Spring training is here and this year the Minnesota Twins have invited 65 players to big-league camp in Fort Myers, Fla., including 33 hitters.
Some are familiar names locked into Opening Day roster spots, but many will spend six weeks fighting for their major-league futures, while others are around mostly to provide depth early in camp.
No matter the category, they all deserve some love, so here are notes on each of the 33 hitters who will be in major-league camp with the Twins. We gave the 32 pitchers in camp the same treatment in a separate article.
Consider this your “Who is that guy?” guide to 2026 spring training.
(Notes: Ages are as of June 30, 2026. Asterisks indicate players not on the 40-man roster, also known as non-roster invites or NRIs.)
*Orlando Arcia, IF (31): Arcia’s hitting and fielding have declined since he was an All-Star in 2023, which is why a 10-year MLB veteran, and Oswaldo Arcia’s brother, is on a minor-league deal competing for the utility infielder role.
*David Bañuelos, C (29): There are 30 pitchers in camp, so the demand for catchers to work with everyone is high. Bañuelos is a career .196 hitter at Triple A, but he’s back for a second stint with the Twins purely as depth.
Josh Bell, 1B (33): Have bat, will travel. Bell is a switch-hitting slugger on his sixth team in six years, signing for one year with the Twins for $7 million. He caught fire after a slow start last season, cutting down on strikeouts and finishing with a 110 OPS+ in line with his 114 career mark. Best suited as a designated hitter because his mobility is limited at 6-3 and 260 pounds.
Byron Buxton, CF (32): Finally free of the chronic knee pain that plagued him for years, Buxton had a great all-around season in which he played 126 games, slugged .551 with 35 homers, went 24-for-24 stealing bases and had the highest fWAR (5.0) by a Twins center fielder since Kirby Puckett. Will the Twins further test his admirable loyalty with three years left on his deal?
Victor Caratini, C/1B (32): Caratini was a surprising choice to be the Twins’ first multiyear signing since Carlos Correa, getting a two-year, $14 million deal in mid-January. He’s a weak-armed, good-hitting catcher and a below-average bat at first base/designated hitter, so Caratini’s value to the Twins is very dependent on how — and how often — they choose to deploy him.
*Noah Cardenas, C (26): Adding a little power to what have always been good on-base skills and quality defense, Cardenas reached Triple A for the first time. He lacks upside, but has the profile of a future backup catcher.
Kody Clemens, 1B/2B (30): Clemens, the son of legendary pitcher Roger Clemens, was a nice scrap-heap pickup last April, homering 19 times in his first extended MLB action at 29 years old. However, he hit .216 with a 96 OPS+ while playing mostly first base, suggesting he’d be stretched as a lineup regular.
*Andrew Cossetti, C (26): Cossetti is 26 and has yet to play a Triple-A game because his bat hasn’t developed as hoped and his defense has always been iffy. Camp catcher depth, albeit with some intriguing power and patience.
*Kaelen Culpepper, SS (23): The Twins’ first-round pick in 2024 emerged as a top-100 prospect in his first full season, hitting .289/.375/.469 with 20 homers and 25 steals while receiving positive reviews at shortstop. He’s yet to play a Triple-A game, but Culpepper may enter the Twins’ plans this season and profiles as a long-term regular with All-Star upside.
*Kyler Fedko, OF (26): Previously a marginal prospect, Fedko had a 2025 breakout with 28 homers and 38 steals. That didn’t lead to a call-up by the Twins, but he has the skill set to potentially fit as a backup outfielder.
Gabriel Gonzalez, COF (22): Part of the Jorge Polanco trade two offseasons ago, Gonzalez batted .315 or higher at each of three levels in 2025, including beating up Triple-A pitching at 21. He lacks ideal pop for a corner outfielder, but profiles as a high-average doubles machine who should crush lefties.
Tristan Gray, IF (30): Added to the utility infielder mix after arriving in a minor January trade, Gray is with his seventh organization in the past 18 months. He’s hit poorly in 47 big-league games, but has shown some left-handed power at Triple A and can play anywhere defensively.
Alex Jackson, C (30): Jackson was set to be the backup catcher when the Twins traded Payton Eeles to get him in November, but Caratini makes him superfluous. Keeping three catchers is unlikely and he’s out of minor-league options. Can the Twins find a taker for a career .153 hitter owed $1.35 million?
Ryan Jeffers, C (29): After splitting time with Christian Vázquez for three years, Jeffers could be in line for more starts in his final season before free agency. He’s below average defensively, but Jeffers has the fourth-best OPS among catcher regulars since 2023. Signing an extension is highly unlikely, making him a prime midseason trade candidate if the Twins start poorly.
*Walker Jenkins, OF (21): Jenkins, the No. 5 pick in a stacked 2023 draft, is the Twins’ best prospect since Buxton and is on track to make his MLB debut this season at 21. He’s well-rounded on both sides of the ball, hitting for high averages, controlling the strike zone, stealing bases and showing the range needed for center field. If his power develops, he could be a perennial All-Star.
