They sorted out Justin Topa’s contract situation, avoiding arbitration with the 34-year-old righty reliever by agreeing to a one-year deal worth $2 million. They also traded for a new backup catcher, in 29-year-old veteran Alex Jackson.

No non-tenders for Minnesota Twins, including Trevor Larnach

The acquisition of Jackson made for seven Twins players who needed to be tendered or signed, before Friday’s arbitration deadline.

After some rumblings that Trevor Larnach could be on his way out, Minnesota opted to tender the corner outfielder, along with the other five arb-eligible Twins remaining after Topa signed his deal Thursday.

Aside from Trevor Larnach, the #MNTwins offered a contract to everyone else — Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Cole Sands, Alex Jackson, Ryan Jeffers and Royce Lewis –after DFA'ing DaShawn Keirsey Jr. earlier in the day.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) November 21, 2025

Trevor Larnach: Tendered. #MNTwins

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) November 21, 2025

MLB Trade Rumors projects Trevor Larnach’s 2026 salary at $4.7 million. He made $2.5 million in 2025. It’s not that the salary increase is substantial, but for a team that looks destined to have a bottom-of-the-barrel payroll , it still seems unlikely he’ll be in Fort Myers for Spring Training.

Larnach is a left-handed outfielder on a team with a boatload of left-handed outfielders. Across 442 big league games he has a .241/.323/.403 split with a 101 OPS+.

Back-to-back days with a home run for Trevor! pic.twitter.com/qdqbiIApmv

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 5, 2025

Larnach’s 116 OPS+ in 2024 was a career-best. Unfortunately the development didn’t continue, and he’s hardly been the exit velocity power hitter that the front office dreamed on when grabbing him out of Oregon State in the first round.

Derek Falvey has been shopping Larnach long before Friday, and those conversations can now continue this winter. It’s unlikely Larnach generates anything substantial in return, if the Twins can indeed find a trade partner.

Other MN Twins tendered

The other tender candidates include Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober, who are both penciled in as front-line starters in next year’s rotation… if the MN Twins don’t trade them first. Sands is the top member of a gutted bullpen, along with Topa. Both Jeffers and Lewis will be every day starters.

It did seem possible that Derek Falvey may find now as the time to move some afterthoughts and further shake up the core. That could have included players like Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Edouard Julien, or Jose Miranda.

None of that group was moved though, and now the outfield has a glut of left-handed players for the corners. Trevor Larnach is a step below Wallner, and that may mean his time is soon up.

Trevor Larnach could be expendable for Minnesota Twins

When Minnesota sent Louie Varland to the Toronto Blue Jays the key piece was left-handed pitching prospect Kendry Rojas. They also got rookie outfielder Alan Roden, and being left-handed means he joined both Larnach and Wallner on the Twins roster. The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman isn’t sure all of them will be around next season.

If the Twins were confident all three would be impact hitters next season, they could find room despite the stylistic similarities. Wallner and Larnach are strictly corner outfielders and poor defensively, whereas Roden is much faster and has some experience playing center field and first base.

Larnach’s lack of production is the bigger issue. He’s a 28-year-old career .238/.321/.406 hitter with a 101 OPS+ in five MLB seasons, including a 98 OPS+ this year. That’s just not nearly good enough for a lumbering corner outfielder who needs to be platooned because of struggles versus lefties.

Wallner is also a lumbering corner outfielder who needs to be platooned, so they often get lumped together. But that’s unfair to Wallner, who has out-hit Larnach by 124 points of OPS for their careers. When facing right-handers, Wallner has a .914 OPS and Larnach has a .768 OPS.

Among the 186 hitters with at least 500 career plate appearances in a Twins uniform, Wallner is No. 7 in OPS, and Larnach is No. 85. Wallner is also a bit younger and will be minimum-salaried in 2026, whereas Larnach will likely be in line for at least $5 million via arbitration.

