Not only are the Twins getting a late start, compared to other buyers out shopping, but the sudden change in direction comes just months after the Pohlads ordered team president Derek Falvey to tear the big league roster down to its studs, at the 2025 MLB Trade Deadline.

Of course, Minnesota’s biggest problem at the Winter Meetings this week isn’t timing. It’s money. The Twins are trying to completely rebuild a bullpen they nuked at the end of July, while simultaneously searching for an upgrade at first base.

But Falvey only has $10-$20 million to go out and fill about 5-7 spots on the 26-man roster. In order to do that, some of the changes may have to be more creative than logging a transaction on the free agent and/or trade markets.

One option is for new manager Derek Shelton to take talent that might be built up at one position and try to move some of it to a spot where the Minnesota Twins are lacking big league options.

Healthy Luke Keaschall can play the outfield

Last season, Luke Keaschall made his highly-anticipated debut for the MN Twins and blew away even the highest expectations… when he was on the field.

Keaschall played through an elbow injury that eventually required Tommy John surgery in 2024. By the time he was ready to swing a bat again, he was still far from 100% from a throwing perspective.

But in 2025, Luke Keaschall should enter Spring Training at full-health, meaning the 23-year-old former Arizona State star is likely to play his first ever big league innings in the outfield this season — something GM Jeremy Zoll discussed with Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune down in Orlando this week.

The Twins want to give Luke Keaschall some experience in the outfield. He played some outfield during his 2024 minor league season, but he stayed at second base this year after recovering from elbow surgery.

A forearm fracture cost Keaschall three months last season and scuttled plans to experiment with Keaschall in the outfield.

“It could be really valuable if he could run out to left field or center field along the way,” Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said. “We’re going to have some more formal conversations on what all that is going to look like pretty soon.”

Star Tribune

In the minors Keaschall played 173 2/3 innings in the outfield, all of which came in center field. His speed makes him an ideal fit there, and his arm strength has never been an issue, prior to Tommy John.

Could that mean we see the Twins use Keaschall in center more than expected, especially now that Byron Buxton will be turning 32-years-old? There’s no sign of that yet, but father time is undefeated.

And it’s worth noting that we could see Byron Buxton play a corner outfield position in March, when he plays for Team USA at the World Baseball Classic. Even if we aren’t to that point yet, he will still be extremely valuable when Buxton needs a day off.

As a rookie Keaschall batted .302/.382/.445 across 49 games in a Minnesota Twins uniform. He hit 14 doubles, four home runs, and swiped 14 bases. Unfortunately, Keaschall missed most of the season with a broken forearm. For any of the above dreams to come true, he will have to stay on the field.

More Minnesota Twins starter-to-reliever experiments coming too

It’s a certainty that the Minnesota Twins need to overhaul their bullpen. After stripping it down to the studs last summer, there is very little left. Relief help is a lot cheaper than trying to trade for starters, which will certainly help this front office throughout the offseason.

But again, the bullpen is another spot where we should expect the Twins to experiment with internal options that may not have been considered previously. Of course, that would mean more positional changes.

Zoll told Nightengale at the Winter Meetings that we could see two talented young starter prospects — Marco Raya and Connor Prielipp — converted to relievers sooner than later.

The Twins haven’t committed to which starters will convert to relievers. Marco Raya, who spent the entire year in Class AAA, seems likely to end up in the bullpen.

Members of the front office are split on Connor Prielipp’s role. The lefty has the potential to be a frontline starter, which would take a little longer to unlock, or an impact reliever.

Prielipp started throwing a sinker at the end of last season. Twins player development staff want to “get one more crack trying to finish developing his [pitch] mix,” Zoll said.

Star Tribune

Raya is a former top prospect but he had an ugly 6.02 ERA in St. Paul last year. The strikeout stuff is there, but walk and home run rates got gaudy. It seems pretty straightforward to send him to the bullpen and see if he can be a guy right from the jump.

Prielipp is fun to dream on as a starter, but he’s dealt with so many injury issues that a relief role seems to make sense. Minnesota will probably wait to make that commitment, but it’s one they’ll be faced with answering this season.

