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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-kody-clemens-hits-astounding-3-home-runs-battle-diamondbacks');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Kody Clemens hits astounding 3 home runs in battle with Diamondbacks');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Minnesota-Twins-first-base-Kody-Clemens.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Blewett-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins’ Kody Clemens hits astounding 3 home runs in battle with Diamondbacks</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-12T21:08:46-07:00">September 12th, 9:08pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-12T21:08:46-07:00">September 12th, 9:08pm</time><address><a>Richard Pereira</a>Richard Pereira joined ClutchPoints in January 2025 as an Associate Editor. He earned his degree from Florida Atlantic University in 2023 and has been covering the school's athletic programs since 2020, having served as a Sports Editor at the FAU University Press. He was granted the unique opportunity to report on the men's basketball team's journey to the Final Four in Houston for FAU Owls Nest during March Madness, consistently striving to grow as a sports journalist.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Kody Clemens had an explosive performance in the Minnesota <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/arizona-diamondbacks/diamondbacks-news-ketel-marte-playing-twins">Twins’ matchup against the Arizona Diamondbacks</a> on Friday night.</p><p>Minnesota was coming off a series loss to the Los Angeles Angels, falling in two of the three games. They needed to bounce back against one of the decent sides from the National League in the Diamondbacks.</p><p>Then came Clemens. The first baseman was impressive with the four at-bats he got in the game, landing hits in all of them. Three of them <a href="https://x.com/ClutchPoints/status/1966699302094557297" rel="noopener">resulted in home runs</a> during the third, fourth and ninth innings.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">KODY CLEMENS WITH HIS THIRD HR OF THE GAME 🤯</p><p><a href="https://t.co/unlLLQ9kfr">pic.twitter.com/unlLLQ9kfr</a></p><p>— ClutchPoints (@ClutchPoints) <a href="https://twitter.com/ClutchPoints/status/1966699302094557297?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 13, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><h2><b>How Kody Clemens, Twins played against Diamondbacks</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Minnesota-Twins-first-base-Kody-Clemens-18-celebrates-a-home-run-hit.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Blewett-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Thanks to Kody Clemens’ incredible efforts, the Twins fended off the Diamondbacks’ advances with a 9-8 victory.</p><p>It was a back-and-forth affair between the two squads, trading blows throughout the course of the contest. When the Twins needed runs to take back the lead, Clemens was ready to heed their call with a crucial homer in the ninth inning.</p><p>Minnesota’s offense was aggressive as they kept up with Arizona’s advances. They landed 12 hits after 33 at-bats, including Clemens’ trio of homers. They won the game after Luke Keaschall used a sac fly to drive Byron Buxton to home plate for the game-winning run.</p><p>The Twins’ bullpen had their ups and downs but made the plays they needed to give their squad a chance at victory. They have up 10 hits after 37 at-bats, including two homers in the seventh and ninth frames. Pablo Lopez started on the mound as he lasted five innings, striking out six batters while conceding four hits. Meanwhile, Cole Sands earned the win for his fourth of the season.</p><p>Minnesota improved to a 65-82 record on the season, holding the fourth spot of the AL Central Division standings. They are 8.5 games behind the Kansas City Royals and 11 games behind the Cleveland Guardians.</p><p>The Twins will prepare for Game 2 of their series against the Diamondbacks. The contest will take place on Sept. 13 at 7:10 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Kody Clemens hits astounding 3 home runs in battle with Diamondbacks

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-bobby-witt-jr-back-injury-update-twins-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Bobby Witt Jr.’s back injury receives update before Twins clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Bobby-Witt-Jr.jpg"><figcaption>Brian Bradshaw Sevald-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Bobby Witt Jr.’s back injury receives update before Twins clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-06T16:35:40-07:00">September 6th, 4:35pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-06T16:53:21-07:00">September 6th, 4:53pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Kansas City Royals</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Kansas City Royals hung on for a 2-1 win in their series opener against the Minnesota Twins on Friday. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-will-clinch-al-wild-card-spot">Royals are eying a playoff berth</a> as the team is now just one game back in the AL Wild Card standings. But Kansas City’s postseason hopes hinge on the health of Bobby Witt Jr.</p><p>Witt was forced to exit the Twins game after six innings due to back spasms. On Saturday, Matt Quatraro provided an update <a href="https://x.com/anne__rogers/status/1964436958320414743" rel="noopener">on the All-Star shortstop</a>. The Royals manager said Witt’s back is “still spasming” and he’ll have an MRI to determine the severity of the injury, per MLB.com’s Anne Rogers.</p><p>Quatraro <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/46170719/royals-bobby-witt-jr-leaves-7th-vs-twins-low-back-spasms" rel="noopener">told reporters</a> that Witt’s back issue started after he made two defensive plays in the top of the sixth. “[It happened] sometime in that inning before we took him out… He talked to [Royals head athletic trainer Kyle Turner]. As he sat there, it got worse,” Quatraro said, via ESPN. “It locked up pretty good on him.”</p><h2><b>Royals’ playoff hopes hang on Bobby Witt Jr.’s back</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Bobby-Witt-Jr-2.jpg"><figcaption>Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Witt has followed up his sensational 2024 season with another strong campaign. Last year he won the batting title and finished second in AL MVP voting behind Aaron Judge.