Since, things have gone back downhill. The New York Yankees nearly swept Minnesota, and the Detroit Tigers are on the verge of mopping them up in a four-game series sweep. Rocco Baldelli has plenty of fresh faces, and he’ll get another one on Sunday.

Alan Roden was placed on the injured list with James Outman (acquired for Brock Stewart) taking his roster spot Saturday. The thumb injury was something we speculated could be significant, and that’s now proven true.

Genesis Cabrera promoted to MN Twins

With Roden’s thumb injury being a long-term issue, as was the case for Minnesota Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez, his season ends as he now moves to the 60-day injured list. That allowed for Minnesota to select the contract of recently signed pitcher Genesis Cabrera.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/QQUMb8h9qr

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 17, 2025

The 28-year-old is a big league veteran with seven seasons of big league experience. Once he hits the diamond for the MN Twins, he’ll have played for four different teams this summer alone.

Across 28 major league innings in 2025, Cabrera owns a 5.79 ERA (5.65 FIP). He has allowed a whopping seven home runs, which has been at the crux of his ineffectiveness. Cabrera also has just a 22/7 K/BB.

Serviceable for the Cardinals and Blue Jays last season, Cabrera posted a 4.04 ERA (4.44 FIP) in 55 2/3 innings. He carried a 9.4 K/9 and allowed just a total of eight home runs in that span. It’s possible Minnesota thinks they can get that sort of production from him down the stretch.

Related: Injury Forces Twins to Swap Out Traded Outfielders

Travis Adams was moved off the 26-man roster to accommodate Cabrera. He has a 7.71 ERA (5.90 FIP) across 23 1/3 innings. Adams pitched on Saturday and threw 1 1/3 innings allowing one run and four walks against the Tigers.

Roden’s rookie season ends after 55 big league games. He posted a .191/.261/.294 line with two home runs and a 37/8 K/BB. He will compete for a corner outfield spot amongst a crowded MN Twins group next spring.

Where are the top acquired starters?

Genesis Cabrera is just the latest arm tasked with giving the Twins more length out of the bullpen. Of course, if they just used a rotation of capable starters, it may not be necessary to rifle through new long relievers every few days.

Yes, both Simeon Woods Richardson and Pablo Lopez are hurt and working their way back. But neither newcomers, Taj Bradley or Mick Abel, are hurt. The tandem was acquired at the trade deadline, have already pitched at the big league level, and are seemingly a big part of Minnesota’s future.

Yet… they’re in St. Paul. And while Bradley has not been very good for the Saints, coughing up seven runs on 16 hits in just 10 2/3 innings. The same can’t be said about Abel, a former MLB closer and Phillies top 100 prospect, who owns a 1.76 ERA across 15 1/3 innings, plus a 23/6 K/BB to boot.

Mick Abel’s three AAA starts since joining the Twins from the Jhoan Duran trade: 15.1 IP, 7 H, 3 R, 6 BB, 23 K, 1.76 ERA. pic.twitter.com/QazduwBuSr

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) August 17, 2025

There’s no reason for Minnesota to be holding Abel down in St. Paul when their rotation could be a proving ground for his future success. It’s not service time related with Abel as he has roughly 31 days, and would not hit the 172 necessary to lose a year by the end of the season.

Although he pitched on Saturday for St. Paul, the plan could have easily been for him to assume Sunday’s vacant rotation spot for Minnesota. The severity of Roden’s injured thumb didn’t change overnight.

Related: Traded Minnesota Twins Reliever Carted Off Field

Still, as the Twins continue to roll out a depleted starting rotation, they put band-aids on a bullet hole by cycling through dart throws in the bullpen. Abel is showing he’s ready. Hopefully someone listens soon.

Adams has been up for the MN Twins multiple times this season. Once he came up for three days and never pitched. Then he returned to make his major league debut. Used as a swingman to eat innings this year, it’s been tough sledding as he now owns an 8.03 ERA.

With the Boston Red Sox coming to town on Monday night, Rocco Baldelli needs an additional ready arm for the bullpen. Enter old friend Michael Tonkin.

