Yankees beat Twins in series opener at Target Field
Aaron Judge hit his first home run, a three-run shot, since returning from the injured list as the New York Yankees beat the Minnesota Twins 8-3 in the series opener of a three-game set at Target Field on Monday. The Yankees celebrated clinching a postseason berth in the visitors' clubhouse after the win. Technically, New York punched its ticket to the postseason when the Toronto Blue Jays lost 6-5 to the Detroit Tigers before the Yankees' victory.
With the loss, the Twins fell to 10 games below .500 with a 70-80 record. With 12 regular-season games remaining, Minnesota is seven games behind the Chicago White Sox for first place in the American League Central and 5 1/2 games behind the Cleveland Guardians for the final American League Wild Card spot. FanGraphs gives the Twins a 0.3% chance to make the playoffs.
There are still some positives to take away from Monday's loss. Dean Kremer had a strong start, allowing just one run on two hits and a walk while striking out five over 5 2/3 innings. Josh Bell collected two hits including a homer. Emmanuel Rodriguez hit a two-run triple and made a sliding catch.
Emmanuel Rodriguez is getting it done on offense AND defense!
— MLB Pipeline (@MLBPipeline) September 15, 2026
Minutes after lacing his first MLB triple, the @Twins' No. 5 prospect makes a sliding grab near the foul line. pic.twitter.com/FTGi8aGyox
Game 2 of the series between the Twins and Yankees will begin at 6:40 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. Left-hander Max Fried will start for New York, and right-hander Bailey Ober will start for Minnesota.
Twins OF Trevor Larnach dealing with wrist injury
Larnach underwent an MRI on his left wrist on Monday and was diagnosed with inflammation in the joint, according to MLB.com's Matthew Leach. The Twins haven't made a move involving Larnach yet, but Leach wrote that he is unlikely to play in the current series against the Yankees, which wraps up on Wednesday afternoon.
Kaelen Culpepper and Royce Lewis are also dealing with injuries. Per Leach, Culpepper could return Tuesday and Lewis isn't expected to miss extended time.
Twins SP Pablo López nominated for 2026 Roberto Clemente Award
López, who has been out all season after undergoing Tommy John surgery, has been nominated for the 2026 Roberto Clemente Award, MLB announced. Each MLB team has a nominee.
The award is presented each year to the player who "best represents the game through extraordinary character, community involvement, philanthropy and positive contributions, both on and off the field."
The winner will be selected by a blue-ribbon panel and will be honored during the 2026 World Series. The panel consists of representatives from the Commissioner’s Office, the National Baseball Hall of Fame, Roberto’s children (Enrique, Luis and Roberto Jr.), MLB-affiliated networks (MLB Network, FOX Sports, ESPN, NBC Sports, Netflix and TBS), Capital One and MLB.com.
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