Aaron Sabato thought his year was about to end in the minors. Instead, he got a call to the big leagues, and he had to scramble for the basics before making the trip.
During the final week of the minor league season, Sabato was out of the lineup for the Class AAA St. Paul Saints’ finale on Sunday and figured his time with the Twins was winding down. He was even planning to catch a flight to New Jersey to see his fiancée and other family members after the game in Columbus, Ohio.
Then manager Brian Dinkelman pulled him aside around the sixth inning and changed everything.
“He was like, ‘Well, you’re going to have to cancel your flight because you’re going to San Francisco,’” Sabato said. “I was just in shock.”
That kind of moment carried extra weight for Sabato, a first-round pick in the 2020 MLB draft who spent the last six seasons grinding through the minors. His path nearly went sideways after parts of four seasons from 2022-25 at Class AA Wichita, where he slipped out of prospect rankings, drifted from the Twins’ long-term plans and came close to being released before his bat finally woke up early in 2025.
“I just really started to believe in myself again,” Sabato said. “I made the adjustments.
I was starting to hit more pitches. I was starting to put the ball in play more and I started to feel awesome.”
Even after that turnaround, Sabato still had work to do to force his way onto the roster. He opened this season as a bench bat at Class AAA, picking up starts only when injuries opened the door. He took that chance and ran with it.
The 27-year-old first baseman from Rye Brook, N.Y., hit .273 with 25 homers, 29 doubles and 75 RBI in 113 games, while posting a .349 on-base percentage.
And the call-up came with its own chaos. Sabato had to borrow equipment from teammates after the sudden travel plans, another reminder that the big-league jump can arrive fast and with little warning.
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