The Twins had a few obvious candidates but team president Derek Falvey and his front office wound up utilizing all seven of the open roster spots he and his front office had available.

Six prospects added to MN Twins 40-man roster

Cinch candidates like Connor Prielipp and Kendry Rojas were both added, as was outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez and right-handed pitcher Andrew Morris. The additions of (OF) Hendry Mendez and ((RHP) John Klein are something of a surprise.

Prielipp, Rojas, Morris, and Gonzalez are already at Triple-A. Prielipp has struggled to stay healthy, but worked up to 82 2/3 innings this season, in which he posted a 4.03 ERA between Double and Triple-A. The lanky lefty also also toted an impressive carried 10.7 K/9.

Minnesota would love for him to be a frontline starter, but there’s potential he becomes the next dominant reliever too. Both Rojas and Morris will be depth arms for the starting rotation going into 2026.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/5g5TmTmZ44

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 18, 2025

The former was acquired in the Louie Varland and Ty France trade, with the Toronto Blue Jays. Rojas has as much upside as any starting arm in the organization.Gonzalez, meanwhile, was the key cog to the Jorge Polanco trade.

After a poor 2024, he responded with a .909 OPS split across three levels. Just 21 and already at Triple-A, he could quickly be a corner outfield option for the Minnesota Twins. Neither Mendez or Klein were unworthy candidates, either.

Mendez had a .911 OPS at Double-A after being acquired for Harrison Bader. Minnesota is potentially eyeing him as a first base option. Klein was undrafted, and the Brooklyn Park native made his way to Triple-A this season.

A few notable names to be left off the 40-man roster, and therefore eligible to be taken in the Rule 5 Draft, include Kala’i Rosario, C.J. Culpepper, Kyler Fedko, Cory Lewis, and Tanner Schobel.

Eric Orze adds to Twins bullpen in Rays trade

Beyond just adding their own prospects, the Twins also made a trade to take up the final roster spot on Tuesday. A swap with the Tampa Bay Rays has worked out in their favor before, and they are hopeful it can again.

The Twins completed a trade for Tampa Bay reliever Eric Orze. He had a 3.02 ERA in 33 outings last year with three saves.

They traded away minor leaguer pitcher Jacob Kisting, a product from the great Bradley University.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) November 18, 2025

Orze was a 5th round pick by the New York Mets in 2020. He spent 2025 with the Mets, and made 33 big league appearances. Orze owned a 3.02 ERA (4.05 FIP) across 41 2/3 innings in New York. He posted a 40/19 K/BB. With a bullpen needing an overhaul, it appears Orze is the first addition to the group.

Minnesota took Jacob Kisting in the 14th round of the 2024 draft. The 22-year-old had a 3.79 ERA in 73 2/3 innings during his first year of professional baseball.

The Twins will need to make corresponding moves as they sign free agents this offseason. For now, they have a full 40-man roster.

Earlier this offseason Derek Falvey cleared multiple spaces on the 40-man roster, including jettisoning Jose Miranda from the organization. They currently have seven openings with 33 players on the roster, but that doesn’t mean all will be filled by internal talent.

There are four absolute givens to be added before the Tuesday deadline, and a few others have strong cases as well.

Four locks for Minnesota Twins Rule 5 protection

There is simply no way the Minnesota Twins will allow some of their best prospects to be poached by the competition. Nothing excites a Pohlad more than the thought of cost control, and that’s what top prospects bring to the table. Falvey has four players that will certainly be added by the Tuesday deadline.

Prielipp has the highest ceiling among the pitchers in this group, and it was disappointing he didn’t see the majors down the stretch this season. The 4.03 ERA across 82 2/3 innings between Double and Triple-A wasn’t great, but the fact that he stayed healthy was. He will quickly be a big league option in 2026.

Gabriel Gonzalez is the lone remaining piece of the Jorge Polanco trade with Seattle, and he rebounded in a big way this year. After a .707 OPS in 2024, he had a .909 OPS in 2025 including 15 home runs. He has big power and controls the strike zone well too.

Among all MiLB hitters under 23, Twins No. 8 prospect Gabriel Gonzalez ranked 2nd in hits (159), trailing only baseball’s top prospect, Konnor Griffin.

He went 4-for-4 in his first game in the @LVBP_Oficial yesterday!

📹: @djcb0000 pic.twitter.com/lPk0quXcrw

— Tobey Schulman (@tschulmanreport) November 5, 2025

Minnesota swung a trade for Rojas at the deadline. Sending Louie Varland packing was the least appreciated move, and Ty France went on to win a Gold Glove. Still, Rojas is an exciting lefty to dream on. He had a 4.70 ERA across 69 innings this season, and it could have been nicer had he not given up 25 runs (20 earned) in 27 1/3 with the Saints.

Morris was probably the next-closest depth arm to seeing a 2025 appearance. He has back-end starter stuff, and he owned a 4.09 ERA in 94 2/3 innings at Triple-A. It’s possible he reaches another level, but even if he doesn’t there should be a safe floor here.

MN Twins have decisions on other players as well

It’s not just the locks that the Twins have to consider. They certainly could use all seven open spots on the 40-man roster, and have even more fat to trim if they want to remove more than that as well. The balancing act to weigh is whether a player will go selected by another team and you want them, or if they can be kept and not added.

You also must consider the readiness of a player for the big league level. A Rule 5 pick must remain on the major league roster all season or be offered back to their original organization. Guys already at Triple-A are often the easiest to project as ready for the limelight.

Minnesota acquired Hendry Mendez from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Harrison Bader deal. He had an .837 OPS at Double-A and went to the Arizona Fall League. Kala’i Rosario parlayed a second-straight AFL experience into a career-best .844 OPS and his 32 steals came out of nowhere. He went unclaimed in the Rule 5 Draft last season, but that seems unlikely to be the case again.

Guys like C.J. Culpepper, John Klein, and Kyler Fedko are typically seen throughout competing organizations. Culpepper had a 2.65 ERA at Double-A though, and Fedko blasted 28 home runs. That sort of production is always going to sting and create a what if scenario.

Several other notable names include Jose Olivares, Ricardo Olivar, Cory Lewis, Tanner Schobel, Noah Cardenas, Andy Lugo, Danny De Andrade, Aaron Sabato, and Christian MacLeod. Minnesota, as a mediocre team looking to limit spending, is a logical franchise to select a player in the Rule 5 Draft as well.