The Twins’ minor-league season is done, but the evaluation hasn’t stopped. With just a handful of chances left before winter, Minnesota is still sorting out who deserves a bigger role, who needs more polish, and who might be on the edge of the 40-man roster.
Kala'i Rosario is making that decision harder in the best way. The St.
Paul outfielder, once the top prospect in Hawaii before the shortened 2020 MLB Draft pushed him to the fifth round, has kept giving the Twins reasons to believe. He won Midwest League MVP honors, tied for the Arizona Fall League home run lead in 2023 and then kept his bat moving last season, when he spent the full year at Double-A and posted an .844 OPS with a 131 wRC+ across 130 games.
This week in St. Paul, Rosario went 5-for-21 in five games with a double, two home runs, four RBIs, one walk and three runs scored.
He finished with an .844 OPS during that stretch. The more meaningful number may be what he’s done since arriving in Triple-A near the start of August: a .604 slugging percentage, a .923 OPS and 10 home runs in 30 games.
That kind of finish matters because the Twins have to add him to the 40-man roster this offseason to keep him out of the Rule 5 Draft.
Kendry Rojas is pushing a different kind of case. Minnesota got the left-hander from Toronto in last season’s Louis Varland trade, banking on a starter’s upside after he climbed through the Blue Jays’ system following his 2021 signing. The first look at Triple-A was rocky, but he was only 22 and facing some of the toughest hitters he’d seen.
The Twins sent Rojas back to Triple-A for the 2026 season, and he has shown more there while also getting a chance to help the big club in a multi-inning role. He already made 12 appearances for Minnesota earlier this season, including four starts.
This week, he made two starts for St. Paul, though neither lasted long.
Across four scoreless innings, he allowed one hit and two walks while striking out four. Those shorter outings came as he worked back from an oblique injury.
There’s still a chance he gets another big-league look before the season ends, especially after Minnesota used Bailey Ober to close out a win over the Angels on Sunday, a move that suggested the team is willing to loosen the usual rules for the final stretch. Even with the bullpen work, the Twins still see Rojas as a possible starter down the line. For now, the appeal is obvious: he can keep developing as a starter while also learning how his stuff plays in shorter, higher-leverage bursts.
Kyle DeBarge is headed into a different kind of offseason conversation. The 33rd overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Louisiana-Lafayette, he spent a full year at Double-A and lived through the usual ups and downs that come with the level.
The production was uneven, but there were still plenty of signs the Twins have something to work with. He hit 12 home runs, scored 73 runs and stole 41 bases while playing four different positions.
The batting line was modest - .221 with a .325 on-base percentage and a .677 OPS - but DeBarge’s value has never been tied to one lane. He spent most of his time at second base, saw action at shortstop and filled in elsewhere, giving Minnesota another athletic, movable piece.
He closed his Double-A season by stretching his on-base streak to nine games and picking up his 27th multi-hit game. The overall offensive step forward just hasn’t come yet; he finished with a 76 wRC+, 30 points below his High-A mark from last season.
Still, the Twins aren’t backing away from him. DeBarge is one of the more notable names headed to the Arizona Fall League, where he’ll get another shot to sharpen different parts of his game.
That’s the theme for Minnesota right now. Rosario is trying to force a roster decision.
Rojas is showing he might fit in more than one pitching role. DeBarge still has the tools and versatility that make him interesting, even if the bat needs to catch up.
The Fall League will give all of them one more stage before spring training brings the next round of answers.
In Other News...
Twins Win Ends With The News Fans Were Dreading
Alan Roden gave the Twins plenty to smile about on the field, launching a three-run homer and finishing with four RBIs in an 8-0 win over the Angels. Dean Kremer made the start matter just as much, holding Los Angeles to one hit over six innings as Minnesota controlled the game from start to finish and walked off with a clean, convincing road victory.
The timing made the result harder to enjoy. Minnesotas win was followed by the news fans had been bracing for, as a White Sox victory officially knocked the Twins out of playoff contention. It turned a solid performance into a closing note of a different kind, even as the Angels wrapped up their home season with another year they would rather forget. [Read more 🡒]
Kody Clemens Just Gave The Twins A Long Term Roster Dilemma
Kody Clemens has turned what looked like a depth move in April 2025 into one of the more useful pieces on the Twins roster. In the 2026 season, he has given them impact at the plate and flexibility all over the field, filling in at first base, second base and each of the three outfield spots while supplying real power with 26 home runs and 76 RBIs.
For Minnesota, that kind of production creates an easy short-term answer and a tougher long-term conversation. Clemens versatility makes him valuable in the lineup and on the grass, but it also means the Twins have to think carefully about how to keep his bat in the mix while building out the rest of the roster around him. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Let Another Winnable Game Slip Away Late
The Twins had a game in hand early, then watched the Angels claw back to turn it into another tight night at the ballpark. Joe Ryan and Reid Detmers set up a classic pitching matchup, and Minnesota got the first punch before Los Angeles answered and pushed the game into extra innings. It was the kind of contest that felt there for the taking, with both clubs trading momentum and leaving little margin for error.
Ryan Kreidler and Jose Siri supplied the power moments, while Taylor Rogers did his part out of the bullpen to keep the game alive beyond the 10th. Even with that kind of late resistance, the Twins were left navigating the same frustrating question that follows these one-run struggles: how many winnable games can a team afford to let drift away before it starts costing more than just a night in the standings? [Read more 🡒]