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Brooks Lee Brooks Lee Hitting for averge this spring
Mon, Mar 23, 2026, 10:11 PM
Lee went 2-for-4 in Monday's spring training win over Boston. He's hitting .308 (16-for-52) with a .743 OPS this spring.
Analysis: Lee looks set to begin the season as the everyday shortstop. He was underwhelming at the plate last year in his sophomore season with a .655 OPS, though he did hit 16 home runs. He has a good eye at the plate and makes excellent contact (just a 17.5% K%) but struggles to generate power (just a a 28.0% hard hit rate). It's not clear if he'll have the glove to stick at shortstop as he was -8 in Defensive Runs Saved last season, so it's a big season for Lee to show he can be a building block for the next Twins playoff team. |
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Eric Wagaman Eric Wagaman Fails to make Opening Day roster
Mon, Mar 23, 2026, 8:32 AM
The Twins optioned Wagaman to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Wagaman slashed .256/.341/.333 with one home run and a 5:13 BB:K this spring for the Twins. With Ryan Kreidler also sent to St. Paul, Tristan Gray appears to have captured the final spot on the Twins' bench. |
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Ryan Kreidler Ryan Kreidler Optioned to Triple-A
Mon, Mar 23, 2026, 8:30 AM
The Twins optioned Kreidler to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Kreidler was in the running for one of the final reserve spots for the Twins but ultimately didn't make the cut. The utility player will report to St. Paul for now but should eventually get an opportunity with the big club. |
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Josh Bell Josh Bell Likely cleanup hitter
Sun, Mar 22, 2026, 10:10 PM
Bell went 0-for-2 with a walk in Sunday's Grapefruit win over Atlanta. He hit cleanup in the order in a lineup that was likely a preview of the regular lineup for the start of the regular season, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: Bell is having a solid spring, as he's hitting .286 (12-for-42) with a home run and .839 OPS and a surprising steal of third base. He looks to have an everyday role between 1B and DH. |
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Kody Funderburk Kody Funderburk Set to make bullpen
Sun, Mar 22, 2026, 10:04 PM
Funderburk will make the Opening Day roster, manager Derek Shelton told MLB.com.
Analysis: Funderburk was thought to be the odd man out of the bullpen as the fourth lefty behind Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Andrew Chafin. However, Chafin was released earlier in the week, so Funderburk will be in the major league bullpen. Funderburk had a 2.61 ERA and a 21:8 K:BB ratio in 20.2 innings after the All-Star break last season which shows promise for 2026. |
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James Outman James Outman Set to stick around for Opening Day
Sun, Mar 22, 2026, 5:38 PM
Outman appears to be set to make the the Twins' Opening Day roster.
Analysis: Outman entered the spring in competition with Alan Roden for the final spot on Minnesota's roster, and after Roden was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Outman appears to have made the cut. The outfielder has batted .220 with two home runs, six RBI, seven runs scored, and a team-high seven stolen bases over 41 at-bats during 17 contests so far during spring training. Roden produced a more impressive .302 average over 43 at-bats during 15 games, but the 26-year-old still had a minor-league option while Outman did not, and that was likely a driving force in Minnesota's decision to stick with the latter for now. |
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Alan Roden Alan Roden Left off Opening Day roster
Sun, Mar 22, 2026, 4:18 PM
The Twins optioned Roden to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The 26-year-old batted .302 with a double, a homer and two steals in 15 Grapefruit League games, but he'll still open the season in the minors in favor of James Outman. It's worth noting that Outman has no remaining minor-league options, which likely factored into Roden's demotion to begin the season. He shouldn't have to wait too long to get another look for the rebuilding Twins. |
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Austin Martin Austin Martin Rejoining lineup
Sun, Mar 22, 2026, 8:22 AM
Martin (concussion) will start in left field and bat eighth in Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta.