Michael Tonkin rejoins Minnesota Twins

This offseason the MN Twins tendered Michael Tonkin a $1 million contract to avoid arbitration. He was in line to be an Opening Day member of the bullpen but got hurt and has spent the entire year at Triple-A. Now he’s headed back to the big leagues taking the spot of Adams in relief.

Michael Tonkin has his contract purchased and is called up. Travis Adams is optioned. Connor Gillispie DFA. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 28, 2025

Tonkin had a start and stop to his rehab assignment, but has been pitching routinely since June 7. Across 13 games he owns a 3.10 ERA and has held opposing batters to a .197/.263/.394 slash line.

It’s possible that Tonkin provides a capable quality of relief for the Twins. He pitched with both New York teams as well as Minnesota last season and posted a 3.63 ERA in 79 1/3 innings. Tonkin pitched for Minnesota from 2013 through 2018 before being out of Major League Baseball from 2018 through 2022.

This spring Tonkin didn’t look great, and he was roughed up early on during his rehab assignment. That could have been lingering effects from the right rotator cuff strain. Either way, the goal for him now will be to stick as a member of the bullpen. Out of options, Minnesota would need to DFA Tonkin and have him clear waivers if they were to make a move.

Pitcher shuffling continues for the MN Twins

Not only is Adams headed back to Triple-A St. Paul, but veteran Connor Gillispie has been designated for assignment and will be looking for a new home. The Twins claimed him and his 8.65 ERA from the Miami Marlins earlier this summer.

Gillispie was predictably poor for the St. Paul Saints. He pitched in four games (three starts) and tallied 13 2/3 innings with a 14.49 ERA. The right-hander gave up a whopping 22 runs on 22 hits and allowed six home runs.

Related: Good News Injury Update on Byron Buxton

Minnesota continues to search for pitching stability amongst their plethora of injuries. Baldelli opted for a bullpen game on Sunday against the Nationals. With Adams back to Triple-A, it seems likely that Bailey Ober could take back over a rotation spot when one is needed on Wednesday.

At this point the season is lost for the Minnesota Twins. Derek Falvey is faced with a fire sale prior to the trade deadline on Thursday, and the only question is to what extent he dives in.

Minnesota Twins calling up Travis Adams (again) for MLB debut

Adams’ first pitch Saturday will be his first in the big leagues, but it’s not his first call-up. That came at the start of last month. His initial promotion, however, did not end in a debut. Instead, Adams was sent back down to triple A without ever seeing the MLB mound.

Twins have yet to make the announcement, but Travis Adams will start tomorrow for Minnesota.

He last worked for the @StPaulSaints on 7/1 but threw just 49 pitches.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) July 4, 2025

Travis Adams throws a mid-90s fastball, along with a cutter, sinker, slider and changeup. He’ll even sprinkle in a curveball too. With the Saints this season, the Sacramento State alum holds a 3.68 ERA and 1.23 WHIP in 63.2 innings pitched.

Related: MLB Trade Deadline Buyers Targeting MN Twins Pitchers

The Minnesota Twins drafted Adams with the 189th overall pick (6th round) in the 2021 MLB Draft. In his 5 professional seasons, Adams has thrown 402.1 total innings, posting a 4.41 ERA, 1.26 WHIP and a 8.59 K/BB ratio.

Travis Adams was the Twins 6th round pick in 2021. Can go multiple innings for Minnesota if needed

3.43 ERA on the season #MNTwins
pic.twitter.com/1WTt5bVmKv

— Twins Talk (@LetsTalk_Twins) June 6, 2025

It’s unclear at this point whether or not Travis Adams will start this weekend. He’s worked in both a long relief and starter role for the Saints. He’s started five games so far this summer down in St. Paul.

Unfortunately Rocco Baldelli lost both Pablo Lopez and Zebby Matthews as starting options. Both could potentially be traced to adverse field conditions in Sacramento against the Athletics.