Roden is three years younger than Larnach and will be minimum-salaried for the next three seasons. I suspect the Twins targeted Roden in the Louis Varland trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, at least in part, because they may be ready to move on from Larnach, who was drafted in 2018.

The Athletic

As Gleeman notes, Larnach has played 407 career games and been exactly league average offensively with his 101 OPS+. That’s certainly not ideal for a guy that was picked in the first round under the premise that he could both hit and slug.

Larnach has never hit more than 17 homers in a season, though with 15 right now, he could get there in 2025. His peak OPS+ comes in at 116 last year, and that’s just not really enough to be satisfied with the production.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sale Dead

Wallner and Larnach, as Gleeman also noted, often find themselves brought up in the same conversations. The former has simply been a much better pro though, and Roden represents a floor that can make Larnach expendable.

How do the MN Twins change the outfield?

You can all but put Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner’s name in sharpie for the Opening Day center and right field jobs next season. That brings both Roden and Larnach into question. Minnesota didn’t acquire the Blue Jays rookie not to utilize him, so he will be back as well.

The Twins would likely prefer to trade Larnach rather than designating him for assignment while skirting his arbitration-based raise. His value won’t carry a premium, but it’s possible another organization thinks they can help the 28-year-old find new heights.

Related: New MN Twins Pitcher on Fourth Team this Season

Another veteran option that can play centerfield makes sense. Harrison Bader would be fun to have back, although he’s likely played himself into a bigger deal next year. It’s unlikely that Minnesota wants to roster a gaggle of light-hitting, lesser options, such as Austin Martin and DaShawn Keirsey Jr.

There is also the building possibility that Walker Jenkins could be in the big leagues next summer. His role as a corner outfielder with the ability to play center field would work as well.

It’s more than fair to suggest that the current ownership situation has put Derek Falvey and the front office in a bad spot, as has the poor play of Twins players.

Then again, an equal amount of blame should land on the shoulders of the front office, which has failed to get out of its own way at multiple different junctures during its near decade-long tenure. In other words, the failures of Minnesota’s 2025 season is everyone’s fault.

But now, with the MLB Trade Deadline looming, none of that matters anymore. The Minnesota Twins have some of the best players available, of any selling team. Whether buyers are looking for impending free agent rentals or they’re ready for a blockbuster, the Twins have what they need.

Joe Ryan lands No. 1 overall spot on MLB Trade Deadline Big Board

That became even more clear Thursday morning, when The Athletic released a fresh MLB Trade Deadline Big Board, ranking all of the most available players, leading up to July 31. Unsurprisingly, the Minnesota Twins are very well-represented, landing six total names in the top 50.

Nobody who made the list by surprise, but the most notable takeaway? Sitting at the very top, in the No. 1 spot overall, is Twins starting pitcher, Joe Ryan. They name the Chicago Cubs, LA Dodgers and NY Mets as the 29-year-old‘s best fits.

“Minnesota isn’t itching to move Ryan, who is 29 and under team control for two seasons beyond this one, but it’s easy to understand why teams will be calling the Twins about him just in case. Coming off his first All-Star honor, Ryan is a proven front-line starter with a career 3.67 ERA who pounds the zone and racks up whiffs, posting MLB’s seventh-best K/BB ratio since his 2021 debut.

Ryan might be effectively off limits even if the Twins are in seller mode, but some contenders could try to blow them away with an offer. Among all qualified starters the past two seasons, Ryan ranks second to only Tarik Skubal in K/BB ratio (6.1/1) and is also fourth in opponents’ batting average (.207) and 10th in ERA (3.15).”

The Athletic

Put together by Aaron Gleeman, Eno Sarris, Tim Britton, and Chad Jennings, The Athletic’s big board may have Joe Ryan listed as the best talent available. But all 50 players who landed in this article also got a red, yellow or green light to mark the likelihood they are traded. Joe’s light is red, meaning it’s unlikely he is moved between now and July 31.

