort.

The pitching side is largely set, but Minnesota does appear to have one bullpen vacancy, at least in the short term. Righty Brock Stewart was already on the mend from arthroscopic shoulder surgery and also suffered a hamstring strain in camp. He’ll start the 2025 season on the injured list alongside Michael Tonkin, who’s dealing with a shoulder strain.

On top of Stewart’s injury, the Twins have already informed Rule 5 pick Eiberson Castellano that he won’t make the club. He’ll presumably be placed on waivers soon if he hasn’t been already. Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune adds that they’ve also told non-roster relievers Scott Blewett and Anthony Misiewicz that they won’t make the club. Both will head to Triple-A.

Both Nightengale and Dan Hayes of The Athletic suggest Minnesota could look to bring in a reliever who’s not currently a part of the organization. There’s space to place a waiver claim or scoop up a veteran who’d been a non-roster invitee with another club but has since opted out. Jalen Beeks, Adam Ottavino, Drew Pomeranz, Ross Stripling and Jake Woodford are among the names who were recently granted their release after triggering opt-out clauses. Righty Tyler Phillips was DFA by the Phillies over the weekend, too.

Brooks Lee To Open Season On Injured List

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The Twins informed reporters (including Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press) that infielder Brooks Lee and reliever Brock Stewart will both begin the season on the injured list. What’s more, Helfand notes that Rule 5 selection Eiberson Castellano has been informed that he will not make the team.

Lee, 24, has been sidelined in recent days by lower back tightness. The eighth overall pick in the 2022 draft, Lee is a former consensus top-50 prospect in the sport but hit just .221/.265/.320 in 50 games during his rookie season with the Twins last year. Even so, he entered camp as the clear favorite to handle second base duties for Minnesota on a regular basis this year and looked solid enough in Spring Training this year. Unfortunately for the youngster, he’ll now spend at least the first week of the season on the injured list, though a specific timeline for his return to action has not yet been made clear.

Losing Lee from the roster would be far more manageable for the Twins if they weren’t already set to go without Royce Lewis to open the season after he was sidelined by a moderate hamstring strain last week. Lewis was poised to serve as the club’s everyday third baseman, and with both him and Lee out of commission the Twins will now have to fill two spots on the infield with only shortstop Carlos Correa and first baseman Ty France locked into their current positions. Fortunately for Minnesota, they do have fairly solid depth options to help handle the injuries. Jose Miranda turned in a solid season for the Twins in 2024 while splitting time between first and third base, and should be able to step in for Lewis at the hot corner rather seamlessly. Meanwhile, Edouard Julien had an excellent rookie season as the club’s starting second baseman in 2023, and despite a sophomore slump last year should be a viable fill-in option for the club.

If the Twins aren’t comfortable with either Miranda or Julien starting on a regular basis, they also have super utility man Willi Castro available. Castro isn’t penciled in for a regular position on the diamond, but already figured to be play nearly everyday while bouncing around the infield and outfield offering breathers to the club’s regulars. A roughly average .251/.334/.395 hitter in 282 games since arriving in Minnesota prior to 2023, Castro has ample experience all around the diamond and could be called upon to handle either second or third base regularly as needed. Meanwhile, Austin Martin and Mickey Gasper appear to be the most likely candidates to fill Lee and Lewis’s roster spots, taking on the bench roles previously set to be occupied by Julien and Miranda.

As for Stewart, the right-hander suffered a “mild” hamstring strain last weekend. The issue doesn’t appear likely to keep him off the club’s roster long-term, but for the time being he’ll opening the season on the 15-day injured list. While Stewart struggled to a 5.17 ERA in 16 games with the Twins last year, he struck out 30% of opponents and posted a solid 3.80 FIP that left clear room for a big step forward in 2025. That opportunity will be put on hold for the time being, however, as the Twins will instead turn to pieces like Justin Topa, Jorge Alcala, and Cole Sands to handle the middle innings from the right-hand side.

Meanwhile, Castellano’s future is in question after he was informed he would not be making the club’s roster. The 23-year-old signed with the Phillies out of Venezuela and made his pro debut back in 2021. He made it up to the Double-A level with the Phillies last year, pitching to a 3.79 ERA in 40 1/3 innings at the level. That intrigued the Twins enough for them to take a shot on him in the Rule 5 draft, though his 7.59 ERA in 10 2/3 innings during camp suggested he may be overmatched at the big league level. With Castellano set to not make the club’s roster, the Twins can either put the righty on waivers and offer him back to the Phillies if he clears, or else they could attempt to work out a trade with Philadelphia in order to acquire the full rights to Castellano and simply option him to the minor leagues.

