Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster projection after Justin Topa injury
How will things look after the Twins lose yet another pitcher ahead of Opening Day?
Te hits just keep on coming for the Minnesota Twins. Last week started with some rough injury news and fans had to deal with some more before the weekend was over.
Justin Topa, who was a centerpiece of the Jorge Polanco trade, is going to start the season on the IL. He’s the fourth Twins pitcher who won’t be healthy when the season starts, as he joins Jhoan Duran and Caleb Thielbar as injured relievers.
Anthony DeSclafani, who was also acquired from the Mariners in the Polanco deal, is feared to have suffered a season-ending injury. It’s a total mess for Minnesota and Opening Day is still on the horizon, although it grows closer with each passing day.
When it arrives, what will the 26-man roster look like after the barrage of injuries the team has been forced to deal with?
Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster projection after Justin Topa injury
Projected Minnesota Twins Opening Day Starting Rotation
Injuries have already hit the starting rotation, with Anthony DeSclafani likely needing season-ending surgery. We’ll see if that ends up happening, but even if a worst case scenario is avoided he’s going to start the season on the IL and need to be replaced.
That’s where Louie Varland comes into play in a big way. He had a tremendous spring, aside from one bad start against Detroit, which sets him up for a huge opportunity. Varland will begin the season as Minnesota’s fifth starter, but he’s in a position to potentially pitch his way into a permanent spot in the rotation.
If he can channel the zero runs allowed, 0.640 WHIP, and 11 strikeouts he posted before his bad start against the Tigers then there’s a good chance he takes the sort of step forward the Twins need him to.
Pitcher | Throws |
|---|---|
Pablo Lopez | RHP |
Joe Ryan | RHP |
Bailey Ober | RHP |
Chris Paddack | RHP |
Louie Varland | RHP |
Projected Minnesota Twins Opening Day Bullpen
Losing Topa is a blow not only because it takes a key arm out of the mix but it takes away the crutch we were all leaning on while coping with other injuries.
Both Caleb Thielbar and Jhoan Duran will start the season on the IL, but knowing that Topa would be there helped soothe the pain. Without all three, the Twins top-rated bullpen is going to have its depth tested right away.
Kody Funderburk was in line to get a 26-man roster spot after the Twins lost Thielbar and Duran, but now the team needs to dip even deeper into Triple-A to find more arms. Cole Sands is the likeliest name to get called, unless the Twins decide to look for outside help — something that appeared to be happening with Jesse Chavez until reports of a deal were retracted.
Pitcher | Throws |
|---|---|
Griffin Jax | RHP |
Josh Staumont | RHP |
Kody Funderburk | LHP |
Steven Okert | LHP |
Cole Sands | RHP |
Jorge Alcala | RHP |
Jay Jackson | RHP |
Brock Stewart | RHP |
Minnesota had a top-rated bullpen just a week ago, but now the unit is going to be put to the test while being stretched incredibly thin right out of the gate.
Projected Minnesota Twins Opening Day Infield
Things are a little more calm — and predictable — outside of the pitching situation.
Minnesota’s infield seems to have been locked in for almost the entire duration of Spring Training. Baring an injury things were pretty much set across the board, although first base remains a bit of a question mark.
The Twins signed Carlos Santana to add some power, but also to platoon with Alex Kirilloff much in the same way Donovan Solano split time with him there last season. Kirilloff is once again coming off surgery and it’s unclear when he’ll be healthy enough to take over everyday duties.
Until then, the Twins will likely cycle through a rotation that also includes Edouard Julien and Kyle Farmer at first. We saw Julien soft launched at first base late last season, but it would give the team another way to keep his bat in the lineup.
That will be key for when Brooks Lee gets called up, as the expectation is that he can play second base and provide a better defensive option while Julien either plaeyrs first or gets into the lineup as the DH.
Lee isn’t in the picture for Opeing Day, but the lineup is still pretty fantastic even without him. An infield of Santana/Kirilloff at first, Julien at second, with Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis on the left side is about as great as we’ve seen the Twins be in recent years.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Carlos Santana | 1B/DH |
Alex Kirilloff | 1B/DH |
Edouard Julien | 2B/DH |
Carlos Correa | SS |
Royce Lewis | 3B |
Ryan Jeffers | C |
Christian Vazquez | C |
Kyle Farmer | INF |
Farmer came back on a $6 million deal, which effectively acted as a free agent signing even though it was an arbitration deal. He’ll be the utility glue in the infield, especially after the team traded Nick Gordon to the Marlins to add what turned out to be much-needed bullpen depth.
Projected Minnesota Twins Opening Day Outfield
So much hinges on the health of Byron Buxton this season, not just the outfield situation.
Last year he didn’t play a single inning in the field, and already we’ve dealt with an injury scare before the season has even started. Buxton says he’s back, but whether or not his body holds up is the seven-figure question.
His inability ot stay consistently healthy is why the Twins traded for Manuel Margot and have Austin Martin ready to get called up from St. Paul. Ideally Buxton plays more games in center than we’ve seen him play the last two seasons, but we all know how much easier said than done that is.
Max Kepler never ended up getting traded, despite rampant rumors all winter, which has turned out to be a blessing. Minnesota has its corner outfield situation pretty much set between Kepler and Matt Wallner, with Willi Castro projected to provide some depth behind them.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Byron Buxton | CF |
Matt Wallner | LF |
Max Kepler | RF |
Manuel Margot | OF |
Willi Castro | INF/OF |
It would have been nice to see the Twins add another corner outfielder in free agency, but the market was pretty thin. There’s also the frugalness of the franchise to deal with, which would suggest any assistance that comes to the outfield group will come from within, whether it be Martin or someone like Trevor Larnach.
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