Nonetheless, if a contending team believes they can slot him in near the top of their rotation for the next two seasons, beyond just a 2025 playoff run, it’s possible they come to the Minnesota Twins with an offer that Falvey just cannot refuse to turn down. But as all of the MLB insiders have made clear, it would have to be a HAUL of a package.

Joe Ryan's Ungodly Sweeper with 30 inches of Horizontal Break…with Tail. 😳 pic.twitter.com/rBCq28amFt

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 27, 2025

The reality is that Ryan’s 2.63 ERA is a career-best, and he is now a first-time All-Star. He’s making only $3 million this season, and his next two years will be held down by arbitration.

That reality is beyond enticing for any team looking to bolster their rotation before the postseason, and beyond. If he is traded, Ryan has made it clear that he will not shed any tears.

At the All-Star break, Joe told a member of the Boston Red Sox media that the trade rumors he has been involved in excite him, and that he’d love an opportunity to play for a contender. Could the Minnesota Twins be that again in the near future? Without Joe Ryan to help anchor the rotation, that’s a difficult question to answer.

Lots of other Minnesota Twins make The Athletic’s trade deadline big board

As mentioned at the top of this article, it wasn’t just Joe Ryan who showed up on The Athletic’s trade deadline big board for the Minnesota Twins. They landed six total names. Some are to be expected but there are names that we haven’t heard floated as much, previously.

Jhoan Duran checks in at 6th. Like Ryan, he would be an expensive controllable asset. The Dodgers, among other teams, have checked in on the MN Twins closer. His high-leverage bullpen mate Griffin Jax shows up at 10th overall.

Jhoan Duran, 101mph Fastball and 98mph Splinker, Overlay.

Good luck. 😯 pic.twitter.com/NeJkELwvUd

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) June 26, 2025

After that, we get to the players who have less control beyond 2025. Will Castro, who will be a free agent this offseason, is listed 24th. He represents a high-quality utility piece that could provide value to virtually any team he lands on.

Outfield free agent signing Harrison Bader is ranked 30th, and starting pitcher Chris Paddack landed the Mr. Irrelevant spot, capping off The Athletic’s trade deadline bigboard at No. 50. His last start against the Dodgers may have teams lining up for a relatively inexpensive addition over the next week.

Related: Minnesota Twins Demanding Insane Return for Talented Relievers

Maybe most interesting Twin who made the list is Trevor Larnach, who slid in at No. 42. Both he and fellow corner outfielder Matt Wallner appear to have flatlined. Larnach is a 28-year-old former first round pick who owns just a .243/.313/.408 slash line this season.

His 97 OPS+ is not far from the career 101 OPS+ mark. Since being selected 20th overall in the 2018 MLB Draft, Larnach has never quite lived up to expectations, after leading the Beavers to a National Championship, in his final year in Corvallis.

It’s fair to wonder what level of confusion a team sale presents the Twins front office. That said, they have done nothing for the better part of the last three years. At this point, it’s time to pick a path.

Trevor Larnach scratched (Hand Contusion)

But pregame warmups did not go as expected for the 37-37 Twins, specifically for Trevor Larnach, who was originally written in as tonight’s designated hitter. Just two hours prior to first pitch, the left-handed hitting slugger was scratched with what is being relayed by Aaron Gleeman (The Athletic) as a “right hand contusion”.

Trevor Larnach was scratched from the #MNTwins lineup with a right hand contusion.

Ryan Jeffers replaces him as designated hitter.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 20, 2025

Larnach — who was scheduled to hit fourth in the Minnesota Twins lineup Friday — was hit by a pitch in the first inning of Thursday’s win in Cincy. Had he not been scratched, Trevor would have hit fourth tonight, behind Willi Castro and ahead of Carlos Correa.

With the the 28-year-old slugger now out, Correa moves up to clean-up in the newly constructed Twins lineup. Ryan Jeffers, who’s replacing Larnach at DH, will hit fifth. On the season, Trevor Larnach is hitting .252 with a .736 OPS (104 OPS+).