Michael Tonkin To Open Season On Injured List

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The Twins will be without right-hander Michael Tonkin to start the season, according to a report from Phil Miller of the Star Tribune. Miller adds that the club’s plan is for Tonkin to remain in extended Spring Training for “a few weeks” to build back up to pitching. Tonkin has been sidelined in recent days by a mild rotator cuff strain.

While the news isn’t especially surprising given the nature of rotator cuff issues, it’s nonetheless a disappointing update for both Tonkin and Twins fans. The 35-year-old righty was a 30th-round pick by Minnesota all the way back in 2008 and debuted with the club during the 2013 season. Across parts of five seasons in Minnesota, Tonkin posted a relatively pedestrian 4.43 ERA (95 ERA+) with a 4.57 FIP in 146 1/3 innings of work. That somewhat middling performance in his first stint with Minnesota led Tonkin to head overseas for the 2018 season. In 51 innings for Japan’s Nippon Ham Fighters that year, the right-hander posted a solid 3.71 ERA before returning stateside.

After his brief stay in NPB, Tonkin bounced between several minor league systems and independent teams before finally resurfacing in the majors with Atlanta back in 2023. He posted a solid enough 4.28 ERA (102 ERA+) with the Braves that year and was picked up by the Mets on a major league deal prior to the 2024 season. The righty’s stint in Queens did not go especially well, with ten runs (four earned) allowed in five appearances that led him to be designated for assignment in early April.

The righty bounced between the Mets, Twins, and Yankees via the waiver wire early in the 2024 season and eventually settled in the Bronx for the first half. He posted strong numbers with the club but was squeezed off the roster in late August, leading him back to Minnesota. In his final 51 games (70 1/3 innings of work) last year, Tonkin pitched to a strong 3.33 ERA and 3.27 FIP with a 25.2% strikeout rate. Those solid numbers were enough for the Twins to keep Tonkin in the fold for his age-35 season, but now he’ll be shelved to begin the season. An exact timetable for his return to action isn’t entirely clear, though given that Tonkin is expected to spend at least a few weeks in extended Spring Training it seems as though late April or early May could be a reasonable expectation for his return to the majors.

In other Twins bullpen news, right-hander Brock Stewart exited yesterday’s game due to a hamstring issue. Miller reports that Stewart suffered a “mild” hamstring strain but tested well in the aftermath of the injury and shouldn’t be shut down for very long, with the righty likely to resume throwing at some point this week. While Stewart’s 5.17 ERA in 16 games for the Twins last year was hardly exceptional, his 30% strikeout rate and 3.80 FIP were both intriguing enough to make him a valuable piece of the Twins’ bullpen mix headed into this year and today’s announcement regarding Tonkin figures to make him all the more important to the club’s relief depth come Opening Day. Stewart will likely be joined in the middle of the club’s bullpen by Jorge Alcala and Cole Sands as things currently stand, assuming he doesn’t suffer a setback prior to the start of the season.

Players Avoiding Arbitration: 11/22/24

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The deadline for teams to tender contracts to arbitration-eligible players is tonight at 7pm CT. Throughout the day, we’ll surely see a handful of arb-eligible players agree to terms with their clubs to avoid a hearing.

These so-called “pre-tender deals” usually, although not always, involve players who were borderline non-tender candidates. Rather than run the risk of being cut loose, they can look to sign in the lead-up to the deadline. Those salaries often come in a little below projections, since these players tend to have less leverage because of the uncertainty about whether they’ll be offered a contract at all.

Under the 2022-26 collective bargaining agreement, players who sign to avoid an arbitration hearing are guaranteed full termination pay. That’s a change from prior CBAs, when teams could release an arb-eligible player before the season began and would only owe a prorated portion of the contract. This was done to incentivize teams and players to get deals done without going to a hearing.

All salary projections in this post come via MLBTR contributor Matt Swartz. This post will be updated throughout the day/evening as deals are announced and/or reported.