Rookie Travis Adams, promoted Friday, had his big league debut looming. A game opportunity never presented itself though, and he’ll have to accomplish that another time. Simeon Woods Richardson now must fill a hole that the Twins weren’t certain he could just weeks ago.

Pitching changes address Minnesota Twins injuries

When the Minnesota Twins placed Zebby Matthews on the injured list over the weekend they new the starting rotation was going to need another answer. They have made a move that paves the way for that to play out on Tuesday.

The Twins have optioned RHP Travis Adams to St. Paul.

His roster spot will likely be taken by Simeon Woods Richardson, who will start tomorrow night.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) June 9, 2025

Adams was optioned following Sunday’s 6-3 win against the Blue Jays. Adams was active for three days. That earned him just north of $12,000 which is a nice come-up for a minor leaguer making something like $50,000 at Triple-A. Unfortunately it didn’t coincide with a major league debut. Adams never appeared in a game.

With Adams optioned back to St. Paul the open roster spot will likely go to Simeon Woods Richardson, who should be expected to start on Tuesday against the Texas Rangers. As of Monday, the Minnesota Twins list their Tuesday starter as TBD. Woods Richardson was scheduled to start on Sunday for St. Paul but did not make that appearance.

Woods Richardson has made eight appearances (seven starts) for the MN Twins this season. He’ll return to a 5.02 ERA (5.24 FIP) with 35 strikeouts in 37 2/3 innings. It’s a step backwards from the 4.17 ERA (4.12 FIP) that he posted last season in28 starts for Minnesota.

Simeon Woods Richardson's 6th and 7th Ks.

Thru 4. pic.twitter.com/ayBbru9Nic

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 26, 2025

After the demotion to Triple-A, Woods Richardson responded with a pair of six inning starts in which he allowed just three runs on nine hits while owning a 13/2 K/BB. His last time out was not good though as he gave up five runs on six hits, including three home runs, in just five innings.

The Twins absolutely need the steadying back-of-the-rotation presence that Woods Richardson represented last season. No one expects him to pitch at a Cy Young level, but with 40% of the current starting rotation on the injured list, Baldelli needs an arm he can rely on and one that won’t tax the bullpen.

Related: Minnesota Twins Blame A’s Ballpark for Injuring Star Players

Woods Richardson jumped his velocity nearly three mph to 93.1 the past two seasons and he’s been a better pitcher because of it. This is an opportunity to substantiate himself amongst a strong group of Twins starting depth.

What’s next for the MN Twins depth?

If Travis Adams never pitches in the big leagues he’ll have a career-arc more sad than Moonlight Graham. The odds of that aren’t good though, he’ll be back. Adams probably remains the top depth option for the bullpen, and with multiple young starters, length could be needed sooner rather than later.

We reckon Travis is happy to be in the Majors! pic.twitter.com/KzcdrYVw1V

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 6, 2025

Beyond Adams, the Minnesota Twins 40 man roster is getting tested again. The pitching options are down to just Kody Funderburk (recently optioned) and Marco Raya. Raya is a former top 100 prospect, but has a 10.46 ERA in 10 starts at Triple-A. He’s just 22, but it’s been ugly.

Non 40-man options are intriguing. Andrew Morris is a starter that could possess a Woods Richardson-like ceiling. Cory Lewis has also previously drawn excitement, but he’s currently hurt and had a 9.42 ERA across 28 2/3 innings. The ever-present Randy Dobnak remains as well.

For the bullpen Minnesota could turn to a veteran like Richard Lovelady. He has over 100 big league innings under his belt and pitched for the Blue Jays in 2025. Signed as a minor league free agent, Lovelady has a 1.47 ERA in 18 1/3 innings at St. Paul.

Related: Minnesota Twins Rotation Takes Another Hit

If the Twins want to get aggressive and go with the highest ceiling option, prospect Connor Prielipp enters the picture. He has thrown 31 2/3 innings at Double-A after an early-career of injuries. There is still high-level starting upside, but he could be an impact arm out of the bullpen right now. Prielipp has a 40/6 K/BB.

