Twins notes: Alan Roden injured, James Outman called up, Pablo López nearing rehab start

New York Times

10 hours ago

MINNEAPOLIS — Four of the 13 players the Twins picked up at the trade deadline had major-league experience. But only Alan Roden, a 25-year-old outfielder acquired in the Louis Varland trade with the Toronto Blue Jays, was immediately added to the Twins' big-league roster.
Roden struggled in his first 12 games for the Twins, batting .158 with one homer, 13 strikeouts and no walks. And now he's hurt, going on the injured list prior to Saturday night's 8-5 loss to the Detroit Tigers with a sprained ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb.
Roden initially hurt his thumb colliding with the left field wall while making a running catch in foul territory on Aug. 10, but returned to action two days later. He then aggravated the same thumb Thursday on a head-first slide at home plate, after which he went for further testing.
Great catch at the left field wall on the run by Alan Roden pic.twitter.com/zZ9NWCEYz0
— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) August 10, 2025
Roden is a career .320 hitter at Triple A and profiles as a potential younger, minimum-salaried replacement for Trevor Larnach in left field next season, but his first impression with the Twins was underwhelming and he also hit just .204/.283/.306 in 43 games for the Blue Jays earlier this season.
Roden has above-average speed and can handle center field, in addition to being a much better corner outfielder than Larnach and Matt Wallner. But after posting big batting averages with standout strike-zone control in the minors, he's hit .191 with 37 strikeouts versus eight walks in the majors.
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Based on a typical recovery outlook for a sprained thumb ligament, it's an injury that may cost Roden the remainder of the season. However, manager Rocco Baldelli said Roden will be examined by a hand specialist before the Twins determine an official timeline.
James Outman was called up from Triple-A St. Paul to replace Roden on the roster, becoming a second trade deadline pickup to join the Twins. Acquired from the Los Angeles Dodgers for Brock Stewart, he's a speedy 28-year-old outfielder with 230 games of MLB experience.
'He's going to get opportunities to play,' Baldelli said. 'And to hopefully get into a good rhythm and show us some things he can do. He's got speed. He's got strength. There's real upside there.'
Outman had 23 homers and 16 steals in an impressive rookie season for the Dodgers in 2023, but he's hit .137 over 75 games in the majors since and the Twins optioned him to the minors after the trade. He hit .235/.316/.490 with three homers in 12 games for the Saints.
There's little left for Outman to prove in the minors. He's crushed Triple-A pitching for three years, hitting .283/.382/.579 with 55 homers in 208 total games, but a 28 percent strikeout rate has foreshadowed swing-and-miss issues in the big leagues.
'There are multiple ways to affect the game and to help your team win,' Outman said. 'Everybody wants to hit, and it's frustrating when you don't. But it was just learning more about myself and learning that opportunities come and they go, and the important thing is to be ready to play every day.'
Outman is a good center fielder and will be minimum salaried for 2026, so he profiles as a useful fourth outfielder and Byron Buxton insurance if the Twins can get his bat back on track. He also can't be optioned to the minors after this season, giving him a leg up for an Opening Day job next spring.
Outman started in left field and batted ninth in his Twins debut Saturday, going 0-for-4 with three strikeouts. He's the eighth left fielder they've used this season. Stewart, meanwhile, pitched in just four games for the Dodgers before going on the IL with shoulder inflammation.
He wasn't Out, Man. pic.twitter.com/Yp8fFRLBJL
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) August 17, 2025
Pablo López could be cleared for a rehab assignment after having no issues following a two-inning simulated game Friday in which he topped out at 95 mph while facing several teammates. Sidelined since June 3 with a strained right shoulder, López remains on track for an early September return.
'Everything felt normal,' López said of his return to facing live competition. 'Everything felt good with the delivery, mechanics, execution, pounding the zone, mentality. So, I think everything is good. I wanted to check all of those boxes.'
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Simeon Woods Richardson is scheduled to make at least one more Triple-A rehab start as he builds back up after three weeks on the IL with an illness that required the removal of a parasite from his digestive tract. He logged two scoreless innings Friday for St. Paul, striking out four.
'He's still putting back weight and strength,' Baldelli said. 'Not just how he feels, but how he is during these outings will tell us a lot. He's going to have to go out there and push himself. Just get back into some sort of a pitching routine, which he's been off for a little while.'
Left-hander Connor Prielipp, who ranked No. 5 on my midseason (and pre-trade deadline) list of the Twins' top-20 prospects, got a Triple-A promotion Saturday after spending the first four-plus months of this season pitching for Double-A Wichita.
That opens the door for a potential September call up, but the Twins could also decide to shut down the oft-injured 24-year-old at some point. Prielipp is in his first full season back from a second elbow surgery and he's already logged 61 2/3 innings after totaling 58 innings from 2020-24 combined.
Working as a starter, but limited to 50-75 pitches per outing, Prielipp posted a 3.65 ERA and 73-to-18 strikeout-to-walk ratio for Wichita. He has the pitch mix of a front-line starter, including a mid-90s fastball and a fantastic slider, but durability issues could lead to a future home in the bullpen. He's close.
Connor Prielipp with the @WindSurgeICT yesterday:
3.2 IP / 3 H / 2 R / 0 BB / 6 K #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/CYxglJ8vdD
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) May 22, 2025
Corey Koskie will become the 41st member of the Twins Hall of Fame when he's inducted Sunday afternoon at Target Field, a well-deserved honor for a key piece of the team's early 2000s success and one of the most underrated all-around players in club history.
I wrote a lengthy look back at Koskie's fascinating career path, and how he went from being a self-described 'no shot' 26th-round draft pick from rural Canada to, at worst, the second-best third baseman in Twins history. Not bad considering his best sport was volleyball.
(Photo of Alan Roden: Jesse Johnson / Imagn Images)
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