  • The Mets announced that they have agreed to a one-year contract with right-hander Sean Reid-Foley, though salary figures have not yet been reported. He was projected for a $900K salary next year after posting a 1.66 ERA but in just 21 2/3 innings due to injury.
  • The Rangers announced they avoided arbitration with right-hander Josh Sborz, who was projected for a $1.3MM salary next year. He’ll come in just shy of that at $1.1MM, per Jeff Wilson of Rangers Today (X link). He underwent a shoulder debridement procedure recently, per Evan Grant of the Dallas Morning News (X link) and will likely miss the first two or three months of 2025.
  • The Tigers and infielder Andy Ibanez have agreed to a salary of $1.4MM next year, per Francys Romero (X link). That’s a shade below his $1.5MM projection. Ibanez hit .241/.295/.357 in 99 games for the Tigers in 2024.
  • The Guardians avoided arbitration with right-hander Ben Lively, per Paul Hoynes of cleveland.com (X link). He’ll make $2.25MM next year, below his $3.2MM projection. Lively had a 3.81 ERA in 151 innings for the Guards this year.
  • The Cubs and right-hander Julian Merryweather have avoided arbitration by agreeing to a salary of $1.225MM, per Jesse Rogers of ESPN (X link). That’s just shy of his $1.3MM projection. Merryweather had a 6.60 ERA in 2024 but was injured most of the time and only made 15 appearances. He had a solid 3.38 ERA the year prior in 72 innings. The Cubs also agreed to terms with catcher Matt Thaiss and righty Keegan Thompson, per Meghan Montemurro of the Chicago Tribune (X link), though salary figures have not yet been reported.
  • The Blue Jays got a deal done with right-hander Erik Swanson, per Shi Davidi of Sportsnet on X. The righty was projected for $3.2MM next year but will make a smidge less than that, with Keegan Matheson of MLB.com (X link) relaying that Swanson will make $3MM. He had a 5.03 ERA in 2024 but was at 2.97 the year prior and also finished this year strong, with a 2.55 ERA in the second half.
  • The Yankees reached agreement with center fielder Trent Grisham on a $5MM salary, reports Jorge Castillo of ESPN (on X). The deal contains another $250K in incentives. The two-time Gold Glove winner had been projected at $5.7MM. Grisham had an underwhelming .190/.290/.385 showing during his first season in the Bronx. The Yankees will nevertheless keep him around for his final year of arbitration, presumably in a fourth outfield capacity. The Yankees also announced that they have a deal with righty JT Brubaker, though figures haven’t been reported. He was projected for a salary of $2.275MM, the same figure he made in 2023 and 2024, two seasons he missed while recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Rockies reached deals with outfielder Sam Hilliard and lefty reliever Lucas Gilbreath, Feinsand reports (on X). Hilliard gets $1MM, while Gilbreath signed for $785K. Both figures come in shy of the respective $1.7MM and $900K projections. Hilliard popped 10 home runs over 58 games as a depth outfielder. Gilbreath only made three appearances after missing the entire ’23 season to Tommy John surgery. He posted a 4.19 ERA across 43 innings two years ago.

Earlier Agreements

  • The Dodgers and right-hander Tony Gonsolin have agreed to a $5.4MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link), an exact match for his projection. He had signed a two-year, $6.65MM deal to cover the 2023 and 2024 seasons. He made 20 starts for the Dodgers in the first year of that pact but he missed all of 2024 recovering from Tommy John surgery.
  • The Guardians and Sam Hentges have agreed to a $1.337MM deal, according to Robert Murray of FanSided. That’s right in line with his projected $1.4MM salary. The left-hander has been an effective reliever for Cleveland over the past three seasons (2.93 ERA, 2.82 SIERA, 138 IP), but he missed the latter half of 2024 with a shoulder injury. After undergoing surgery in September, he will miss the entire 2025 season.
  • The Orioles and infielder Emmanuel Rivera agreed to a $1MM deal, reports Mark Feinsand of MLB.com. He’d been projected at $1.4MM. He hit .238/.312/.343 this year.
  • Right-hander Brock Stewart and the Twins agreed to a one-year deal worth $870K, MLBTR has learned. He’d been projected at $800K. Stewart, who missed much of the season due to injury, can earn another $30K via incentives. He’s been lights-out for the Twins when healthy over the past two seasons (2.28 ERA, 33.5 K%, 10.8 BB%). Minnesota and righty Michael Tonkin also agreed to a $1MM deal, tweets Jon Heyman of the New York Post. He’d been projected at $1.5MM. The Twins later announced that they had reached deals with Stewart, Tonkin and righty Justin Topa. Hewas projected for $1.3MM next year but will come in just shy of that in terms of guarantee. Per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune (Bluesky link), it’s a $1.225MM guarantee in the form of a $1MM salary and then a $225K buyout on a $2MM club option for 2026.
  • The Padres and Tyler Wade agreed to a one-year deal worth $900K, Heyman tweets. There’s a club option for an additional season. Wade, who hit .217/.285/.239 in 2024, was projected for that same $900K figure.
  • Infielder Santiago Espinal and the Reds settled on a one-year deal at $2.4MM, Heyman tweets. That’s well shy of his $4MM projection and actually represents a slight pay cut after Espinal hit .246/.295/.356 for Cincinnati.
  • The Rangers and righty Dane Dunning agreed to a one-year deal worth $2.66MM, Heyman reports. It’s a 19% cut after Dunning struggled to a 5.31 ERA in 95 innings this past season. He was projected at $4.4MM.
  • The Giants and right-hander Austin Warren agreed to terms on a one-year deal, reports Justice de los Santos of the San Jose Mercury News. He missed most of the season recovering from Tommy John surgery but returned late with 10 2/3 innings of two-run ball out of the bullpen.
  • The Brewers announced that they’ve signed catcher/outfielder Eric Haase to a one-year deal for the upcoming season. ESPN’s Jesse Rogers reports that the deal guarantees Haase $1.35MM with the chance to earn more via incentives. He’d been projected for a $1.8MM salary. Haase will fill the backup catcher role in Milwaukee next season. He’s controllable through the 2027 season.
  • The Dodgers and right-hander Dustin May settled at $2.135MM, per Fabian Ardaya of The Athletic (X link). That’s the exact same salary he had in 2024. May will be looking to bounce back after spending all of this year on the injured list.
  • The Phillies and right-hander José Ruiz settled at $1.225MM, per Robert Murray of FanSided (X link). That’s slightly above his $1.2MM projection. The righty can also unlock a $20K bonus for pitching in 30 games and $25K for pitching in 40. He made 52 appearances for the Phils in 2024 with a 3.71 ERA. Philadelphia also announced agreement with backup catcher Garrett Stubbs on a one-year deal. The Phils did not reveal the salary figure. Stubbs hit .207 in 54 games this year.
  • The Tigers and infielder/outfielder Zach McKinstry agreed to a $1.65MM salary for 2025, per Robert Murray of FanSided (hat tip to Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press on X). That’s slightly ahead of his $1.3MM projection. He hit .215/.277/.337 this year while stealing 16 bases and playing each position except or first base and catcher,

