By this time next week, the Minnesota Twins' roster will look very different. With the MLB trade deadline approaching on Thursday, the Twins are expected to move their rental players to contending teams. Larger questions loom for the Twins at the deadline, specifically, if there will be a team to meet their asking price for relief pitchers Jhoan Duran and Griffin Jax, and will there be a godfather-type offer made for All-Star starting pitcher Joe Ryan.
No matter the number of moves the Twins make before the deadline, one thing is clear: the rest of the season will be used to get the roster in shape to return to contention for the 2026 season. That should lead to some meaningful promotions from Triple-A St. Paul between now and the end of the season.
2 Twins who deserve promotion to MLB roster
- Emmanuel Rodriguez
The only thing that Emmanuel Rodriguez has to prove at the Triple-A level is that he can stay healthy. Injuries have defined his ascension through the Twins' farm system, and he is currently on the seven-day IL with an oblique strain. With Willi Castro and Harrison Bader among the players the Twins are expected to move at the deadline, there will be space for Rodriguez in the Twins' outfield during the closing weeks of the season. Rodriguez is expected to be a key member of the 2026 roster, and the goal should be to introduce him to the Major League level before then.
- Connor Prielipp
If Connor Prielipp makes an appearance with the Twins before the end of the season, it would be an aggressive promotion, considering he has yet to pitch at the Triple-A level. That said, Prielipp will be 25 by the time the 2026 season starts, and the Twins' No. 7 prospect figures to be a part of their rotation plans next season. In September, there's very little reason for the Twins not to give Prielipp a look in the big league rotation.
2 who should be sent to Triple-A
- Brooks Lee
There was a point earlier this season where Brooks Lee was making a strong case to be the permanent starting third baseman for the Twins. Since then, however, Royce Lewis has finally begun to find himself offensively, and Lee has trended in the wrong direction. Since the calendar flipped to July, Lee is hitting .106 with a -15 wRC+. If those struggles continue, Lee will have a trip back to Triple-A in his future.
- DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
Assuming the Twins do give a look to Rodriguez at the Major League level before the end of the season, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. is going to quickly find himself off the Major League roster. Keirsey continues to be a failed project at the Major League level, hitting under .100 through 74 plate appearances this season.