Matt Wallner’s season with the St. Paul Saints has followed a familiar path in 2026: a rough start with the Minnesota Twins, an option to the minors before Memorial Day, and no return to the majors since.
He and former teammate Jose Miranda were both sitting at .167 when the Twins sent them down, but Wallner’s time in St. Paul has gone differently than Miranda’s.
The Forest Lake native has found some strong stretches with the Saints, and Wednesday night brought another one of those moments in a 5-4 walk-off win over Syracuse.
With the bases loaded, one out, and a 1-2 count, Wallner worked a walk to bring home Emmanuel Rodriguez and end the game. The crowd may have been waiting for a thunderous swing, but the bases-loaded walk still delivered the finish the Saints needed.
“I think I’m just trying to finish strong, honestly,” Wallner said after Wednesday’s game. “The little things like that definitely help, so it keeps your momentum going. I’m just looking to finish the year strong, and I feel like I’ve done my best for the most part, so I’m just happy with that.”
“He’s a great hitter, and he can do so many things well,” said Saints outfielder Alan Roden on Wallner’s walk, “so it’s not surprising he came through in that situation.”
Wallner’s road back has included plenty of ups and downs since the Twins optioned him to St. Paul on May 14.
He needed time to settle in, going 8-for-40 over his first 10 games. Then everything clicked for a while.
From May 27 through the end of June, he posted a .306/.395/.676 line with 12 home runs, 31 RBI, and 26 runs scored in 27 games.
His power kept showing up in July, too. Wallner added seven more homers, drove in 18 runs, and hit .288/.391/.603 across 87 plate appearances. But when Byron Buxton landed on the injured list in July and the Twins passed on Wallner twice, his future in Minnesota started to look a lot less certain.
“He’s been a pro about it,” said Saints manager Brian Dinkelman. “I think he understands where he’s at in his career with this organization.
He continues to work every day, be ready to play all the time. I think he just wants to put himself out there to get another opportunity, whether it’s here or somewhere else next year to get another big league chance.”
Wallner has kept working toward that next chance, even if it comes with another organization. He’s been in regular contact with Saints hitting coach Shawn Schlechter, continuing the swing work that has been a theme all year.
“I think the latter is probably what’s going to happen, so just trying to keep going on my end, and whatever presents itself, it does so,” Wallner said, suggesting he may be playing with another organization next season. “But again, I think going back to finishing the year strong and having confidence going into the off-season will help.”
“Right now he’s just trying to find something a little bit more consistent that it feels like it will create consistent success at the next level,” said Schlechter. “I think that’s just ultimately come down to being able to control his lower half, being able to control the leg kick, cut down some of the excess movement, and so that’s something we’ve worked through all year.”
Since Aug. 1, Wallner’s numbers have cooled.
He has five home runs, 15 RBI, and a .207/.373/.413 slash line over that stretch. Even so, his 18.6% walk rate across 118 plate appearances, capped by Wednesday’s walk-off walk, has kept him in the place he wants to be over the Saints’ final 10 games.
Wallner has also leaned on the people around him. Schlechter helped him make swing fixes when he was sent down in 2024, and the Saints’ clubhouse has given him a steady environment during a difficult stretch. That support has mattered to Wallner, especially as he works toward whatever comes next.
“They’ve been great, all of them,” Wallner said. “And working with familiar faces always helps. That’s definitely been helpful, and I’ve been thankful for them, and they’ve made this year the best possible.”
“We’ve seen glimmers of the Matt Wallner that everyone is screaming for to give him another chance, and we’ve also seen some inconsistencies there,” said Schlechter. “He’s a pro, and he works through it really well, and when we see him at his best, he’s a guy that can change the game in one swing, and we’ve seen that pretty consistently from him so far this year.”
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