All Things 2026 Minnesota Twins In-Season Thread

Travis Adams is terrible. There's nothing there. Call up CJ Culpper or Rojas. As bad as it is, they have let multiple guys leave St Paul (Matt Bowman, Zak Kent) that are better than some of the trash they are running out there now.

Trotting Adams out there for a 2nd inning was asking for trouble.

I get with a 4 run lead the plan was to give him a shot to save another arm for tomorrow. 2 innings though was playing with fire.
 

On the strength of a 5 for 11 series against the Rockies, Brooks Lee has upped his Career WAR to -0.1.

At +0.8 for 2026.


WAR! What is it good for? Absolutely nothing...

Which is what Brooks Lee is currently sitting at for his Career: 0.0.

Nothing. Say it again.

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If Edwin Star is not your bag, it's also the equivalent of Bluto Blutarsky's GPA.

Today we celebrate.
 


Buxton diagnosed with right hip impingement, considered day to day​


HOUSTON -- Twins star Byron Buxtonhas been diagnosed with a right hip impingement following an MRI exam and is considered day to day, manager Derek Shelton said.
The Minnesota star was kept out of the lineup in Monday's series-opening 5-4 win over the Astros and seems likely to miss a few days, but will not go on the injured list at this time.

Buxton served as the designated hitter for the Twins in Sunday’s win against the Rockies, going 0-for-4 with a strikeout. Shelton felt that some of his swings looked awkward, and he and head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta spoke with the slugger after the game.

“He’s dealing with a little hip thing that’s going on,” Shelton said. “We had some imaging done, we’re waiting to get back on it. Yesterday after watching him in the box, it didn’t look right to me, so we had a conversation. Just giving him a day.”

Buxton is a leading candidate to start for the American League in the All-Star Game next month, carrying a .268/.325/.573 slash line with 25 home runs. He missed time in mid-May with hip discomfort and then was limited to DH for a while when he jammed his shoulder, but he has not been on the injured list this year.

For now, Shelton is hopeful that Buxton will not need an IL stint for this latest issue either.
“I think right now we’re at a day-to-day place,” Shelton said. “Really never want to get any farther than that. I think over the course of the last week we’ve seen how well he’s moved. We’ve seen him on the bases. Just yesterday it just didn’t look as comfortable.”
 



How badly have we been outscored in innings beyond the 6th?
In the 7-9 innings, Twins have been outscored 161-112.

Innings 1-6, they have outscored their opponents 300-278.

ERA by inning. Something happens around the 7th inning each game. Can't quite put my finger on why that is happening. Hmm..

1st: 4.40
2nd: 3.98
3rd: 4.40
4th: 4.71
5th: 4.50
6th: 3.98
7th: 6.80
8th: 5.55
9th: 5.74
 

I think not allowing the challenge was the right call as the batter looked into the dugout before challenging. Can't do that.

Agree on that aspect.

It was a horribly missed call to begin with though. Gift for the Twins but no apologies necessary.
 

In the 7-9 innings, Twins have been outscored 161-112.

Innings 1-6, they have outscored their opponents 300-278.

ERA by inning. Something happens around the 7th inning each game. Can't quite put my finger on why that is happening. Hmm..

1st: 4.40
2nd: 3.98
3rd: 4.40
4th: 4.71
5th: 4.50
6th: 3.98
7th: 6.80
8th: 5.55
9th: 5.74
Thanks for the info. Seems as though they were competitive in innings 7-9 through May, but June has been disastrous.
 

Now officially have the worst bullpen ERA in all of baseball at 5.50. For comparison, the Braves have the best at 2.77, roughly half of the Twins.
 






Joe Ryan

Meh
Second consecutive game in which he has been unable to hold a multi-run lead. That said, he was the victimized by some bad luck in the 4th: a double play grounder found a hole and he fooled Altuve for a called strike three but his appeal bailed him out.
 



Second consecutive game in which he has been unable to hold a multi-run lead. That said, he was the victimized by some bad luck in the 4th: a double play grounder found a hole and he fooled Altuve for a called strike three but his appeal bailed him out.
Caratini also failed to challenge what would have been strike 3 on the batter before Altuve. Cost them 5 runs and the game.
 








Bradley sets Twins mark with 10 consecutive outs via K's​


HOUSTON -- In just his 22nd start in a Twins uniform, Taj Bradley etched his name in the club’s record book.

Bradley racked up 11 strikeouts over five innings for the win as Minnesota beat the Astros, 8-3, at Daikin Park, and along the way, he assembled a streak of 10 consecutive outs by strikeout. It was the longest such streak by any Twins pitcher since the franchise moved to Minnesota in 1961.

“That's cool, a record like that,” Bradley said.
Making it perhaps more impressive than a conventional strikeout streak was the fact that Bradley did much of the work with traffic on the bases.

He struck out Christian Walker to end the first inning, then he allowed a double and a walk to start the second before fanning the next three batters. In the third, Bradley got a leadoff strikeout against Jose Altuve before Houston managed a pair of singles. Once again, Bradley pitched his way out of the threat, fanning Walker and Cam Smith.

