#MNTwins promoted their #3 prospect and consensus top-30 global prospect, outfielder Emmanuel Rodriguez, to Triple-A St. Paul. Rodriguez has missed a lot of time with injuries this season, but he hit .298/.479/.621 in 37 games at Double-A as a 21-year-old.

Brooks Lee spent the offseason revamping his right-handed swing after struggling with it in the minors: nytimes.com/athletic/52922… Tonight, the switch-hitting Lee hit his first career homer from the right side:

Griffin Jax has definitely mastered the art of pitching this season, in addition to having elite raw stuff. x.com/alexschief/sta…

David Festa has a 3.13 ERA with 50 strikeouts in 37 innings for the #MNTwins since returning to the majors in late July.

This is the third time a Twins pitcher has allowed 8+ runs in the last eight games. Prior to that, a Twins pitcher had allowed 8+ runs just three times in the previous 361 games.

Most homers by a 38-year-old in #MNTwins history: 41 — Nelson Cruz, 2019 20 — Carlos Santana, 2024 13 — Harmon Killebrew, 1974 No one else has more than three.

Good to see DaShawn Keirsey finally getting a chance with the #MNTwins after being passed over for a call-up several times during the past two seasons. I ranked Keirsey as the team's #29 prospect coming into the season: nytimes.com/athletic/51711…

Edouard Julien's first homer for the #MNTwins since April 25, a span of 57 games and 165 plate appearances. Prior to that homer-less stretch, Julien totaled 23 homers in his first 133 games for the Twins.

Matt Wallner now leads the #MNTwins with 10 homers since being recalled from the minors on July 7. He's hit .297/.398/.623 in 45 games during that span.

This is the highlight of my journalism career. Thank you to Audra Martin for helping me take the next step in my journey to become a neck fan influencer.

This is actually pretty typical for Winter Meltdown attendees.

Ridiculous for MLB's replay center to take over 10 minutes to review a play that didn't even involve a run scoring. Made it really tough for Pablo López to stay in the game with 91 pitches after such a long, mid-inning delay. And all just to confirm the initial on-field call.

#MNTwins takeaways after a series split in Tampa Bay: Byron Buxton on hold, Max Kepler shut down, DaShawn Keirsey called up, and the playoff picture with 22 games to go nytimes.com/athletic/57466…

Ant is a poor man’s Derrick McKey. Rudy is the “WOAT.” The Wolves just got lucky last season. The only thing any of the nonsense this week shows is what Chris Finch has been telling them all summer: last season doesn’t matter. Time to start anew nytimes.com/athletic/57457…

New podcast! On the #MNTwins split in Tampa Bay, Max Kepler joining Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa on the sidelines, DaShawn Keirsey finally getting a chance, Royce Lewis reluctantly playing second base, and the futures of Louie Varland and David Festa. patreon.com/posts/missing-…

Despite being down their three highest-paid players (Correa, Buxton, Kepler) and a pitcher imploding every few days, the #MNTwins are in prime playoff position with just 22 games remaining. On that, plus a scouting report for new call-up DaShawn Keirsey: nytimes.com/athletic/57466…

#MNTwins plan to start using Louie Varland in the bullpen. Needs a few more days after his bulk outing Wednesday. But plan is to use him in relief.