Twins’ Brock Stewart To Undergo Shoulder Surgery

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Twins right-hander Brock Stewart is headed for season-ending arthroscopic surgery to clean up his right shoulder, he tells Bally’s Audra Martin (X link). There’s no significant structural damage, and Stewart says he’s anticipating he’ll be ready for spring training after a projected rehab period of five to six months.

It’s a frustrating development for Stewart, who was away from major league baseball from 2020-22 due to the canceled minor league season in 2020 and a pair of elbow surgeries (Tommy John surgery and a procedure to remove a bone spur). Stewart signed a minor league deal with the Twins and not only made it back to the majors on the heels of that pair of surgeries but emerged as a lights-out option in manager Rocco Baldelli’s bullpen.

While this year’s 5.17 earned run average is an eyesore, that’s skewed entirely by his recent struggles coming back from a monthslong stint on the injured list due to pain in his balky shoulder. Stewart allowed one run with a 17-to-6 K/BB ratio in 13 1/3 innings to begin the season, hit the injured list for nearly three months, and clearly wasn’t at full strength when he returned. He was rocked for eight runs in 2 1/3 innings while working with a fastball and cutter that were both down nearly three miles per hour.

From the time Stewart’s contract was originally selected by the Twins in April 2023 to the time he first hit the injured list this past May, he was a legitimately overpowering force. An elbow issue sent him to the shelf for part of last summer, but Stewart pitched 41 innings for the Twins in that stretch and logged an incredible 0.66 ERA with a 34.8% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate. Most of the command troubles he encountered came early, too. For the better part of a year, he was a shutdown option thanks to a heater averaging nearly 98 mph and a cutter and slider that both missed bats in droves.

While the latest injury setback is surely a tough pill for Stewart to swallow, given his earlier elbow problems, this time around he’ll go under the knife knowing that he’s cemented himself in a big league team’s plans. The Twins control Stewart, 32, for another three seasons via arbitration. He’ll get a salary bump north of $1MM in his first season of arb eligibility this winter, but given the dominance he showed prior to this year’s shoulder problem and the remaining long-term control, it’ll be an easy call for the Twins to tender him a contract.

Twins Outright Diego A. Castillo

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July 26: Castillo cleared waivers and accepted an outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com on X.

July 24: The Twins announced Wednesday that they’ve designated infielder Diego Castillo for assignment and optioned right-hander Ronny Henriquez to Triple-A St. Paul. Their spots on the roster will go to reliever Brock Stewart, who’s been activated from the 60-day injured list, and righty David Festa, who’s been recalled from St. Paul.

Castillo, 26, appeared in four games with the Twins and went 2-for-6 with a double, two walks and a strikeout in eight plate appearances. He’s had a nice season in the minors as well, hitting a combined .274/.382/.403 in 296 plate  appearances between the Triple-A affiliates for Baltimore and Minnesota. That marks the continuation of a long run of OBP-driven production in the upper minors. Castillo has played in parts of four Triple-A seasons, and while he doesn’t hit for a ton of power, he’s a .290/.402/.406 hitter in 1073 Triple-A plate appearances. He’s primarily been a shortstop (3906 innings) but also has 1922 innings at second base, 619 innings at third base, 535 innings in left field, 224 innings in right field and 66 innings at first base.