“I don't think [it’s] a challenge at all,” he said. “It's [like] pitching with nobody on. Just keep the same mentality, throw strikes. Find your cues and stuff like that when you can to keep runs from scoring and keep the guys stationary where they are.”

Bradley struck out the side in order in the fourth before Houston finally made an out on a ball in play, Nick Allen’s grounder to third base to lead off the fifth.

Acquired from the Rays for Griffin Jax last year, Bradley has established himself as a key part of the Twins' rotation. He’s amassed 29 strikeouts over his last four starts and ranks 11th in the American League with 102 total K's despite missing two starts due to injury in May.

“[He] really has not let anything affect him,” said manager Derek Shelton. “He’s just gone out and … in today’s game he just kind of took it into his own hands. He just said, all right, we’re going to go punchouts. And he had, what, 11 total and a bunch in a row. So, overall, really good outing.”
 

I bad inning away from sweep. Ober will be back by all-star game. Rojas should be ready for more innings. Get Lawyerson out if here and somehow get some more relief help. Bando out hurts as he was pitching well and his velocity kept getting better.
Offense has been amazingly good and should have Buck and Jeffers back soon. At this point, you can let the position players at St. Paul continue to improve their craft
 

I bad inning away from sweep. Ober will be back by all-star game. Rojas should be ready for more innings. Get Lawyerson out if here and somehow get some more relief help. Bando out hurts as he was pitching well and his velocity kept getting better.
Offense has been amazingly good and should have Buck and Jeffers back soon. At this point, you can let the position players at St. Paul continue to improve their craft
Injury Update via Dan Hayes -

There won’t be a timeline for his return until after he has a check-up, but the first indication is that Mick Abel’s arthroscopic right elbow surgery went well. Dr. Keith Meister performed the operation Wednesday.

“Overall, the initial response was very positive,” Shelton said.

• Ryan Jeffers (broken left hamate bone) hit for a third straight day, a sign he’s getting closer to starting a rehab assignment. Jeffers took batting practice with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints at CHS Field, Shelton said.

“The biggest thing for the hamate is just going to be the percussion or vibration of the bat,” Shelton said. “The fact that (Wednesday is) the first day he’s hit three days in a row is one of the things that kind of isolates on that.”

• Bailey Ober was scheduled for a light bullpen Thursday and could start for St. Paul on Saturday, Shelton said. Ober threw 57 pitches over 3 1/3 innings in his first rehab start Saturday.
 

Will the Twins be Deadline buyers or sellers? Why not both?​



HOUSTON -- As the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches, the natural question of “buy or sell” begins to percolate. But given the Twins’ roster and needs, their path very well might not fit neatly into either category.

General manager Jeremy Zoll and the Minnesota front office could do a little of each, parting with one or two veterans while also filling some needs on the big league roster. Or they could try to pull off that trickiest of moves, a Major League for Major League trade.

The options are wide open, and so is the American League. No team is more than eight games out of a playoff spot, and 11 of the 15 teams are within 4 1/2 games. And on the flipside, no one has a division lead of more than 2 1/2. The line between buyer and seller has never been less clear, and the Twins are certainly one of the primary data points in that regard.

“How many teams have truly declared a position,” Zoll said, “whether they’ve literally said it publicly? You can probably say three, maybe four. And beyond that, everyone’s going to wait as long as they can."


But the standings are not the only reason. The Twins’ unusual situation is also a result of the way their Major League and Triple-A rosters are constructed. While their pitching depth has been stretched extremely thin, the opposite is true on the hitting side. Minnesota has more Major League-ready hitters than roster spots, especially in the outfield, but even to a lesser extent in the infield.

Which means things could get very interesting, and their Deadline could defy conventional labels. Trading prospects for relievers or a starter, which the Twins could definitely do, is the mark of a buyer. Trading an outfielder for prospects is something a seller does.

Right?

But again, what if you do both? Or what if they moved someone like Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner to bolster the pitching? Players like Wallner, Alan Roden and the Twins' No. 1 prospectWalker Jenkins are waiting for the opportunity to play, and the effectiveness of Larnach, Byron Buxton and Kody Clemens, among others, means that opportunity hasn’t come.

Infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper (No. 2) has dealt with injuries but, likewise, would probably be ready for a role if one opened.

So there absolutely is a third path: not a buy, not a sell, but a combination. The Twins could trade an infielder or outfielder, have confidence in their ability to replace that player from within, while also adding urgently needed pitching depth.

It’s not easy to do. There’s a reason that the expression “old-fashioned baseball trade” exists. Lining up needs can be a challenge. But the opportunity does exist.

“I agree with that for sure,” Zoll said. “It … might create some unique opportunities, or just help in conversations where teams aren’t trying to trade for a set of A-ball prospects or things along those lines.

