The Minnesota Twins had quite a few intriguing position battles at spring training this year. Several players were given a legitimate chance to win the job and land on the 26-man roster ahead of Opening Day against the Orioles.
Ultimately, Cody Lawyerson grabbed the final spot among relievers, James Outman beat out Alan Roden in the outfield, and Tristan Gray earned his spot within the infield over Orlando Arcia and Ryan Kreidler.
Cody Lawyerson, Tristan Gray, James Outman win Twins' positional battle for Opening Day roster spot
One of the biggest surprises is that Dan Altavilla did not crack the bullpen. Following a strong start to spring training, Altavilla pitched for Team Italy at the World Baseball Classic. Upon his return, he allowed three runs in his last three innings. Lawyerson was strong at camp, allowing one run across 7.2 innings to earn the job.
The James Outman-Alan Roden battle was an interesting one from the beginning. Along with several outfielders performing well this spring, it always felt like it would come down to one of these two players. It's not like Roden didn't play well this spring, either. He batted over .300 with seven RBIs. Outman was just better. He smashed four home runs and drove in 10 RBIs, and went deep twice in his last spring game. That's a tough break for Roden.
JAMES OUTMAN CANNOT BE CONTAINED!! 💥
— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) March 24, 2026
He just smashed his second home run of the game! 💪#MNTwins | #MLB pic.twitter.com/JFfUcLUklR
Then there's Gray. He didn't play all that well at spring training, but he is a left-handed bat that can be deployed as a pinch-hitter late in the game to replace a right-handed heavy infield. That's all he needed to land the job. For now, at least.
Minnesota Twins' 26-man roster:
- Catchers: Ryan Jeffers, Victor Caratini
- First baseman: Josh Bell
- Second baseman: Luke Keaschall
- Shortstop: Brooks Lee
- Third baseman: Royce Lewis
- Outfielders: Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Austin Martin, James Outman
- Designated hitter: Trevor Larnach
- Bench: Kody Clemens, Tristan Gray
- Starting pitchers: Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel
- Relief pitchers: Justin Topa, Cole Sands, Eric Orze, Zak Kent, Cody Laweryson, Taylor Rogers, Anthony Banda, Kody Funderburk