St. Paul – It’s been another season filled with numerous injuries for Emmanuel Rodríguez, one of the Minnesota Twins’ top prospects.
He had thumb sprains that kept him day-to-day in the spring, a hip strain that kept him out from late May to early July, and then an oblique strain that sidelined Rodríguez from July 12 until Sept. 9. Twenty-two percent of his 58 games played this season have been on a rehab assignment.
What started as a promising season that could have catapulted Rodríguez to the majors will end as another year plagued by injuries. Rodríguez has never played more than 99 games a year since his pro debut in 2021. It’s something that has weighed on Rodríguez’s mind over the years, but he doesn’t dwell on it too much, knowing the caliber of talent he brings to the field each game.
“When things like that happen you, I just try to stay positive and think about the impact I’m going to make when I get back,” Rodríguez said through teammate Marco Raya, who translated for him. “So I’m just grateful to be back.”
And his coaches and teammates are also grateful to have Rodríguez back in the lineup. In 45 games with the Saints this season, Rodríguez has put up a .243/.404/.410 slash line, five home runs, and 23 RBI. Despite a slow start out of the gate in April, where he had a .558 OPS in 78 plate appearances. Since then, his OPS hasn’t dipped below .732, and it’s the result of the hard work Rodríguez has put in behind the scenes.
“Emmanuel is a prospect that has unbelievable power and can play all three outfield spots,” said Saints hitting coach Shawn Schlechter. “He’s also a fun BP to watch. There’s a lot of aspects that are always enjoyable, and just having both of those guys (Rodríguez and infielder Tanner Schobel) back brings a little bit of a spark in the lineup. It’s just two more cases that we’re really excited to navigate to help the future of our big league organization.”
“You don’t want to end the season on the IL,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. “Nobody does. So it’s tough, those guys, they get hurt, you go down there and you want to play again. It’s always good to get the guys back, and I’m happy for those guys are here and not down in Florida and waiting until the end.”
So what did Rodríguez do during his rehab time in Fort Myers this summer to improve his swing?
“I just watch videos of myself back and then kind of just, when I’m performing and also when I’m not, and you know, just kind of believing in myself,” Rodríguez said. “And once I get back healthy and back on the field. I’m just going to do just that and maybe even more.”
Rodríguez has only played in two games since returning from the IL so far and has nine more to go for the year. While he’s only 1-for-6 with two walks so far, he did get some sage advice from Tony Oliva, a Twins legend who visited the clubhouse on Wednesday.
“Well, you know, I love young players,” said Oliva. “I love the Minnesota Twins. This is an opportunity to meet some of these players and meet them in person. They have a beautiful setup here. It’s beautiful. It’s nice, and you see all those kids, every angle, one has the same dream, they have to get to the big leagues. We have a lot of potential here, a lot of potential.”
Rodríguez is a big part of that potential, and he listened sternly to the advice Oliva had to provide him. But it didn’t come without Oliva getting on him, in jest, for his injuries.
“He got after me a little bit with the injuries and things like that, just jokingly,” said Rodriguez. “But yeah, just having him around with his experience and his knowledge of the game is really great. Just the vibes of having him here will really help us a lot.”
Rodríguez had the night off on Thursday, but having a day to sit on his conversation with Oliva is something he hopes will help him contribute to big opportunities down the stretch. But most importantly, he wants to do what he didn’t get the chance to do last season: end the year healthy. And that in itself could set him up for a much stronger comeback in 2026.
“Right now, my main focus is just ending the season healthy and strong,” he said. “I know whenever I’m healthy and strong that my abilities, my talent, and things like that on the field just speak for themselves.”
