3 Observations From Twins Spring Training Action on February 24 and 25

Since winning back-to-back games on Sunday and Monday behind some encouraging pitching performances and a couple Emmanuel Rodriguez home runs, the Twins have lost three straight contests. They fell on both sides of a split-squad doubleheader on Tuesday, then came up short against the Red Sox on Wednesday.

Of course, game results aren't particularly relevant in spring training, which is much more about development and preparation for the regular season. Individual stats don't matter all that much either, but they're at least part of the evaluation process. And although a good spring may not be indicative of future performance in games that count, these plate appearances certainly aren't meaningless.

With that context established, here are three observations from the Twins' last three contests down in sunny Florida.

Roden, Outman off to strong starts

Alan Roden and James Outman, who were both acquired during the Twins' trade deadline fire sale last year, are competing for spots on Minnesota's 26-man Opening Day roster. Very early on, both left-handed outfielders are off to solid starts in that pursuit.

Roden, who hit a grand slam on Sunday, had another solid day on Tuesday with a single and two walks. He's 3 for 4 in his first two appearances this spring, reaching in five of six plate appearances. After coming over with Kendry Rojas in the Louis Varland deal last year, Roden struggled in 40 PAs with the Twins. But the 26-year-old has put up big numbers in the minor leagues and is a potential breakout candidate to watch this year if he can earn somewhat consistent playing time.

Outman, acquired from the Dodgers last year, has struggled quite a bit in the two seasons since his excellent rookie year in 2023. On Tuesday, he had a pair of singles, stole two straight bases after his first hit, and scored two runs. He could still be intriguing if he can make more contact and tap into his combination of power and speed.

If Roden and Outman put together strong springs, the Twins could be inclined to trade away Trevor Larnach in order to clear up more opportunities in the corner outfield spots.

Keaschall, Lee deliver on Wednesday

The Twins got good outings from their projected starting middle infielders in Wednesday's 5-3 loss to Boston.

Their biggest hit of the day was a two-run double from Luke Keaschall in the fifth inning. It's his second extra-base hit early this spring, joining a 390-foot triple he hit on Saturday. Keaschall, who is coming off an excellent (albeit injury-shortened) rookie year, has a chance to be one of the Twins' best and most important players in 2026. He'll be an everyday player at second base as long as he's healthy and hitting.

🔈 VOLUME UP 🔺

BIG statement swing from Luke Keaschall with RISP - a laser two-run double down the line vs. #RedSox.

Keaschall will hit high in the #MNTwins batting order. We're looking at a dangerous extra-base threat who's likely to steal 20-30 bases & score a lot of runs. pic.twitter.com/WVRhf9B95G
— Talkin' Twins (@TalkinTwins) February 25, 2026

Lee chipped in a couple hits on Wednesday. His first was a bloop single that should've been caught, but his second was an emphatic line drive that left the bat at 107 miles per hour. Lee feels like an X-factor for the Twins as their starting shortstop. The prospect who will eventually push him for that job, Kaelen Culpepper, also had a pair of hits on Wednesday.

Bullpen arms look good, with some exceptions

A bunch of different relievers made appearances for the Twins in these three games. Most of the results were good, but not all of them.

Among pitchers on the Twins' 40-man roster, scoreless innings were thrown by Anthony Banda, Cole Sands, Kody Funderburk, Andrew Chafin, and Eric Orze. Chafin walked a couple but got out of trouble. The veteran left-hander didn't throw a single pitch above 86.5 miles per hour, then gave an entertaining quote after his outing.

Andrew Chafin after topping out at 87 mph today: "If I cared about velo, I wouldn't have a job anymore."

"It's just a matter of tricking the body into doing what I want it to do when I want it to do it. And it doesn't really have a choice, so it's like a mind-over-matter dance."
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) February 25, 2026

Taylor Rogers had a bit of a rough spring debut on Tuesday, allowing two runs on two hits and two walks in an inning. He did strike out two. Justin Topa's day was even worse on Wednesday, as he was charged with four earned runs on two hits and three walks in 0.2 innings. He only recorded two outs on 31 pitches. This early in the spring, though, there's nothing to worry about when it comes to one poor outing.