</p><p>In 2025, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-bobby-witt-jr-unprecedented-feat-vs-guardians">Witt made MLB history</a> as the first player ever to begin his career with 20 home runs and 25 stolen bases in each of his first four seasons. The two-time All-Star is up to 21 homers and 34 steals in 139 games. He also has 77 RBI, 90 runs scored and 6.0 bWAR so far this year.</p><p>A trip to the IL could potentially be devastating to the Royals’ playoff hopes. The team is gearing up for a postseason push, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-kansas-city-calls-up-no-2-prospect-wild-card-push">calling up No. 2 prospect</a> Carter Jensen at the end of August. Jensen’s elevation prior to September 1 qualifies him for the Royals’ playoff roster, should the team secure a Wild Card berth.</p><p>Witt’s back ailment comes as Kansas City deals with multiple injuries during their September push. Fellow middle infielder Jonathan India is currently on the IL and the Royals just <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-seth-lugo-il-kansas-city-postseason-push">lost Seth Lugo to back tightness</a>. The veteran starter landed on the 15-day IL earlier this week.</p><p>Kansas City did receive some positive news as All-Star lefty <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/kansas-city-royals/royals-news-kansas-city-all-star-close-to-beginning-rehab-assignment">Cole Ragans began a rehab assignment</a>. The fourth-year starter has been sidelined since early June with a rotator cuff strain. His addition to the rotation could help the Royals down the stretch. But it won’t really matter if Witt is unable to play.</p><p>With Witt out of the lineup Saturday, third baseman Maikel Garcia shifted to shortstop and Nick Loftin filled in at third.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Bobby Witt Jr.’s back injury receives update before Twins clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-gets-pablo-lopez-boost-before-royals-clash');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins get Pablo Lopez boost before Royals clash');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Twins-SP-Pablo-Lopez.jpg?w=1024"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Dennis Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins get Pablo Lopez boost before Royals clash</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T10:40:54-07:00">September 5th, 10:40am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T10:40:54-07:00">September 5th, 10:40am</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Following a four-game sweep at the hands of the Chicago White Sox at home, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-rocco-baldelli-white-sox-loss-reaction">Minnesota Twins have continued</a> their rough form after the July 31st trade deadline. Twins leadership dealt a good amount of major league contributors, most notably closer Jhoan Duran and shortstop Carlos Correa. As the team looks to get back on track with a weekend series against the Kansas City Royals, manager Rocco Baldelli’s roster will receive a boost. According to the Twins’ official X (formerly Twitter) account, starting pitcher Pablo Lopez has been <a href="https://x.com/Twins/status/1964000344007954851" rel="noopener">activated from the 60-Day IL.</a></p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">We have made the following roster moves: <a href="https://t.co/0cTWiWirPW">pic.twitter.com/0cTWiWirPW</a></p><p>— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) <a href="https://twitter.com/Twins/status/1964000344007954851?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">September 5, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>“We have made the following roster moves,” posted the team account on Friday afternoon.</p><p>Getting <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-nearing-return-from-injury">Lopez back at the top</a> of the rotation should only help the Twins’ chances moving forward. The veteran righty will start Friday’s opener against the Royals. After being swept by the cellar-dwelling White Sox, Minnesota’s chances at climbing up the AL Central standings don’t look good. The trade deadline fire sale might be the first sign that there will be significant changes this offseason. Twins brass might decide to lean into a rebuild. If that’s the case, how much longer will veteran stars like Lopez and fellow starter Joe Ryan ply their craft at Target Field?</p><h2><b>Twins look to finish 2025 strong, carry momentum into 2026</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Twins-manager-Rocco-Baldelli.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>In charge since the 2019 season, Baldelli has led <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-rocco-baldelli-ejection-tigers-game">the Twins’ major-league roster</a> for almost seven seasons now. While the former Tampa Bay Rays legend has experienced success during his time in Minnesota, last season’s collapse has bled into 2025. After an inconsistent form in the first half, it was clear that this roster wouldn’t be able to make a deep postseason run. So, team leadership stripped Baldelli’s roster, including Duran, Correa, multiple relievers and other contributors.</p><p>Now, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/3-free-agents-twins-must-pursue-mlb-offseason">the Twins will surely look</a> to finish this season strong. With only a few weeks left in the regular season, a series win against the Royals this weekend would certainly boost the squad’s hopes. Although a playoff berth is incredibly unlikely, finishing the season’s final month with a winning record could help Baldelli and his staff as well. Can Minnesota navigate its remaining schedule and finish above .500 on the season?</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins get Pablo Lopez boost before Royals clash

