3 Minnesota Twins who are in danger of losing playing time
A few Minnesota Twins players could lose some playing time if they continue to struggle.
Saying that the Minnesota Twins have experienced an up-and-down season is to tremendously undersell just how topsy-turvy things have been.
There's a really good team somewhere in Minnesota but consistency has been a major issue. The Twins started the season 7-13 but won 12-games in a row to get things back on track. It seems whenever the team starts building some momentum, though, it finds ways to toss it aside.
Despite winning 12 straight games, the Twins bookended that success with losing streaks of five or more games. Most recently they dropped three straight to the New York Yankees -- which is understandable -- but have lost two in a row to the Pittsburgh Pirates, which should never happen.
Part of this is the team still figuring things out, but it's also thanks to the underwhelming play of a a few guys who might end up on the roster bubble if things don't turn around.
3 struggling Twins players who are in danger of losing playing time
Christian Vazquez, C
It's been a brutal season so far for Christian Vazquez. He's been overshadowed as a starting catcher by Ryan Jeffers, who is outperforming him offensively and has received more starts despite supposedly being part of a catching platoon.
It's not hard to see why Jeffers is a preferred option for Minnesota. He's hitting __ while Vazquez is stuck in a rut slashing .169/.194/.237 and has just four hits in his last 30 at-bats. That's not what the Twins want out of a guy earning $10 million this season, and it could spur a change.
One thing that's working in Vazquez's favor is circumstance. While other struggling players could get replaced, there's not clear succession plan at catcher. Jair Camargo is one option but he's more of a backup than a replacement for Vazquez in a platoon with Jeffers. There's also the matter of how much the Twins might be on the hook for him if they move on, which begs the quesiton of whether it's just cleaner to keep him on the roster and see if things can fixt themselves.
Either way, Vazquez is one of the worst parts of the Twins offense right now and something needs to change.
Kyle Farmer, INF
There's not nice way to put it: Kyle Farmer has been absolutely brutal to watch for the Twins this season.
He's viewed as a positive force in the clubhouse and there's nothing unlikable about him off the field, but on it he's been one of the most disappointing players on the roster. Farmer is hitting a miserable .172/.274/.253 with a 0.2 WAR and has started to see his defensive innings get sliced up and redistributed to Willi Castro and Jose Miranda. His poor season at the plate is the main reason for that, as Farmer is getting close to being unplayable offensively which is starting to impact his overall value.
That's a major problem considering how the Twins gave him $6 million this offseason. Farmer was tendered back in November and worked out an arbitration settlement that effectively served as a free agency signing for Minnesota. He was the biggest contract the Twins added to its books this offseason, which is notable since the team slashed its payroll by $30 million and refused to spend elsewhere on the roster.
Farmer was basically the big free agent addition and he has completely failed to live up to expectations. He was kept on the roster over Edouard Julien when Royce Lewis returned from the IL, but it very much feels like he's on borrowed time. If he can't find a way to figure things out at the plate, it's going to be hard justifying giving him playing time over other players moving forward.
Alex Kirilloff, OF
After a hot start to the season, things have cooled off rather significantly for Alex Kirilloff. He couldn't stop hitting triples and looked like an offensive force early on, but he's settled back into hitting .215 and has a -0.2 WAR that is the exact opposite of what the Twins need out of him.
There was some speculation that he could be the player sent down to make room for Royce Lewis to return to the 26-man roster, but Kirilloff was ultimately kept in the Majors. He can platoon in the outfield, which is a key reason to keep him around, and he has the ability to play first base as well.
With Lewis back, Jose Miranda figures to slide into a more meaningful role over at first with Carlos Santana which boxes Kirilloff out of a clear role there. He's battling Trevor Larnach for playing time in the outfield, but the rise of Emmanuel Rodriguez could complicate that even further. Lest we forget Austin Martin is bubbling under the MLB surface and Luke Keaschall could get converted to an outfielder as he continues to establish himself as a fast riser in the farm system (although that's a bit of a stretch).
Kirilloff has started to drop off as of late, which isn't exactly ideal given how tight the depth chart is at the positions he plays. He's not in danger of losing a roster spot, but he could be someone in danger of getting optioned if his offense continues to struggle and the need for guys like Edouard Julien, Brooks Lee, and other prospects rises.
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