If there’s a big league starter that could move into the bullpen, David Festa seems like the guy. He’s coming back from thoracic outlet syndrome, and he had a 5.40 ERA (4.88 FIP) in 53 1/3 innings last year. Another bump in velocity could happen out of the bullpen, and his limited pitch mix would play better there too.

His performance doesn’t negate how impressive infielder Luke Keaschall was in his brief debut. Despite a fractured forearm, and coming back from Tommy John surgery, Keaschall was still named to the All-Rookie First-Team by MLB Pipeline. Though first place Rookie of the Year votes weren’t in the cards, he was considered.

Luke Keaschall picks up ROY votes for Minnesota Twins

Keaschall suffered a broken arm, and also underwent surgery for a thumb injury this season, but he put up quite a performance in just 49 games. His .302/.382/.445 slash line was impressive, and the 22-year-old received two votes for Rookie of the Year. One placed him fourth and the other was fifth.

That's Luke "First Team All-Rookie" Keaschall to you! pic.twitter.com/1lqTzheiDR

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 10, 2025

Dave Brown, who covers the Kansas City Royals for Pitcher List, had Keaschall fourth on his ballot. The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman, who covers the Minnesota Twins, placed him fifth.

There is no doubt that Keaschall will be a key cog of the Minnesota Twins 2026 roster. He played primarily at second base in 2025, but that could change next season. We will be completely cleared from his Tommy John rehab, and his profile fits well in both center and left field.

The eye test didn’t do many favors for Keaschall on the dirt. It wasn’t horrendous by the metrics though. Across 360 innings at second base, Keaschall was worth 1 DRS (defensive runs saved) with -2 OAA (outs above average) and -1 FRV (fielding run value).

No matter where he plays next season, the Twins need Keaschall’s bat to be a significant component of their lineup. Early comparisons are lofty, but so too has been the production.

New manager Derek Shelton will need to get consistently higher production from plenty of players on his roster. Among the holdover bright spots however, was rookie Luke Keaschall. Despite a truncated season due to injury, the young infielder posted strong numbers and earned a nice honor for his efforts.

Luke Keaschall named first-team All-Rookie

In 2024 Luke Keaschall played through a UCL tear in his elbow and posted a .903 OPS at High-A and Double-A. He briefly was at Triple-A before earning a trip to the big leagues. He made the most of his first 49 major league games at MLB Pipeline took notice.

Here are our 2025 First and Second All-Rookie Teams: https://t.co/dQGR86WZb2 pic.twitter.com/vUhQ2De4D1

— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) November 10, 2025

Keaschall debuted on April 18 and then missed three months with a fractured right forearm. But when he was on the field, he certainly made the most of his MLB playing time. The 23-year-old finished with a .302/.382/.445 line, four homers and 14 steals in his 49 games. He was the only rookie second baseman to receive more than 200 plate appearances and post an above-average wRC+ — his was 134.

MLB Pipeline

As an offensive producer, Keaschall’s .827 OPS was more than notable. He’s just 22 years old and stepped into the lineup like a seasoned veteran. The bat is certainly something that Shelton can built around next year, and that’s a positive.

Luke Keaschall: Good in other countries too. pic.twitter.com/nqDQLnRGji

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 27, 2025

Unfortunately the defense is still a question for Keaschall. He was never completely cleared from his Tommy John surgery from a throwing perspective, and the fractured forearm didn’t help things either. He looked mostly rough at second, but could settle in when healthy, or move to the outfield as well.

Ultimately, Keaschall was among the highest risers across top prospects in baseball over the last calendar year. He substantiated the belief when getting to the highest level, and now he’ll have to make adjustments and hold it down in year two.

Minnesota appears to have a stud on their hands, and if that’s the case, it’s the desired outcome of a 2nd round pick. Keaschall and the Twins kick off spring training action on February 20 down in Fort Myers.

Although the 70-92 record largely reflects a failure of a season, there was still plenty of positives to take away. Minnesota will highlight those during their offseason Diamond Awards ceremony this winter, but the recipients were revealed on Wednesday.

Diamond Awards winners highlight best of 2025 Minnesota Twins

It should be pretty expected that Bryon Buxton was the Minnesota Twins best player this season. He is going to get down-ballot MVP votes, and will earn contract incentive bonuses because of it. He’s not the only standout though, and the local BBWAA chapter voted on the yearly Diamond Awards that were made public this week.

