Walker Jenkins made his highly-anticipated debut for the Minnesota Twins this weekend and the excitement is understandable. After picking up his first big league hit on Friday night and taking over center field while Byron Buxton is on the injured list, Twins fans will have big expectations for Jenkins in the final month of the season. But his promotion also put fellow top prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez in the spotlight.
The Twins No. 5 prospect according to MLB Pipeline, Rodriguez answered the bell in three games against the Toledo Mud Hens over the weekend, going 4-for-10 with a double, a home run and three walks in 13 plate appearances. Rodriguez also made an impact in the field, crashing into the wall for a sliding catch during the series finale on Sunday afternoon.
Hitting .264/.409/.528 with four homers, 10 RBI and four stolen bases in 15 games since returning from thumb surgery on Aug. 11, it’s clear that Rodriguez is trying to make up for lost time. But for a player whose future in Minnesota may be uncertain, he also may have gotten a much-needed lift after seeing his teammate get called up to the show.
Walker Jenkins’s call-up may be exactly what Emmanuel Rodriguez needed
Jenkins was considered a big part of the future when the Twins drafted him with the fifth overall pick in the 2023 draft, but it wasn’t hard to see Rodriguez playing next to him in the outfield.
Debuting as an 18-year-old in the Florida Complex League in 2021, Rodriguez broke out by hitting .272/.492/.551 with nine homers, 25 RBI and 11 stolen bases on 16 attempts in 47 games for Low-A Fort Myers in 2022. Rodriguez’s power and speed combination helped him debut on MLB Pipeline’s top prospect list at No. 88 prior to the 2023 season and he climbed as high as No. 37 entering the 2025 season according to Baseball Reference.
Through six minor league seasons, Rodriguez has continued to show potential with a combined batter’s line of .256/.424/.490 with 60 homers, 192 RBI and 66 stolen bases on 88 attempts in 344 games. But his injury history including a troublesome thumb has kept him from reaching the majors and it allowed the hierarchy in the outfield to leave him as a forgotten player.
Jenkins was the most notable of the group, passing through the Twins system like a super-prospect should. But the Twins added Alan Roden at last year’s trade deadline and Rodriguez watched as Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez began making an impact in St. Paul.
With the Twins trying to turn Luke Keaschall into an outfielder at the major league level, Rodriguez’s path to the majors appears blocked. But where Jenkins’s call-up could help him is that Rodriguez, who is out of minor league options entering next season, could play well enough over the last month to convince the Twins to overhaul their outfield this winter.
Emmanuel Rodriguez’s Twins future may be on the line in September
The first step to make this happen is to stay healthy, which is a big ask for a player who hasn’t played in over 100 games in a season during his professional career. The other step is to keep performing like he has with an overall line of .254/.414/.515 with 10 homers, 28 RBI and seven stolen bases on nine attempts in 40 games with the Saints this season.
Health may be out of Rodriguez’s control, but his performance could be key, especially after watching a fellow top prospect reach the major leagues. If Rodriguez hits like he has since coming back from his thumb injury, that could make the decision difficult and perhaps persuade them to trade Trevor Larnach, Roden or someone else this offseason to clear a roster spot for his arrival.
None of that happens if he doesn’t produce, however, and Jenkins may be on his way to bringing out the best in Rodriguez over the final month.
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