The Twins Are Back to Being Awful. Are There Any Reasons for Hope?

After a 3-6 start to their season, the Twins surged to 11-7 by winning eight of nine games, staking a momentary claim on first place in the American League and creating some hope that they might be better than expected in 2026. Since then, they've returned to being as awful as virtually everyone predicted they would be.

If you were paying attention to the NFL draft and the NBA and NHL playoffs and didn't notice, the Twins were swept in utterly non-competitive fashion in Tampa over the weekend. They scored a grand total of five runs in the three losses and never once had a lead. They've now lost nine of their last ten games and have fallen to 12-16 on the season, which puts them 10th in the AL. Things change fast.

This week, the Twins return home for three games against the Mariners (14-15) and four against the Blue Jays (12-15) at Target Field. Their goal has to be going 4-3 or even 5-2 on this homestand to breathe some life back into their season. If the losses keep piling up, this year could get ugly before June even arrives.

Are there any reasons for optimism? Let's take a look at the four categories of baseball to see how things are going for the Twins.

Offense

.227 batting average (26th)
.698 OPS (21st)
4.7 runs per game (12th)
33 home runs (T-11th)
18 stolen bases (T-17th)

The Twins' lineup has showed some life at times this season, especially when they beat up on Tarik Skubal, Framber Valdez, and Garrett Crochet during their 8-1 surge. But they've now scored two or fewer runs in three straight games and five of their last nine.

Luke Keaschall and Matt Wallner continue to struggle immensely, while Byron Buxton and Josh Bell have seen their OPS+ marks dip below 100. Austin Martin and Ryan Jeffers have been the Twins' best hitters, and Brooks Lee was basically the only one who showed a pulse against the Rays.

Any optimism has to start with the assumption that Buxton's numbers will improve and that Keaschall, Wallner, and Kody Clemens won't continue to be terrible. A real case can be made that the Twins should call up Emmanuel Rodriguez from Triple-A, but they unless they give up on Wallner, there still isn't an everyday role available for E-Rod.

Starting pitching

149.1 innings pitched (10th)
3.98 ERA (11th)
1.27 WHIP (12th)
.239 opponent BA (15th)
137 strikeouts (15th)

Even without Pablo Lopez, the Twins' starting pitching has been a strength. Taj Bradley has a 2.91 ERA even after getting rocked for the first time on Friday in Tampa. Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober are both around 3.9, which is solid. One issue is that Mick Abel landed on the IL after two great starts during the 8-1 stretch. Another is that Simeon Woods Richardson has been awful, with a 6.30 ERA that ranks 109th out of 119 pitchers with at least five starts in 2026.

One reason for optimism is that top pitching prospect Connor Prielipp looked pretty good in his MLB debut last Wednesday and will now make his Target Field debut on Monday night (rain pending). The hope is that Abel (elbow inflammation) can return within the next few weeks. If Prielipp pitches well, it should almost certainly be Woods Richardson who loses his rotation spot once Abel is healthy.

Bullpen

4.85 ERA (23rd)
1.53 WHIP (26th)
20.3 K% (26th)
11.3 BB% (18th)

In news that will stun no one, the Twins' bullpen has been bad. Taylor Rogers and Anthony Banda, who were supposed to be their top two lefties, have ERAs of 7.27 and 8.74, respectively. Kody Funderburk and the three main righties (Cole Sands, Eric Orze, Justin Topa) have actually been decent, but there are no true shutdown relievers on this roster.

A reason for hope is that the Twins' bullpen is due for some positive regression. Their BABIP of .332 is the worst in baseball, and there's usually some luck involved there. Twins relievers also have the biggest collective difference (in a bad way) between their FIP (3.94) and their actual ERA.

Defense

-9 DRS (27th)
-6 OAA (26th)
-7.1 DEF (28th)

The Twins' truly abysmal defense might be an even bigger issue than their bullpen. They are simply not good at fielding the ball, and it starts with Wallner (-5 DRS) in right field and Lee (-4) at shortstop. Keaschall and Royce Lewis aren't great infield defenders either. Defense is probably always going to be a weakness with this current iteration of the Twins.

All hope is not yet lost for the 2026 Twins, but the excitement of two weeks ago has faded in a hurry. They need to start playing a lot better if they're going to bounce back.

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