“But we’ve also seen the last couple of offseasons, where 27 of the 30 teams are buying, and there’s not true sellers. You spend a lot of time talking Major League for Major League trades, and it’s really hard to line up.”
 

Will the Twins be Deadline buyers or sellers? Why not both?​



HOUSTON -- As the Aug. 3 Trade Deadline approaches, the natural question of “buy or sell” begins to percolate. But given the Twins’ roster and needs, their path very well might not fit neatly into either category.

General manager Jeremy Zoll and the Minnesota front office could do a little of each, parting with one or two veterans while also filling some needs on the big league roster. Or they could try to pull off that trickiest of moves, a Major League for Major League trade.

The options are wide open, and so is the American League. No team is more than eight games out of a playoff spot, and 11 of the 15 teams are within 4 1/2 games. And on the flipside, no one has a division lead of more than 2 1/2. The line between buyer and seller has never been less clear, and the Twins are certainly one of the primary data points in that regard.

“How many teams have truly declared a position,” Zoll said, “whether they’ve literally said it publicly? You can probably say three, maybe four. And beyond that, everyone’s going to wait as long as they can."


But the standings are not the only reason. The Twins’ unusual situation is also a result of the way their Major League and Triple-A rosters are constructed. While their pitching depth has been stretched extremely thin, the opposite is true on the hitting side. Minnesota has more Major League-ready hitters than roster spots, especially in the outfield, but even to a lesser extent in the infield.

Which means things could get very interesting, and their Deadline could defy conventional labels. Trading prospects for relievers or a starter, which the Twins could definitely do, is the mark of a buyer. Trading an outfielder for prospects is something a seller does.

Right?

But again, what if you do both? Or what if they moved someone like Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner to bolster the pitching? Players like Wallner, Alan Roden and the Twins' No. 1 prospectWalker Jenkins are waiting for the opportunity to play, and the effectiveness of Larnach, Byron Buxton and Kody Clemens, among others, means that opportunity hasn’t come.

Infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper (No. 2) has dealt with injuries but, likewise, would probably be ready for a role if one opened.

So there absolutely is a third path: not a buy, not a sell, but a combination. The Twins could trade an infielder or outfielder, have confidence in their ability to replace that player from within, while also adding urgently needed pitching depth.

It’s not easy to do. There’s a reason that the expression “old-fashioned baseball trade” exists. Lining up needs can be a challenge. But the opportunity does exist.

“I agree with that for sure,” Zoll said. “It … might create some unique opportunities, or just help in conversations where teams aren’t trying to trade for a set of A-ball prospects or things along those lines.

“But we’ve also seen the last couple of offseasons, where 27 of the 30 teams are buying, and there’s not true sellers. You spend a lot of time talking Major League for Major League trades, and it’s really hard to line up.”
They should do both. The only valuable chip that they can't let walk for nothing is Jeffers. So trade him, but add bullpen help, especially if it's someone under control for 2027.
 

They should do both. The only valuable chip that they can't let walk for nothing is Jeffers. So trade him, but add bullpen help, especially if it's someone under control for 2027.
Agreed.

I love my boy Trevor and damn he’s been good, but with Luke looking good in RF - that backhand snag on the warning track was a tasty treat - and hitting much better, I feel much more comfortable trading him and letting Jenkins have his shot, then Roden/Mendez if needed.

We might get a half decent reliever for him🤞

It’s exciting as I never really thought we’d be this compelling or have to discuss such topics.
 

Agreed.

I love my boy Trevor and damn he’s been good, but with Luke looking good in RF - that backhand snag on the warning track was a tasty treat - and hitting much better, I feel much more comfortable trading him and letting Jenkins have his shot, then Roden/Mendez if needed.

We might get a half decent reliever for him🤞

It’s exciting as I never really thought we’d be this compelling or have to discuss such topics.
Larnach should be able to hit with a little more power than he does IMO. The power has just not developed. I would agree that it's likely him and/or Wallner are the odd men out with multiple left handed prospects ready/near ready.
 

Agreed.

I love my boy Trevor and damn he’s been good, but with Luke looking good in RF - that backhand snag on the warning track was a tasty treat - and hitting much better, I feel much more comfortable trading him and letting Jenkins have his shot, then Roden/Mendez if needed.

We might get a half decent reliever for him🤞

It’s exciting as I never really thought we’d be this compelling or have to discuss such topics.
I'd keep Larnach, even if he's DH next year. Wallner can be bullpen trade bait and/or Roden/Mendez. Jenkins and E-Rod are the keepers. Keashall's bat will have to come around if he's gong to stick in the OF.
 

I'd keep Larnach, even if he's DH next year. Wallner can be bullpen trade bait and/or Roden/Mendez. Jenkins and E-Rod are the keepers. Keashall's bat will have to come around if he's gong to stick in the OF.
I think they'll stick with Keaschall because he can play several positions and bats right. Jenkins, ERod, Roden, and Mendez are all left handed.

And he is only 23, sophomore slumps are pretty common.
 




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