On Sunday, the Minnesota Twins made their first round of cuts from the major-league spring training roster, optioning four players to St. Paul and five non-roster invitees to minor league camp.
Travis Adams, Matt Canterino, Marco Raya, and Emmanuel Rodriguez were among those optioned to Triple-A, and they are expected to begin their 2025 seasons with the St. Paul Saints. Canterino is the only player among them who looks like he’ll miss significant time to start the season. The Twins have shut him down with a shoulder strain.
While there is still no set timeline for when Canterino will return to the mound, he almost certainly will begin the 2025 season on the Twins’ 60-day IL. That will open up a spot on the 40-man roster for one of the seven non-roster invite pitchers in major league camp following the first round of cuts.
Scott Blewett, Ryan Jensen, Darren McCaughan, Anthony Misiewicz, Andrew Morris, Alex Speas, and Huascar Ynoa all have a shot at earning a 40-man roster spot and potentially even the Opening Day roster, pending any further injuries between now and the end of camp.
Jensen, McCaughan, and Speas may have the biggest uphill battles to make the 40-man out of camp. Jensen has the highest ERA in camp at a staggering 40.50 in just 1 ⅓ innings of work, allowing six runs on two hits and three walks.
McCaughan has allowed an 11.25 ERA on nine hits and a walk in four innings. Speas can throw 100 MPH but has shaky command, with a 26.1% walk rate in the minors last season. The lack of command has manifested in spring games. He’s allowed a team-high of six walks in three innings.
Game performance isn’t the only thing Minnesota’s front office evaluates with these players. Still, these performances aren’t encouraging enough for these players to make the case for a 40-man roster spot.
However, Misiewicz, Morris, and Ynoa are fringe candidates making favorable cases in spring training games.
Misiewicz is the lone lefty among the non-roster invitee pitchers. A journeyman reliever who’s played for five teams in five seasons, Misiewicz has allowed only a couple of runs on three hits and a walk in four innings of work while striking out five.
Danny Coulombe and Kody Funderburk are Minnesota’s only left-handed pitchers on the 40-man roster. Therefore, Misiewicz could make a case for the Twins to add him after the New York Yankees claimed Brent Headrick in February.
Morris is one of the many top Twins pitching prospects who’s anticipated to be a part of the dominant Saints rotation to start the season. Last season, Morris was a step behind Zebby Matthews at every level of the minors and also dominated. Morris owned a 2.37 ERA and 1.07 WHIP in 133 innings between High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A.
So far this spring, Morris has thrown four scoreless innings in only two outings but has only struck out two hitters and walked two. Given he only turned 23 in September, the Twins will likely keep him off the 40-man roster. They will have him continue to develop as a starter in St. Paul instead of wasting the spot on a player they don’t want to lose on waivers if and when they activate Canterino from the IL.
Meanwhile, Ynoa has been a pleasant surprise in his performance this spring. The Twins traded Ynoa when they laundered Jaime García in 2017. Ynoa has returned to the organization following a two-year absence from the majors. He missed the entire 2023 season due to Tommy John surgery and pitched in the Atlanta Braves minor league system last season.
He hasn’t been the same pitcher since 2021, when he filled an important role in Atlanta’s rotation on their way to their World Series victory. However, in a small sample size this spring, Ynoa hasn’t allowed a run in two innings of work and only allowed one base runner on a walk. Whether with the Twins or Saints, Ynoa will likely be used as a long-relief option, piggybacking off starters who still have pitch count limits to start the season.
Still, Blewett may be the front-runner among this group to earn a spot on the 40-man roster. Twins fans will remember Blewett as one of the few bright spots during their 12-27 collapse at the end of last season. He pitched to a 1.77 ERA in 20 ⅓ innings with a 21.2% strikeout rate in 12 games.
Blewett has continued to build off the success in spring training. He’s thrown three scoreless innings in games, allowing only four base runners on three hits and a walk in the three outings. Despite having a bad last name for a relief pitcher, Blewett has the best track record in the organization among these seven arms to be added back to the 40-man roster before Opening Day.
There are still two weeks of games left for the Twins to decide on one of these arms to add to their 40-man roster. It’s still a toss-up on who that player could be, but Ynoa, Misiewicz, and Blewett look like the front runners to fill the spot.
