The Twins are off Thursday, but their weekend trip to San Diego still gives a few familiar names a spotlight. Minnesota opens a three-game set against the Padres at Petco Park on Friday at 8:40 p.m. CDT, and while that series gets rolling, it’s worth checking in on three former Twins who are now trying to carve out roles elsewhere.
Max Kepler is the most recent of the group to move on. After spending parts of 10 seasons with Minnesota, he landed with the Arizona Diamondbacks in June following an 80-game PED suspension.
Arizona brought him up on June 25, and the outfielder has had a mixed run since. In 35 games with the Diamondbacks, Kepler has hit .216/.282/.333 with two home runs and 15 RBI, and he has played only left field.
There have been signs of life lately, though, with four hits in his last 14 at-bats.
That matters because Arizona is still right in the thick of the National League Wild Card race. The Diamondbacks are one game back of the Padres for the final spot, which gives Minnesota a little indirect stake in this weekend’s action. If Arizona does get into the postseason, Kepler would be ineligible for the playoff roster because of the suspension.
Willi Castro’s path has been a little different. The Twins dealt him to the Cubs at last season’s trade deadline, and after a rough .485 OPS in 34 games with Chicago, he still found a strong market over the winter.
Colorado signed the utilityman to a two-year, $12.8 million deal, and he’s put together a productive season overall. In 109 games with the Rockies, Castro is batting .264/.335/.425 with 14 home runs, 18 doubles and 52 RBI.
His value goes beyond the box score, too. Castro has logged innings at first base, second base, third base, shortstop, left field and center field for Colorado.
The bat has come and gone at times, but the second half has been especially loud: before the All-Star break, he had a .709 OPS with seven home runs, and since then he’s slashed .276/.345/.561 with seven home runs. There’s also a split worth noting - an .858 OPS at Coors Field and a .668 OPS on the road - and if the hot streak keeps going, he could become an offseason trade chip.
Then there’s Caleb Thielbar, the 39-year-old Minnesota native who is still grinding in the majors. He re-signed with the Cubs on a one-year, $4.5 million contract over the winter.
Thielbar was excellent in 2025, finishing with a 2.64 ERA over 58 innings, but this season has gone the other way. In 2026, he has a 5.35 ERA, a 1.32 WHIP and 47 strikeouts across 38 2/3 innings with Chicago.
In Other News...
Twins Deadline Pitching Haul Is Already Changing The Playoff Picture
The Twins went into the trade deadline looking for help on the mound, and the front office came away with a full pitching makeover. A.J. Minter, Tommy Nance, Jeff Hoffman and Dean Kremer all arrived in separate moves around the deadline, and each has already found a role in the reshaped staff. Kremer has given Minnesota a steadier look in the rotation, while the three relievers have helped deepen a bullpen that needed more trustworthy innings.
What makes the haul stand out is how quickly the pieces have fit. The Twins did not just add arms for the sake of depth, they added pitchers who have already changed the way the staff is functioning from one night to the next. Minter, Nance and Hoffman have each given the club stronger work in relief, and Kremer has helped calm things down at the front of games, leaving Minnesota with a much different pitching profile as the playoff race tightens. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Fan Favorite Suffers Another Brutal Mets Setback
Jorge Polancos first season with the Mets has taken another hard turn, and it comes after a winter in which New York tried to reshape the roster around bigger expectations. The former Twins fan favorite signed a two-year, $40 million deal to join a club that hoped his switch-hitting bat and steady presence would help push it forward, but instead the season has been defined by disruption and frustration.
Polanco has already landed on the injured list twice, and his latest setback is left ankle bursitis that required surgery and will end his season. For a Mets team sitting last in the National League East at 58-70, it is one more blow in a year where little has gone according to plan, and for Minnesota fans still tracking one of their own, it adds another rough chapter to a difficult reunion. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Top Prospect Is Already Forcing One Big Question
Kaelen Culpeppers first two weeks in the majors have given the Twins a little of everything to weigh. Called up on Aug. 7, the top prospect has already flashed the kind of bat speed and power that made him such an intriguing arrival, with a handful of extra-base hits to his name and enough hard contact to suggest the ceiling is real. For a Minnesota club that has spent plenty of time thinking about the next wave, Culpepper has made it clear he belongs in the conversation sooner rather than later.
The harder question is how quickly the rest of his game catches up. His plate discipline still needs work, with a chase rate that points to the usual rookie growing pains and a strikeout-to-walk profile that shows there is room for refinement. Shortstop has been its own test, too, as he adjusts to big-league speed and angles, even if his confidence at the plate has started to improve over his last seven games. For the Twins, the intrigue is no longer whether Culpepper can impact the roster, but how much patience they should have while he figures out the details. [Read more 🡒]