Minnesota Twins lineup will miss Larnach

Entering the weekend, the 5-year veteran out of Oregon State ranks second on the 2025 Twins in home runs (10) and third in RBI (35). There is no word yet on whether or not the Minnesota Twins are worried about Larnach’s status beyond Friday. As soon as more information is released, it will be added to this article.

Related: MLB Insider Reveals Minnesota Twins Trade Target + Cost to Deal

There’s really no good time for an injury, but this timing is especially bad. In his last 17 games (71 PA), Trevor Larnach is hitting .281 with an .822 OPS built on 4 doubles, 3 HR and 12 RBI. Let’s hope, for both his and the Twins’ sake, that this injury is nothing more than the minor injury it is currently being reported as.

Trevor Larnach has 173 career RBI. This is tied for the 435th most RBI by a player born in California.

Also born in California; Bret Boone (1,021 RBI), Trevor Plouffe (379 RBI) and Richard Nixon (0 RBI). pic.twitter.com/yPuiLlvZeT

— Twins Ribbies (@TwinsRibbies) June 19, 2025

But this will be one of the first seasons in Buxton’s professional career where he won’t have nine-year MLB veteran Max Kepler — who signed with the Phillies as a free agent this offseason — playing beside him in right field. The two friends played together through the minors and both broke through into the big leagues in 2015.

Now that Kepler is out, Forest Lake, MN’s own Matt Wallner — who has never gotten more than 261 plate appearances during his three MLB seasons — is in line to replace him as the Twins’ starting right fielder. What should we expect from Wallner?

Hopefully he gets off to a better start than he did in 2024, where he was demoted to St. Paul after hitting .080 in the first 13 games of the season. After 75 games getting with the Saints, Wallner was called back up by the Twins where he finished with a career-best .259 batting average and 866 OPS, thanks to his .282/.386/.559 slash line over the final 62 games.

Matt Wallner ready to rock for Minnesota Twins

During Grapefruit League action last year, Matt Wallner batted just .132/.227/.395 with a 17/4 K/BB, and the problems persisted into the regular season. This time around, Wallner’s slash line looks a lot better: .240/.309/.640. The Athletic’s Jim Bowden likes what he sees, naming Wallner as one of his 2025 “breakout candidates.”

“Wallner has walloped six home runs this spring and has a direct pathway to a full-time gig in the Twins’ lineup. He reached base at a 37 percent clip last season while posting a 149 OPS+ and hammering 13 home runs in 220 at-bats. He topped the 80th percentile in exit velocity, barrel percentage, hard-hit rate and bat speed. He also has a rifle for an arm.”

The Athletic

The Twins are now using Wallner as a leadoff hitter, which actually makes a ton of sense, especially against right-handed pitchers. Sure, he strikes out a lot (36.4% clip last season), but he also reaches takes a ton of walks, gets a lot of hits, and hits plenty of bombs. Worthy trade offs.

It’s not the end of the world if a leadoff hitter strikes out to open a game. It can be a serious momentum play if they put a ball in the seats. The top spot in the lineup isn’t the traditional slap-hitter with speed anymore. The Twins also don’t have a prototypical answer, especial without knowing what Edouard Julien’s role will be.

Matt Wallner keeps crushing!

He is now tied for most home runs in @mlb so far this spring with 6!!! pic.twitter.com/OrJLbTypfq

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) March 17, 2025

Minnesota understandably loves how often Wallner gets off his A-swing. He had a 53.2% hard-hit rate last season, and barreled the baseball 17.5% of the time. If he hits the ball in the air, nearly a quarter of the time it’s with the right trajectory and it’s going to leave the yard.

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

It has been a solid spring for the Twins right fielder, and he leads both the Grapefruit and Cactus League in home runs with six. If that translates into the season, and he doesn’t experience the slow start, he’ll crush the 2.1 fWAR he posted last season.

Can MN Twins replicate Wallner with Trevor Larnach?