It’s beyond unfortunate the Twins are dealing with this many injuries all at once. Their rotation and bullpen have both been great though. If that’s going to continue, it will be be because they weather the storm.

That output meant the bullpen was going to be taxed and it came on the heels of a Wednesday game in which four different relievers were used. After both Jorge Alcala and Kody Funderburk turned in lackluster outings, Rocco Baldelli went with infielder Jonah Bride for two innings.

Minnesota doesn’t have an off day this week. On Friday, they’re back at home after a 10-game road trip, where they’ll welcome the Toronto Blue Jays to Target Field for a three-game weekend set… and they needed a fresh arm, after Thursday’s debacle.

Travis Adams headed to Minnesota Twins

That’s where Travis Adams comes in. This offseason the Minnesota Twins added the veteran righty to their 40-man roster, in order to protect him from being swiped during the Rule 5 Draft. Now, just over two months into the season, he’ll travel across the river from St. Paul to Minneapolis for his Major League debut.

Source: Twins prospect Travis Adams is being promoted to the big leagues and will be with the team tomorrow.

— Ted (@tlschwerz) June 6, 2025

Adams has been a starter for the entirety of his professional career. This season, however, with the Saints rotation absolutely loaded with starting talent, he has worked more as a long reliever/spot starter. In 13 games in St. Paul this season, Adams has pitched 42 innings, but he’s made just two starts.

Related: Rocco Baldelli Shines Light on Timing of Pablo Lopez Injury

Travis Adams throws his fastball in the mid-90’s. He pairs that with a cutter, sinker, slider and changeup, and will also sprinkle in a curveball. It’s a true starter’s arsenal out of the bullpen. With the Saints this season, he has generated an 11.8% whiff rate to go with his 3.43 ERA, 1.143 WHIP and has a 37/10 K/BB, surrendering just two homers so far this year

Travis Adams was blowing doors yesterday in the Double-A @WindSurgeICT win⚔️

6 IP / 1 H / 0 R / 1 BB / 10 K

He had 17 whiffs on 34 swings off his FB on the day and now has a 1.01 ERA and a 2.03 FIP over his last five outings 📈#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/gZuNF7EfJM

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) August 23, 2024

A corresponding move for Twins will be…

David Festa turned in an ugly outing during his return to the Minnesota Twins lineup, but I still expect him to stay. With Pablo Lopez out at least two months, Festa will likely be given every opportunity to show he belongs in the big leagues.

Instead, the corresponding move for Adams likely comes down to Kody Funderburk and Jorge Alcala, both of whom were utilized Thursday. Alcala was awful, yet again, getting just one out to go with the grand slam he surrendered.

Alcala’s 7.54 ERA this season is even worse than Funderburk’s 7.50 ERA. Kody may have the upper hand, being left-handed, if all things were equal. Alcala is out of options though, and can reject an assignment due to service time. With that being said, injured lefty reliever Danny Coulombe will begin a rehab assignment in St. Paul on Friday.

We have made the following roster move: pic.twitter.com/xAzm1AmQKq

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 6, 2025

Minnesota made the Funderburk option official on Friday and announced the promotion of Adams.

Rocco Baldelli must trim down the group of men on the roster, and tighten up his clubhouse. After a game against the Baltimore Orioles today (Mar 9), Minnesota began the process of whittling down their options.

Nine players optioned to minor league camp for Minnesota Twins

There are a handful of Minnesota Twins players that were never going to make the major league club. Invited to big league spring training for a myriad of reasons, their time to be optioned was always going to come. A handful of veterans and minor league prospects are now among the group sent to the back fields.

Most notable of the cuts would be Cory Lewis. He looked sharp in two innings of Grapefruit League action and picked up a pair of strikeouts. His knuckleball pitch may be a record-breaking offering in speed at the big league level. He’ll be part of a talented rotation at Triple-A St. Paul, and should appear at Target Field at some point this season.

Twins prospect Cory Lewis throws a mid-80's knuckleball. It has reportedly reached 87-mph this spring.