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/3-free-agents-twins-must-pursue-mlb-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', '3 free agents Twins must pursue in offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/3-free-agents-Twins-must-pursue-in-offseason.jpg"></figure><h1>3 free agents Twins must pursue in offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-05T08:53:48-07:00">September 5th, 8:53am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-05T08:53:48-07:00">September 5th, 8:53am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Twins have had a horrible season. Sadly, it has resulted in the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/texas-rangers/rangers-news-texas-advantage-twins-fire-sale-trade">Twins having a fire sale</a> and trading many key players. That should make the Twins’ free agency period interesting as the 2025 MLB offseason draws near. Overall, there will be many MLB free agents available. However, the real question is how Minnesota will approach free agency and which players are the best fit for them.</p><p>Minnesota <a href="https://www.justbaseball.com/prospects/state-of-minnesota-twins-farm-system-fire-sale/" rel="noopener">bolstered its farm system</a> after the major trades. Ultimately, this means that there could be plenty of near-MLB-ready players ready to cook when the 2026 season begins. There is a chance the team could write this season off as a fluke and go all-in to try to contend for the playoffs next season.</p><p>If that is the case, the Twins still need help at key positions. While there are some great players at key positions or some who are developing, there are also some holes that need to be filled. Here are three MLB free agents the Twins must pursue in the offseason.</p><h2><b>Josh Naylor would be a great addition to Twins</b></h2><p>The Twins don’t have a legitimate first baseman. Initially, the plan was a platoon for Edouard Julien and Jose Miranda. But Minnesota sent Miranda to the minors, and he has not returned. Meanwhile, Julien has not been consistent. This means the team will need a new first baseman. Therefore, they should pursue Josh Naylor.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/seattle-mariners/mariners-news-trade-diamondbacks-josh-naylor">Arizona Diamondbacks traded Naylor to the Seattle Mariners</a> at the MLB trade deadline. However, he is an unrestricted free agent after the season. Naylor has been productive this season, batting .280 with 16 home runs, 73 RBIs, and a .778 OPS. Significantly, he has been a major part of the Mariners’ playoff run. Additionally, he has already been to the American League Championship with the Cleveland Guardians. Naylor provides power at the plate and can turn it on a dime.</p><p>If the Twins want to contend again, they need to make a big splash. Signing Naylor in the MLB offseason would be a good start and help them get back to respectability.</p><h2><b>Luis Arraez should be on the Twins’ free agency list</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Luis-Arraez-reacts-after-a-home-run.jpg"><figcaption>© Denis Poroy-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Twins also need someone who can play second base. So far, the Brooks Lee experiment has not worked. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-luke-keaschall-9-word-message-minnesota">Luke Keaschall is doing better at second base,</a> batting .328 with four home runs, 21 RBIs, and 18 runs. But that should not stop Minnesota from acquiring a player who can play first and second base.</p><p>Luis Arraez could be that player. Throughout his career, he has been consistent in making contact. That is something the team needs as it ranks 24th in batting average, 21st in on-base percentage, 23rd in runs, 14th in home runs, and 17th in slugging percentage. Yes, there is some power. But the Twins need contact hitters. Arraez has made a living doing it. This season, he is batting .284 with seven home runs, 52 RBIs, and 57 runs with a .317 on-base percentage.</p><p>Arraez would be a perfect fit at the top of the lineup, and his flexibility could be a boon. Also, it might help Keaschall develop more and become an even better baseball player. The Twins could get back to basics and have two solid contact hitters set the table for the rest of the lineup.</p><h2><b>Ranger Suarez would be one of Twins’ top pitchers</b></h2><p>The Twins also need a starting pitcher. While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-ranger-suarez-declined-all-star-game-invitation">Ranger Suarez has struggled in the second half,</a> he will still be a desired starting pitcher. It’s not a secret that the Twins need better starters, as they are just 22nd in starting pitcher ERA. Joe Ryan has been consistent, going 13-7 with a 3.08 ERA. However, all the other healthy starters have struggled, and <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-timeline-return-from-injury">Pablo Lopez has been injured,</a> which has ruined his season.</p><p>Suarez could be an elite option at the top of the rotation. Or, he could slide in as the second or third starting pitcher. While the team has been decimated with injuries, they could actually get back to the top with another frontline starter. Suarez is 11-6 with a 2.89 ERA and has pitched generally well this season. Therefore, he could be a good addition to the team, and they would have a pitching staff that could compete with the rest of the AL.</p><p>Suarez will probably be one of the top starting pitchers on the market. If the Twins are serious about contending again, they need to add a starting pitcher who can go deep into games. It will put less pressure on their bullpen and also help the team when they need to win a low-scoring game. Suarez has shown he has what it takes and could be the pitcher the Twins need.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

3 free agents Twins must pursue in offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-rocco-baldelli-white-sox-loss-reaction');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins manager Rocco Baldelli states the obvious with honest take on White Sox drubbing');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/Rocco-Baldelli.jpg"><figcaption>Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins manager Rocco Baldelli states the obvious with honest take on White Sox drubbing</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-02T21:12:26-07:00">September 2nd, 9:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-02T21:12:26-07:00">September 2nd, 9:12pm</time><address><a>Josh Davis</a>Josh Davis is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints with a focus on MLB. As the founder and creator of OutOfSightSports, Josh spearheads the development and expansion of an engaging social media platform, with a core focus on Twitter/X. A passionate sports writer, Josh is dedicated to delivering compelling content that connects fans and fuels vibrant sports conversations. His vision is to craft stories so vivid that fans feel like they’re standing at the plate or on the field.