The Twins recalled Pereda from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Pereda joins the active roster for the first time since being optioned Aug. 12, replacing DaShawn Keirsey. Pereda will provide some catching depth behind Ryan Jeffers (head), who was removed from Thursday's game after taking a foul tip to the mask. If Jeffers is forced to miss time, Pereda and Mickey Gasper would handle catcher duties.
... See More... See Less
Twins' DaShawn Keirsey: Relegated to St. Paul
Rotowire
The Twins optioned Keirsey to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Keirsey never registered a plate appearance during his four-day stint in the big leagues, though he did manage to steal a base and score a run as a pinch runner. Sporting a .324 OPS through 70 games in the majors this year, he'll return to Triple-A in favor of Jhonny Pereda, who was recalled from St. Paul in a corresponding move.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Noah Davis: Sent outright to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Twins outrighted Davis to Triple-A St. Paul on Friday.
The transaction clears 26-man and 40-man roster spots for the return of Pablo Lopez (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list. Davis has surrendered a whopping 24 runs (22 earned) over 11 innings at the big-league level this season between the Dodgers and Twins.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Pablo Lopez: Activated ahead of Friday's start
Rotowire
The Twins activated Lopez (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Friday in Kansas City.
Lopez will rejoin the Twins after missing the last two months of action due to a Grade 2 teres major strain. The righty recorded a 14:2 K:BB over 11.1 frames in three rehab starts and tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and 82 pitches in his final outing with Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Austin Martin: Gets on base four times
Rotowire
Martin went 3-for-4 with a walk and a run scored in Thursday's 11-8 loss to the White Sox.
Martin has been in the lineup in three straight games. He's gone 10-for-24 (.417) with eight walks over his last nine contests. He should maintain a decent share of playing time in the outfield as long as he's getting on base at a steady rate. For the season, Martin is slashing .284/.383/.370 with one home run, six stolen bases, two RBI, 11 runs scored, two doubles and one triple over 95 plate appearances since his call-up at the start of August.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Trevor Larnach: Posts three hits, steal in loss
Rotowire
Larnach went 3-for-5 with an RBI, a stolen base and a run scored in Thursday's 11-8 loss to the White Sox.
Larnach's steal was his first since May 28 versus the Rays, and it was his first attempt since he was caught in a July 4. While he won't light things up on the basepaths, the 28-year-old has swung a hot bat lately. He is 13-for-24 (.542) over his last six games, logging five multi-hit efforts in that span. Overall, Larnach is up to a .258/.330/.415 slash line with 16 home runs, 56 RBI, 56 runs scored, three steals, 20 doubles and one triple over a career-high 125 games this season.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Luke Keaschall: Smacks four hits in loss
Rotowire
Keaschall went 4-for-5 with an RBI, one stolen base and two runs scored in Thursday's 11-8 loss to the White Sox.
Keaschall had gone five games without a multi-hit effort prior to Thursday, but he busted that slump with the first four-hit performance of his young career. He's had no trouble against major-league pitching over his first 33 games, slashing .328/.418/.508 with four home runs, 21 RBI, 18 runs scored, nine stolen bases and 10 doubles across 141 plate appearances. Keaschall should continue to see a near-everyday role at second base in the final few weeks of the campaign.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Kody Clemens: Reaches 15-homer mark
Rotowire
Clemens went 2-for-5 with a solo home run in Thursday's 11-8 loss to the White Sox.
Clemens has seen his playing time slip early in September. He's gone just 6-for-31 (.194) at the plate over his last 11 games, with his ninth-inning homer Thursday being his first extra-base hit in that span. For the season, he's at a .210/.280/.427 slash line with 15 homers, 41 RBI, 39 runs scored and two stolen bases across 101 games between the Twins and the Phillies. Clemens and fellow left-handed hitter Edouard Julien have been competing for most of the playing time at first base lately.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Matt Wallner: Lifts homer Thursday
Rotowire
Wallner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two walks and a second run scored in Thursday's 11-8 loss to the White Sox.