It has a chance to be the fastest knuckleball ever recorded in MLB history.

Here it is on display, striking out Gleyber Torres. pic.twitter.com/L7v2xxylm8

— Danny Vietti (@DannyVietti) February 26, 2025

Related: Minnesota Twins Provide a Bunch of Injury Updates

Last season, Randy Dobnak made his way back up to the big leagues, and finished with a 5.59 ERA over 9.2 innings, for the Twins. Mot recently, he pitched six scoreless innings, including a three-inning outing on Sunday. Dobnak picked up seven strikeouts in the outing. No longer on the 40-man roster, Dobnak is in the final year of a five-year extension worth $9.25 million.

Minnesota brought Erasmo Ramirez in as a late addition to compete for a bullpen spot. He was an easy choice to option after suffering a significant tear that could threaten his season as a whole.

Related: Minnesota Twins Bullpen Harboring Dark Horse Stud Nobody is Talking About

Both Alex Isola and Yunior Severino are Triple-A depth pieces. The former will rotate time at catcher alongside Jair Camargo, and the recently acquired Diego Cartaya. The latter was previously on the 40-man roster but his .254/.342/.434 slash line at Triple-A across 128 games last year played himself out of the picture.

MN Twins 40-man talent headed to St. Paul

The Saints rotation should have plenty of talent in it this year, and they will all be depth pieces that the Minnesota Twins can rely on. Marco Raya and Travis Adams were added to the 40-man roster this offseason. Now, each is looking for the opportunity to make their big league debut.

Emmanuel Rodriguez hit Triple-A last season despite an injury-plagued campaign. He had thumb surgery this offseason, and was already behind schedule after suffering an ankle injury. But, he should be running this week and will get in minor league action before the season kicks off.

Matt Canterino also is among the 40-man group that was optioned. He is dealing with a shoulder injury that will sideline him for months, after making just one Spring Training appearance. It’s a tough blow for a prospect that needs to make it work this season. His injury may make it difficult for the Twins to keep him on the 40-man over others over the course of the year.

After trimming down the group by nine spots, the Minnesota Twins still have 48 players in big league camp. They have 17 days to make the final 22 roster moves.

The Spring Breakout game is designed to highlight top prospects from an organization, and takes place separately from the traditional Grapefruit League schedule. Rocco Baldelli’s squad is in Venice, Florida on March 15th against the Atlanta Braves, but the bigger matchup focuses on the minor league prospects.

Last year the for the Spring Breakout game the Twins hosted Tampa Bay at Hammond Stadium. This year they’ll square off against the Toronto Blue Jays at TD Ballpark in Dunedin.

Who made the Minnesota Twins Spring Breakout roster?

Last year the highlight of the Minnesota Twins Spring Breakout game was arguably Charlee Soto. The 2023 first round pick showed off his blazing fastball at Hammond Stadium and it generated plenty of buzz from fans. This year multiple top Twins prospects are already hurt, but Luke Keaschall is not, and he still paces the squad.

On the pitching side, the only rostered pitcher in the Spring Breakout game to rank in the Twins top 30 prospects is Travis Adams, who is on the list at #22. That doesn’t mean the lineup doesn’t have the star power, however.

These guys are ready to Breakout this Spring!!

Here are our starters for the 2025 Spring Breakout game! pic.twitter.com/iFqsjIpmQV

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) March 6, 2025

Related: Another Minnesota Twins Pitcher Leaves Spring Training Game with Injury

The entire roster is loaded with top prospects, as you’d expect a game of this ilk to be. Keaschall is definitely the most noteworthy, though. Despite needing Tommy John surgery last year, he absolutely raked and made his way to Double-A.

Now a consensus top-100 prospect, Keaschall posted a .303/.420/.483 slash line across 103 minor league games in 2024. He has multiple paths to big league playing time this season, and betting against his major league debut seems fruitless.

Another stud on the roster is Kaelen Culpepper, who was Minnesota’s most recent first round pick. Taken 21st overall last season, the former Kansas State Wildcats product posted a .242/.330/.394 slash line during his first 26 professional games.