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago White Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/disappointing-player-twins-must-trade-offseason">Minnesota Twins suffered another tough loss</a> Tuesday night, falling 12-3 at home to the AL Central’s last-place Chicago White Sox. It marked their second straight defeat to open the four-game series, following a narrow 6-5 loss in Game 1 Monday.</p><p>After the blowout, manager Rocco Baldelli didn’t hold back, offering one of his <a href="https://x.com/DanHayesMLB/status/1963076468365525212" rel="noopener">bluntest postgame assessments</a> of the season in a quote posted by Dan Hayes of The Athletic on X (formerly known as Twitter).</p><p>“I’m going to stay optimistic most of the time, but that wasn’t good.”</p><p>Baldelli’s comment came after a rough night for the Twins’ pitching and defense. Although they jumped ahead early thanks to a leadoff triple from Byron Buxton and an RBI single by Trevor Larnach, that brief lead quickly vanished.</p><p>Chicago’s Andrew Benintendi erupted for two home runs and five RBIs, powering the White Sox to a third straight win. Simeon Woods Richardson allowed two earned runs over five innings but also committed a throwing error that helped Chicago take control. Reliever Thomas Hatch gave up five runs, further exposing Minnesota’s bullpen struggles.</p><p>With the loss, the Twins fell to 62–76 and remain well behind in the AL Central. They sit 17 games back of the first place Detroit Tigers and are now only narrowly ahead of the White Sox in the standings. Minnesota is on pace for its worst finish since 2016.</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-rocco-baldelli-knows-he-could-be-fired-soon">Baldelli is known for staying composed postgame</a>, but Tuesday’s tone was different. His honesty reflects growing frustration and possibly a turning point as the team looks ahead to 2026. Fan reactions to Hayes’ post showed similar discontent, with calls for change and questions about the team’s direction.</p><p>As the season winds down, the club is expected to give more opportunities to younger players. Rookie Zebby Matthews is lined up to start next. Trade rumors around Buxton and Larnach may also grow louder this offseason.</p><p>For the White Sox, it was a rare bright spot in a difficult year. For the Twins, it was another reminder that major adjustments are needed—on the field and possibly in the dugout as well.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli states the obvious with honest take on White Sox drubbing

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-mike-shildt-take-after-series-loss-twins');   ga('set', 'title', 'Padres’ Mike Shildt issues blunt take after series loss to Twins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/San-Diego-Padres-manager-Mike-Shildt.jpg"><figcaption>David Frerker-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Padres’ Mike Shildt issues blunt take after series loss to Twins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-09-01T00:10:24-07:00">September 1st, 12:10am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-09-01T00:14:50-07:00">September 1st, 12:14am</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-mike-shildt-drops-thrilled-reaction-despite-loss-dodgers">San Diego Padres couldn’t overcome</a> the Minnesota Twins on Sunday, succumbing 7-2 at Target Field and dropping two of three in the series, prolonging a challenging run for the team. The loss came after a brief offensive outburst the previous day, when the Padres scored 12 runs on 14 hits against the Twins.</p><p>In the wake of the loss, Padres manager Mike Shildt <a href="https://www.sandiegouniontribune.com/2025/08/31/padres-routed-by-twins-to-finish-losing-trip/" rel="noopener">offered a no-nonsense verdict</a>, via Kevin Acee of the San Diego Union-Tribune</p><p>“It wasn’t good,” he said. “… I mean, I’m disappointed. I don’t know how else to say it. Got down and just couldn’t scratch back.”</p><p>His frustration played out like the team’s own misfires at the plate and in the bullpen.</p><p>Minnesota’s All-Star right-hander Joe Ryan (13-7) exploited those weaknesses, scattering five hits over seven innings while striking out eight and issuing a single walk. Ryan, pitching a season-high 104 pitches, limited San Diego to 3-for-14 with runners in scoring position. The 28-year-old allowed just two runs in the ninth to prevent a shutout.</p><p>Byron Buxton led the Twins’ offense with a two-run homer in the third inning, marking his 29th home run of the season and a career high. He also added a double, finishing 2-for-5 with two RBIs. Royce Lewis contributed two hits and two RBIs, while Luke Keaschall added an RBI and scored twice. Minnesota extended its lead to 6-0 by the fifth inning, with Keaschall and Lewis delivering RBI singles and Ryan Jeffers hitting a sacrifice fly. Another RBI single by Lewis in the seventh made it 7-0.</p><p>San Diego handed the ball to David Morgan to kick things off, and he shut down the Twins for the first two innings. Kyle Hart, recalled from Triple-A El Paso for the game, followed with 1 1/3 innings but surrendered three runs, including Buxton’s homer. Jeremiah Estrada and Wandy Peralta were also used in relief, with Peralta allowing three more runs in the fifth inning. Yuki Matsui briefly stemmed the Twins’ momentum with a 1-2-3 sixth, but San Diego’s bullpen struggled to keep the game close.</p><p>The Padres’ offense showed glimpses of life but failed to capitalize. Manny Machado and Ryan O’Hearn loaded the bases with no outs in the fourth, yet Ryan retired Ramon Laureano, Gavin Sheets, and Jake Cronenworth in order. The Padres finally scored two runs in the ninth, Freddy Fermin’s RBI double and Bryce Johnson’s single, but it was too little, too late. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/san-diego-padres/padres-news-fernando-tatis-jr-twins-blowout-apparent-injury">Fernando Tatis Jr. exited in the eighth after a hamstring tweak</a>.</p><p>The defeat dropped the Padres to 2-5 over their past seven games, as they fell two games behind the Los Angeles Dodgers in the NL West and now hold the second of three National League wild-card spots.</p><p>San Diego will return home to begin the final calendar month of the season against the Baltimore Orioles, who enter with the second-worst record in the American League (61-76). The Padres hope to rebound on Monday at Petco Park and regain the form they need for a late-season push.