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David Festa David Festa Moved to 60-day IL
Sat, Apr 4, 2026, 11:47 AM
The Twins transferred Festa (shoulder) to the 60-day injured list Saturday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Festa was shut down early in spring camp due to a shoulder impingement and still has yet to begin throwing off a mound. His move to the 60-day IL will ensure he remains sidelined until at least late May and open up a spot on the 40-man roster for Garrett Acton, whom the Twins acquired Thursday in a trade with Miami. |
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Tristan Gray Tristan Gray Grand slam powers win
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 8:43 PM
Gray went 1-for-2 with a walk, a grand slam and five RBI in Friday's 10-4 victory over the Rays.
Analysis: Gray set a career high with three RBI in his first appearance with the Twins this season, and he reset the mark once again Friday with five RBI. Four of them came on a frozen rope grand slam to break open the game and cap a seven-run seventh inning for the Twins. With his eight RBI, the 30-year-old not only leads the Twins, but he is tied for 4th in MLB. |
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Bailey Ober Bailey Ober Battles through four in no-decision
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 8:33 PM
Ober didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Rays, allowing three runs on four hits and two walks while striking out four in four innings of work.
Analysis: It's the second straight start to begin 2026 that Ober has failed to work into the fifth inning. On Friday, the 30-year-old was tagged twice in the opening inning and once again in the fourth. It took him 82 pitches to work through his four innings as concerns about his velocity and inability to put hitters away continue. He has just five strikeouts in his eight innings of work on the year. The right-hander's next chance to add to that total is scheduled to be Wednesday against the Tigers. |
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Byron Buxton Byron Buxton Exits after HBP
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 6:39 PM
Buxton was removed from Friday's game against the Rays after getting hit on the forearm by a pitch, Audra Martin of FanDuel Sports Network North reports.
Analysis: Buxton immediately headed into the Twins' clubhouse after taking a 91.6-mph fastball off his right forearm in the seventh inning. X-rays came back negative afterward, so he appears to have only suffered a bruise as a result of the incident. James Outman entered the game to run for Buxton and would be the favorite to start in center field if the latter ends up missing a start or two. |
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Brooks Lee Brooks Lee Out of lineup due to illness
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 12:32 PM
Lee is not in Friday's starting lineup against the Rays because of an illness, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports.
Analysis: He is available off the bench despite missing yesterday's game due to the illness as well. Tristan Gray gets the start at shortstop in his place. Lee is off to a slow start by hitting .154 (2-for-13) and is at some risk for losing his starting shortstop job this season after an underwhelming 2025 (.655 OPS) so he needs to get going at the plate when healthy. |
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Tristan Gray Tristan Gray Second straight start at shortstop
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 10:50 AM
Gray will start at shortstop and bat ninth in Friday's game against the Rays.
Analysis: It's the second consecutive start at shortstop for Gray, who is 3-for-9 with a 1:4 in the early going this season. Brooks Lee should still handle the lion's share of starts at shortstop for Minnesota over the long haul. |
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Brooks Lee Brooks Lee On bench again Friday
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 10:48 AM
Lee is not in the lineup for Friday's game versus the Rays.
Analysis: Lee started four of the first five games of the season but has now been on the bench for two in a row. The Twins will roll with Tristan Gray as their starting shortstop in Friday's home opener. |
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Josh Bell Josh Bell Homers again Thursday
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 4:26 AM
Bell went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored in Thursday's 5-1 win over the Royals.
Analysis: The 33-year-old went deep for the second consecutive game by launching a homer off Steven Cruz in the ninth inning. His shot was one of three in the frame that blew the game open. Bell has been a strong point in the Twins lineup, leading the team in RBI with five so far. That production has been especially important for a Minnesota lineup that struggled last season, finishing 25th in total offense. |
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Kody Clemens Kody Clemens Launches first homer
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 4:08 AM
Clemens went 2-for-3 with a solo home run, a walk and two runs scored Thursday's 5-1 win against the Royals.
Analysis: Clemens showed out at the plate, reaching base three times after having gotten on in just two of his first 10 plate appearances entering Thursday. The 29-year-old added insurance in the ninth inning with his first home run of the season, a 391-foot solo shot off Steven Cruz that extended the Twins' lead to three runs. Thursday's performance seemed to reinforce the confidence that Clemens built during his 2025 breakout campaign, when he posted a .715 OPS with 19 home runs across 386 plate appearances. |
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Taj Bradley Taj Bradley Shines in scoreless outing
Fri, Apr 3, 2026, 3:34 AM
Bradley (1-0) earned the win Thursday against the Royals, allowing five hits and one walk while striking out three over six scoreless innings.
Analysis: Bradley worked through a few early threats but managed to keep Kansas City off the board, showcasing his ability to pitch out of trouble. The right-hander's biggest moment came in the third inning, when he rebounded from a dropped foul popup by striking out Bobby Witt with a 100 mph fastball -- the hardest pitch thrown by a Twins starter in the pitch-tracking era -- to escape the jam. The 25-year-old righty was also efficient enough to reach the six-inning mark, tossing 65 of 100 pitches for strikes. Coming off a season in which he posted a 5.05 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 127 strikeouts over 142.2 innings, Bradley is off to a red-hot start to 2026 and continues to justify Minnesota's decision to acquire him from Tampa Bay at last year's trade deadline. |
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Garrett Acton Garrett Acton Traded to Twins
Thu, Apr 2, 2026, 5:49 PM
The Marlins traded Acton to the Twins on Thursday in exchange for minor-league pitcher Logan Whitaker.