Wallner had gone seven games without a long ball after homering four times over three contests from Aug 23-26. The outfielder provided a blast in the fifth inning Thursday, but the Twins ultimately unraveled in the late innings. Wallner is up to 21 homers, 36 RBI, 42 runs scored, three stolen bases, 14 doubles and three triples while slashing .209/.313/.483 through 93 games this season.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Taj Bradley: Strikes out seven in no-decision
Rotowire
Bradley allowed four runs on eight hits and a walk while striking out seven over five innings in a no-decision versus the White Sox on Thursday.
Bradley had a strong showing against the Padres in his last outing, but the White Sox still gave him trouble. His last start with the Rays also came against the Southsiders, as did his Twins debut. In those three games, he's given up 15 runs across 11.2 innings. He's had some struggles against non-playoff teams, particularly the Orioles and Marlins in addition to the White Sox, while finding success against stronger teams. Overall this year, Bradley's 4.92 ERA, 1.31 WHIP and 109:49 K:BB over 126.1 innings offer tepid confidence at the best of times. It's possible he'll lose his starting role with Pablo Lopez (shoulder) returning Friday -- the last spot in the rotation is likely to come down to Bradley or Simeon Woods Richardson.
Twins' Ryan Jeffers: Removed from Thursday's contest
Rotowire
Jeffers was removed from Thursday's game against the White Sox due to a head injury, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Jeffers took a foul ball off his mask during the game and was ultimately removed. He will likely undergo testing for a concussion and should be considered day-to-day until more information is available.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Pablo Lopez: Expected back Friday
Rotowire
Lopez (shoulder) is expected to return from the 60-day injured list to start Friday's game against the Royals, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Lopez appears ready to rejoin the big club for the first time since early June after tossing 5.2 scoreless innings and 82 pitches in his third and final rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul this past Sunday. He's been sharp overall across three outings in the minors, compiling a 14:2 K:BB in 11.1 frames. Prior to landing on the shelf, Lopez went 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 61:14 K:BB over 60.2 innings in 11 starts for Minnesota.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Brooks Lee: Getting breather Thursday
Rotowire
Lee is absent from the lineup for Thursday's game against the White Sox.
Lee is receiving a well-earned day of rest after starting each of the previous 20 contests for the Twins. Ryan Fitzgerald will fill in at shortstop in Lee's stead.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Byron Buxton: Exiting starting lineup
Rotowire
Buxton is not in the lineup for Thursday's game versus the White Sox.
It's a routine day off for Buxton, who had started each of the previous seven contests and gone 10-for-29 with four home runs and two stolen bases over that stretch. James Outman will patrol center field and Luke Keaschall will be elevated to the leadoff spot for the Twins.
Twins' Zebby Matthews: Punches out five in strong outing
Rotowire
Matthews didn't factor into the decision Wednesday against the White Sox, allowing one run on three hits and two walks in six innings. He struck out five.
Matthews has now logged a quality start in consecutive outings for the first time all year. The three hits allowed fell one shy of matching his season low, and the 25-year-old right-hander tallied an impressive 14 swinging strikes on the evening. Matthews still has work to do in order to improve his 4.73 ERA and 1.42 WHIP, though he does have 75 punchouts over 64.2 innings. His strong 26.6 percent strikeout rate could help give him an edge for his next scheduled matchup against the Angels, who have the most strikeouts (1,365) in MLB as a team.
... See More... See Less
Twins' Justin Topa: Can't rebound in loss, blown save
Rotowire
Topa (1-5) was charged with the loss and a blown save in a 4-3 defeat to the White Sox on Wednesday, allowing one run on two hits and no walks with one strikeout in two-thirds of an inning.
That's consecutive blown saves for Topa, who has now given up at least one run in four straight outings. Given the right-hander's recent struggles, it wouldn't be surprising to see manager Rocco Baldelli turn to a different high-leverage arm, such as Cole Sands or Kody Funderburk, for Minnesota's next save chance. Topa has a 4.03 ERA and 1.45 WHIP over 58 innings this season.
