Aaron Sabato is doing everything he can to force his way back onto the radar, but the path back to Minnesota still looks blocked.
The Twins took Sabato in the first round of the 2020 MLB Draft out of the University of North Carolina, and he’s now 27 and still grinding away in the minors more than six years later. For a while, the pick looked like a miss. Sabato ran a sub-.800 OPS every year from 2021-23, then followed that with a rough .653 OPS at Double-A Wichita in 2024.
This season, though, he’s finally looked like the hitter Minnesota hoped it was getting. Sabato has hit .283/.363/.551 with 21 home runs, 27 doubles and 66 RBI in 95 games for Triple-A St.
Paul. He also got things going at Wichita earlier in 2025, putting up a .973 OPS in 39 games before earning the promotion to the Saints.
His .741 OPS in 65 games with St. Paul last season wasn’t eye-popping, but it was a clear step up from his 2024 production.
Even with that rebound, the Twins still don’t appear to have a long-term lane for him. Minnesota could give Sabato a look in the majors later in September if the club slips out of postseason contention, but it’s hard to see him sticking as a starter beyond this year.
The strikeout rate is part of the issue. Sabato has fanned in 24.0% of his plate appearances this season, and that number would likely climb against big-league pitching.
The roster picture doesn’t help either. The Twins seem set at first base with Royce Lewis, and even though Lewis can play second, Minnesota will likely want to carve out room for highly regarded shortstop prospect Marek Houston next year. That would probably push Kaelen Culpepper to second base, with Brooks Lee handling third.
There’s also the designated hitter spot, but that doesn’t look like an obvious opening either. The Twins are expected to roll with Byron Buxton, Walker Jenkins and Luke Keaschall in the outfield next year, while highly touted outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez will be out of options.
Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez also seem to have higher ceilings than Sabato and should be in the mix for big-league jobs next season. Gonzalez even appeared in a game with the Twins earlier this year before spending the rest of the season with St.
Paul.
So while Sabato’s bat has finally come alive, the Twins’ depth chart suggests the best thing for him may be a fresh start somewhere else. A club that isn’t built to win right away and has a hole at first base could be willing to take a shot on the former first-round pick.
In Other News...
Twins Just Gave Up On A Once-Intriguing Arm For Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins is headed back onto the Twins active roster after Minnesota selected the outfielders contract and sent Alan Roden to Triple-A St. Paul to make room. It is another sign of how aggressively the club is trying to manage its young talent, especially with Jenkins drawing enough attention to earn a major league look again.
The move also cost Woo-Suk Go his spot on the 40-man roster after the right-hander was designated for assignment following control issues in St. Paul. Go had already made his big league debut with Minnesota after arriving from the Tigers, and now his future hinges on waivers, with a possible free-agent decision waiting if he gets through. [Read more 🡒]
Blue Jays May Be About To Lose A Former Top Prospect
A roster move out of Toronto has put a familiar name in limbo, and it may not stay a Blue Jays issue for long. The club recalled right-hander CJ Van Eyk and designated Simeon Woods Richardson for assignment, a sign of how quickly the pitching picture can change when a former top prospect is running out of runway. Woods Richardson has struggled lately, and the move clears a spot while also forcing the organization to confront a tough decision on a pitcher once viewed as part of the future.
Because Woods Richardson is out of minor league options, the next step is more complicated than a routine shuffle. He will have to pass through waivers, and any team that claims him would need to keep him on a major league roster, which is why a number of clubs with pitching needs will at least have to take a look. If he goes unclaimed, free agency becomes the fallback, leaving Toronto with another reminder of how thin the margin can be for young arms still trying to establish themselves. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Starter Is Back In Roster Limbo Again
Simeon Woods Richardson is back in an all-too-familiar spot after the Blue Jays designated the former Twins starter for assignment, a move that once again leaves his immediate big-league future unsettled. The right-hander had worked out of Torontos bullpen this season, making eight relief appearances and logging a 3.93 ERA over 18.1 innings, a brief stretch that kept him on the roster but never fully settled his role.
For Minnesota fans, it is another reminder of a pitcher whose career has already taken plenty of turns since he was originally drafted by the Mets and later spent time with the Twins before heading back to Toronto. Now the question is whether another team sees enough in his arm to claim him, or whether he is headed into another round of roster limbo while the Blue Jays sort out their next move. [Read more 🡒]