Twins' latest spring training roster cuts shouldn't be gone for long

As expected, the Minnesota Twins had to slash their number of players on the spring training roster as we inch towards Opening Day. The latest sweep of cuts includes a pair of top prospects that fans shouldn't expect to be gone for long, though.

No. 4 Emmanuel Rodriguez and No. 5 Connor Prielipp were each part of the cuts this week, but don't get comfortable with them being away from the Twins for the entire 2026 campaign. These are two big league talents who are too good to remain in the minors for another full year.

Emmanuel Rodriguez, Connor Prielipp shouldn't be in Twins' minor leagues for long

Rodriguez, an outfielder, has a world of potential. He had a hot start to his spring training, and ultimately finished with a .421/.476/.842/1.318 slash line behind two doubles, two home runs, and eight hits in 11 games.

Rodriguez has big league power, but he is up against a ton of outfielders performing at Twins camp. If he continues mashing with Triple-A St. Paul, he should be seen at Target Field in no time.

And then there is Prielipp, who has leap-frogged into a Top 5 spot in the Twins' farm this season. He ran into some command issues this spring, walking six batters in 5.1 innings. But his stuff was there, just as it was in 2025. Prielipp is a strong strikeout southpaw, but he needs a little bit more tinkering before he is a big leaguer. At 25 years old, though, he is not too far away from graduating from the minor leagues. He didn't leave a great impression this spring, but he had flashes of what we can expect in the future. He struck out two batters in each of his three outings.

Prielipp is still projecting in the right direction. He may need a bit more time to get called up than Rodriguez, but Twins fans should still bank on his promotion in 2026. It's an exciting time. Hopefully, plenty of Minnesota's top prospects will get their opportunity this season.