Analysis: Martin suffered a concussion while playing the outfield last week, but he's apparently cleared the protocol and is ready for game action. The 26-year-old is without an extra-base hit through 13 spring games but is batting .286 with a 5:4 BB:K and has stolen four bases. Martin could open 2026 with a regular role in left field after the Twins optioned Alan Roden to Triple-A to begin the season. |
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Mick Abel Mick Abel Unofficially wins rotation spot
Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 12:40 PM
Abel is poised to begin the season in Minnesota's starting rotation after Zebby Matthews was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The Twins have yet to announce their official rotation plans, but Abel has apparently won the battle for the No. 5 spot in the starting unit. The 24-year-old was dominant during spring training with a 1.35 ERA, .075 WHIP and 17:1 K:BB across 13.1 innings. Abel struggled to a 6.23 ERA in 10 appearances between the Phillies and Twins in his first taste of the majors last season, but he could find success if he's able to keep the walks down like he has this spring, as he's had a walk rate of at least nine percent at every professional level. |
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Joe Ryan Joe Ryan Named Opening Day starter
Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 12:31 PM
Ryan will start the Twins' Opening Day game against Baltimore, the team announced.
Analysis: With Pablo Lopez (elbow) sidelined, it's not a surprise to see Ryan get the ball for Opening Day. It'll be Ryan's second Opening Day start, with his first coming in 2022. Ryan set career highs in ERA (3.42) and innings pitched (171) in 2025. |
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Zebby Matthews Zebby Matthews Headed to Triple-A
Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 12:26 PM
The Twins optioned Matthews to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.
Analysis: Matthews had been a candidate to make Minnesota's Opening Day rotation, but the 25-year-old will come up short. In 2025, Matthews made 16 starts, posting a 5.56 ERA and an 88:24 K:BB across 79.1 innings. Matthews' move to Triple-A likely means Mick Abel will have a spot in the big-league rotation. |
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Trevor Larnach Trevor Larnach Returning to action Friday
Fri, Mar 20, 2026, 9:39 AM
Larnach (side) is starting in left field and batting second in Friday's Grapefruit League game against the Blue Jays.
Analysis: The 29-year-old was scratched Sunday due to left side soreness but is good to go after taking a few days off to recover. Larnach has struggled this spring with a .171/.275/.257 slash line in 40 plate appearances but is expected to open the campaign in the strong side of a platoon between the corner outfield and designated hitter. |
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Liam Hendriks Liam Hendriks Another productive spring outing
Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 10:28 PM
Hendriks threw a scoreless inning in Tuesday's Grapefruit loss to Philadelphia with two strikeouts. He reached 93.6 mph with his fastball. "You can't take away the been there, done that," manager Derek Shelton told Jayson Stark of The Athletic. "There are guys who can't do it. And he's done it at a really high level."
Analysis: Shelton last week said he has no idea who his closer will be, so it's somewhat notable he's praised Hendriks. He's looked healthy this spring but his velocity is down from a 94.9-mph average fastball in 2025 and 95.4 mph in 2023. Still, given the weak competition in Minnesota's bullpen, he could make the Opening Day roster and figure into the save mix. Hendriks has a 3.00 ERA with a 4:3 K:BB in six innings this spring. |
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Bailey Ober Bailey Ober Velocity drop continues
Tue, Mar 17, 2026, 3:01 PM
Ober allowed a run on two hits and two walks while striking out none during Tuesday's Grapefruit League game against the Phillies. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, the right-hander averaged 88.2 mph with his fastball and generated just three swinging strikes.
