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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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John Brebbia John Brebbia Lands MiLB deal with Minnesota
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 6:05 PM
Brebbia signed a minor-league contract with Minnesota on Sunday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: Brebbia will report to Triple-A St. Paul, but given the unsettled state Minnesota bullpen, he may not have to wait long to get a look in the majors. Cut by the Rockies coming out of spring training, Brebbia, 35, owns a 4.04 ERA and 1.24 WHIP over 378.1 career innings in the majors across stops with St. Louis, San Francisco, the White Sox, Atlanta and Detroit. |
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Bailey Ober Bailey Ober Goes four innings in no-decision
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 4:26 PM
Ober did not factor into the decision Sunday against Baltimore, allowing three runs on four hits and a walk across four innings. He struck out one.
Analysis: Ober kept the Orioles off the board for three innings before Tyler O'Neill cut Minnesota's lead to 4-3 with a three-run homer in the fourth. The 30-year-old Ober's fastball velocity remains a concern - it averaged just 89.8 MPH Sunday after sitting at 90.3 last season. Ober struggled overall in 2025, posting a 5.10 ERA with a 1.30 WHIP and 120 strikeouts across 27 starts (146.1 innings). |
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David Festa David Festa Not yet throwing off mound
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 11:52 AM
Festa (shoulder) is about two weeks from beginning to pitch off a mound, Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll told the Minnesota Star Tribune.
Analysis: Festa recently resumed a throwing program after being shut down in late February due to a right shoulder impingement. However it sounds like he'll need several weeks before he can begin a minor-league rehab assignment. Festa was already coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome, which he dealt with last September, so expect the Twins to be cautious with his return. |
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Kendry Rojas Kendry Rojas Working back from hamstring strain
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 11:47 AM
Rojas (hamstring) is scheduled to face hitters in simulated at-bats March 31, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Analysis: Rojas has started the minor-league season on the Triple-A injured list with a right hamstring strain. The 23-year-old southpaw was acquired from Toronto at the deadline in the Louis Varland deal. |
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Austin Martin Austin Martin Out against righty again
Sun, Mar 29, 2026, 10:13 AM
Martin is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Orioles, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Analysis: After manning left field and occupying the leadoff spot in the Twins' season opener Thursday against Orioles southpaw Trevor Rogers, the right-handed-hitting Martin has dropped out of the lineup for two straight games while Minnesota has faced right-handed starters. At least in the early stages of the campaign, Martin looks like he may have to settle for the short side of a platoon in the corner outfield with Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner. |
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