Of course Byron Buxton was awarded with the team MVP. The results of the vote are not made public, but that should have been unanimous. Across 126 games he batted .264/.327/.551 with a career-high seven triples, 35 homers, and 83 RBI. With any level of help, Buxton would have led the Twins into a deep postseason run.

Buxton’s selection as Defensive Player of the Year likely represents an unwillingness to vote for since-departed players. Harrison Bader was traded to the Phillies, but he was easily Minnesota’s best fielder this season. Buxton as a second choice is hardly a misstep however.

There isn’t much of a surprise anywhere across the totality of these awards. Austin Martin being named the most improved player is a reflection of him capitalizing on late-season opportunity. After dealing with injury early in 2025, he finished with 50 games played and a .282/.374/,365 slash line. That will earn him an Opening Day roster spot in 2026, and he turned the arc of his career around.

Michael Busch, who played in the postseason with the Chicago Cubs, was named the Upper Midwest Player of the Year. The Inver Grove Heights native batted .261/.343/.523 with 34 home runs. Chicago was bounced from the postseason by the Milwaukee Brewers.

The Twins will host the Diamond Awards ceremony on January 23, 2026 at Target Field during TwinsFest Live! The event will be followed by TwinsFest on the 24-25.

If the 70-92 record wasn’t bad enough, there were still injuries along the way. Acquired outfielder Alan Roden suffered a thumb injury that required surgery. Fellow rookie Luke Keaschall also injured his thumb, and now the team is looking for a two-for-one discount.

Minnesota Twins rookie Luke Keaschall to have thumb surgery

Luke Keaschall injured his thumb on an awkward slide into second base during the final week of the season. On September 23 against the Texas Rangers, he was lifted after just the 4th inning. An MRI revealed a thumb sprain, and a second opinion has deemed surgery necessary.

After seeing a hand specialist, Luke Keaschall is set to have surgery tomorrow for a UCL thumb tear, same injury that Alan Roden suffered. Expected to be ready for spring training. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) September 30, 2025

Keaschall will go under the knife on Wednesday, and like Roden, he should be ready from Spring Training in February. Unfortunately for Keaschall, a UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) is the same injury he suffered in his elbow. His body gave out on the one in his thumb as well.

It has been a year of maladies for Keaschall, who had not yet been fully cleared from his Tommy John surgery last season. He also broke his forearm and missed multiple weeks after being hit by a pitch.

When healthy, Keaschall looked the part of a future foundational piece. He may not stick at second base once his arm is cleared for throwing, but he profiles as a quality hitter in the outfield as well.

Luke Keaschall has recorded 5 stolen bases through the first 5 MLB games he has appeared in.

That is tied for the most stolen bases since at least 1901 😱 pic.twitter.com/hdJ5chmqu7

— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2025

In 49 games for the Twins this season, Keaschall batted .302/.382/.445 with 14 doubles and four home runs. His speed was an asset on the bases as he swiped 14 bags while being thrown out just three times.

MN Twins will need to manage future aggressiveness

Unfortunately that aggressiveness also led to this injury, and it’s a tradeoff when considering stolen base tactics. It will be interesting to see if Keaschall makes adjustments to his equipment. This season he had worn a sliding mitt on his right hand, but not the left one he injured.

These thumb injuries have bit multiple players in the Twins organization over the past year. Roden and Keaschall joined prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez, who had surgery last offseason following a stolen base injury.

Minnesota will have a new manager next season after Rocco Baldelli was fired on Monday. It remains to be seen how the front office will retool the roster. If healthy though, Keaschall will be expected to operate as a key fixture in the lineup.

The Twins will be back in Fort Myers to kick things off in February, and Grapefruit League action will kick off not long after.

Three weeks ago David Festa was diagnosed with Thoracic Outlet Syndrome and his season came to an end. On Tuesday night Luke Keaschall was lifted against the Texas Rangers after an awkward slide injured his hand. Now both are hoping for some good news regarding their health going forward.