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Padres’ Mike Shildt issues blunt take after series loss to Twins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-nearing-return-from-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Pablo Lopez nearing return from injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Minnesota-Twins-starting-pitcher-Pablo-Lopez.jpg"><figcaption>Dennis Lee-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins’ Pablo Lopez nearing return from injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-29T15:16:08-07:00">August 29th, 3:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-29T15:16:08-07:00">August 29th, 3:16pm</time><address><a>Zachary Weinberger</a>Zachary Weinberger joined ClutchPoints in October 2023 as a Miami Heat reporter as well as an Associate Editor. He graduated from Florida Atlantic University in 2022 after covering the school's athletic programs since his freshman year at the FAU University Press, where he was a Sports Editor and Editor-in-Chief. He then covered FAU Sports for The Palm Beach Post.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>With <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-star-pitcher-explains-decision-return-2025">Minnesota Twins star pitcher Pablo Lopez wanting to return</a> this season, the latest news coming out of the ball club could point in that direction of that happening. As some fans of the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/disappointing-player-twins-must-trade-offseason">Twins look ahead to the offseason due to the disappointing</a> season, Lopez has made it known that he wants to return, despite the lost year.</p><p>Lopez is slated to make another rehab start at the Triple-A level, which would mark the third and “likely final” time, according to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. He would also report that Lopez expressed how he <a href="https://x.com/AaronGleeman/status/1961538495496741275" rel="noopener">“feels good physically,”</a> and the goal is to pitch five innings before joining Minnesota’s starting rotation.</p><p>“Pablo López (shoulder) is expected to make his third, and likely final, Triple-A rehab start Sunday in Toledo,” Gleeman wrote on X, formerly Twitter. “López said he feels good physically and is hoping to complete five innings to check the final box before rejoining the [Twins] rotation. He’s been out since June 3.”</p><h2><b>Twins’ Pablo Lopez wants to prove to himself that he can return</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Twins-Pablo-Lopez.jpg"><figcaption>Kim Klement Neitzel-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>While <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-rumors-3-trades-further-infuriate-fans-ownership-surprise">rumors around the Twins will continue</a> into the offseason, Lopez’s return would be a positive step in the right direction as he has been out since June 3 due to suffering a <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/pablo-lopez-progressing-from-shoulder-injury" rel="noopener">“strain of the teres major muscle</a> in the back of his right shoulder,” per MLB.com. Lopez would say to The Athletic more than a week ago that <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6554902/2025/08/15/minnesota-twins-pablo-lopez-return/" rel="noopener">he wants to prove to himself</a> that he can recover and return this season, so that he can have a “regular offseason.”</p><p>“I want to do it,” López said earlier this month. “I want to be able to tell myself I was able to come back from this injury and pitch and perform at the level I know I can perform…I want to have a regular offseason where I can follow the progression I’ve been following the last couple of years.”</p><p>At any rate, Minnesota is currently at 60-73, which puts them fourth in the AL Central as the team starts a three-game series against the San Diego Padres on Friday night.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Pablo Lopez nearing return from injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/disappointing-player-twins-must-trade-offseason');   ga('set', 'title', '1 disappointing player Twins must trade in offseason');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Royce-Lewis-and-General-Manager-Jeremy-Zoll.jpg"></figure><h1>1 disappointing player Twins must trade in offseason</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-29T10:06:21-07:00">August 29th, 10:06am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-29T10:06:21-07:00">August 29th, 10:06am</time><address><a>RB Hayek</a>RB Hayek has been writing about sports for over a decade and is currently a member of ClutchPoints' editorial team after primarily focusing on betting content. In addition, he is also a published author of thriller novels, available on Amazon.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-rumors-trade-left-players-seething-rivals-dumbfounded">Minnesota Twins had a fire sale at the MLB trade deadline</a> and appear to be rebuilding. Now, they look to what is next. The Twins roster shakeup saw 10 players leave the team. Yet, there is still a possibility that there will be more Twins trade candidates in the MLB offseason. Things don’t seem to be over yet, as this team struggles to get back to respectability.</p><p>Instead of the playoffs, Minnesota has <a href="https://www.tankathon.com/mlb" rel="noopener">great odds for a good draft pic</a>k, according to Tankathon. After going 82-80 last season, this team has regressed, going 60-73 and sitting in fourth place in the American League Central. Nothing has gone well this season, and the team is looking to the future.</p><p>The rebuild seems to be in full display. Moreover, this particular player seems unable to stay healthy. Despite his potential, he has not been able to display it fully. It is one of the numerous reasons why he has become one of the Twins’ trade candidates as the MLB offseason inches closer.</p><h2><b>How the Twins have done</b></h2><p>As noted, the team has not performed well. The Twins are 60-73, and they are struggling. While they have not been mathematically eliminated, it’s doubtful, and their playoff odds are off the boards across most major betting platforms.