Notable names on the MN Twins Spring Breakout roster

It’s not just the big names that deserve notoriety for the Minnesota Twins Spring Breakout game. Of course Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez aren’t going to participate, since they are out with injury. You already know Luke Keaschall and Kaelen Culpepper, but there are a few other notable names to keep an eye on.

Diego Cartaya is a former top-100 prospect that the Twins picked up from the Los Angeles Dodgers. His luster has certainly worn off, but he’s on the 40-man roster and provides catcher depth behind Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vazquez.

Related: Minnesota Twins Flamethrower Struggling to Find Heat

Brandon Winokur may be the most exciting player in the system this season. He has the ability to impact the game in multiple different facets and he posted a .249/.327/.434 slash line in 94 games as a 19-year-old last season. He can play anywhere up the middle and should round out into a solid speed and power player.

Gabriel Gonzalez had a down year last season, hitting only .255, but was the prospect prize of the Jorge Polanco trade. If he can find his footing again, there may be a nice power outfielder for the MN Twins.

The Spring Breakout game is a terrific chance for young prospects to show off their skills to the fans of their team, and to the organization. This year, the game is on Saturday, March 15th at 12:05 PM.

But there’s one lucky Florida man still alive on Thursday who is really thankful that one Twins pitching prospect, 24-year-old Travis Adams, was still in town (and home) earlier this week, when some sort of explosion set his house on fire and a AA pitching prospect, Travis Adams, was temporarily living next door.

Minnesota Twins prospect Travis Adams saves Florida man from fire

According to WINK News in Florida, the Fort Myers fire department was dispatched to a house fire around 6 p.m. on Monday, and when they arrived, it quickly became apparent that the neighbors, specifically Adams, had entered the burning house and saved the man living there (named Howard).

“[My roommate] was like, ‘Dude, the house across streets is on fire’, I looked over. And then I ended up just running out of the house,” Adams said he immediately ran out of his home and across the street to see if anyone was inside and if they needed to be pulled out.

“I ran and kind of asked if, like, anyone was in the house and whatnot,” Adams said. “Like no one knew and so me and the guy went to the front door and started like knocking on it. And like someone had to break in the front window. And, like, I think they knew who was in there. He was yelling “Howard, your house is on fire, get out.”

WINK News

Related: If Regular Season Byron Buxton Looks Like Spring Training Byron Buxton… Watch Out

Not only did Adams run out of his own house and to the aid of a neighbor he didn’t know. But after he couldn’t get in through the front door, he ran around back, broke through the fence, and proceeded to bust through another door. Sure enough, there was his neighbor, in need of help. How insane is this story?!

“We couldn’t like get in. And so I had to go around. And let’s see if there’s another door. And so there was a door on the side. So I end up like tearing a little part of the fence down to get back there. We end up getting the door open and kind of moving some stuff out of the way of that door and getting him out,” Adams said. “My goal was just to help him out of the house because I didn’t know like how much of the house is on fire or, you know, what was on fire. I saw a big old blaze and fire and smoke coming from the house.”

Travis Adams on saving his neighbor from a fire (WINK News)

Of course, like all good heroes, Travis tried to deflect credit afterwards, saying that he doesn’t think of himself as a hero. That he was just trying to do the right thing. Well busting into your neighbors burning house to save someone who may or may not be there is going above and beyond “doing the right thing”, but go off, king.

Travis Adams the professional baseball player

Adams is a 2021 6th round draft pick out of Sacramento State who is stuck in a mob of mid-20s pitchers currently filling up the rosters of AA and AAA and his numbers last season were not very good (5.66 ERA). But according to Twins Daily, Travis throws 97 MPH and still very much has the Twins’ eye.

Related: Minnesota Twins Opening Day Lineup Ranked Top-15 in MLB

He’s been a starter for his entire career but may have to turn to the bullpen, if he wants to have a chance at the big leagues. Whether his future is in baseball or something else, Travis Adams will always have ‘saving Florida man’ on his resume.