Plenty of top prospects in the Minnesota Twins system have made their way through Triple-A this season. Brooks Lee, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews are with the major league club, and Andrew Morris and Yunior Severino. Like Matthews, Morris started his season at High-A and has risen through the system at a meteoric rate. Severino went from being the Saints’ worst hitter in their first six weeks to their best since May 21.
After his rehab assignment in Fort Myers, Emmanuel Rodriguez has joined the St. Paul Saints. In doing so, he becomes the third consensus top-3 prospect in Minnesota’s system to join the Saints.
“I feel proud,” Rodriguez said about his call-up through teammate Diego A. Castillo, who translated on his behalf postgame Monday night. “I really like to be here. It’s a big step for me, and I’m going to take advantage of players with experience like Diego Castillo and just enjoy my time here.”
Rodriguez missed nearly three months of playing time this season due to a thumb sprain he suffered at Double-A toward the end of May. E-Rod only played four games between the start of June and his debut at Triple-A on Monday, but his absence from live games hasn’t dwindled the confidence he established on the back fields of Minnesota’s Fort Myers complex.
“In my mind, it’s not been hard,” Rodriguez said. “I bet on myself. I know I can do it, and they sent me here to do this. I feel really comfortable with myself, so I know I can do a really good job.”
He played his first Triple-A game as a designated hitter because Byron Buxton platooned Rodriguez’s primary position on a rehab assignment. He went 0-for-3 with a fielder-choice RBI and two walks, one of which was gifted via a pitch clock violation, something he had in common with his newest teammate in Monday night’s game.
Rodriguez has become well-known in the Twins system for his great strike zone judgment, comparable to Juan Soto’s. His .467 on-base percentage in just 41 games this season is proof of that, as he’s drawn 46 walks and only struck out 52 times.
“It’s natural to me,” Rodriguez said on his strike zone judgment. “Ever since I was a kid, I know that I recognize really good strikes and balls, and I practiced a lot with my brother. With more experience in the minor leagues, I keep working on it, and it keeps being natural to me.”
Saints manager Toby Gardenhire has managed a plethora of talented players this season. Still, Rodriguez, 21, stands out because he’s the youngest player on the Saints since Daniel Ozoria, who played three games with the Saints in 2021 at just 20 years old.
“It’s fun,” Gardenhire said about Rodriguez’s arrival. “He’s one of the big prospects. He’s had some injury stuff. Otherwise, he would have been up here earlier, but he’s a really good player. I’m excited for him to get his feet wet up here a little bit and for everybody to get a chance to see what he can do.”
Being the youngest and most inexperienced player for the Saints in their final three weeks of the season gives them plenty of opportunity for Rodriguez to learn from the veterans. He can glean something from hitting against the highest level of opposing pitchers he’s faced while also learning from the veteran players who have much to teach him with their own experience, such as Castillo.
“I just keep telling him to do his job,” Castillo said about his first impressions of Rodriguez. “He has really good tools to play baseball, and he can do this. Lefty guy, strong, and can hit the ball really hard. As soon as I saw him today, I knew he can play in the Big Leagues.”
Castillo, Buxton, and Saints catcher Jair Camargo are the three position players with major league experience Rodriguez can learn from. Rodriguez is on the 40-man roster but will remain with the Saints throughout the season because of his lack of playing time.
Rodriguez can still play all 17 games that remain on St. Paul’s schedule, with more time expected in the outfield once Buxton’s rehab assignment is completed. But while Buxton is still there for another game, Rodriguez will make the most of it until he reunites with him again in Spring Training 2025.
“To be honest, I just want to learn a lot here in Triple-A and just take advantage of the time I will be here learning from the guys and enjoy it,” he said. “It felt great playing with Byron Buxton. I played with him in Spring Training a couple of times but it felt great to be hitting behind him and watching him from the on-deck circle.”