</p><p>What hasn’t gone wrong? This team has dealt with injuries and struggles. Significantly, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-timeline-return-from-injury">Twins shut down starter Pablo Lopez</a> for the season as he has a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle across his right shoulder. It ruined what could have been a good season, as he was 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA. Joe Ryan has been the lone bright spot in the rotation, going 12-7 with a 3.22 ERA.</p><p>Conversely, Bailey Ober has struggled, going 4-7 with a 5.14 ERA. This rotation has been abysmal, going 22nd in team ERA. Meanwhile, the bullpen has also been bad, ranking 22nd.</p><p>The offense has been just as pitiful, ranking 23rd in batting average, 20th in on-base percentage, 24th in runs, 14th in home runs, and 17th in slugging percentage. Overall, all of this has contributed to another lost season, with the team seeking additional options. The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-houston-carlos-correa-twins-blockbuster-trade">Twins traded Carlos Correa to the Houston Astros,</a> indicating another sign of their rebuild. Despite that big move, it may not be over.</p><h2><b>Royce Lewis’ injury history vs potential</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Royce-Lewis-hits-a-single.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Royce Lewis is still young, and there is a lot of potential. However, it has not gone as planned. Since debuting in the minors in 2019, Lewis has had trouble staying healthy. First, he tore his ACL in 2019, and that required a lengthy rehab. Of course, that 2020 season did not have much legs on it because of his recovery and the COVID-shortened season.</p><p>Lewis struggled to stay healthy in the 2021 season because of a hamstring injury, limiting him to only 36 games. When 2022 arrived and he finally made his major league debut, he played a few more games but still dealt with oblique strains. Lewis sustained a left oblique strain in July and a left hamstring injury in September during the 2023 season, and that kept him to 58 games. Then, he had more lingering injuries in 2024, keeping him to 82 games.</p><p>The same story repeated in 2025, as he sustained more lingering injuries, limiting him to 78 games.</p><p>When he has been healthy, Lewis has demonstrated that he can hit well. Notably, the 2023 season saw a breakout performance, as Lewis hit .309 with 15 home runs and 52 RBIs over 58 games. When that happened, there was hope he could become the next big thing in Minnesota. Unfortunately, it has not worked out that way.</p><p>Lewis hit .233 with 16 home runs, 47 RBIs, and 40 runs with a .295 on-base percentage in 2024. Currently, he is hitting .224 with eight home runs, 35 RBIs, and 27 runs. While he was not part of the recent Twins roster shakeup, his performances and injury history mean he is not safe.</p><h2><b>Why Lewis is one of the Twins’ trade candidates</b></h2><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/baltimore-orioles/3-early-baltimore-orioles-trade-targets-ahead-of-2025-deadline">Lewis was in trade rumors this season,</a> especially for teams needing a third baseman with power. Despite his injury history, there is still a good chance he can have a great career. Lewis is one of the biggest Twins trade candidates because they might just want to start over from scratch. At this point, the Twins realize they have a long road to go to make it back to contention, especially with the Detroit Tigers and Kansas City Royals already playing significantly better.</p><p>The trade value for Lewis depends on how teams feel about his injury history. For now, it’s a possibility, and there could be some decent return. The Twins would likely target a middle-of-the-rotation starting pitcher. Likewise, they might opt to go for prospects who are younger and have proven they can stay healthy. Lewis has been a disappointment in Minnesota, and his time may be almost over.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

1 disappointing player Twins must trade in offseason

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-john-schneider-nsfw-reaction-win-over-twins');   ga('set', 'title', 'John Schneider’s NSFW reaction to ‘electric’ win over Twins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Blue-Jays.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>John Schneider’s NSFW reaction to ‘electric’ win over Twins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-27T21:43:47-07:00">August 27th, 9:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-27T21:58:31-07:00">August 27th, 9:58pm</time><address><a>Mike Gianakos</a>Mike Gianakos is the former editor-in-chief of High Times magazine, where he also spearheaded the video department and event production. He is a longtime podcaster and even longer suffering NY Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Toronto Blue Jays suffered an <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-fans-direct-anger-at-jeff-hoffman-after-disastrous-collapse-vs-twins">ugly ninth-inning collapse</a> against the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday as reliever Jeff Hoffman blew a save opportunity. But Toronto got its revenge with an epic eighth-inning comeback in the series finale.</p><p>Manager John Schneider was <a href="https://x.com/KeeganMatheson/status/1960894669069373938" rel="noopener">fired up</a> after the Blue Jays’ late-game heroics lifted the team to 78-56 on the season. Toronto is now tied with the Detroit Tigers for the best record in the American League.</p><p>“That was loud. That was an electric atmosphere. These guys do not quit. They don’t give a shit who they’re playing against. They don’t care what the situation is. I love it,” Schneider said, per MLB.com’s Keegan Matheson.</p><h2><b>Addison Barger comes through in clutch as Blue Jays beat Twins</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/Blue-Jays-2.jpg"><figcaption>Nick Turchiaro-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Toronto was down 8-6 entering the bottom of the eighth inning. Ty France, who <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/toronto-blue-jays/blue-jays-news-louis-varland-trade-twins">joined the Blue Jays in a trade with the Twins</a> at the deadline, got the rally started. Pinch-hitting for Tyler Heineman, France blasted a 420-foot solo home run to left center off Genesis Cabrera.</p><p>After cutting the lead to 8-7, Alejandro Kirk singled to left and Cabrera got the hook. Michael Tonkin took over for Minnesota and immediately walked George Springer, putting the winning run on first.