Why Gabriel Gonzalez Got the Call Over Hotter Twins Prospects

Gabriel Gonzalez was called up to the Twins' roster on Friday, despite having a rough start to the year in Triple-A.

Mar 4, 2026; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins right fielder Gabriel Gonzalez (72) scores a run on a wild pitch against against the Puerto Rico in the seventh inning during spring training at Lee Health Sports Complex/Hammond Stadium. | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Twins called up outfield prospect Gabriel Gonzalez on Friday. Gonzalez will make his major league debut as he temporarily fills in for infielder Tristan Gray, who has been placed on the paternity list.

Gonzalez, 22, is the No. 7-ranked prospect in the Twins' farm system, according to MLB Pipeline. With a ranking that high, it's not necessarily a surprise that Minnesota has handed this opportunity to Gonzalez. However, considering the season he's currently having, it's fair to dig into the reason why the Twins chose him instead of other players who are having better seasons with the St. Paul Saints.

In 44 games at Triple-A this season, Gonzalez is slashing .216/.294/.392 with an OPS of .686. While he's slugged eight home runs and driven in 21 runs in 197 plate appearances, he's also seen his strikeout rate jump from 14% of his at-bats across all levels in 2025 to 19% of his at-bats this season. That's not awful, but it is notable considering he'll be facing tougher pitching in the big leagues.

Gonzalez's numbers have dipped overall this season compared to an outstanding 2025. Across High-A, Double-A, and Triple-A in 2025, Gonzalez slashed .329/.395/.513 with a .909 OPS. In his 34 games in Triple-A in 2025, Gonzalez hit .316 with an OPS of .862.

The Twins acquired Gonzalez ahead of the 2024 season as part of the trade that sent fan favorite Jorge Polanco to the Seattle Mariners. He has been highly rated throughout his rise in the minors, but, at the moment, is putting together one of his worst professional seasons since joining the Mariners' farm system in 2021.

If the Twins were just looking for a warm bat to fill in for a couple of days, why didn't they call up Aaron Sabato, Kyler Fedko, or Kaelen Culpepper? All three are putting up better numbers, and Culpepped is ranked No. 2 in the Twins' farm system by MLB Pipeline.

The answer: Gonzalez was already on the 40-man roster. Calling up Fedko, Sabato, or Culpepper would've forced Minnesota to designate a player currently on the 40-man roster for assignment and risk losing them to another team.

The only other realistic options for call-up were Royce Lewis, Matt Wallner, and Henry Mendez. Lewis and Waller were just demoted to Triple-A, and Mendez has only been with the Saints for 13 games after being promoted from Double-A.

All in all, Gonzalez gets to make his MLB debut while Sabato, Fedko, and Culpepper stay at Triple-A.

Sabato, who primarily plays first base, is slashing .298/.362/.692 with 1.054 OPS, while hitting 10 homers and driving 26 runs in 30 games. Fedko, an outfielder who plays all three spots, is slashing .286/.368/.594 with a .962 OPS in 39 games.

Culpepper, 23, has risen quickly through the Twins' system since the organization selected him with the No. 21 overall pick in the 2024 draft. He started the 2026 season in Triple-A, his first time at the level, and has slashed .250/.355/.459 with an .814 OPS in 42 games. Culpepper began the season as the No. 52 prospect in all of baseball.

Emmanuel Rodriguez would've been the easy call-up if he were healthy. The Twins' No. 3 overall prospect had surgery on his thumb earlier this week, and he'll be sidelined for an undetermined amount of time. Before the injury, Rodriguez, who is on the 40-man roster, had a .923 OPS with six homers and three doubles in 81 at-bats with the Saints.