The Minnesota Twins' pitchers and catchers reported to Fort Myers, Florida, on Thursday. The rest of the roster is already gearing up for the season as well, as today marks the first full-squad report day.
With Spring Training beginning, there are plenty of questions surrounding the Twins' roster that have yet to be answered, and probably won't be answered until the end of Spring Training. Nonetheless, I did my best to predict how the Opening Day roster will look.
Twins' 2026 Opening Day roster projection as Spring Training begins
Position Players
- C Ryan Jeffers
- C/1B Victor Caratini
Alex Jackson, whom Minnesota acquired from the Baltimore Orioles earlier in the offseason, is also an option to make the roster. But with the Caratini signing, it's likely the Twins trade or release Jackson, who is out of minor-league options, rather than carry three catchers.
- 1B Josh Bell
- 2B Luke Keaschall
- SS Brooks Lee
- 3B Royce Lewis
- UTL Kody Clemens
- UTL Ryan Kreidler
Kreidler isn't a slam-dunk to make the Twins' roster, but he seems to be the most likely option to be the Twins' backup shortstop to begin the season. Kreidler will compete with Tristan Gray and Orlando Arcia for the backup shortstop role.
- OF/DH Trevor Larnach
The fact that Larnach is still on the roster is a bit surprising, as he is about as average a hitter as you will see and a poor defender. He's also set to make $4.475 million this season, which is a lot for a team on a limited budget to spend for an average outfielder who may not start every day. But for now, it appears Larnach will begin the 2026 season as a Twin.
- OF/2B Austin Martin
- OF Byron Buxton
- OF Matt Wallner
- OF James Outman
Outman will likely compete with Alan Roden and Eric Wagaman for a roster spot. Outman is a stronger defender than the two and was once a Rookie of the Year finalist, giving the former Dodger the edge.
As far as the locks go, barring any trades or injuries, Bell, Keaschall, Lee, Lewis, Clemens, Martin, Buxton and Wallner are near certainties to make the Opening Day roster.
Starting Pitchers
- RHP Joe Ryan
- RHP Pablo López
- RHP Bailey Ober
- RHP Taj Bradley
- RHP Simeon Woods Richardson
Ryan, López and Ober will undoubtedly be on the Opening Day roster. And while Bradley and Woods Richardson have the best chance to claim the final two spots given their experience, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel are also potential rotation options. It's also possible the Twins move one or both of Abel and Matthews to the bullpen. Minnesota also could roll with a six-man rotation.
Relief pitchers
- RHP Cole Sands
- LHP Taylor Rogers
- RHP Justin Topa
- RHP Eric Orze
- LHP Anthony Banda
- RHP David Festa
- RHP Liam Hendriks
- LHP Andrew Chafin
The bullpen is the hardest area of the roster to predict. Sands, Rogers, Topa and Banda are all locks to make the Opening Day roster. Orze seems like a lock, too, but he has a minor-league option remaining, so the Twins could have him begin the season with Triple-A St. Paul. It seems Festa is better suited to be a reliever than a starter, so he has a good chance to make the Opening Day roster as a reliever, but the Twins also could have him begin the season with the Saints. Hendriks and Chafin are also solid options to start the season in the Twins' bullpen, given both of their past success at the big-league level.
This projected bullpen leaves Kody Funderburk off the roster. It seemed as if the lefty was a lock to make the bullpen until the Twins brought in lefties Rogers, Banda and Chafin. Regardless, Funderburk should be part of the big-league bullpen at some point in 2026, even if he isn't on Opening Day. Other bullpen options include Cody Laweryson, Travis Adams, Matt Bowman, Dan Altavilla and Grant Hartwig.