Non-Rostered MN Twins Who Could Make Opening Day Cut

By    |  
Updated:
Follow Us
Kyler Fedko, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Tomorrow (February 12) the Minnesota Twins pitchers and catchers will officially report for Spring Training. The Twins’ first Grapefruit League exhibition game is only 10 days away (February 21)

There are a variety of factors making new manager Derek Shelton’s first spring on the job more difficult. The Twins arrive in Fort Myers with more questions on the roster, than answers.

The starting rotation could be one of the best in baseball, if Joe Ryan and Pablo Lopez pitch like themselves and a couple of like Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews and/or Simeon Woods Richardson can take another step forward in MLB careers.

Minnesota Twins spring training
Credit: Jonah Hinebaugh/The News-Press/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

After an insane trade deadline last summer, Minnesota has work to do just about everywhere else on the roster, if they want to have any chance at being competitive in the AL Central, like Tom Pohlad has expects them to be.

We’ve talked incessantly about their unusual depth at catcher, unbalanced 40-man roster, redundancy in the outfield and lack of defensive prowess in the infield. And that’s before you get to their bullpen, which might be the worst in baseball, on paper.

Non-rostered Minnesota Twins to watch at Spring Training

But the issues that remain on the MN Twins roster, combined with another $20-$30 million payroll cut this offseason, open MLB opportunities for guys this spring, that wouldn’t be there if the Pohlads cared to invest in their ball club.

There are currently 62 Twins players expected in Fort Myers by the end of this month. Obviously, many of them are not on the official 40-man roster.

Of those non-rostered names, here are three that I believe have the best shot of, not just being added to the 40-man, but making the Opening Day 26-man active roster, when Spring Training comes to an end.

Orlando Arcia – SS/2B | 31 y/o

In case you haven’t noticed, the Minnesota Twins don’t have a legitimate shortstop on the 40-man roster. Brooks Lee isn’t good enough on defense, even if his bat comes around. Meanwhile, guys like Ryan Kreidler and Tristan Gray are yet to prove themselves as big league caliber players.

Thus, 31-year-old veteran middle infielder Orlando Arcia comes to camp with an opportunity, not just to make the 26-man Opening Day roster, but to play a lot of games this season in a Twins uniform, if he can have a good camp. Just three years ago, Arcia was an All-Star for the Atlanta Braves.

Last season, however, the Venezuelan 2021 World Series winner posted an abysmal 44 OPS+ in the hitter-friendly confines of Coors Field, as a member of the Colorado Rockies.

You have to go back to 2023 with Atlanta, when Arcia was an All-Star for the Atlanta Braves, to find the type of numbers he’d need to be productive once again.

Short of promoting Kaelen Culpepper from Double-A — which is extremely unlikely right out of Spring Training — there’s little doubt Arcia offers the best in-house shortstop option available to the Minnesota Twins, should Brooks Lee not take a major step forward.

Kyler Fedko – Outfield | 26 y/o

When the Minnesota Twins looked at their prospects prior to the Rule 5 Draft they opted against protecting Kyler Fedko. That ended up being the right move as he went unselected, but he could force his way onto the roster during his first big league spring training.

You could make an easy argument that Fedko should’ve been the MN Twins minor league hitter of the year in 2025. He batted .258/.367/.487 in 130 games and produced across multiple minor league levels, including Triple-A St. Paul.

Playing in Class AA and AAA, the righthanded hitter had a breakout minor league season with 28 homers, 82 RBI and 38 stolen bases in 130 games.

Bobby Nightengale – Star Tribune

There’s a glut of slugging corner outfielders on the Twins 40-man roster, but Fedko differentiates himself with his speed and ability to steal bases, qualities that neither Matt Wallner nor Trevor Larnach possess.

He would also provide more flexibility in the outfield as Fedko can play all three positions. Unlike Wallner and Larnach, he also bats right-handed, which would allow an easier outfield platoon, depending on the opponent’s pitcher.

It’s unlikely either Walker Jenkins or Emmanuel Rodriguez earn Opening Day consideration. Both would need to play every day, and from the jump, in order to continue their development.

Fedko, on the other hand, could be used based on which situations fit him and the Minnesota Twins best, on any given day. He would also provide a boost off the bench both on the basepaths and defensively.

Andrew Bash – RHP (Reliever) | 29 y/o

There’s no denying that the Minnesota Twins bullpen still looks like a mess. They have answers at the back-end, but few of them are comforting. Middle relief presents plenty of opportunity and Andrew Bash could take hold of that.

Last season at Triple-A for Toronto, Bash owned a 2.57 ERA with 72 strikeouts in 84 innings. He’s 29 years old and hardly a prospect, but he put in the work this offseason with Driveline.

Bash has stacked a significant amount of minor league seasons with a sub-3.00 ERA on his resume, and this could be the breakthrough. He’s not a huge strikeout guy, but he has been stingy allowing hits and does not give up home runs. Minnesota could do a lot worse in middle relief.

Mentioned in this article:

More About:

0What do you think?Post a comment.

Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google.