The Minnesota Twins had a rough Sunday afternoon, as the Philadelphia Phillies completed a three-game sweep with a 7-5 comeback victory at Target Field. Minnesota had a 5-0 lead heading into the sixth inning before the Phillies put up four runs in the sixth and three in the eighth.
To make matters worse for Minnesota, left fielder Austin Martin exited the game after crashing into the wall while attempting to catch a fly ball. Following the game, AaronGleeman.com's Aaron Gleeman reported that Martin suffered a left hamstring strain and will undergo imaging to determine the severity.
📹 Austin Martin exits game vs. Phillies pic.twitter.com/eWgnK57duR
— MLB Injury Bot (@MLBInjuryBot) August 16, 2026
4 potential Austin Martin replacements as Twins OF suffers hamstring strain
Walker Jenkins
Jenkins would certainly be the most exciting option. He is the Twins' consensus No. 1 overall prospect and is FanGraphs' No. 4 overall prospect in MLB.
Jenkins isn't on the Twins' 40-man roster, but the Twins have an open spot after designating catcher Alex Jackson for assignment. It's worth noting that if the looming lockout extends into the regular season, Jenkins would be disqualified from playing in the minor leagues if he is on the 40-man roster. And with Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton and Luke Keaschall being the Twins' primary outfielders, it'd be difficult for Minnesota to find regular playing time for Jenkins.
Emmanuel Rodriguez
Rodriguez is already on the Twins' 40-man roster. The Saints activated him on Aug. 10 after he had been on the IL since early May. Since returning from the IL, Rodriguez has gone 4-for-18 with one double, two walks and one RBI.
The Twins likely want Rodriguez to play every day, so the team's seemingly full outfield could stand in the way of a potential promotion for the 23-year-old.
Matt Wallner
The Twins optioned Wallner to Triple-A in May after he began the year by posting a .551 OPS. Wallner, 28, has excelled with St. Paul this season, slashing .265/.368/.560 with 22 home runs and 63 RBI.
However, Wallner has struck out 82 times in 304 plate appearances with the Saints this year. Additionally, there isn't room for him to play regularly with the Twins.
Gabriel Gonzalez
It'd make sense for the Twins to call up Gonzalez, as he is a right-handed hitter who could platoon with Larnach in the outfield. Gonzalez is the Twins' No. 11 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline.
Gonzalez, 22, has slashed .247/.313/.408 with 12 home runs and 46 RBI over 97 games with Triple-A St. Paul this year. The Twins briefly promoted him to the majors back in late May. He collected one hit and two walks over four plate appearances in one game against the Boston Red Sox.
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