Inside The Twins

Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez returning to action after injury absence

Rodriguez hasn't played since July 8th due to a thumb injury.
Will Ragatz|
Feb 22, 2024; Lee County, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Emmanuel Rodriguez (90) poses for a photo during photo day at Hammond Stadium.
Feb 22, 2024; Lee County, FL, USA; Minnesota Twins center fielder Emmanuel Rodriguez (90) poses for a photo during photo day at Hammond Stadium. | Kim Klement Neitzel-USA TODAY Sports

Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez is returning to action on Thursday after missing most of the last three months with a nagging thumb injury. He's beginning a rehab assignment with Low-A Fort Myers, according to team play-by-play announcer John Vittas.

Rodriguez got off to a red-hot start to the season with Double-A Wichita this year, but he suffered a thumb injury in late May. After missing around ten days, he came back and aggravated the injury. Then he missed a month, went on a rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League, and aggravated it again in his second game. That was on July 8. This will be his first action since then.

Hopefully Rodriguez can avoid any future complications with the injury, because the 21-year-old Dominican outfielder is one of the most exciting prospects in the Twins' system. He has a 1.100 OPS in 37 Double-A games this year with 40 runs scored, 22 of his 37 hits going for extra bases, and 9 steals. Last year at High-A Cedar Rapids, Rodriguez recorded 16 homers, 9 triples, 20 steals, and 87 runs in 99 games.

Rodriguez is the Twins' No. 2 prospect and the No. 14 overall prospect in baseball, according to ESPN's Kiley McDaniel. MLB.com has him as the Twins' No. 3 prospect and No. 22 overall. If he can stay healthy, he has a chance to make his major league debut at some point in 2025.

Here's McDaniel on Rodriguez, who is a fascinating prospect for a variety of reasons:

"Rodriguez is a man of extremes, to the point that he's hard to project: His eye at the plate is among the best in the minor leagues, he has plus-plus raw power, he's among the best at getting to that power in games among top prospects, he has well-below-average bat-to-ball ability, and he's a standout defender despite just average speed, all in a 5-foot-10, 210-pound frame that's a bit stiff and frequently injured. He's probably a good major leaguer but definitely a unique one."

Related: Three Twins make expert's list of top ten players at every age from 16 to 25

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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