In this bad dream, he finds out of a devastating spring injury to one of a few cornerstone pieces to this summer’s roster, and it costs a talented Twins team their season. If that nightmare becomes reality again in 2025, after injuries to Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa caused a momentum-crippling second half collapse in 2024, it could cost Rocco his job.

Related: 2025 Minnesota Twins Opening Day Roster Projection (2.0)

That’s why Sunday was nearly as difficult for the manager as it was the player, when once-blossoming star Royce Lewis suffered a hamstring injury vs the Red Sox that will reportedly keep him off the 26-man Opening Day roster.

Rocco Baldelli makes three more cuts for Minnesota Twins

Speaking of the Twins’ current roster, which needs to be cut down to 26 players by this coming Sunday, it got another haircut on Tuesday morning, a spring trim that included catcher Jair Camargo, along with pitchers Darren McCaughan and Huascar Ynoa.

Twins made another round of roster cuts today: catcher Jair Camargo and pitchers Darren McCaughan and Huascar Ynoa.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) March 18, 2025

Today marks the fourth notable cutdown day of Spring Training, so far, and it puts the current Minnesota Twins camp roster at 37. Just a couple days ago, the most recent round of cuts prior to Tuesday’s brought the 2025 roster down from 45 to 40 and helped solidify the starting rotation.

Newly cut MN Twins include: (P) Ynoa, (P) McCaughan, (C) Camargo

Huascar Ynoa gave up three runs on four hits across 4 2/3 innings this spring. The 26-year-old Dominican right-hander struck out four and walked a pair. Ynoa allowed five runs on ten hits but had an impressive 7/1 K/BB.

McCaughan, a 29-year-old MLB tweener prospect with 17 career big league appearances — threw six innings of Grapefruit League action for the Twins down in Florida. The results — 7.50 ERA, 1.83 WHIP and 7 SO in 6 IP — were not all that impressive.

Related: Minnesota Twins Set Starting Rotation, Announce Third Round of Roster Cuts

The only big name out of today’s round of cuts is 25-year-old catcher prospect, Jair Camargo. The right-handed hitting Columbian made his MLB debut last season, where he wound up notching five games of MLB experience (0-for-6 in 7 PA).

Unfortunately, Camargo had a tough spring, going 2-for-18 with 8 strikeouts and 0 walks. Both of his hits came in one really great game last week, where he went 2-for-2 with a 2B, HR and a walk, putting on full display what he can do, when right, and why the MN Twins still believe in him.

Jair Camargo was ripping balls in some Spring Training action yesterday 🚀

He was 2-2 with a 2B, a HR, and a BB

First swing (2B): 105.5mph
Second swing (HR): 107.8mph, 416 feet

So far in the spring, he is batting .385/.429/.769 with a 1.198 OPS‼️#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/R5VuYB2oYO

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) March 7, 2024

Despite the Twins trading for catching depth in the form of Diego Cartaya this offseason, Camargo still seems to be the next man up. Cartaya played in the Spring Breakout game, but was part of the second round of roster cuts. If both Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez remain healthy and effective for Rocco Baldelli, the aforementioned tandem will remain at Triple-A St. Paul.

What is left to watch for down in Fort Myers?

The Minnesota Twins bullpen still has spots up for grabs but neither Darren McCaughan or Hauscar Ynoa were going to be an option. The latter re-signed with the organization that once dealt him for Jaime Garcia. Ynoa will head to Triple-A and look to work his way back.

Minnesota has just six Grapefruit League games left prior to kicking off the season in St. Louis against the Cardinals. They will need to trim another nine players from the roster. Both Royce Lewis and Michael Tonking remain in camp, but will start the year on the injured list.

As the 2017 trade deadline approached, the Twins were hovering around .500, trailing in the division and looking for a boost to their MLB staff. The Minnesota Twins’ new decision-maker tried to ride the deadline fence his first season, opting to both buy and sell.

During the flurry of transactions, Ynoa was dealt to the Atlanta Braves for SP Jaime Garcia, who made just one start in Minnesota, before Falvey flipped him to the Yankees just days after originally trading for him.

Huascar Ynao signs minor league deal with Minnesota Twins

Huascar Ynoa was with the Braves’ organization, since they acquired him from the Twins seven years ago. That was until this offseason, when they granted the now 26-year-old his free agency. Then, on Tuesday morning — over seven years after he was traded away — Ynoa signed a minor league deal to return to the team he started his professional baseball career with.

Source: Huascar Ynoa and the Twins have agreed to a minor-league deal with a spring training invitation.

— Stephanie Apstein (@stephapstein) December 10, 2024

When the Twins flipped Ynoa he was a 19-year-old playing in the Appalachian League. He had made just 28 professional starts to that point. After a couple of years in the Braves organization, Huascar made his MLB debut for Atlanta in 2019 and now has 24 MLB starts and 122.1 innings of Major League experience under his belt.

Ynoa’s career since reaching the majors has been up and down. He has a 5.22 ERA, 1.316 WHIP and he’s collected 1.1 bWAR, in 31 total MLB appearances, between 2019 and 2022. His best season came in 2021, when he posted a 4.05 ERA across 91 innings.

Ynoa even made two postseason appearances for Atlanta, between 2020 and 2021 (5 IP, 3 H, 2 R, 1 HR, 3.60 ERA, 1.600 WHIP), where he got a World Series ring on his finger. But Huascar Ynoa hasn’t pitched a big league inning since the 2022 MLB season, due to elbow and shoulder injuries, which kept him off the mound completely in 2023.

What are the 2025 Twins getting with Ynoa?

Ynoa returned in 2024, where he appeared in 14 minor league games, including 7 starts. The 6-2, 220 lb Dominican righty tossed 29 2/3 minor league innings in the Braves organization (mostly at AAA) last season, where he posted a 6.37 ERA and 1.483 WHIP.

Huascar Ynoa, 87mph Wipeout Slider. 🌊 pic.twitter.com/Y5jZcd2tex

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) August 24, 2021

Related: Confirmed: Minnesota Twins Taking Offers on Carlos Correa at MLB Winter Meetings

Last season, the we saw Minnesota Twins pitchers drop like flies all summer long, and well into the fall. Without money to supplement the staff near the top, like it needs, this is one of many depth dart throws we can expect to see from Derek Falvey & Co, as they try to piece together a decent rotation and bullpen for 2025.