Despite that versatility and a strong Triple-A track record, Castillo hasn’t gotten much big league playing time. He made his debut with the 2022 Pirates and logged a career-high 283 plate appearances. However, he hit just .206/.251/.382. The D-backs gave him one big league plate appearance in 2023, and the Twins have given him all of eight.

It’s certainly arguable that Castillo deserves a longer look somewhere, but a Twins organization that’s deeper in the infield than anywhere else on the diamond was probably never going to have that opportunity. Even with each of Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, Jose Miranda, Kyle Farmer and Alex Kirilloff on the injured list, Minnesota has Carlos Santana at first base, Edouard Julien at second base, All-Star Willi Castro at shortstop and top prospect Brooks Lee at third base. Several of the injured Twins will be back sooner than later, too. Lewis began a rehab assignment in Triple-A last night. Miranda will follow suit today.

Minnesota will either trade Castillo or place him on outright waivers within the next five days. Waivers themselves could be another 48-hour process. Castillo will know the outcome of his DFA within the next week.

As for Stewart, his return will be a significant boon for the Twins’ bullpen. The former Dodgers prospect has proven to be an exceptional find on a minor league pact. He’s missed time with injury in each of the past two seasons, but Stewart has added considerable velocity since his rotation days in the Dodgers’ system and has been a bullpen behemoth in Minnesota when healthy. He’s pitched 41 innings dating back to 2023 and carries a remarkable 0.66 ERA with a huge 34.8% strikeout rate against a 10.6% walk rate.

Stewart will slide right into a late-inning, high-leverage mix also including Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcala. Righty Justin Topa also also went out on a rehab assignment yesterday, providing another potential boost in the near future. He’s been out all season with a knee injury but posted a 2.61 ERA, 21.9% strikeout rate, 6.5% walk rate and 56.7% ground-ball rate in 69 innings for the Mariners last season. The Twins added Topa in the offseason trade that send Jorge Polanco to Seattle.

AL Central Notes: Meadows, Moncada, Kirilloff, Twins

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The Tigers called Parker Meadows back up from Triple-A yesterday, optioning Akil Baddoo to Toledo in the corresponding move.  Meadows marked his return to the Show with a solo home run in the Tigers’ 5-4 win over the Reds on Friday, hopefully indicating that the 24-year-old outfielder can translate his Triple-A success to some more consistent production in the big leagues.  After batting only .096/.224/.219 in his first 85 plate appearances this year, Detroit sent Meadows back to Triple-A on May 7, and Meadows responded with a .298/.394/.511 slash line in 221 PA over his two months in Toledo.

“A little mechanical adjustment” seemed to do the trick, as Meadows told Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press that keeping his hands up allowed him to keep a more level swing, since “it’s hard to hit a rising fastball when your swing is uphill.”  While Meadows continued to have trouble with breaking balls in Toledo, being able to catch up with high velocity could help Meadows produce at something closer to average offense in the majors, which might be all he needs to stick as a regular center fielder given his top-tier glovework.  Since Detroit is falling out of the playoff race, the remainder of the season could be an important evaluation period for Meadows to show he can continue to be a key part of the Tigers’ future plans.

More from the AL Central…

  • Yoan Moncada played in just 11 games before a left adductor strain sent him to the injured list, but the White Sox third baseman is set to get back to action in the Arizona Complex League next week.  Sox manager Pedro Grifol told MLB.com and other media that Moncada will be limited to only DH duty for now, and “if everything goes right, we’re looking at him probably at the end of, close to the end of July” for a return to the majors.  Moncada’s strain was bad enough that he was initially given a 3-to-6 month recovery timeline, and while his rehab plan still seems somewhat fluid, it seems like his season is no longer in jeopardy.  Moncada is in the final guaranteed year of his five-year, $70MM contract, and since Chicago is very unlikely to exercise its $25MM club option on Moncada for 2025, the infielder could be returning for his final games in a White Sox uniform.
  • Alex Kirilloff has been on the Twins’ 10-day injured list since June 13 due to a back strain, and Kirilloff provided media (including the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale) with an update on his status yesterday.  Since part of the discomfort in Kirilloff’s back was due to a nerve issue, he received a cortisone shot and has been working on core-strengthening exercises for now, hopefully with an eye towards soon starting to take swings.  Injuries have plagued the career of the former top prospect, as Kirilloff has been limited to 249 games since his MLB debut in 2021 due to a shoulder surgery, two wrist surgeries, and now this back problem.
  • In other Twins injury news, relievers Brock Stewart and Justin Topa each threw 20-pitch sessions (Stewart a live batting practice, Topa a bullpen session) in the last few days.  Stewart has now missed over two months due to tendinitis in his right shoulder, but manager Rocco Baldelli told Nightengale and other reporters that Stewart isn’t far away from a minor league rehab assignment.  Topa has yet to pitch at all this season after initially starting on the IL with left patellar tendinitis, but in mid-May was diagnosed with a partial tear in his patellar tendon.  Since Topa has only recently restarted his throwing progression, it will still be a while before the right-hander is fully ready for his 2024 debut.

