As we all know by this point, the Twins' roster looks a lot different right now than it did two weeks ago. They traded away 10 players from their active roster, which included four position players in Carlos Correa, Harrison Bader, Willi Castro and Ty France. The Twins' top priority clearly isn't competing this season, but that doesn't mean that the last month and a half of the season aren't worth anything. It's an excellent time to give everyday playing time to players who otherwise wouldn't be getting it, and give the team an extended look at players who they believe may have a place in their future plans.
Looking at who will get playing time for Twins the remainder of 2025
Catchers and First Basemen
Ryan Jeffers has been the Twins' primary catcher for a while now, and there's no end to that in sight, especially with Christian Vázquez undergoing a procedure for an infection in his shoulder and landing on the injured list. The only other catcher currently rostered is Mickey Gasper, after Jhonny Pereda spent a very brief stint with the big league team and didn't appear in a game. One catcher who may get a look at some point is Noah Cardenas, a 25-year-old who has hit well between Double-A and Triple-A this season. It certainly wouldn't hurt to give Cardenas a look, as the Twins will be in need of a new backup catcher to Jeffers next season with Vázquez being a free agent after the season.
At first base, Kody Clemens looks like he'll be the primary guy for the remainder of the season, as he has seen the majority of starts there since Ty France was traded. Edouard Julien is the only other real option on the current roster to play first base, and his play has been rather uninspiring since being recalled. If the team feels that another infielder like Royce Lewis or Luke Keaschall has a future at first base, now could be the time to get them some reps at the corner, but both seem unlikely to be moved there at this point. Jose Miranda is currently at Triple-A, and while he has played a good deal of first base, he has a sub-.600 OPS in St. Paul and feels like an unlikely candidate to get extensive big league playing time this season. Aaron Sabato, the team's first-round pick in 2020, is 26 years old but has hit well in the minors this season and is a first baseman. He could get a call-up at some point. Kyler Fedko, a 25-year-old, is primarily an outfielder but has also played some first base in the minors this season, and he has posted a 1.135 OPS in 10 games since recently being promoted to Triple-A. It would seem feasible that at least one of Miranda, Sabato, or Fedko will be called up at some point and see some time at first base, but Clemens looks to be the primary first baseman for the remainder of the season.
The rest of the infield
The infield looks to be pretty locked down for the remainder of the season, as Royce Lewis will play third base, Brooks Lee will play shortstop, and Luke Keaschall will play second base. Beyond those three, Edouard Julien and Ryan Fitzgerald are the other two infielders currently rostered that are any threat to the playing time of those three, and both look more like depth pieces than everyday starters as of now.
In St. Paul, the two most likely infielders to be called up at some point are Payton Eeles and Anthony Prato. Eeles, 25, was signed by the Twins out of independent ball last season and made his way to Triple-A last season. He missed a good deal of this season with injury, and has struggled a bit since returning. Prato is 27 and has actually played more outfield than infield this season, and has a .768 OPS in 76 games for the Saints this season.
If the Twins really wanted to get crazy with things, they could call up infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who they selected in the first round of last year's MLB Draft and is currently at Double-A Wichita. For the record, I think there's a less than 1% chance of this happening. I also would've said there was less than a 1% chance of the Twins trading Carlos Correa and their five best relievers, though, so anything is possible. Culpepper, 22, was at High-A to begin this season, and after 54 games there, was promoted to Double-A. He has hit even better at Double-A, as he has slashed .329/.393/.526 with 8 homers and 8 stolen bases in 36 games. It's much more likely that Culpepper will remain in the minors for the remainder of this season and perhaps begin next season at Triple-A, which will allow the Twins more time to determine whether or not Brooks Lee is their shortstop long-term. It's also no guarantee that Culpepper will stick at shortstop, but there seems to be more optimism about that now than there was initially when he was drafted.