Luke Keaschall, 2B (23): Keaschall had a great rookie season despite being pressed into action before fully recovering from elbow surgery and missing three months with a broken forearm sustained in his seventh game. His on-base skills and speed could become a fixture atop the Twins’ lineup, but key questions loom about his durability, defense and power potential.
Ryan Kreidler, IF/OF (28): Claimed off waivers because the Twins are big believers in his defense, Kreidler has hit just .138 in the majors and .235 at Triple A. His ability to back up both shortstop and center field would help a bench short on versatility, but not if his bat is only playable in emergencies.
Trevor Larnach, COF (29): Surprisingly retained via arbitration for $4.475 million, Larnach has yet to produce at the level needed from a poor-fielding left-handed corner bat. Entering his sixth MLB season, he has a career 101 OPS+ despite being shielded from tough lefties. Assuming he’s not traded, Larnach will again fill a platoon role with plenty of designated hitter action.
Brooks Lee, SS (25): Lee enters his third season with big questions on both sides of the ball. Can he handle shortstop defensively, or at least hold down the position until a better-fielding prospect is ready? Can he stop swinging at non-strikes enough to let his bat-to-ball skills shine? It’s a crucial season for the No. 8 pick in the 2022 draft. He won’t lack for opportunity.
Royce Lewis, 3B (27): Lewis played a career-high 106 games last year and improved at third base, but his once-promising bat has gone missing since mid-2024. He’s hit .225 with a .646 OPS in his last 162 games. Have years of constant injuries caught up to him? Lewis is team-controlled through 2028, but this could be a make-or-break season for his Twins career.
Royce Lewis’ future with the Twins may not be set in stone. (Emilee Chinn / Getty Images)
Austin Martin, OF (27): No hitter took more advantage of their post-trade deadline opportunity than Martin, who batted .282/.374/.365 with 11 steals in 50 games to work his way back into the Twins’ plans. He’s a tweener who lacks ideal power for left field and is stretched defensively anywhere else.
Hendry Mendez, COF (22): Considered a prospect on the rise after coming over in the Harrison Bader trade, Mendez hit .324/.461/.450 in 33 games for Double-A Wichita to make adding him to the 40-man roster a no-brainer. If he winds up at first base, more power development could be needed.
*Ricardo Olivar, C/COF (24): Olivar is stuck between catcher, where he’s below average defensively, and left field, where his bat is middling unless he develops more power to go with strong strike-zone control.
James Outman, OF (29): Acquired for Brock Stewart in a deadline trade, Outman has hit .141 in 112 big-league games since rookie success with the Dodgers in 2023. He crushes Triple-A pitching and has the speed to handle center field, making him a theoretical fit in a bench role. Additionally, he is out of minor-league options.
Alan Roden, OF (26): Acquired in the Louis Varland trade, Roden hit .158 in 12 games before suffering a season-ending thumb injury. He’s a career .302 hitter in the minors, including .320 at Triple A, and offers better speed and defensive value than the Twins’ usual assortment of lefty corner bats.
Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF (23): Rodriguez is a consensus top-100 prospect for the fourth year in a row and likely to make his MLB debut this summer. He has impressive raw power and the speed for center field, but strikeouts, injuries and an extremely patient plate approach that can become passive create a wide variance of opinions about his long-term upside.
*Kala’i Rosario, COF (23): Rosario went unprotected and unpicked in a second straight Rule 5 draft despite totaling 25 homers and 32 steals last season while repeating Double A. Defense and strikeouts are weaknesses.
*Aaron Sabato, 1B (27): Sabato’s prospect stock has bottomed out six years after being a first-round pick. He has plenty of power, but lacks other MLB-caliber skills offensively and is limited defensively at first base.
*Tanner Schobel, IF (25): Schobel doesn’t look like a future regular, but the 2022 second-round pick’s defense is sound enough, and versatile enough, to fit in a utility infielder role with even slightly more competent hitting.
*Gio Urshela, 3B/1B (34): Urshela batted .285 with a .767 OPS as the Twins’ starting third baseman in 2022, but he hasn’t hit much since then and might be nearing the end of the line. Diminished skill set isn’t a logical bench fit.
Eric Wagaman, 1B/COF (28): Miami dropped Wagaman after he was one of MLB’s worst starting first basemen in 2025 and the Twins acquired him in a small trade to compete for a bench/platoon role. Within his underwhelming overall track record, Wagaman has been productive against left-handers.
Matt Wallner, COF (28): Even in a down year, Wallner still had a 110 OPS+ with 22 homers in 104 games, but better production is needed from a poor defensive corner outfielder. Have pitchers figured out how to exploit holes in his swing? Wallner is emblematic of the Twins’ lineup as a prime-aged hitter who must get back on track or risk falling out of their plans.
*Pat Winkel, C (26): Slated for a third straight year as a part-time catcher at Triple-A St. Paul, where he’s hit just .224 with a .650 OPS. Winkel shows some decent pop, but the 2021 ninth-round pick is strictly camp depth.