The Minnesota Twins optioned Alan Roden to make room for No. 1 prospect Walker Jenkins before Friday night's game against the Chicago White Sox. It was a smart move for Minnesota, as Jenkins has had a remarkable August with Triple-A St. Paul, slashing .411/.488/.795 (222 wRC+) with eight home runs, while Roden hit just .254/.333/.313 with Minnesota after being recalled on July 7.
However, underlying metrics reveal that Roden could be much better than his results suggest. In his short time with the Twins this year, Roden posted a .294 wOBA. Meanwhile, he posted a solid expected wOBA of .342.
With the Twins this year, Roden had a decent hard-hit rate of 40.7%, an expected batting average of .279 and a squared-up rate of 30.9%. The outfielder also had a strong 13.9% strikeout rate and 11.4% walk rate.
Roden mainly played right field for the Twins in his short time with the club this season, recording -3 Defensive Runs Saved over 166 innings at the position. He also recorded 16 innings at left field. Last season, Roden posted +3 DRS in 279 2/3 innings in left field.
Twins don't have room to give Alan Roden consistent playing time
Roden, 26, clearly has the potential to be a solid everyday left fielder. Unfortunately, there isn't room for him on the Twins' roster right now. Even with Buxton on the IL, the outfield is full with Walker Jenkins, Luke Keaschall and Trevor Larnach. Gabriel Gonzalez, whom the Twins called up as a corresponding move to placing Buxton on the IL, will likely start over Larnach against left-handers. Austin Martin has filled that role most of the season, but he's currently on the IL. Meanwhile, the designated hitter position is locked down by Josh Bell.
With rosters set to expand from 26 to 28 men in September, Roden could be one of the players added to Minnesota's big-league squad. But as long as the Twins are still in the postseason race, it's hard to imagine he would get much playing time. However, if Minnesota falls out of playoff contention in the next few weeks, which is very possible, the team may be more willing to give Roden more consistent playing time in the majors.
There doesn't appear to be much room for Roden on the big-league squad next year, either. The 2027 Twins outfield will likely consist of Buxton, Jenkins and Keaschall.
With Larnach set to be a free agent at the end of next season, and the Twins proving they are willing to move him by offering the outfielder to the Houston Astros for Brayan Abreu before the Aug. 3 deadline, it appears likely Larnach will be with a different team next year. Still, it'll be hard for the Twins to make room for Roden, as Emmanuel Rodriguez, Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez are all promising outfield prospects ready to play consistently in the majors. Due to their abundance of young outfielders, the Twins may look to shop Roden for pitching help in the offseason.
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