Twins Promote Brooks Lee

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The Twins announced that they have selected the contract of prospect Brooks Lee.  Infielder Royce Lewis has been placed on the 10-day injured list with a right adductor strain, opening an active roster spot for Lee. To get him onto the 40-man, right-hander Brock Stewart has been transferred to the 60-day IL. Declan Goff and Darren Wolfson of SKOR North first reported Lee’s promotion on X. The club’s president of baseball operations Derek Falvey says that Lewis has a Grade 2 strain and will be out at least through the All-Star break, per Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press on X.

Lee, now 23, was selected with the eighth overall pick in 2022 and signed with an overslot bonus of $5.675MM. Since then, in short, he has mashed his way up the minor league ladder. That started right after he was drafted, as he got into 31 games in 2022, seeing time at the Complex League level, High-A and then Double-A. He produced a line of .303/.388/.451 in those games, walking at an 11.5% clip and striking out just 14.4% of the time.

He returned to Double-A last year and carried that kind of production over in his 87 games there in 2023. He had 11 home runs, a 10.3% walk rate, 15.8% strikeout rate and .292/.365/.476 batting line. He was promoted to Triple-A and his numbers dipped, though the rates were still good and his batting average on balls in play dropped from .325 at Double-A to .258 at the level above.

This year, a lower back strain put him on the minor league injured list to start the year. He didn’t make his season debut until May 20, getting some rehab games at the Complex League level and Single-A. He then was bumped to Triple-A and has hit seven homers in just 20 games there, walking 9.6% of the time and striking out at only a 13.8% clip. He currently sports a monster line of .329/.394/.635 in those 20 games for the Saints this year, which translates to a 159 wRC+.

That almost constant barrage of offense has him unsurprisingly ranked as one of the better prospects in the league. Baseball America currently lists him in the #28 spot, FanGraphs at #49 and MLB Pipeline at #13. ESPN put him 27th in their May update while Keith Law of The Athletic had him 31st coming into the year.

Lee has largely played shortstop in his career thus far, though there’s some disagreement about whether he’ll stick there. His speed is only average but he is considered to have a reliability at the position that makes him passable there. With Carlos Correa pretty firmly implanted at that spot for the Twins for now, it’s been speculated that Lee may be ticketed for a move to either second or third, with his arm considered strong enough for the hot corner.

For much of the recent past, the Twins have had too many infielders to find time for everyone, so much so that Jorge Polanco was flipped to the Mariners in the offseason. Even with him out of the picture, they’ve had Lewis, Carlos Santana, Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien, José Miranda, Willi Castro, Kyle Farmer and Austin Martin in the infield mix alongside Correa.

But that picture has gotten a bit less crowded as the season has gone along. Julien struggled and got himself optioned to Triple-A. Kirilloff is on the injured list. Farmer is a glove-first bench player who isn’t hitting much this year. Castro and Martin have been bouncing between the infield and outfield.

Lately, the club has been rolling with a primary alignment of Santana at first and Correa at short, while Lewis and Miranda have shared third base and the designated hitter slot, with second base duties rotating between Castro, Farmer and Martin.

Getting Lee into that mix is easier now that Lewis is headed for yet another stint on the injured list. The incredibly talented but oft-injured player has hit .303/.361/.584 since his May 2022 promotion, but with various injuries limiting him to just 94 big league contests. He was removed from last night’s game with some groin tightness and Dan Hayes of The Athletic relayed after the contest that Lewis was headed for an MRI.

Time will tell exactly how Lee is used, and whether or not this is a brief stint to cover for Lewis or if he is in the majors for good. In the long term, their infield logjam is likely to continue into the future. Of the aforementioned group, only Santana and Farmer are slated for free agency after this year. Farmer has a mutual option on his deal but those pacts are almost never triggered by both sides.

For now, Lee will get a shot against big league pitching and will try to cement himself as a key part of the long-term infield in Minnesota, as well as helping them return to the postseason this year. The club is currently 48-37 and in possession of a Wild Card spot in the American League. If Lee is up for good, he will qualify for arbitration after 2027 and free agency after 2030, though future optional assignments could alter those timelines.

