The Twins may be staring at an empty finish to this season, but the organization still has plenty to point to when it comes to what’s next. A few young players are moving fast enough that 2027 suddenly doesn’t feel that far away.
One of the biggest names in that group is shortstop Marek Houston, the No. 16 overall pick out of Wake Forest last year. Minnesota already pushed him to Double-A in his first full pro season, and he’s done just about everything you’d want from a player who arrived with a defensive reputation and some offensive questions.
Houston was widely praised for his glove on draft day, with some calling him the best defensive shortstop in his class. The bat has answered, too.
Over 116 games this year, he hit .312/.392/.455 with 12 home runs and 60 RBI, and he added 50 steals in 2026. If he stays healthy, he should open 2027 at Triple-A St.
Paul, and a strong start there could put him in Minnesota before the year is out unless a lockout wipes out the MLB season.
Catcher Khadim Diaw is another name worth tracking, even if he tends to get lost in the shuffle behind Vahn Lackey and Eduardo Tait. Diaw, 23, put together a strong year across High-A and Double-A, batting .306/.417/.452 with nine home runs and 47 RBI in 107 games.
He’s spent most of his minor league time behind the plate, but he also logged plenty of innings in center field in 2026, which gives the Twins some flexibility. Lackey looks like the catcher of the future, but Diaw has made a real case for a major league look soon, and he should start 2027 at Triple-A.
Then there’s outfielder Hendry Mendez, who came over from the Philadelphia Phillies with minor-league pitcher Geremy Villoria in last summer’s Harrison Bader deal. That trade already looks like a win for Minnesota.
Mendez, 22, took off once he joined the Twins system, posting a .911 OPS at Double-A Wichita last season and then following that with an .819 OPS between Double-A and Triple-A this season. He’s a left-handed hitting outfielder, so regular at-bats in Minnesota won’t come easy with so many other lefty outfielders in the mix.
Still, he’s done enough to put himself on the radar, and if he starts next year well with the Saints, his MLB debut could come as soon as next season.
In Other News...
Connor Prielipp Just Gave The Twins A New Pitching Question
Connor Prielipp gave the Twins another reminder that their pitching depth has real potential, turning in seven scoreless innings while allowing only two hits and piling up eight strikeouts. It fit neatly into a night when Walker Jenkins added a home run and Minnesota got help from multiple players and the bullpen in a win over the Angels, the kind of balanced effort that tends to stand out in a long season.
Joe Ryan is set to take the ball next against Reid Detmers as the series continues, but Prielipps outing adds a fresh wrinkle to the conversation around the Twins arms. When a performance like that comes from a young pitcher, it does more than help in the moment, it leaves the staff with another question to sort through as the schedule keeps moving. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Suddenly Face A Bigger Derek Shelton Question Than Expected
The Twins went into the trade deadline looking to bolster their pitching depth and make a real push toward a playoff berth, but the stretch run has instead been another reminder of how quickly a promising season can tilt the other way. Injuries have chipped away at the roster, the young core has shown flashes, and the September slide has left Minnesota searching for answers as much as results.
Derek Shelton is now part of that conversation in a way the Twins probably did not expect when they brought him in for his first season in Minnesota. The former Pirates manager arrived with a long track record but still no winning record in seven years as a big league skipper, and the way this team has stumbled since the deadline has only sharpened the focus on whether he can be the one to steady it when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Twins May Be Headed For A Painful Royce Lewis Crossroads
Royce Lewis has been one of the most intriguing figures in the Twins recent buildup, a former first-overall pick whose talent has flashed enough to keep expectations high even as injuries and uneven production have repeatedly interrupted his progress. Since his MLB debut in 2022, Lewis has been trying to turn promise into permanence, and his strong 2023 season briefly looked like the launch point for something bigger in Minnesota.
Instead, the conversation around him has shifted again after a pair of down seasons in 2024 and 2025, leaving the Twins with a difficult offseason decision. With a deeper farm system and several young players waiting for opportunity, Minnesota has reasons to at least weigh whether keeping Lewis in place still makes sense, or whether a trade could open the door to a cleaner long-term fit. [Read more 🡒]