Labor Day was a big one for Minnesota Twins players working to get to the MLB roster.
On the one hand, Byron Buxton began his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints as he attempts to return to the team for the stretch run of the season. It's the first time we've seen him in action since he suffered a hip injury in mid-August, something that has kept him out of action at one of the most crucial times of the year.
Buxton's assignment is a big deal, but it was overshadowed by an even bigger arrival in St. Paul. Top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez made his Triple-A debut after finally getting promoted from Wichita and he didn't disappoint.
Emmanuel Rodriguez already looks amazing after just one game in Triple-A
E-Rod is Minnesota's second-highest prospect in the farm system to have not yet made his debut and is a Top 25 prospect in all of baseball. It's been a stop-and-go season for him thanks to injuries, but when he's been healthy he's looked like absolutely phenomenal.
In 37 games at Double-A, Rodriguez hit .298/.479/.621 with a 1.100 OPS batting in 20 runs and racking up 14 extra base hits. He was a stud defensively too, turning in highlight reel plays in the outfield like they were routine to him.
All of that led to his promotion to the Saints, something that feels long overdue and likely would have happened sooner if not for the bad injury luck he's run into. Despite missing a chunk of the season, E-Rod debuted at Triple-A without missing a beat.
Emmanuel Rodriguez showed off his extreme patience in his AAA debut today as he refused to swing at any pitches outside the zone
— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) September 3, 2024
He worked 2 BB, but also struck out twice due to a lot of called strikes pic.twitter.com/2HBqvwIK5k
It's an incredibly small sample size, but Rodriguez already looking comfortable at a higher level of competition is an incredibly encouraging sight. The next question naturally becomes when he will make the final leap to the MLB roster, but we still need to walk before we run with that.
E-Rod looking good at Triple-A will undoubtedly put pressure on the Twins to get him in the mix as the stretch run gets impacted by injuries. Buxton isn't back yet -- obviously -- and Manuel Margot is on the IL for an indefinite amount of time.
That opens up a potential lane for Rodriguez to make his debut before the end of the year. At the very least, though, he's on a Brooks Lee-style rise to where he'll position himself to be in the coversation in Spring Training.
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