As for Stewart, his transfer was a formality as he’s already been on the IL for 60 days at this point. He was placed there May 2 due to right shoulder tendinitis. He is scheduled for some upcoming bullpen sessions, per Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune on X, but will need some more time to ramp up.

Twins Notes: Paddack, Festa, Canterino, Bullpen

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The Twins placed righty Chris Paddack on the 15-day injured list yesterday due to fatigue in his right shoulder, but the right-hander made clear in a follow-up interview that he’s not concerned about any potential injury (link via Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune). “This isn’t pain or discomfort,” said Paddack, who’s in his first season full season back from the second Tommy John surgery of his career. “This is fatigue.”

Paddack expanded that while his general approach is that he wants the ball at every opportunity, he also felt the need to listen to his body and “not be a hero” after a recent dip in his fastball velocity and feelings of a “dead arm.” The 28-year-old righty has tossed 78 1/3 innings this season — already his most since 2021 and in fact more than he pitched in 2022-23 combined (majors and minor league rehab work included). Some fatigue and workload management was to be expected, and the recent drop in velocity prompted the team to make a move.

Notably, Nightengale adds that manager Rocco Baldelli confirmed Paddack will return to the rotation once he’s reinstated from the injured list. There’s no plan to shift the right-hander to a relief role at this time, though he thrived in that setting down the stretch and in the postseason with the Twins last year when he tossed a combined 8 2/3 innings and allowed three runs on seven hits and a walk with a hefty 14 strikeouts. Paddack’s fastball sat at a career-high 95.5 mph last year in relief, per Statcast, and he was frequently touching the upper 90s in the playoffs.

Perhaps a return to that role could be in play down the line (speculatively speaking), but the organization will continue starting him for now. Paddack has a 5.29 ERA in 15 starts, due largely to a pair of ugly outings at Camden Yards (nine runs) and at Yankee Stadium (seven runs).

In the short term, the Twins will need to plug someone into the fifth spot in their rotation. KSTP’s Darren Wolfson reports that Minnesota will start reliever Ryan Jensen today at Triple-A instead of top prospect David Festa, presumably setting the stage for Festa to make his big league debut tomorrow in Arizona. (Note: I misread the team’s game log yesterday and incorrectly wrote that Festa had pitched too recently to be an option; my apologies for the error.)

The 24-year-old Festa has been sharp in Triple-A this season, pitching to a 3.77 ERA with a huge 35.1% strikeout rate, a 9.7% walk rate and a strong 45.5% grounder rate. While his walk rate could stand to come down a few ticks, it’s worth pointing out that Festa has improved considerably in that regard as the season has progressed. After walking an alarming 20% of his opponents through his first four starts, he’s slashed his walk rate to 6.7% — including zero walks over his past two outings. His strikeout rate has improved a bit as he’s honed his command, sitting at 37.3% in his 10 most recent outings.

Festa is considered one of the Twins’ best — if not their best — pitching prospects. He sits at No. 99 on MLB.com’s recently updated top-100 list and is the game’s No. 93 prospect over at FanGraphs. He’s been a nice development story for the Twins as a 13th-round pick in 2021 who signed for a $125K bonus. Minnesota will need to add Festa to the 40-man roster if he is indeed called upon for his debut, but they have an open spot at the moment anyhow (and righty Brock Stewart has already been on the 15-day IL for nearly 60 days in the event that they need a second space anytime soon).

While Festa’s progress toward the big leagues is a big positive, the Twins’ former top pitching prospect, Matt Canterino, has had yet another setback, per Nightengale. The 26-year-old righty is headed for an MRI on his shoulder after experiencing discomfort in a recent bullpen session. Canterino, the No. 54 overall pick back in 2019, has dominated minor league opponents when healthy, evidenced by a career 1.48 ERA and 39.1% strikeout rate since being drafted.

Unfortunately, between the pandemic-canceled 2020 season and repeated injuries, he’s only been able to pitch 85 innings in total. He most recently underwent Tommy John surgery in 2022 and has yet to get back into a minor league game since that time. He’s on the Twins’ 40-man roster and is in the first of three minor league option years, so they needn’t yet consider cutting him loose to open a spot, but it’s another frustrating setback for the talented but oft-injured righty.

There’s better news on a pair of injured Twins relievers, however. The aforementioned Stewart pitched a bullpen session three days ago and will do so again today and on the 29th, per Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com. The former Dodgers prospect has been a revelation since joining the Twins on a minor league deal, pitching 41 innings of relief with a 0.66 ERA and 34.8% strikeout rate dating back to last season. He’s been out since early May with a shoulder injury.