David Festa avoids TOS surgery for Minnesota Twins

The plan of attack for Festa was to travel with the Twins to Texas and consult a specialist regarding next steps for his Thoracic Outlet Syndrome rehab. The surgery can be a death-knell to pitchers, and thankfully he has avoided that outcome.

David Festa will have Botox injections in his neck and pec muscles tomorrow to address his TOS symptoms. Surgery was not recommended per @Audra_Martin

— Ted (@tlschwerz) September 25, 2025

Audra Martin made note on the Wednesday night broadcast that trainer Nick Paparesta said botox injections can have immediate effects. If that’s the case, Festa would have quick relief and have a pretty good idea how his body will respond in the short term.

It’s a positive outcome to avoid the surgery, and that hopefully gives him a path to return for an unbothered 2026 season. Festa spent time on the injured list this season with shoulder issues, and being all systems go would be a big boost for a Twins team that will need pitching in 2026.

Across 53 1/3 innings (11 games, 10 starts), Festa posted a 5.40 ERA (4.89 FIP). He had an identical 3.2 BB/9 from 2024, but the strikeout rate dropped from 10.8 K/9 to just 8.9. He also allowed 1.7 HR/9 as opposed to 1.3 last season.

Festa remains a question mark from a stuff perspective, but a clean bill of health would give him opportunity to earn a role during Spring Training.

MN Twins rookie Luke Keaschall could go under the knife

While Festa avoided surgery, that may not be the same plan of attack for Keaschall. After jamming his hand on a slide into second base, an MRI revealed a sprained left thumb. That could ultimately require surgery.

Luke Keaschall will see a hand specialist next week about his left thumb after today’s MRI. Could require surgery. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) September 24, 2025

Similarly to prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez last season, Keaschall may spend the offseason rehabbing from hand surgery. It would be an unfortunate result from a meaningless game during the final week of the season.

Keaschall underwent Tommy John surgery last year and has not been fully cleared to play the outfield. He also suffered a broken forearm after being hit by a pitch this year. This would be just another entry in a long line of injuries to bit him early in his career.

49 games into his big league career, Keaschall put together an impressive rookie season. He batted .302/.382/.445 with 14 doubles, four home runs, and 14 stolen bases. He looks the part of a future fixture for the Minnesota Twins, but he’ll need to remain healthy for that to materialize.

Minnesota wraps up the series with Texas on Thursday before a three-game swing out to Philadelphia puts a bow on the season.

Some prospect rankings update more often than others. The MLB Pipeline list receives a major update following the MLB Draft and MLB trade deadline. And after the MN Twins’ historic 2025 midseason sell-off, there were a lot of reasons to keep an eye out for this year’s deadline update.

Minnesota Twins prospect rankings update – post MLB trade deadline

On Monday, when the MLB Pipeline’s post deadline prospect update went through, the Twins debuted a whopping 11 new faces in their top 30 organizational rankings.

In total, Minnesota landed five youngsters on the updated top 100 prospect rankings. Only one of those five were acquired before the deadline a couple weeks ago — 18 y/o catcher Eduardo Tait (No. 54), who was sent to the Twins by Philadelphia in the Jhoan Duran deal.

The other four — Walker Jenkins (No. 14), Luke Keaschall (No. 64), Emmanuel Rodriguez (No. 72) and Kaelen Culpepper (No. 77) — were already in the organization entering the season.

Today @MLBPipeline dropped a new top 100 including draft prospects.

Twins to make the list:

14. Walker Jenkins
54. Eduardo Tait
64. Luke Keaschall
72. Emmanuel Rodriguez
77. Kaelen Culpepper

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 11, 2025

Emmanuel Rodriguez tumbles down MLB top 100 rankings

For the better part of the last two years, the Minnesota Twins top two prospects have been 20-year-old OF Walker Jenkins and 22-year-old OF Emmanuel Rodriguez, in that order. That is no longer the case, however.

After reaching as high as 37th at MLB Pipeline coming into the season, and top 20 at both Baseball America and Baseball Prospectus, Rodriguez dropped all the way to 72 in the latest Pipeline update. The problem for E-Rod hasn’t been his skillset… but instead, his availability.

