The Twins moved on from Kyler Fedko on Monday, designating the outfielder for assignment as they continued to shape their September roster. His spot on the 40-man roster now belongs to infielder Ben Ross, whose promotion from Triple-A St.
Paul had already been reported and is now official. Minnesota also brought up right-hander Garrett Acton from Triple-A, completing the club’s first two September call-ups.
Fedko’s brief major league run came earlier this summer, when Minnesota gave the 26-year-old his first shot in the big leagues. He appeared in 14 games, mostly as a late-inning sub on the bases or in the field, and the results at the plate were rough: 19 plate appearances, no hits in 16 official at-bats, and eight strikeouts.
That line doesn’t tell the whole story of how far Fedko has come. A 12th-round pick by Minnesota in 2021, he has had to fight for every step.
As he told Dan Hayes of The Athletic back in June, there were moments when his career looked like it might be slipping away. He had been transferred to the development list twice in the minors and was even sent back down to High-A, where he had been used as a reserve.
Getting to the majors may have been a struggle, but not long ago it seemed out of reach entirely.
Fedko’s path got a lot more interesting after the Twins’ player development staff pushed him to remake his swing and his approach. He had been a contact-oriented hitter in college at the University of Connecticut and carried that style into pro ball, but he wasn’t producing the kind of power a corner outfielder needs in a system packed with talent at those spots. The overhaul paid off last year, when he hit 28 minor league homers across Double-A and Triple-A.
Over parts of two Triple-A seasons, Fedko has put together a .272/.358/.519 line with 25 homers and 22 steals in 117 games. The underlying batted-ball numbers haven’t exactly screamed breakout - roughly 88 mph average exit velocity and a 40% hard-hit rate - but the production itself has been hard to ignore.
Now comes the hardest part. Fedko tore his ACL, LCL and MCL on an outfield play in early August, an injury that required surgery and will keep him out for a significant stretch while he recovers.
The Twins’ outfield depth also leaves little room for him right now. Byron Buxton has center field locked up.
Walker Jenkins, one of the top 10 prospects in the sport, just made his debut. Emmanuel Rodriguez, a top-100 prospect, has battled injuries but keeps hitting when healthy.
Luke Keaschall has shifted from second base to the outfield and has erupted at the plate over the last two months, posting a .318/.418/.500 line. And Minnesota already has Trevor Larnach, Alan Roden, Austin Martin, Matt Wallner, Gabriel Gonzalez and Hendry Mendez on the 40-man roster.
Because injured players can’t be placed on outright waivers, Fedko will be released. Another club could still weigh him in free agency or on release waivers, though players in this situation often end up back with their original organization.
In Other News...
Twins September Call-Ups Raise A Bigger Question About This Playoff Push
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For a club still hanging around the postseason race, the moves fit the moment: protect the pitching staff, widen the bench and give the lineup a few more ways to tilt an inning. What makes the call-ups more interesting is what they suggest about how the Twins want to navigate the final weeks, with bullpen depth and platoon flexibility taking on a little extra weight as the games get bigger. [Read more 🡒]
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What makes the chase even more interesting from a Minnesota perspective is that this has become more than a one-player feat. The Saints now have 12 players with at least 10 home runs, a spread-out attack that has kept the lineup dangerous all season and left them within reach of the all-time minor league single-season home run mark held by El Paso. For a Twins organization that values depth and internal options, this kind of production is hard to ignore. [Read more 🡒]
Byron Buxtons Latest Setback Carries A Much Bigger Twins Concern
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The issue itself is more than a routine ache, involving excessive bone growth near the hip joint that can limit motion and bring real pain. Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll has already signaled that surgery is part of the conversation if conservative treatment does not get the job done, which raises a far bigger question than Buxtons current absence and could even put his availability for the 2027 season in play. [Read more 🡒]