Analysis: The 27-year-old righty was DFA'd by the Marlins on Sunday to make room on the 40-man roster for Leo Jimenez. Acton has pitched 2.1 scoreless innings in Triple-A to begin the season, and moving into a Twins organization that doesn't have much bullpen depth should help his chances of returning to the big leagues at some point. |
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Brooks Lee Brooks Lee Absent from Thursday's lineup
Thu, Apr 2, 2026, 9:59 AM
Lee is not in the lineup for Thursday's game in Kansas City.
Analysis: Lee will receive a day off after getting off to a 2-for-13 start with five strikeouts at the plate. Tristan Gray will fill in at shortstop as the Twins try to avoid the sweep. |
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Ryan Jeffers Ryan Jeffers Taking seat Thursday
Thu, Apr 2, 2026, 9:56 AM
Jeffers is not in the lineup for Thursday's contest in Kansas City.
Analysis: It's a routine day off for Jeffers, who has now started four of the first six games behind the dish. It will be Victor Caratini doing the catching in Thursday's series finale. |
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Victor Caratini Victor Caratini Making third straight start
Wed, Apr 1, 2026, 2:46 PM
Caratini will start at first base and bat seventh in Wednesday's game against the Royals.
Analysis: Caratini will be included in the lineup for the third game in a row, with two starts coming at first base and one at catcher. With the Twins facing a lefty starter (Noah Cameron) for the second straight game, Caratini will fill in at first base for the left-handed-hitting Kody Clemens, who should continue to occupy the large side of a platoon moving forward. Caratini's playing time versus right-handed pitching will likely be more sporadic, but he'll see occasional starts against them either at catcher or designated hitter. |
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Kody Clemens Kody Clemens Taking seat against lefty
Wed, Apr 1, 2026, 2:40 PM
Clemens is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.
Analysis: With the Twins facing a lefty starter (Noah Cameron) for the second day in a row, the left-handed-hitting Clemens will hit the bench for another game. Victor Caratini will step in for Clemens at first base and bat seventh. |
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Trevor Larnach Trevor Larnach Sitting against lefty again
Wed, Apr 1, 2026, 2:39 PM
Larnach is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the Royals.
Analysis: With the Twins facing a lefty starter (Noah Cameron) for the second day in a row, the left-handed-hitting Larnach will head to the bench for another game. Austin Martin will take Larnach's spot in left field and will bat leadoff. |
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Simeon Woods Richardson Simeon Woods Richardson Suffers tough-luck loss
Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:38 PM
Woods Richardson (0-1) took the loss Monday against the Royals after allowing two runs on five hits and one walk while striking out two across five innings.
Analysis: Woods Richardson surrendered both of his runs on one swing of the bat, as he gave up a two-run homer to Kyle Isbel in the bottom of the second inning. Woods Richardson otherwise managed to work his way through Kansas City's lineup without damage, despite firing only 45 of his 83 pitches for strikes. Fantasy managers will likely be disappointed by the lack of swing-and-miss stuff Monday after the right-hander posted a 16:5 K:BB across 20 innings during spring training. |
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Luke Keaschall Luke Keaschall Used as No. 3 hitter
Mon, Mar 30, 2026, 9:08 AM
Keaschall went 1-for-4 with a walk in Sunday's loss at Baltimore and is hitting .182 (2-for-11) this season. He's hit third in the batting order in all three games this season.
Analysis: Keaschall may be better suited to hit leadoff in Minnesota's lineup due to his high OBP (.382 last season), but new Twins manager Derek Shelton went with a platoon of Austin Martin and Kody Clemens in the leadoff role to begin the season. While Keaschall played some outfield in spring training, he's only played second base so far this season. |
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Mick Abel Mick Abel Makes season debut in relief
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 6:19 PM
Abel (0-1) was the pitcher of record in Sunday's 8-6 loss to the Orioles after allowing five earned runs on eight hits and four walks while striking out four batters over 3.1 innings of relief.
Analysis: Manager Derek Shelton told Matthew Leach of MLB.com on March 20 that Abel would be part of the Twins' season-opening rotation, but the 24-year-old will have to wait a little bit to make his first start. Due to a pair of early off days, the Twins are able to temporarily get by with a four-man rotation, so Abel was available in the bullpen for the season-opening series with the Orioles and ended up making in 2026 debut Sunday with starter Bailey Ober getting chased after four innings. Abel lacked control and was hit hard in the relief outing, which will likely give fantasy managers some pause about including him in lineups once his turn in the rotation comes up. The right-hander tentatively lines up to make his first start during next weekend's home series versus the Rays. |
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Drew Smith Drew Smith Lands MiLB deal with Minnesota
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 6:07 PM
Smith signed a minor-league contract with Minnesota on Sunday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: The 32-year-old righty owns a 3.48 ERA and 1.28 WHIP over 192 career appearances in the majors, but after missing the entire 2025 season while recovering from his second Tommy John surgery, he had to settle for a minor-league deal with the Nationals in free agency this winter. Smith was released after he was unable to win a spot in Washington's season-opening bullpen, but he quickly found work in a new organization. He's expected to report to Triple-A St. Paul and could be in the mix for a call-up quickly if he shows that he's regained his pre-surgery velocity and command. |
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