2 Twins who earned an Opening Day roster spot with strong spring training starts
OF Alan Roden
Roden was facing an uphill battle to make the Twins' Opening Day roster when spring training began. He was presumably battling for a spot on the 26-man roster with outfielder James Outman, who is out of minor-league options, while Roden still has options. Therefore, while the Twins likely view Roden as part of their long-term plans, having Outman on the Opening Day roster over Roden seemed like the most likely scenario.
However, Roden has excelled this spring, going 7-for-14 at the plate with a grand slam and a stolen base before going 3-for-3 with a triple against Team Puerto Rico on Wednesday, making it difficult for Minnesota to justify leaving him off its Opening Day roster. And while he only played in left field at the beginning of spring, the former Blue Jay played in center on Wednesday.
OF James Outman
Roden may have outperformed Outman thus far in spring training, but Outman has been spectacular at the plate as well.
In seven games this spring, Outman has gone 6-for-18 with two homers, five RBI and three stolen bases. The Twins should do everything they can to have Outman, who finished third in 2023 NL ROY voting as a member of the Los Angeles Dodgers, and Roden on their 26-man roster to begin the season.
James Outman has a 1.076 OPS this spring after mashing a homer against the Yankees.
— Puckett's Pond (@PuckettsPond) March 5, 2026
It'll be interesting to see if Minnesota considers getting rid of Trevor Larnach to make room for Outman and Alan Roden, who's hitting .500 this spring. pic.twitter.com/kGOSKpUyTi
2 Twins who lost an Opening Day roster spot during spring training
OF/DH Trevor Larnach
It's time for the Twins to say goodbye to Larnach, who has just three hits in 18 at-bats this spring. It'd be the easiest and most logical way to fit both Roden and Outman on the 26-man roster.
Larnach has been a league-average hitter throughout his career, posting a 101 OPS+ in 442 games across five seasons, while being a poor defender (-4 Outs Above Average in 135 attempts last season). The Twins should look to trade the outfielder/designated hitter to shed his $4.475 million salary, receive some value in return and make room for Roden and Outman. With outfield prospects Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel RodrÃguez and Gabriel Gonzalez knocking at the door of the big leagues, there isn't a good reason to hold onto Larnach at this point.
RHP Marco Raya
Raya wasn't a slam-dunk to make Minnesota's Opening Day roster by any means, but many believed he had a good shot to make the team out of spring training. The Twins officially moved Raya to a bullpen role this spring after he was a starter in the minors for many years. With an electric pitch arsenal, Raya has the potential to be an outstanding big-league reliever. But he's proved he's not ready quite yet.
In his first outing this spring, Raya threw a scoreless inning while inducing a strikeout, a 316-foot flyout and a 93.4-mph groundout against the Detroit Tigers on Feb. 23. His next outing was a complete disaster, as he surrendered five earned runs to the New York Yankees on four walks and a hit in 1/3 of an inning one week ago. He threw a scoreless inning against Team Puerto Rico on Wednesday, but he still didn't look great, as he hit a batter and allowed hard contact. Raya should still be in the Twins' future plans, but he's proved he should begin the season with Triple-A St. Paul for now.