Coming into the season Wallner and Trevor Larnach are expected to man the corner outfield spots. The former is a breakout candidate while the latter is a former top-prospect and is looking to succeed post-hype. After being shuttled the past handful of years, Larnach got 112 games at the big league level last season.

His .259/.338/.434 slash line resulted in a 116 OPS+ to produce career-best numbers. His 1.5 fWAR was also a career-high, and it’s something to build on this season. Larnach doesn’t have the defensive upside that Wallner does, but he can also be paired with free agent addition Harrison Bader.

Related: Chronic Back Injury Causing Problems for MN Twins Infielder Again

The largest bugaboo for Larnach to date has been his inability to consistently hit for power. Minnesota picked him out of Oregon State because of his exit-velocity prowess. He has never had a 50% hard-hit rate and barreled just 10.1% of baseballs last year. There is room for new hitting coach Matt Borgschulte to get more from him, and they continue to be in the lab.

Twins slugger Trevor Larnach talks strategy with hitting coach Matt Borgshulte. pic.twitter.com/xJ8A8G2hqg

— Ted (@tlschwerz) March 13, 2025

Byron Buxton is the superstar defender in the outfield. If the Twins can get both of their corners to bop in tandem this season, then they are going to have a lineup that has next to no holes for the opposition.

Then, in the top of the second, a Trevor Larnach home run (with an exit velocity of 112 MPH) drove three more runs in. But that wasn’t all the damage Trevor’s homer caused.

Trevor Larnach Home run knocks out Rays fan in right field

Larnach’s blast left Tropicana Field so fast that if you blinked, you might have missed it. Just like the Rays fan in right field, who tried to catch the rocket shot. Instead, the baseball went right through the guy’s hands. And right behind those hands, was his face. The result was reminiscent of what ends a lot of MMA fights.

I’m pretty sure Trevor Larnach just killed a Rays fan in RF… pic.twitter.com/uxZd1owvrR

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) September 2, 2024

bro got smacked in the face.. larnach homerun tho! pic.twitter.com/2tjiHGYWAR

— Dylan 🟣 (@PrimeMargot) September 2, 2024

No update on fan’s condition yet

After the game went on for an hour or two, without any mention on the broadcast or from reporters on what happened with the fan (or that the event occured at all), Dyoung-Ho Park (MLB.com) confirmed that the fan is okay.

Related: Byron Buxton on His Way Back to Minnesota Twins Lineup Once Again

I hope and pray that this Rays fan is getting the medical attention he needs. Taking a baseball to the face, at that velocity, is a serious injury. If an update comes out on the fan’s condition or more videos surface, we will post them here.

The Twins have admitted they’d like to add a starting pitcher to strengthen the back half of the rotation. Several starters are available. Yet, the Twins must find a way to avoid adding to their payroll, which could result in trading some of their MLB-level talent. That’s exactly what one local insider expects.

Related: Twins Could Trade One of Fanbase’s Least-Liked Players

Twins expected to trade one of Kepler, Larnach, or Wallner

If the Minnesota Twins make a trade deadline acquisition, the expectation is that they’ll part with one of their current MLB players. Specifically, an outfielder. But which one?

Charley Walters of the Pioneer Press expects the Twins to trade one of their core outfielders in the next few days. The three he believes may be shipped out of town are one of Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, or Matt Wallner. He says this may be the only way the Twins add a starting pitcher.

“It’ll be surprising if the Twins don’t include at least one of outfielders Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach or Max Kepler in a deal for a starter before Tuesday’s trade deadline.”

Charley Walters

Wallner has been the subject of trade rumors for several months. Teams are always calling about the power-hitting outfielder with one of baseball’s strongest arms. Kepler has been mentioned as a trade candidate for several years. He has the highest salary of the three ($10M). Kepler’s also set for free agency at the end of the season.

Yet, we don’t know how other teams value the Twins’ three outfielders. Kepler is 32, and while he’s a superb defender in right field, he’s not getting any better. Meanwhile, Larnach, 27, and Wallner, 26, have yet to reach their ceiling.