</p><p>Then Addison Barger stepped in. The Blue Jays third baseman worked a 2-1 count before ripping a 83 mph slider off the top of the wall in right. Kirk came home from second and Springer beat the relay throw to score the go-ahead run from first base.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">ADDISON BARGER ABSOLUTELY DELIVERS! 🤩 <a href="https://t.co/gODAq5joZf">pic.twitter.com/gODAq5joZf</a></p><p>— Sportsnet (@Sportsnet) <a href="https://twitter.com/Sportsnet/status/1960886842439430650?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">August 28, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script></p></figure><p>The clutch hit gave the Blue Jays their first lead of the game in dramatic fashion. Which gave Hoffman a shot at redemption. On Tuesday, Toronto’s closer was called on to protect a 4-3 lead in the ninth inning. He proceeded to give up two home runs as the Twins scored four times and went on to win 7-5.</p><p>On Wednesday, Hoffman succeeded in slamming the door on Minnesota. He did allow the tying run to reach base but he kept the Twins from scoring, earning his 29th save of the season in the Blue Jays’ 9-8 victory.</p><p>Toronto has now gone 5-5 over its last 10 games. However, the Blue Jays maintain a four-game lead over the second-place Boston Red Sox in the AL East.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

John Schneider’s NSFW reaction to ‘electric’ win over Twins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-top-rated-prospect-closer-mlb-debut-latest-move');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ top-rated prospect closer to MLB debut after latest move');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/08/South-Brunswicks-Walker-Jenkins-navigates-the-bases.jpg"><figcaption>© Michael Cuneo/STARNEWS / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins’ top-rated prospect closer to MLB debut after latest move</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-24T21:32:25-07:00">August 24th, 9:32pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-24T21:35:00-07:00">August 24th, 9:35pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/mlb-stories/25-best-mlb-prospects-ahead-of-2025-season">Minnesota Twins’ top prospect, Walker Jenkins</a>, has officially moved one step away from the majors <a href="https://x.com/StribSports/status/1959775290772570189" rel="noopener">after being promoted</a> to Triple-A St. Paul, according to Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune. The 20-year-old outfielder, selected No. 5 overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, will join the Saints for their upcoming series in Toledo, making him the youngest player in the International League this season at 20 years and 188 days old.</p><p>Jenkins earned the call-up following an impressive stretch at Double-A Wichita, where he hit .309 with a .426 on-base percentage and .487 slugging percentage across 52 games. His production included seven home runs, 11 doubles, 24 RBI, 38 runs scored, and 11 stolen bases in 14 attempts.</p><p>Advanced metrics also highlighted his dominance, as his 156 wRC+ ranked third in the Texas League among players with at least 200 plate appearances, while his .420 wOBA also placed him third. He walked at a 14.3% rate (34 walks) and struck out just 18.5% of the time (44 strikeouts), showcasing one of the most polished approaches in the minors.</p><p>His monthly production steadily improved, posting an .885 OPS in June, .920 in July, and .973 in August. That late-summer surge, which included a .333/.449/.524 line in August with five homers over his last 20 games, ultimately pushed him into Triple-A for the season’s final stretch.</p><p>Jenkins’ career to this point has been interrupted by injuries. He missed nearly two months in 2024 with a hamstring strain and again this season with a high ankle sprain, sidelining him from April 9 until June 5. Despite back-to-back years with missed time, Jenkins has continued to produce whenever healthy. Across 627 career minor league at-bats, he is a .303 hitter with a .884 OPS, 17 homers, 36 stolen bases, 106 walks, and 111 strikeouts.</p><p>National outlets have consistently ranked Jenkins among the game’s elite prospects. MLB Pipeline currently lists him as the No. 14 overall prospect, Baseball America places him at No. 12, and Keith Law slotted him No. 11 in his midseason rankings. Several evaluators note that while his in-game power is still developing, his overall profile points to potential 20-plus home run production alongside elite speed and defensive ability.</p><p>His promotion also comes at a transitional moment for the Twins. At this year’s trade deadline, the front office moved nearly a dozen veterans with short-term contracts, bringing in additional prospects and strengthening an already top-tier farm system. Even with that influx of talent, Jenkins holds the Twins’ No. 1 prospect spot, ranking ahead of Eduardo Tait and 2024 first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper, who could also reach Triple-A before the season’s end.</p><p>The St. Paul Saints, currently 55-69 and out of postseason contention, provide Jenkins a maximum of 24 games at the level this year. Fans in Minnesota will get their first look at him in a Saints uniform when the team returns home September 9 for their final homestand against the Columbus Clippers.</p><p>Although the Twins have not set a specific debut timeline, Walker Jenkins <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-jhoan-duran-trade-acquisition-set-debut-white-sox">can enter the organization’s plans</a> by mid-2026 at the latest. His progression through the minors suggests the call-up to Minneapolis may not be far away.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ top-rated prospect closer to MLB debut after latest move