Rodriguez was on the injured list with a right hip issue from June 2 through July 8th. He returned for just 10 days before landing back on the IL with a right oblique strain (July 18th). In total, Emmanuel Rodriguez has played just 43 games for St. Paul this season. And those are only the beginning of his minor league injury woes.

#MNTwins No. 2 prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez went 6-for-13 with a homer, seven RBIs and seven runs scored over four games in his return from the injured list. @USAFRecruiting #AimHigh pic.twitter.com/DGHUm8EAT1

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) July 15, 2025

Related: Insider Compares MN Twins Rookie to MVP Candidate

Rodriguez has been largely the same prospect, when available. His .254/.411/.428 slash line could be better, but he has been more aggressive and willing to attack earlier in counts, something the Minnesota Twins have been asking him to do. It’s his inability to remain on the field that is hurting his prospect stock, though.

MN Twins’ top prospects are getting close…

Walker Jenkins — who has had his own health issues since being drafted No. 5 overall in 2023 — has been great at Double-A (.315/.421/.500 at Double-A), which makes his drop from 3rd overall prior to the season a bit odd.

He and Wichita teammate, Kaelen Culpepper, should both be ticketed for St. Paul by year’s end, if healthy and playing at a high level. Culpepper has been tearing up Double-A too, slashing .338/.402/.541. He earned his first top 100 ranking at MLB Pipeline pre-All-Star Game.

Eduardo Tait was the top piece acquired by the Twins during the trade deadline, and one of the highest rated prospects across the league to be dealt before July 31. Only Leo De Vries (No. 3), who was traded to the Athletics, is ranked higher.

Eduardo Tait launches his FIRST homer as a member of the Twins organization 🚀

He ranks No. 50 in our Top 100 🔥

(🎥@CRKernels)
pic.twitter.com/AMUJeHndcC

— Baseball America (@BaseballAmerica) August 7, 2025

Rounding out the group is Luke Keaschall, who will likely exhaust rookie status by the end of the season. He returned from the injured list after suffering a broken forearm. He immediately homered, then walked off the Kansas City Royals on Sunday.

Deadline acquisitions litter Twins top 30 prospects list

With the draft and trade deadline in the rearview mirror, the Minnesota Twins farm system has seen an influx of new faces. As mentioned earlier, 11 of the players acquired over the past month are now considered top 30 organizational prospects, per MLB Pipeline.

Twins draft picks and trade acquisitions among the new @MLBPipeline top 30 for Minnesota:

2. Eduardo Tait*
6. Mick Abel*
7. Kendry Rojas*
8. Marek Houston^
12. Riley Quick*
14. Quentin Young^
16. Ryan Gallagher*
22. James Ellwanger^
24. Matt Barr^
29. Jason Reitz^
30. Enrique…

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 12, 2025

Related: Former GM Admits MN Twins Can’t Keep Top Tier Talent

Top pick Marek Houston, who is considered an already above-average major league defender at shortstop, makes his debut as the 8th prospect. The Duran return from the Phillies shows up as the top acquisitions, which also makes sense.

Minnesota crushed Louie Varland by sending him to the Blue Jays. Derek Falvey insists Kendry Rojas was worth it, and MLB Pipeline has the new lefty starting prospect at 7th. Riley Quick, the Alabama product, slots in just behind fellow former Crimson Tide pitcher Connor Prielipp.

Ryan Gallagher (Cubs trade for Willi Castro) and Enrique Jimenez (Tigers trade for Chris Paddack) were the only other deadline additions to make the cut. Adding a bunch of draft prospects to the system is always a positive reflection of scouting as well.

The reality though, is that the Twins have been playing better baseball since. They have even done so without Byron Buxton.

Right now the straw that is stirring the drink is none other than rookie Luke Keaschall. He has yet to play a game where he hasn’t reached base, and he hit a walkoff on Sunday afternoon against Kansas City. The rookie is now earning some serious praise.

Luke Keaschall earns MVP comparison for Minnesota Twins

The Minnesota Twins promoted Luke Keaschall back in April. He then spent more than three months on the injured list with a broken forearm. He’s back and picking up where he left off. MLB Network’s Jon Morosi is so impressed he dropped an MVP candidate comparison for the rookie.

