Projected Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster after Anthony DeSclafani and Jhoan Duran injuries
How will things look for the Twins after losing Anthony DeSclafani, Jhoan Duran, and Caleb Thielbar?
We haven't even reached Opening Day yet and the injury bug is already feasting on the Minnesota Twins.
On Monday the Twins announced that four pitchers would be hitting the IL to start the season: Anthony DeSclafani, Jhoan Duran, Caleb Thielbar, and Matt Canterino. There's already growing concern that DeSclafani's season is already over, although he's undergoing further testing to see exactly how bad things are.
It's not promising that we've already reached this phase, but the upside is that the Twins have a deep enough roster to navigate the beginning of the season.
Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster projection after Anthony DeSclafani injury
Twins Opening Day starting rotation
It could be argued that the starting rotation is the area most significantly impacted by the barrage of injuries, but the Twins have a pretty good contigency plan in place. Even before DeSclafani was potentially lost for the season, Louie Varland was giving him a run for his money as the fifth starter.
Now the role seems to be firmly his to lose, and based on what we've seen so far that might not end up happening.
Varland has been lights out so far this spring, posting a 0.640 WHIP while striking out 11 batters and allowing zero runs on six hits across 11 innings of work. We saw him begin to take some steps last year, specifically after he returned to the MLB roster and came out of the bullpen, but it appears he's starting to turn a corner.
Pitcher | Throws |
|---|---|
Pablo Lopez | RHP |
Joe Ryan | RHP |
Bailey Ober | RHP |
Chris Paddack | RHP |
Louie Varland | RHP |
Just Missed The Cut:
- David Festa
- Simeon Woods Richardson
Previous projections had four potential starters vying for a roster spot, but injuries have shurnk that list considerably. Matt Canterino is starting the season on the IL as well, which leaves rookies David Festa and Simeon Woods Richardson as the only other guys in the pipeline.
Twins Opening Day bullpen
While losing Anthony DeSclafani isn't ideal, the slew of injuries have made things a little trickier out in the bullpen.
Jhoan Duran is the biggest loss, as the Twins will be without their closer for the first few series of the season. Losing Caleb Thielbar also eats into Minnesota's stout trio of setup guys, which means Griffin Jax is going to get leaned on a lot to start the year out.
The good news is that the Twins already have a top-rated bullpen, and a deep one at that. The depth will certainly be tested, but the fact that there are plenty of ways to sort things out while Duran and Thielbar get heathly is already some silver lining.
Jax will likely slide into the closer role, with Jorge Alcalá getting some setup work alongside Jay Jackson and Brock Stewart. Kody Funderburk is also moving into a prominent role right away, and Josh Staumont will be there to get some work as well.
Of course, the shiniest addition to the bullpen -- Justin Topa -- is already starting to look even better than he already did. With the Twins' depth getting tested so early, it could be that Topa starts to pay off even sooner than we all expected him to.
Pitcher | Throws |
|---|---|
Griffin Jax | RHP |
Josh Staumont | RHP |
Kody Funderburk | LHP |
Steven Okert | LHP |
Justin Topa | RHP |
Jorge Alcala | RHP |
Jay Jackson | RHP |
Brock Stewart | RHP |
Just Missed The Cut:
- Brent Headrick
- Cole Sands
Some more silver lining to the situation is how we will get to see the bullpen depth on full display and be able to stow it away for later. Two guys will end up going back to St. Paul when Duran and Thielbar are healthy, which will be another testament to just how deeply talented the bullpen is this year.
Twins Opening Day infield
Minnesota's infield might be the one area of the roster not impacted by the recent rash of injuries. While it created three roster spots, there really isn't much of a question about how things will look. The only loose thread was Jose Miranda, who seemed to be playing his way into potential contention for a roster spot after a rough season last year.
Instead, he'll start the season at Triple-A and continue to home his skills. There might have been a place for him as corner infield depth, especially with questions about Alex Kirilloff's health as Opening Day nears. The good news there is that despite all of the injury announcements we didn't hear anything about Kirilloff, and that seemed like when we would.
Miranda could slide behind Royce Lewis at third base, but it seems the combo of Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro will hold things down there. The same goes for depth behind Carlos Correa and Edouard Julien, with Carlos Santana in line to start the season at first base while Kirilloff is the designated hitter.
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 |
Just Missed The Cut:
- Jose Miranda, 1B/3B
- Brooks Lee, 2B/3B
Brooks Lee was also fighting for a roster spot but there are even more hoops that need to be jumped through to make that happen. He seems to be second-in-line out of position players looking to get called up, and the Twins would also need to clear a 40-man roster spot for him as well.
That will eventually happen, but it'll take an injury to a position player, not a pitcher, for that to be a conversation.
Twins Opening Day outfield
Logic would suggest that the Twins will use all three open roster spots on pitchers, but there's a wild card scenario to consider. Austin Martin was once in line to make his debut on Opening Day, but plans changed when Minnesota acquired Manuel Margot to serve as insurance behind Byron Buxton.
That policy is already being tested, as Buxton was scratched from the lineup on Monday with lower back tightness which means we're already dealing with an injury scare before the season has even started. The team deemed it a 'minor' injury, but the fact remains that he'll need as much support in working his way back as possible.
Using one of the roster spots on Martin could add even more depth behind Buxton but also give the Twins another platoon option at multiple positions. Martin can play second base, allowing Edouard Julien to either move over to first or DH, which gives him a role even if Buxton or Margot are in center.
Player | Position |
|---|---|
Byron Buxton | CF |
Matt Wallner | LF |
Max Kepler | RF |
Manuel Margot | OF |
Willi Castro | INF/OF |
Just Missed The Cut:
- Austin Martin, OF/INF
It would mean carrying only seven relievers, which might not be an even trade off, but doing so to allow for Martin to make the roster and provide positional depth might be worth it. The situation is a long shot, and a bit of a stretch, but there is at least a sliver of light coming through a barely cracked open door that leads to Martin making the Opening Day roster after all.
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