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Twins to Promote Gabriel Gonzalez to Majors, Worth an Add Ahead of Debut?
The Minnesota Twins are calling up outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez to the majors on Friday, according to Milb Central. Gonzalez is considered the Twins' No. 7 prospect, per MLB Pipeline, and he'll come up from Triple-A St. Paul to temporarily take the roster spot of infielder Tristan Gray, who is on paternity leave. The 22-year-old Venezuelan outfielder gets his first big-league call-up despite hitting just .216 (38-for-176) with a .294 on-base percentage, .392 slugging percentage, .686 OPS, eight home runs, 21 RBI, and 27 runs scored in 44 games across 197 plate appearances with the Saints this year. Gonzalez has walked 18 times and struck out 39 times. The 5-foot-10, 165-pounder has plenty of improvement to do as far as his plate discipline goes, needing to cut back on his chase rate at the plate. Fantasy managers should ignore Gonzalez for now, even in AL-only leagues, since there is a good chance he'll be sent back to St. Paul in a few days when Gray returns from paternity leave.
Source: Milb Central
Source: Milb Central
Emmanuel Rodriguez Needs Surgery for UCL Tear in his Thumb
Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez (thumb), who is currently on the seven-day injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, needs surgery after an MRI exam showed a UCL tear in his left thumb, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. It's a tough break for the 23-year-old, who is considered the team's No. 4 prospect per MLB Pipeline. Rodriguez was hitting .247 (20-for-81) for the Saints with six home runs, 18 RBI, 15 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 25 games across 108 plate appearances at the time of his injury. Thumb injuries have been a problem for him, as he had surgery for a right-thumb injury in 2024 and also missed some time last year with a left-thumb ailment. The Dominican outfielder is quickly losing steam in dynasty/keeper leagues as a stash candidate due to durability concerns. Rodriguez has yet to play in 100 games down on the farm in a single season since he became a professional in 2021. His most recent thumb injury could very well cost him the rest of the 2026 season.
Source: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
Source: The Athletic - Dan Hayes
Byron Buxton Returning to Twins Lineup on Tuesday Night
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) is returning to the team's starting lineup on Tuesday night against the visiting Houston Astros and right-hander Lance McCullers Jr. at Target Field, according to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Buxton is finally back in action after missing almost a full week due to soreness in his right hip flexor. Fantasy managers will be hoping that the 32-year-old veteran can pick up where he left off after he clubbed two home runs in his last game against the Miami Marlins last week. The two-time All-Star has picked things up in May, going 13-for-46 (.283) with seven home runs, two doubles, 12 RBI, 10 runs scored, and three stolen bases in 11 games. Buxton has hit .260/.319/.580 overall in 2026 with an .899 OPS, 15 long balls, 23 RBI, 33 runs scored, and four stolen bases in his 169 at-bats. He has also hit .600 with a 1.867 OPS in a small sample size of five career at-bats against McCullers.
Source: The Athletic - Aaron Gleeman
Source: The Athletic - Aaron Gleeman
Byron Buxton Remains Sidelined With Hip Injury on Monday
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) remains sidelined for Monday's series opener against the visiting Houston Astros, according to MLB.com. James Outman will make the start in center field for the Twins and will bat ninth against Astros right-hander Tatsuya Imai. Buxton is missing a fifth straight game due to soreness in his right hip flexor, but he worked out over the weekend and is feeling much better. The veteran outfielder doesn't expect to need a stint on the injured list, but he's probably going to have to return to the starting nine during the series against the Astros to avoid that. For what it's worth, manager Derek Shelton said that Buxton is "very close" to returning to the lineup. In the 32-year-old's last game last week against the Miami Marlins, he hit two home runs. Buxton has been providing plenty of pop for his fantasy managers with 15 homers, 23 RBI, and 33 runs scored in his 169 at-bats this year, and hopefully, his current hip injury won't put an end to his hot streak at the plate. Outman and the Twins have never faced Imai.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Walker Jenkins Still Worth Stashing Amid IL Stint?
Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Walker Jenkins (shoulder) is currently on the injured list, but he remains an intriguing option to stash in fantasy baseball as he approaches his return to action. Jenkins was a first-round pick out of high school in 2023, and he has quickly ascended to the upper tier of the minors. Across 25 games prior to his injury, he was slashing .256/.396/.389 with two home runs, five steals, a 17.1% walk rate, a 16.2% strikeout rate, and 111 wRC+. Jenkins isn't a major power threat, as he only went yard 10 times last year. However, his speed and on-base skills still make him a very intriguing prospect to stash in fantasy baseball. Assuming he returns to game action by the end of May, we wouldn't be shocked to see Jenkins get called up to the majors in June. He currently ranks as the #3 outfield prospect in our latest redraft rankings.
Source: RotoBaller
Source: RotoBaller
Byron Buxton Expected to Return to the Lineup Soon
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) worked out at Target Field before Saturday's game against the Milwaukee Brewers as he works his way back from right-hip flexor soreness, and he felt fine on Sunday, according to Matthew Leach of MLB.com. Buxton is confident that he will return in a matter of days, not weeks, to the starting lineup. He first felt something in his hip joint in Tuesday's 3-0 win over the Miami Marlins, and then he homered twice on Wednesday. However, his hip acted up before Thursday's series finale against the Fish, and he was scratched from the lineup. Buxton hasn't played since. "It's just being smart," Buxton said. "I don't want to make the tightness, if that's what it is, become something major." The Twins are being cautious with the veteran outfielder because of his lengthy injury history, but he could be back in the starting nine for Monday's series opener at Target Field against the visiting Houston Astros. If the 32-year-old is active on Monday, fantasy managers will want to get him back into their starting lineups. He's already up to 15 long balls on the year with 23 RBI, 33 runs scored, and four steals in 169 at-bats.
Source: MLB.com - Matthew Leach
Source: MLB.com - Matthew Leach
Byron Buxton Missing Fourth Straight Game on Sunday
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) is out of his team's starting lineup for the fourth straight game on Sunday. The 32-year-old is officially considered day-to-day with hip flexor soreness. Buxton was off to an excellent start to the 2026 season before getting injured, hitting .260/.319/.580 with 15 home runs, 23 RBI, 33 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 185 plate appearances. Minnesota may simply be taking extra precautions with Buxton, who has reached 500 plate appearances just twice in 11 seasons with the team. Still, Buxton's extensive injury history means that any ailment should be a major concern for fantasy managers. Ryan Kreidler is batting eighth and starting in center field in Buxton's absence against the Milwaukee Brewers on Sunday.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Byron Buxton Remains Out of Twins Lineup on Saturday
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) is out of his team's starting lineup for a third consecutive game on Saturday as he recovers from hip flexor soreness. The oft-injured outfielder was off to an excellent start to 2026 before this hip issue, hitting .260/.319/.580 with 15 home runs, 23 RBI, 33 runs scored, and four stolen bases across 185 plate appearances. Buxton's barrel rate currently sits at a career-high 21.1%, hinting at his elite power upside if he can ever put together a full season. While Buxton is not currently expected to require a trip to the injured list, any ailment for the 32-year-old should raise red flags for fantasy managers. Buxton has never reached 550 plate appearances in any of his 11 MLB seasons and has surpassed 400 plate appearances in a season just twice. Twins outfielders Ryan Kreidler and James Outman have taken turns in center field in Buxton's absence, with Outman earning the start and batting ninth on Saturday against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Byron Buxton Still Out on Friday With Hip Injury
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) remains sidelined for Friday's series opener against the visiting Milwaukee Brewers at Target Field, according to MLB.com. Ryan Kreidler will make another start in center field for the Twins and will bat eighth against Brewers right-hander Coleman Crow. After hitting two home runs on Wednesday night, the Twins scratched Buxton from Thursday's series finale against the Miami Marlins due to hip-flexor soreness. It's bad timing for Buxton to be dealing with a physical ailment, as he has been a beast at the plate over his last 15 games, slashing .320/.382/.860 with eight home runs, 13 RBI, 12 runs scored, and even three stolen bases during that span. Fantasy managers can only hope it's a minor injury that won't land him on the injured list. For now, Buxton is being considered day-to-day. Check back to see if he's available to play in Game 2 of the series against Milwaukee on Saturday. The 32-year-old veteran and two-time All-Star is currently hitting .260 (44-for-169) on the year while providing plenty of power production with 15 homers, 23 RBI, and 33 runs scored.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Emmanuel Rodriguez Worth Stashing Amid Injured List Stint?