Either way, they’re all attractive trade options for different reasons, and the Twins do have top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez coming closer to making their debuts too. Moving one of the veterans could open up a spot for either one to reach the big leagues next season, yet Jenkins may need another year before making such a big climb, as he’s currently in Fort Myers with the Single-A club.

Trading any of the outfielders Walters mentions involves risk, but that’s the cost of doing business. At the same time, not making a deadline move could come back to bite them later on, especially if one of their starting pitchers is forced to miss time with an injury. We’ll see what wins out in the end.

Related: Minnesota Twins New Top Prospect Puts System in Rarefied Air

Part of their struggles have been injury-related. Royce Lewis is back on the injured list and the Twins landed at MSP, from spring training in Fort Myers, with Jhoan Duran and Caleb Thielbar already on the IL. But… there are some reinforcements on the way, it appears.

Trevor Larnach starting rehab assignment prior to Minnesota Twins return

It’s already been reported that Caleb Thielbar is starting a rehab assignment this week, and that Duran is throwing again. Thursday morning, however, we learned that the 27-year-old 2018 1st-round pick, Trevor Larnach (turf toe), is on the single-A Mighty Mussels roster and will be starting his own rehab stint on Thursday.

#MNTwins OF Trevor Larnach has been added to the Fort Myers @MightyMussels roster and will begin a rehab assignment at 6:30 ET tonight in Clearwater.

Larnach was placed on the AAA injured list on March 29 with turf toe.

— John Vittas (@JohnVittas3) April 11, 2024

Thursday’s game has been rained out so the Twins will start a four-game three-game road series against the Detroit Tigers (7-4), one of those aforementioned AL Central teams off to a hot start, on Friday. Hopefully, weather is a bit better down in Florida.

Related: Twins Call Up Jose Miranda in Hopes He Can Add Life to Lineup

Larnach’s career, thus far, has been underwhelming for a former 1st rounder, but his numbers tell a lowkey story of a young talented hitter who gets better every year, though 2024 is clearly a big season for how the rest of his career projects, going forward. Trevor had a career high .727 OPS in 2023 and knocked in 40 runs in 212 plate appearances.

But… with their win last night vs Kansas City, Carlos Correa & Co. lived to play another day. The odds are stacked against them, obviously. The Twins are still alive, though. On life support… but still alive. They need to win two more vs a bad Royals team, on Wednesday and Thursday.

Because on Friday, they start a 5-game weekend series vs division leader, Cleveland, where they’ll get one final opportunity to force themselves back into division contention.

Reinforcements Incoming

And there’s some good news on the injury front. Darren Wolfson (KSTP, SKOR North) reported Tuesday morning, and Rocco Baldelli later confirmed, that Jorge Polanco is expected back off the injured list for the Guardians series. Huge news for a Minnesota Twins lineup that is desperately lacking a middle-of the order bat, to compliment Luis Arraez, Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda.

Here is #MNTwins manager Rocco Baldelli pregame on the chances Tyler Mahle pitches again this season. He also provided an update on many of the other injured players: pic.twitter.com/rssg3o7hC7

— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) September 13, 2022

Rocco Baldelli didn’t just update us on Jorge Polanco. The clip above (via KSTP) starts with an update on Tyler Mahle, who the Twins are ready to shut down, if this week doesn’t go as planned. But they are leaving the door open for a late-September or early-October return, should they pull themselves back into contention.

It sounds like Bailey Ober will be back any day, to bolster the starting rotation. Trevor Larnach has finally kicked off a rehab stint we were told would begin nearly two weeks ago. Ryan Jeffers, too, has started a rehab assignment. But when Byron Buxton came up, the conversation got foggy.

What about Byron Buxton?

Rocco Baldelli told media yesterday (in the video above); “I could see Polo returning at some point this week. Buxton might be a little bit behind that, but following [Polanco] would be Buck.”