Outfielders
There's one piece of this that's really easy, and that's Byron Buxton being in center field for the Twins. Despite the team being torn down around him, Buxton has continued to reiterate that he has zero interest in playing elsewhere and that he will not waive his no-trade clause. It was reported that at least six teams, including the Mets and Buxton's home state Braves, inquired to Buxton's agent on whether he'd be willing to consider waiving his no-trade clause. Despite all of that, Buxton remains committed to being in Minnesota, and on top of his loyalty, he's putting up numbers that would have him in the MVP conversation if Aaron Judge didn't exist, or even simply played in the National League. Buxton will be in center field for the Twins for the foreseeable future, and it doesn't look like there's anything that will change that.
Beyond Buxton, the Twins have Austin Martin, Carson McCusker, and a pile of left-handed hitting outfielders. Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner will presumably continue to get everyday playing time, especially against righties, with Larnach splitting his time between left field, right field, and DH, and Wallner splitting his between right field and DH. Martin played a good deal of center field while Buxton was on the injured list, but looks more like a platoon option now that Buxton has returned from the IL. McCusker was optioned, but there is always the potential for him to be recalled and get some playing time versus lefties. He's 27 and was never a big-time prospect, but has shown legitimate power in the minors. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. spent a large chunk of the season in the majors, but never really proved to be anything more than a late-inning defensive replacement and/or pinch runner. Kyler Fedko is also worth mentioning, as the 25-year-old has hit very well since a recent promotion to Triple-A, and could see a call-up before the season is over.
Two of the Twins' deadline acquisitions are major league-ready, left-handed hitting outfielders in Alan Roden and James Outman. Both of them are intriguing for their own reasons. Roden, 25, was recently a fringe top-100 prospect, and for good reason. He hit very well at all levels of the minors, totaling an .866 OPS with equal walks and strikeouts in 297 minor league games from 2022-2025. He is also generally considered to be a pretty good corner outfielder defensively, and is definitely superior to Larnach and Wallner in that facet. The hitting hasn't come around in the big leagues yet, but there's plenty of reason to give him a run and see if it does. Outman has a different story. He's 28, but is just two years removed from a 2023 season that was good enough to finish third in the NL Rookie of the Year race, as he slashed .248/.353/.437 with 23 homers and totaled 3.9 fWAR. In the two years since, he has struggled mightily at the big league level offensively, but he also has not seen consistent playing time, and his Triple-A numbers have been great. Outman is also a very good defensive outfielder, plenty capable of playing a good center field, and his combination of speed and power is something to be excited about. The Twins optioned him to Triple-A after the trade, but I'd be shocked if we don't see him get an opportunity at the big league level before the season is over, with the hope that he can regain some of that offensive profile from 2023.
Finally, the twins have their two high-profile outfield prospects, both of whom (say it with me!) bat left-handed. Walker Jenkins, widely considered to be the Twins' top prospect and one of baseball's best, is just 20 years old and tearing up Double-A. He's slashing .333/.404/.511 with 2 homers in 11 games at Wichita this month, but as is with the case with Culpepper, who I mentioned earlier, I'd be shocked to see him in the big leagues this year. It would make a lot more sense to call Jenkins up if the team was in the hunt for a playoff spot and had a big need in the outfield, but neither of those things are the case right now. Emmanuel Rodríguez has a different story. He's 22 and has played in 43 games at Triple-A this season, but is currently on the injured list for the second time this season, and has struggled to stay healthy for the entirety of his professional career. Rodríguez has hit well at every level of the minors and is probably close to major league ready, but I'd be surprised to see him with the Twins this season, barring a return from injury in the near future followed by an incredible stretch at Triple-A. Both Jenkins and Rodríguez are still very exciting prospects, but that excitement will likely have to be carried over into 2026.
A quick shot at the position player half of a playoff roster in case the Twins make a run
As I mentioned in my pitcher edition of the roster outlook, as well as earlier in this article, the Twins in all likelihood aren't going to make the playoffs. However, we can dream, and it doesn't hurt to take a shot at what their playoff roster would look like if they did, by some miracle, find themselves playing meaningful October baseball.
Catchers: Ryan Jeffers and Christian Vázquez
Infielders: Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, Luke Keaschall, Kody Clemens, and Payton Eeles
Outfielders: Byron Buxton, Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Alan Roden, James Outman, and Austin Martin