Minnesota Twins outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez (thumb) hasn't played in a game since May 1 after suffering a muscle strain in his thumb, but could be back on the field in the coming weeks. Before hitting the injured list at Triple-A St. Paul, the Twins' fourth-ranked prospect was showing well, hitting .247 with six home runs and producing a superb .417 on-base percentage thanks to an elite 21.3 percent walk rate (28.7 percent strikeout rate). The left-handed slugger has displayed an elite eye at the plate for the entirety of his minor league career, and had a 16-home run campaign in just 99 games back in 2023, but staying healthy has been an issue for him, playing a total of 65 games in 2025 and 47 in 2024. With Matt Wallner recently demoted to Triple-A, there could be a path to playing time once Rodriguez returns to action, and with his solid combination of power, speed, and plate discipline, the 23-year-old is a worthy stash candidate in deeper leagues.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
Byron Buxton Scratched on Thursday With Hip Soreness
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) has been scratched from the starting lineup for Thursday's series finale against the Miami Marlins due to right hip-flexor soreness, according to Twins reporter Audra Martin. Ryan Kreidler will make the start in center field for Minnesota and will hit eighth in the batting order against Marlins left-hander Braxton Garrett, who is making his first start of the year in the big leagues. It's disappointing that the oft-injured Buxton is hurt just a day after hitting two home runs in Wednesday night's loss to Miami, but hopefully, it's just a minor injury. The 32-year-old has been on fire at the plate lately, too, clubbing 12 of his 15 home runs in his last 20 games. For now, we'll consider him to be day-to-day. Fantasy managers will want to check back in on Friday to see if Buxton is back in the starting nine for the series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers. Kreidler has played in only five games for the Twins this year and has gone 3-for-14 (.214), but with two homers and four RBI in 18 plate appearances.
Source: Audra Martin
Source: Audra Martin
Matt Wallner Optioned to Triple-A
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday. The big lefty was expected to be a key part of the lineup this season, but has scuffled to just a .167/.259/.292 slash line with a 39 percent strikeout rate. After hitting 22 homers in 104 games last season with a .334 wOBA, Wallner has the potential to be a power contributor when he's at his best, but his contact rate plummeted too low to keep him in the lineup this season. He could return later in the summer if he gets going at Triple-A, but he can be dropped in most leagues for now. Versatile utilityman Ryan Kreidler was called up to replace him on the bench.
Source: Audra Martin
Source: Audra Martin
Byron Buxton Continues Power Surge With Two Home Runs Wednesday
Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton had the 19th multi-homer game of his career in Wednesday's 9-5 loss to the visiting Miami Marlins at Target Field, and he's now up to 15 home runs on the year. Buxton finished the contest 2-for-4 at the plate out of the leadoff spot for the Twins with two solo home runs, a walk, and a strikeout to raise his season average to .260 and his OPS to .899. The 32-year-old veteran and two-time All-Star has stayed healthy so far in 2026 and is up to 23 RBI, 33 runs scored, and four stolen bases in his first 40 games. Buxton has also added four stolen bases, but fantasy managers shouldn't be expecting him to reach the 20-steal mark for the second straight year. At this point in his career, Buxton is primarily a power asset at the top of Minnesota's batting order. He has really started to heat up offensively, batting .298 with all 15 of his homers, 22 RBI, and four stolen bases in his last 26 games across 114 at-bats. Continue to ride the hot-hitting veteran in all fantasy formats.
Source: MLB.com
Source: MLB.com
Is Walker Jenkins Still Worth Stashing During IL Stint?
Minnesota Twins top prospect Walker Jenkins was placed on the 7-day injured list earlier in May with a Grade 2 shoulder sprain. At the time of the injury, the team announced that they would re-evaluate him in at least 10 days. While the team has yet to provide an update, it appears Jenkins will remain on the shelf for at least another week. The 21-year-old is considered the No. 11-ranked prospect in all of baseball on MLB.com and was in the mix to earn an early promotion to the major leagues. He began the campaign with St. Paul, where he appeared in 25 games and posted a .256/.396/.389 slash line with six doubles, two home runs, five stolen bases, and a strong 19:18 K:BB. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as he could re-emerge as a top stash option once he returns to the diamond.
Source: MiLB.com
Source: MiLB.com