So according to Rocco, Byron Buxton is less likely to return vs the Cleveland Guardians, than Jorge Polanco. But that isn’t the entire story. According to what Byron Buxton’s people are telling Darren Wolfson, Buck has been trying to get off the injured list and into the active lineup for days (36:15 mark — Transcribed Below).

I continue to hear Byron Buxton is progressing. He felt like he could have played a couple of days ago. But the Twins (Rocco) are on record saying they aren’t putting him out there at 50%. Buck feels like he can play at 50% but the Twins won’t put him out there at 50%. In Buck’s mind, ‘yeah, I could go play’, but the Twins don’t feel like he’s quite ready to play. He needs to ramp up baseball activities. But there is a sliver of hope that he could get back in there vs Cleveland. — Darren Wolfson (Mackey & Judd Show)

Beat Kansas City and get back to me

Clearly, Byron Buxton is nowhere near healthy. Rocco Baldelli makes it clear that Buck is much closer to 50%, than he is 100%, even 75%. But healthy or not, Buxton is chomping at the bit, even campaigning, to return.

If the Minnesota Twins actually build some momentum vs the Royals over the next couple of days, I’m not sure Rocco Baldelli or anyone else, will be able to keep Buck on the injured list. He might call the league to activate himself.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

But there’s good news. They have injured list reinforcements on the way and most should make immediate impacts upon return. The list starts with Byron Buxton, who Rocco Baldelli said will not travel to Chicago for the upcoming road trip vs the White Sox, but who could fly there mid-series to join the team, if he’s feeling up to it. Buck is eligible to come off the IL on Friday.

Byron Buxton isn’t expected to travel on the upcoming road trip so he can continue to rehab at home. But were he to improve enough, #MNTwins would fly him to join the team.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 29, 2022

Pitching Reinforcements a Plenty

Next on the list of priority returnees is newly acquired starting pitcher, Tyler Mahle, who was shut down after his last start for shoulder fatigue. His fastball velocity had dropped under 90 MPH so the Twins put him on the IL, got his shoulder checked out and gave Tyler some much-needed rest. Now, he’s feeling fresh and ready to go. The hope is that Mahle will pitch vs the White Sox over the weekend.

Tyler Mahle (shoulder) threw a second, 30-pitch bullpen session today and said it went well. Velocity was back up, no pain, threw all pitches.

Assuming he feels fine tomorrow, Mahle could be in line to return from the injured list this weekend vs. the White Sox.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 29, 2022

But Tyler Mahle isn’t the only Minnesota Twins pitcher who is ready to pitch-in on a playoff run. Josh Winder is starting a rehab stint in St. Paul and, should things go well, he’ll be up with the big club sooner, rather than later.

Randy Dobnak, too, is on his way back. He has already thrown four times out of minor league bullpens. Though his first appearance in St. Paul did not go well, surrendering 4 hits and 3 runs, in just two innings. Bailey Ober, too, has been throwing live bullpen sessions and will start a rehab stint in Fort Myers on Thursday.

Trevor Larnach Also on His Way

But there’s one more bat, who could really help the Minnesota Twins in September, should he be healthy and get into his groove at the right time. Trevor Larnach, who has been out with a core muscle injury since June, is starting a rehab stint that is expected to last one to two weeks. He could be a huge addition to an injury riddled outfield.

Trevor Larnach is tracking towards beginning a rehab assignment with Fort Myers as the DH on Thursday. It sounds like he'll probably be the next to return to health after Josh Winder.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 29, 2022

Maeda Giving Up on 2022 Return

There was some bad news that came along with all of these injury updates. Kenta Maeda, who the Twins hoped could be a late edition to the bullpen after undergoing Tommy John surgery a year ago, will not be ready in time to help this season. His rehab continues and is reportedly going well, but they’re officially giving up hope on his chances to play in 2022.

#MNTwins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey indicated that Kenta Maeda (elbow) is unlikely to return before the end of the season.

Maeda continues to progress well in his recovery from Tommy John surgery, but the Twins aren't going to push him with time running short.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) August 30, 2022

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan