1 player Twins fans have lost trust in
RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
The Twins had moved Woods Richardson out of the starting rotation after he posted an awful 7.71 ERA with a 10.1% strikeout rate, 10.1% walk rate and .330 batting average against in 42 innings across nine starts. Left-hander Kendry Rojas took Woods Richardson's spot in the rotation on May 18 against the Houston Astros. Woods Richardson threw a scoreless inning of relief in the game but allowed one hit and one walk. He hasn't pitched since his May 18 outing.
Woods Richardson was a solid No. 5 starter for the Twins over the last two seasons, but his struggles this season are impossible to ignore. Hopefully, he will figure out how to be an effective reliever. He could also be back in the rotation later in the year due to injuries.
2 Twins players who are becoming reliable
UTL Kody Clemens
Entering May, Clemens was hitting just .197/.296/.366. Clemens has stepped up his game this month, slashing .281/.352/.438. Now, the utilityman holds a .237/.322/.400 (106 wRC+) slash line this season with four homers, 13 RBI and five stolen bases.
Clemens is an everyday player for the Twins at this point. Manager Derek Shelton has been taking advantage of Clemens' defensive versatility; the son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens has recorded innings at first and second base and both corner outfield positions this season.
Another positive to take from Clemens' performance this season has been his ability to hit lefties, which has usually been a weakness for the utilityman in the past. Against southpaws this year, Clemens has gone 8-for-24 with a homer, two walks and four RBI.
LHP Taylor Rogers
Rogers, whom the Twins signed to a one-year, $2 million deal in January, had a rough start to the season. Through April 25, the veteran southpaw held a poor 7.27 ERA in 8 2/3 innings across 11 appearances. He's looked sharp since then, lowering his season ERA to 3.72. In his first season with the Twins since 2021, Rogers has posted a strong 2.62 FIP with a 17.2% strikeout rate and 6.9% walk rate.
While there are reasons to be concerned about Rogers long-term, including his .313 batting average against, 1.60 FIP and 91.3 mph average fastball velocity, he deserves credit for his recent results. Also, along with his strong walk rate this season, Rogers has a hard-hit rate of 30.8% (87th percentile) and an average exit velocity of 86.9 mph (84th percentile).
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