As for righty Justin Topa, whom the Twins acquired in the offseason Jorge Polanco trade, he’s slated to throw a bullpen session in early July, per Park. The right-hander suffered a 25% tear of the patellar tendon in his knee during spring training, Park notes, but was recommended for a platelet-rich plasma injection and rest rather than surgery. Twins trainer Nick Paparesta detailed that Topa will then ramp up through the All-Star break before being reevaluated. A second-half return remains in play for the righty, who pitched 69 innings of 2.96 ERA ball for the Mariners in 2023 and is under team control with the Twins through 2026.

Twins Notes: Stewart, Topa, Lewis

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The Twins are baseball’s hottest team, as yesterday’s 5-2 win over the Red Sox extended Minnesota’s winning streak to 11 games.  A victory today would tie the fourth-longest streak in Twins/Senators franchise history — a 17-game streak in 1912 is the organization’s overall longest winning streak, while the Twins’ 15-game streak in 1991 is their longest stretch of consecutive wins since moving to Minnesota in 1961.

While the magic of the Rally Sausage has seemingly made the Twins unstoppable, plenty of injury concerns remain, including a pair of new players joining the injured list on Friday.  In addition to Byron Buxton being sidelined with right knee inflammation, the Twins also placed right-hander Brock Stewart on the 15-day IL due to tendinitis in his throwing shoulder.  Stewart’s placement is retroactive to May 2, and left-hander Kody Funderburk was called up from Triple-A in the corresponding move.

Sending Stewart to the IL was a bit of a precautionary measure, as manager Rocco Baldelli told Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press and other reporters.  Stewart’s shoulder has been bothering him for a week, and “this is us really trying to get ahead of something and not trying to let it get down the road where he’s missing a significant period of time,” Baldelli said.  “He’s still throwing the ball really well….But it doesn’t feel the way it needs to feel right now.”

It is understandable that the Twins would be careful given Stewart’s checkered injury history.  He missed all of 2021 recovering from Tommy John surgery, threw only 14 minor league innings in 2022 after returning from rehab, and then missed three months of the 2023 season with elbow soreness.

After posting a 6.05 ERA over 105 2/3 MLB innings with the Dodgers and Blue Jays from 2016-19 and then not getting any big league action in the next three seasons, Stewart’s limited work with the Twins has been outstanding.  The righty posted an 0.65 ERA and 35.8% strikeout rate over 27 2/3 innings for Minnesota last season, and had an 0.68 ERA and a 32.7% K% in his first 13 1/3 frames in 2024.  Though an unsustainably high 99.5% strand rate and an uninspiring 10.6% walk rate are red flags, the 32-year-old Stewart has looked like an entirely different pitcher during his time in Minnesota, and a big bullpen weapon if he can stay healthy.

Stewart’s performance helped the Twins’ bullpen not miss a beat when Jhoan Duran and Caleb Thielbar started the season on the IL, but now that both pitchers are back in action, the relief corps will take another hit due to Stewart’s own absence.  Justin Topa has also yet to pitch in 2024 due to right knee tendinitis, and though Topa has made three Triple-A outings, chief baseball officer Derek Falvey told Helfand and company that Topa will “take a little more time with the rehab assignment” before activation.

“[Topa] hasn’t felt at 100 percent yet.  He hasn’t felt like he’s really where he needs to be, but he’s progressing well,” Falvey said.  “We don’t want to rush that.  We want to make sure he’s back and feeling good and feeling like he can execute the pitches he wants to execute.”

In other injury news, Royce Lewis updated reporters (including The Athletic’s Dan Hayes) on the status of his recovery from the quad strain that has kept him out of the Twins’ lineup since he left partway through the club’s first game of the season.  Tests have revealed that the strain is healing at a usual pace, and Lewis has been able to increase his baseball activities to include some running and fielding work, as well as 80 swings in the batting cage.

As Hayes notes, the initial expectation was that it would take Lewis roughly eight weeks to return to action, though no timeline was ever fully established due to the uncertain nature of quad injuries in general, and the severity of Lewis’ strain.  While it would seem as though Lewis is making solid progress, he admitted to some frustration over “the mental challenge” of trying to work through the rehab process without having a target date in place.

“I’ve just got to keep continuing to wait,” Lewis said.  “The hardest thing is not having a timeline….When you have no idea and you feel so good, it’s the most challenging rehab I’ve ever had.”

Jose Miranda and Kyle Farmer have gotten the bulk of playing time at third base with Lewis out, and Willi Castro has also seen some action at the hot corner though he had to step into regular shortstop duty when Carlos Correa was on the IL.  Miranada has hit well while Farmer has struggled badly at the plate, and with Correa back and Castro now able to chip in more frequently at third base, the Twins should hopefully be able to make do at the position until Lewis is able to return.

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