"He reminds me a little bit of what Bobby Witt Jr. was when he first came in the league…"

– @jonmorosi on @Twins rookie Luke Keaschall ahead of tonight's #MLBNShowcase at Yankee Stadium pic.twitter.com/G5M3u5EaeB

— MLB Network (@MLBNetwork) August 11, 2025

“His name is Luke Keaschall. He can play! He reminds me, a little bit, of what Bobby Witt Jr. was when he first came in the league…The tools, the speed. You start your career with a 12-game on base streak. He’s hitting .415, yesterday a walkoff home run to win the series for the Twins over the Royals. I had a great conversation with Willie Bloomquist, former member of Team USA at the World Baseball Classic, now the baseball coach at Arizona State…Willie would have talked about Luke Keaschall until, I just stepped out here five minutes ago to be on this segment. Loves this young man. Grinder. I love this too, he’s a former two-sport athlete. The other sport, it’s not even football or hoops, it’s wrestling. You’ve got a tough, up-the-middle ballplayer, who’s a former high school wrestler…This man is the future of the Twins. Willie told me, as great as the tools are, you saw it on the swing, the character, the toughness, off the charts.”

Jon Morosi – MLB Network

It’d be impossible not to light up when thinking about Keaschall in the vein of Bobby Witt Jr. The Royals shortstop finished second in MVP voting last season to Aaron Judge. He won his first Gold Glove and Silver Slugger awards and has a career 131 OPS+.

Luke Keaschall said enough. pic.twitter.com/iziFSbnuVT

— Ted (@tlschwerz) August 10, 2025

Sure, Keaschall is just 12 games into his big league career, but he has reached base in all of them and has an 11-game hitting streak. Keachall is batting .415/.500/.707 with eight extra-base hits (two homers) and a 3/5 K/BB. He also tied an MLB record for the most stolen bases (5) through his first five career games.

Related: Minnesota Twins Veteran Undergoes Serious Emergency Surgery

After the Twins failed to produce during the 10th inning on Sunday afternoon, Keaschall came up with two outs and Kody Clemens on. He sent the fans home happy.

Wrestler mentality not foreign to MN Twins

Keaschall isn’t alone in bringing the two-sport wrestling mentality to the MN Twins. Former teammate, and begrudgingly traded one, Louie Varland also was cut from the same cloth.

It’s unfortunate that Twins fans will need to watch Varland pitch for the Toronto Blue Jays now, but the similarities between Keaschall and the St. Paul natives personalities are evident.

You can bet that Keaschall won’t go on to break Joe DiMaggio’s 56-game hitting streak. He’ll probably go through a significant slump in his career too. He has the mindset to overcome those tribulations though.

L👀king good, Luke pic.twitter.com/JqFmJ5h7fE

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 11, 2025

As if Bobby Witt Jr.’s comparison wasn’t enough, Keaschall is doing Mike Trout things on the diamond as well. The swings look similar, and the Twins would love to see the results continue to follow.

He played just seven games before being hit on the forearm with a pitch. On April 25 he fractured the bone and has been out since. Now ready to rejoin the team, things have changed immensely.

The team went through a 13-game winning streak and then were unstable towards the trade deadline. They completed and unexplainable selloff and the final stretch is all about the future. Thankfully Keaschall is still part of that.

Minnesota Twins ready Luke Keaschall for return

After making the trip to Detroit following another series loss against the Cleveland Guardians, the Minnesota Twins had a new player in the clubhouse. They needed to add a boatload of minor leaguers following the trade deadline selloff, but Keaschall is a top tier option.

#MNTwins will activate Luke Keaschall off the IL on Tuesday. Also adding pitcher Thomas Hatch.

DaShawn Keirsey and Noah Davis optioned to Triple A to make space.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 5, 2025

Keaschall has been considered a top 100 prospect as he has ascended the ranks for the Minnesota Twins. He elevated himself to major league status this season, and looked like he belonged in the short time he was there.

Across just seven games with Minnesota, Keaschall went 7-for-19 with three doubles and five walks. He struck out just twice. Keaschall also set a Major League Baseball record with five consecutive successful stolen bases to start his career.

It would be unlikely to think he’ll return from an extended absence and be an immediate boost to the Twins lineup. However, Edouard Julien made a boneheaded play not running out a triple on Sunday, and his playing time has been diminished in multiple recent seasons.

Related: One Minnesota Twins Pitcher Devastated by Trade

Rocco Baldelli will give Keaschall all he can handle down the stretch. The infielder finished his 14-game rehab assignment with St. Paul going 13-for-49 with a double, triple, and 6/8 K/BB with seven stolen bases.

Despite appearing in 67 games for Minnesota, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. has just 85 plate appearances and only nine hits. Noah Davis, who blew Travis Adams’ first start on Monday night, is headed to Triple-A as well.

Simeon Woods Richardson out for MN Twins too

Keaschall is not the only change to the Minnesota Twins roster. Of course when you trade nearly 40% of it, that’s going to be the case. Starting pitcher Simeon Woods Richardson is now headed to the injured list as well.

Simeon Woods Richardson, who was pushed back from his scheduled start Sunday, was placed on the 15-day IL with an illness. He was battling a stomach issue, Rocco Baldelli said.

Darren McCaughan was called up from AAA.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) August 4, 2025

It has been rocky at points for the Twins, but Simeon Woods Richardson owns a 4.24 ERA (4.71 FIP) across 17 outings (16 starts). He has thrown 80 2/3 innings with a 69/35 K/BB. Woods Richardson had two ugly starts in June, but he posted a 3.22 ERA (5.66 FIP) in five July starts.

There’s a lot of smoke and mirrors to his production, but the Twins need him to be a steadying presence with so much youth in the rotation. Now on the shelf, Darren McCaughan comes up to take his place.

Related: Minnesota Twins Claim Yet Another Pitcher

McCaughan pitched earlier this season for Minnesota and generated a 1.69 ERA (1.42 FIP) across 5 1/3 innings in three games. He’s not a starter but did operate as one in 10-of-17 appearances for Triple-A St. Paul this year.

With the Saints McCaughan owns a 5.35 ERA and 66/25 K/BB across 72 1/3 innings. He’ll give Baldelli yet another option to simply put on the mound in hopes of generating outs.

The last few deadlines, Minnesota has opted against making any substantive deadline moves, which has left players in the clubhouse frustrated. This time around, the team is underachieving and chasing a wild card spot aggressively may be foolish.

Minnesota Twins expecting to get healthier very soon…

At the same time, the impending change in ownership and questions surrounding the future of the front office makes it unlikely that they’ll go into full-sell mode, either. And a look just down the road, shows a team that should continue to get healthier, especially in their starting rotation.

Since the beginning of June, the MN Twins’ rotation has been without Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews, who suffered separate shoulder injuries during a series in Sacramento. About a month later, a struggling Bailey Ober joined them on the injured list with hip pain.

According to recent reporting out of The Athletic, by Dan Hayes, all three pitchers are on the road back to the active roster, some sooner than others. Also expected to join the fray soon, is infielder Luke Keaschall, who broke his arm on a HBP in May, after a flaming one-week start to his MLB career.

Zebby Matthews joining the Twins rotation first

It shouldn’t be a shock that Zebby Matthews is nearing a return for the Minnesota Twins, immediately out of the All-Star break. He threw a rehab game for the St. Paul Saints on Sunday, and absolutely punished the Triple-A hitters he faced for four innings. (1 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 0 BB, 9 K).

“The current situation is a crapshoot, though Zebby Matthews’ performance at Triple A on Sunday offers encouragement. Matthews struck out nine in four scoreless innings, which leads one to believe he’ll return to the majors soon.”

Dan Hayes – The Athletic

As of Thursday, the Minnesota Twins are yet to set their probable starters for the upcoming three-game series in Colorado, which begins Friday. It’s possible Matthews is in their plans, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Twins utilize long-reliever Travis Adams, in a piggyback spot, to give Zebby some training wheels for his return start.

Adams has taken two turns with an opener for Rocco Baldelli. Across eight innings he has allowed seven runs (six earned) on 11 hits. His last time out, a four inning appearance Pittsburgh, Adams earned the win, allowing just two runs (one earned).

Related: Report: Minnesota Twins Planning for Quiet Trade Deadline

Matthews has hardly been a sure thing for the Twins this season. He has a 5.21 ERA (3.08 FIP) in four starts (19 innings), but his last start was his best one.

But from a pure stuff standpoint, Zebby might be the most talented pitcher in the rotation, toting a 97-98 MPH fastball with pinpoint precision and and nasty offspeed stuff that keeps hitters guessing, when he is right.

Bailey Ober and Luke Keaschall starting rehab assignments

Unlike Matthews, Bailey Ober has had just a minimal stay on the injured list. Dealing with hip discomfort that resulted in a 9.00 ERA across 30 innings in June, Ober pitched terribly. The Twins continued to run him out to the mound, suggesting mechanical tweaks were necessary. They finally gave in, and Hayes is reporting the hip issue has now finally cleared up.

“With his hip inflammation resolved, Bailey Ober is throwing bullpen sessions and won’t need much time, either. Still, it wouldn’t be surprising to see Ober make one rehab start since he and the Twins spent the last week trying to clean up mechanical flaws in his delivery.” – Dan Hayes

Ober will make that rehab start on Friday, and he’s being joined by rookie infielder Luke Keaschall.

Ober and Keaschall start rehab assignments at Triple-A St. Paul tomorrow. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 17, 2025

It will be very interesting to see what Ober looks like. If the velocity and stuff still look diminished, it will be difficult to trust the Twins assessment that he can be competitive the rest of the way. Keaschall is more straightforward as imaging clearly suggests his broken forearm is healed.

Minnesota got just a seven-game sample size from Keaschall before a hit by pitch stopped his hot streak. He went 7-for-19 with three doubles, five stolen bases, and a 2/5 K/BB. If that level of production rejoins the offense the the lineup will be better for it. Keaschall suffered his forearm fracture at the end of April and was looking to get comfortable back in the box last week.

Luke Keaschall has recorded 5 stolen bases through the first 5 MLB games he has appeared in.

That is tied for the most stolen bases since at least 1901 😱 pic.twitter.com/hdJ5chmqu7

— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2025

Royce Lewis, Willi Castro, and Brooks Lee are all healthy now. That presumably takes some options away from Keaschall. That said, he could spend time all over the infield, including first base as a better platoon partner with Kody Clemens than Ty France has been.

No matter what, if Keaschall and Ober are healthy and look ready to produce, the Minnesota Twins will find room.

Pablo Lopez planning to pitch through injury for MN Twins

Of those pitchers hurt, no injury is more significant than ace Pablo Lopez. The shoulder strain is the same injury that ended Joe Ryan’s season last year. The timeline presented was 8-12 weeks, but Lopez won’t have additional time to get back to 100%.

“I have to be smart about it. That doesn’t mean that you’re not going to be able to throw with an MRI showing a little bit of something. And that’s also when I have to be honest, be like, ‘Hey, I feel like I can push myself.’ Now, it’s like I know that I can still perform while my body continues to do its thing and heal.”

Pablo Lopez

The reality that Lopez won’t return in a full capacity this year is tough to swallow. Even with the extended time off, he’ll be pushing himself to work through different levels of hesitation. Lopez is extremely intelligent and knows his body very well. What level of competitiveness he can provide could go a long ways to determining Minnesota’s yearly outcome.

Pablo López, Wicked 85mph Sweeper. 🤢

10th K pic.twitter.com/P3QE9HHCC3

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) May 7, 2025

Lopez is having the best season of his career. With a 2.82 ERA (2.98 FIP) and 61/14 K/BB across 60 2/3 innings, it’s almost a guarantee he would have been an All-Star if healthy. That’s why the Minnesota Twins want him back. The part they have to weigh is at what cost it comes.

That’s probably where Lopez’s knowledge of himself comes in. With the ability to see imaging at any point, it Minnesota will be heavily reliant upon the feedback that Lopez provides. He’ll need to be real with himself, and upfront about his capacity as well.

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A quality arm at the level that Lopez is will be far-and-away more impactful than anything the Twins can do at the trade deadline. They don’t need him to feel as though he must shoulder that load, literally and figuratively, however.