Don’t Count Out the Minnesota Twins Just Yet

It’s hard to consider a team whose record stands at 30-37 as successful, but the 2026 Minnesota Twins have turned some heads this year. Predicted by many, myself included, to lose 100 games this season, they surprisingly find themselves in third place in the American League Central standings.

You can chalk it up to subpar performances by their Central rivals, but the Twins have caused more and more fans in 2026 to turn on the TV to follow the action. Some factors are working in their favor, but we shouldn’t get too far ahead of ourselves at this point in the season.

Twins Starters Injured, but Hanging in There

Just about everything that could go South for the Twins’ starting rotation has happened. Staff ace Pablo López made it until Day 2 of spring training before he was shut down for the season with a torn UCL in his throwing elbow.

Impressive youngsters Taj Badley and Mick Abel had their promising starts derailed by injuries, although Bradley has returned stronger than ever. The rejuvenated Bailey Ober is currently on the injured list with an elbow injury. Even current ace Joe Ryan left a game early in May with soreness in his elbow.

The Twins traded Simeon Woods-Richardson back to Toronto after he started off the season with a 0-7 record and a 7.74 ERA. With all of this, you have the makings of a staff that should be a team weakness. However, Ryan has pitched lights out all season, and Ober has returned to form, though he has lost some velocity on his fastball.

Bradley has been punching them out all season in his breakout campaign. Zebby Matthews has been solid since his call-up from Triple-A St. Paul, and Connor Prielipp has been roughed as of late, but has provided the Twins with some valuable innings in the early going. And Abel should be returning soon.

The Bullpen is a Work in Progress

After the Twins jettisoned their top five relievers at the 2025 trade deadline, the team has scrambled to assemble a consistent bullpen. Rather than working to secure some mid-tier relievers in the offseason, the Twins opted for the cheap solution, picking up some reclamation projects and pitchers past their prime.

Their swipes at Liam Hendricks, Andrew Chafin, Christian Roa, Matt Bowman, and John Brebbia all flamed out, and veteran Justin Topa was a disappointment since coming over from Seattle a couple of years back and has since been released.

The Twins have tried to get by with a combination of newly acquired crafty veterans, a few leftovers from last season, and some youthful, converted starters. The results have been disheartening at best. Taylor Rogers has pitched well for the most part, but he did blow the lead on Thursday night and took the loss.

Anthony Banda has been consistent, keeping the ball in the park. Yoendrys Gómez has great heat but walks too many batters. And Eric Orze has a terrific strikeout-to-walk ratio, but he also blew a Twins lead Saturday in a 3-2 loss to the Royals. Everyone else has been inconsistent or mediocre.

Veteran Cole Sands should join the team this week from a rehab assignment, and his presence should help to stabilize this wobbly bullpen.

Hitting Stats Can Be Deceiving

The Twins’ individual hitting stats are not overly impressive. Byron Buxton ranks tied for 11th in AL runs scored (41), tied for third in home runs (18), and fourth in SLG (.549), but no other Twin is in the top 25 in these categories. Brooks Lee and Josh Bell rank 16th and 19th in RBI, respectively, with 37 and 36.

No Minnesota player ranks in the top 25 in batting average, and Austin Martin leads the team with a .347 OBP, good enough for 23rd in league statistics. Even many of the teams’ overall statistics are frankly subpar. The Twins are 11th in team batting average and OBP (.236 and .314), and just under the league average of .392 in SLG (.387).

But what Minnesota does very well is score runs and drive them in. They rank fifth in runs scored with 308 and RBI with 291. And help is on the way with rejuvenated Royce Lewis returning from a short 10-home-run Triple-A recharge with inspired Matt Wallner right behind him. And shortstop of the future, Kaelen Culpepper, Just Baseball’s No. 61 prospect, is ripping up the International League pitching to the tune of 50 runs scored and an .862 OPS.

Buxton should be back in the lineup on Tuesday after crashing into an outfield wall while making a catch on Friday night against the Royals. The Twins are still awaiting the return of catcher Ryan Jeffers from a hamate injury, but persistent trade rumors swirl around the impending free agent’s future with the team.

Twins Outlook

What does it all mean? The Twins could conceivably make a playoff run if the best-case scenarios come along with the return and debut of the above-mentioned players. They are just three games out of the final AL Wild Card spot, so hope springs eternal.

The versatile Kody Clemens continues to surprise with his overall play, and young Luke Keaschall appears to be shaking his early-season doldrums. Whatever happens, Twins manager Derek Shelton and his squad have brought entertaining baseball back to Target Field.