Analysis: Ober has surrendered just two runs across 8.2 frames in his three Grapefruit League appearances, but he has only three strikeouts and has seen his fastball velocity decrease in each spring outing, with him not cracking 90 mph even once Tuesday. The 30-year-old's average fastball in 2025 was a career-low 90.3 mph, and he had the worst season of his career with a 5.10 ERA and 1.30 WHIP in 27 starts. Ober doesn't have much time to right the ship with Opening Day a little more than a week away. |
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Austin Martin Austin Martin Leaves game with concussion
Mon, Mar 16, 2026, 2:26 PM
Martin was removed after three innings of Monday's Grapefruit League game against the Pirates after sustaining a concussion, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis: Per Matthew Leach of MLB.com, Martin appeared to suffer the head injury when he landed awkwardly while trying to make a play on ball hit to right field. Though the Twins' season opener isn't until March 26 in Baltimore, the volatile recovery timeline for concussions could put Martin at risk of being shelved to begin the campaign. Before suffering the concussion, Martin had appeared on solid ground to make the Opening Day roster as a platoon option in the outfield. |
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Julian Merryweather Julian Merryweather Cut from big-league camp
Mon, Mar 16, 2026, 10:34 AM
The Twins reassigned Merryweather (hamstring) to minor-league camp Monday.
Analysis: After signing a minor-league deal with Minnesota in February, Merryweather had been attending big-league camp as a non-roster invitee and was expected to compete for a spot in the Twins' Opening Day bullpen. He never made headway in the job battle, however, as he strained his left hamstring during his first Grapefruit League appearance Feb. 24 and has yet to pitch since. Merryweather has since resumed running and has been playing catch, but he could be headed for a stint on Triple-A St. Paul's injured list to begin the season. |
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Trevor Larnach Trevor Larnach Scratched with left side soreness
Sun, Mar 15, 2026, 9:15 PM
Larnach was a pregame scratch from Sunday's lineup because of left side soreness, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "As of right now, we don't think it's significant enough to get [medical] imaging," Manager Derek Shelton said.
Analysis: Larnach will be evaluated again Monday. It doesn't sound like a serious injury at this point, but if he's not ready for Opening Day then both Alan Roden and James Outman would likely make the major league roster as one of the two outfielders is likely to begin the season in the minors. |
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Joe Ryan Joe Ryan Won't pitch for Team USA
Sat, Mar 14, 2026, 2:34 PM
Ryan will no longer pitch for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis: Ryan was in the pitcher pool for the WBC, but Team USA elected to add Blue Jays closer Jeff Hoffman to the roster instead. Ryan made his spring debut Tuesday after recovering from a back injury that flared up in mid-February. The 29-year-old right-hander is projected to serve as the Twins' starter for Opening Day against the Orioles on March 26. He tossed a career-high 171 innings across 31 regular-season games in 2025 and finished with a 3.42 ERA, 1.04 WHIP and 194:39 K:BB. |
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Matt Wallner Matt Wallner Solid start to spring
Fri, Mar 13, 2026, 11:21 PM
Wallner went 2-for-3 in Friday's Grapefruit loss to Boston. He's hitting .290 (9-for-31) with a home run this spring.
Analysis: It's reassuring to see Wallner having a good spring as a terrible spring in 2024 resulted in a slow start to the regular season and an early demotion to the minors. Wallner looks set to start in right field and could have a breakout season after some bad luck last year. Wallner reduced his problematic strikeout rate below 30% for the first time in his career (29.1%) and had the best contact rate of his career (66.1%), but had just a .775 OPS with a .228 BABIP likely playing a factor. |
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Kody Funderburk Kody Funderburk May not make Opening Day roster
Fri, Mar 13, 2026, 11:04 PM
Funderburk may not make the Opening Day roster with four left-handed relievers competing for a spot in the bullpen, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Funderburk has a 1.59 ERA and 6:1 K:BB ratio in 5.2 innings this spring.
Analysis: It's odd that Funderburk is on the roster bubble considering he's having a strong spring and coming off a strong second half. He had a 2.61 ERA and a 21:8 K:BB ratio in 20.2 innings after the All-Star break last year. Still, he's seen as behind veterans Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda and Andrew Chafin. It seems unlikely the Twins would have four left-handed relievers in the bullpen, so Funderburk may be the odd man out. A trade of one of the lefty relievers also seems like a possibility. |
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