The Minnesota Twins are running out of time, and the standings have made that painfully clear. After a trade deadline that saw them add heavily to the pitching side, including elite reliever Jeff Hoffman, Minnesota has gone 10-15 since the deadline and then opened September 4-7. At this point, it would take a miracle for them to be playing next month.
That slide has buried some of the brighter work happening in the lineup. Kody Clemens and Ryan Jeffers have quietly been swinging hot bats over the last two weeks, even if a losing team usually doesn’t get much credit for it.
Together, they’ve combined for eight home runs and more RBIs, 21, than strikeouts, 19. Jeffers has posted a .965 OPS in that span, while Clemens has been right there at .967.
For a club that has lacked steady slugging all season, that’s a real burst of offense.
Minnesota’s season took another hit when Byron Buxton went down. The Twins couldn’t afford to lose him, but hip trouble eventually sent him to the injured list and then to season-ending surgery. That forced other hitters to carry more of the load, and the results were uneven.
Clemens has been one of the steadier answers. His recent power surge has moved him to the team lead in home runs, and he’s one of three Twins with at least 20 on the year.
At the top of the order, Clemens, Josh Bell, and Brooks Lee have each driven in at least 76 runs. After that, the production falls off sharply in both home runs and RBIs.
Jeffers has been dealing with his own health issues, too, which helps explain why he’s only appeared in 83 games. Even so, his bat has made noise lately, including a stretch that included his third homer in his last two games as the Twins piled up 12 runs against the Tigers.
Minnesota still has 13 games left, with six on the road and six at home. The home slate won’t be simple, either, with the New York Yankees coming in Monday and the Texas Rangers closing out the season later this month.
The postseason is slipping away, but there’s still something to take from the way this team has fought. And with young talent starting to settle in, the offseason will bring a few reasons to be interested - especially with Jeffers and Clemens leading the way.
In Other News...
Twins Have A Real Pre-Lockout Decision On Two Key Young Pieces
With the possibility of a lockout looming once the current Collective Bargaining Agreement expires on Dec. 1, the Twins have a timely front-office question sitting right in front of them. Any new labor rules could reshape how payroll flexibility works across the league, and Minnesota is among the clubs that may have to think carefully about how it allocates money if a salary floor eventually comes into play.
That is why the period before the freeze could matter so much for a team trying to balance present and future value. The Twins have two young pieces worth watching closely in Taj Bradley and Kaelen Culpepper, and the decision on whether to pursue long-term deals now is about more than just roster planning. It is also about locking in talent before the market, and the rules around it, potentially shift under their feet. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Are Suddenly Watching Kaelen Culpepper For One Injury Concern
Kaelen Culpeppers latest stop with the Twins took an uneasy turn when he was hit by a 95.3 mph fastball and left the game early with a right shoulder contusion. Manager Derek Shelton said the club is treating the injury on a day-to-day basis, which at least keeps the immediate outlook from sounding overly alarming, and there is no concern for a fracture.
Still, the next few days matter because the Twins are keeping an eye on whether the soreness settles down as expected. Culpepper is slated to miss the following game while being checked daily, and the bigger question now is whether the discomfort is limited to the bruise or points to something more involving the nerves. [Read more 🡒]
Emmanuel Rodriguez Just Gave The Twins A Different Look
Emmanuel Rodriguez could not have asked for a louder introduction. In his first major-league at-bat, the young outfielder turned on a pitch and homered as part of a four-run third inning, giving the Twins the jolt they needed in a 4-3 win over the Guardians. It was the kind of debut moment that changes the feel of a night, especially with Rodriguezs family in the ballpark to see it unfold.
For Minnesota, the bigger takeaway was how the game kept opening new lanes for a club that has been looking for different ways to win. Rodriguez finished with a hit, a run, an RBI, a home run and an assist, while the bullpen did enough to protect the lead the offense had built. The debut was memorable on its own, but it also hinted at how quickly a new face can alter the look of a lineup when the Twins need one more spark. [Read more 🡒]