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/mlb-stories/mlb-news-phillies-host-mets-field-of-dreams');   ga('set', 'title', 'Phillies to play Twins in 2026 Field of Dreams game');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/07/Kyle-Schwarber-1_20a225.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Phillies to play Twins in 2026 Field of Dreams game</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-24T07:12:42-07:00">August 24th, 7:12am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-24T10:05:27-07:00">August 24th, 10:05am</time><address><a>Rishav Bhat</a>Rishav is a seasoned NBA and sports journalist and editor with over seven years of experience working for reputed organizations. A novelist first and foremost, he has written three fiction books. His high threshold of knowledge combined with his writing skills gives him the ability to write uniquely insightful pieces across basketball, soccer, cricket, lawn tennis, eSports, and a variety of other sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>First played back in August 2021, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/nfl/nfl-stories/3-perfect-places-nfl-field-of-dreams-ranked">the Field of Dreams game is a recurring MLB regular season special</a> played in Iowa. The games take place adjacent to the Field of Dreams site, which was popularized by the 1989 movie of the same name.</p><p>In what will be the third Field of Dreams game <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6572602/2025/08/24/phillies-twins-mlb-field-of-dreams-iowa/" rel="noopener">to be played thus far</a>, the Philadelphia Phillies will host the Minnesota Twins in June 2026, according to Matt Gelb and Dan Hayes of The Athletic. </p><p>Set to take place after a four-year hiatus, the 2026 matchup will be the third official Major League game staged at the iconic Iowa ballpark, which was originally built as the set for the 1989 baseball film. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/celebrity/buccaneers-news-field-of-dreams-recruit-tom-brady">The last Field of Dreams game was held in 2022</a>, when the Chicago Cubs faced the Cincinnati Reds and won 4-2.</p><p>The first-ever Field of Dreams game was played between the New York Yankees and Chicago White Sox back in August 2021, which finished 9-8 for the Sox. The four-year hiatus came as a result of construction activity at the site, and the tradition is now expected to continue in the coming years.</p><p>While no Field of Dreams game has taken place in three years, a Negro League tribute game took place at Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama, on June 20, 2024, the day after Juneteenth. The game was played between the St. Louis Cardinals and San Francisco Giants at America’s oldest professional ballpark, once home to the Birmingham Black Barons. The 2025 East-West Classic at Rickwood Field featured the likes of 2025 Hall of Fame inductee CC Sabathia and other former MLB stars. </p><p>The 2026 season itself will officially begin on Thursday, March 26.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Phillies to play Twins in 2026 Field of Dreams game

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-jhoan-duran-trade-acquisition-set-debut-white-sox');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Jhoan Duran trade acquisition set for debut vs. White Sox');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/06/Mick-Abel.jpeg"><figcaption>Dan Hamilton-Imagn Images.</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins’ Jhoan Duran trade acquisition set for debut vs. White Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-08-22T18:16:30-07:00">August 22nd, 6:16pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-08-22T18:17:56-07:00">August 22nd, 6:17pm</time><address><a>Abdullah Imran</a>Abdullah Imran works as an Associate Editor for All Sports at ClutchPoints. He’s been a sports fan his entire life and enjoys writing about every sport. He has spent three years in sports journalism and loves analyzing games. In his free time, he very much enjoys binge-watching shows and playing video games.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-rumors-3-trades-further-infuriate-fans-ownership-surprise">Minnesota Twins plan a major rotation change</a> this weekend. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-trade-jhoan-duran-twins">Mick Abel, the right-hander acquired from Philadelphia</a> in the trade that sent Jhoan Duran to the Phillies, reported to the Twins in Chicago on Friday and is <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/mick-abel-expected-to-make-twins-debut" rel="noopener">likely to make his debut</a> against the White Sox on Saturday, according to Matthew Leach of MLB.com.</p><p>Abel joins the Twins after an impressive stretch at Triple-A St. Paul and represents one of the most notable returns from Minnesota’s trade deadline sell-off.</p><p>The 24-year-old was Philadelphia’s first-round pick in 2020 and entered this season as a consensus top-50 prospect. After debuting with the Phillies on May 18, he made six big-league starts, recording a 5.04 ERA with 21 strikeouts and nine walks across 25 innings before the team optioned him. At Triple-A in 2024, he had struggled with a 6.46 ERA and 6.5 BB/9 in 108.2 innings, but his 2025 turnaround has been stark. Over 89.1 Triple-A innings this year, Abel has posted a 2.22 ERA with a 3.8 BB/9.</p><p>Since being dealt to Minnesota, Abel has been dominant with the St. Paul Saints. In three starts, he logged 15 1/3 innings, allowing just three runs on seven hits with 23 strikeouts and six walks, good for a 1.76 ERA. In his most recent outing, he tied a Saints single-game strikeout record with 11 punchouts. He has also introduced a sweeper into his arsenal, a pitch Minnesota’s staff encouraged him to feature more prominently, and early results have been promising.</p><p>The Twins held Abel back from pitching against Oakland earlier this week in favor of Jose Urena, who surrendered six runs over five innings in an 8-3 loss, keeping Chicago in mind. Abel’s debut lines up naturally in the rotation and comes at a moment when Minnesota sits 58-69, tied for the fifth-worst record in Major League Baseball and 9.5 games out of a playoff spot.</p><p>Abel is not the only new arm in the rotation picture. Right-hander Taj Bradley, acquired from Tampa Bay in the Griffin Jax trade, is also in line for a potential debut this weekend. Bradley had a promising six-inning, one-run debut at St. Paul, but his next two starts saw him give up a combined 11 runs. Overall, he owns a 7.53 ERA with 12 runs allowed in 14 1/3 innings, including four home runs.</p><p>For now, the Twins are shifting toward evaluation, with Abel and Bradley positioned as long-term rotation pieces alongside Pablo Lopez, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews, and David Festa.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Jhoan Duran trade acquisition set for debut vs. White Sox

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
22	9.82	6	2.05	0

2025 SEASON STATS
IP	ERA	K	WHIP	WINS
22	9.82	6	2.05	0

Thomas
Hatch

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