Twins' return from Louis Varland trade impresses vs. Braves in spring training

It may only be spring training, but powerful performances are still always fun to see and could indicate strong seasons on the horizon.

The two players the Minnesota Twins received from the Toronto Blue Jays in the Louis Varland (and Ty France) trade, outfielder Alan Roden and left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas, helped carry the Twins to an 8-1 victory over the Atlanta Braves at CoolToday Park in North Port, Florida, on Sunday, marking Minnesota's first win of the Grapefruit League season.

Twins' return from Louis Varland trade put on strong performance against Braves en route to Minnesota's first Grapefruit League victory of 2026

Roden collected a hard-hit ground-ball single up the middle during his second at-bat of the game in the fourth inning, then pulled a fastball up in the zone from righty Javy Guerra for a grand slam in the sixth inning, giving Minnesota a 5-1 lead.

Roden, who went 6-for-38 with one homer and one double with Minnesota last season, isn't guaranteed to make Minnesota's Opening Day roster, so his strong start to spring training is a big confidence booster for the former Blue Jay. He's likely competing with outfielder James Outman, whom the Twins acquired for right-handed reliever Brock Stewart at last season's Trade Deadline, for a roster spot. But even if Roden, who landed on the IL with a left thumb strain in mid-August and missed the remainder of the 2025 season, doesn't crack the Opening Day roster, he should be back in the majors at some point during the 2026 campaign.

Rojas collected the win in the Twins' 8-1 victory over the Braves, hurling two perfect innings of relief while collecting three strikeouts. Rojas struggled after joining the Twins organization, posting a 6.59 ERA in 27 1/3 innings across eight starts with Triple-A St. Paul, so it's nice to see him start spring training hot.

For now, it appears Rojas won't make the Twins' Opening Day roster, but there's a good chance fans will see him in the majors at some point in 2026. With Pablo López scheduled to undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery this week, just one or two more starting pitching injuries could open up a spot for Rojas.

Sunday was a great day for numerous Twins. Taj Bradley allowed just one run in three innings while collecting three strikeouts. Kody Funderburk, Eric Orze, Matt Bowman and Logan Whitaker each pitched a scoreless inning as well.

As for the offense, outfielder Trevor Larnach collected a single and a walk, catcher Victor Caratini and utilityman Eric Wagaman each had their first hit in a Twins uniform, Outman walked twice, outfielder Gabriel Gonzalez hit a double, and highly-touted outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodríguez hit a two-run homer.

The Twins are scheduled to play the Detroit Tigers at Joker Marchant Stadium in Lakeland, Florida, at 12:05 p.m. CST on Monday. The game will not be available to stream on Twins.TV.