The Twins are running out of season and running through options, and not every answer has to come from the major-league clubhouse. Walker Jenkins is the headliner in St. Paul, but he isn’t the only Triple-A player who could force his way into Minnesota’s plans down the stretch.
There are a few different paths to a call-up here: an injury, a matchup, a need for flexibility, or just the simple reality that a roster spot opens up and somebody has to fill it. With that in mind, four Saints stand out.
Matt Wallner is the most obvious power play. His long-term fit in the organization may be fading, but the bat still plays.
Wallner just set a new single-season home run record for St. Paul with 23 homers, and he’s done it while posting a 135 wRC+.
That kind of pop is always going to have a place somewhere, even if the Twins don’t have a clean everyday role waiting for him. The biggest obstacle is the current roster construction, since Minnesota doesn’t exactly need another left-handed hitter.
Still, injuries can rewrite those needs fast. Wallner is already on the 40-man roster, which makes the path a little smoother if the Twins decide they want one more look at his power in a big-league uniform.
Gabriel Gonzalez is a different kind of case. His stock has slipped after a breakout 2025 season that earned him Twins Daily’s Minor League Hitter of the Year, and his overall Triple-A line hasn’t matched the hype from a year ago.
He’s sitting on a .753 OPS for the season. But August has looked much better.
In his first 12 games of the month, Gonzalez has put up a 1.054 OPS with four home runs. Even more notable, he has six walks and only three strikeouts in that stretch.
The Twins could eventually be looking for another right-handed bench bat, and Gonzalez at least has the kind of offensive upside that makes that conversation worth having.
Ben Ross brings a different selling point entirely. If Minnesota wants a player who can move around and keep the roster flexible, Ross fits that lane.
He’s a right-handed hitter like Gonzalez, but his defensive versatility gives him a broader case for a playoff push. He’s also produced at the plate all season, with a .917 OPS, and he’s been especially sharp against left-handed pitching, where he owns a 1.003 OPS.
That mix of utility and offense can be valuable in the final month, especially when a team is looking less for another regular and more for someone who can help create better matchup options.
Then there’s Marco Raya, who could become part of the conversation if the bullpen needs another arm. Minnesota’s relief group has been better lately, but no club gets through a stretch run without leaning on depth.
Raya’s first season as a full-time reliever has been uneven, though the strikeout ability is still there with a 25.6 K%. The run prevention hasn’t always followed, as reflected in his 5.88 FIP, and he’s also been less effective when asked to cover multiple innings.
That could actually point toward a simpler major-league role: one inning, one trip, attack and go. It’s not a guarantee, but it may give him a better shot to succeed if the Twins need another bullpen piece.
None of these four has to be the next move, and that’s exactly why this is worth watching. Wallner offers power and familiarity.
Gonzalez is flashing signs of a rebound. Ross gives Minnesota a versatile right-handed option.
Raya could help if the bullpen gets stretched again. And all of that sits behind Jenkins, the name drawing the loudest attention in St.
Paul. The Twins have choices, and the final weeks will tell them which ones matter most.
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Bradley lasted 6.2 innings and finished with 11 strikeouts, giving Minnesota the sort of steady, swing-and-miss presence it has been leaning on since the All-Star break. He was acquired before the 2025 deadline and has quickly settled in as the clubs most reliable starter in that stretch, which is exactly why outings like this one carry extra weight. The results were not flawless, but the stuff was loud enough to keep the Twins thinking they may have found something real. [Read more 🡒]