BALTIMORE — In search of an offensive spark, the Minnesota Twins are promoting Trevor Larnach and sending Matt Wallner back to Triple-A St. Paul.
Why now?
Wallner struggled to make contact, let alone produce early in the season. He’s struck out in more than 50 percent of his plate appearances to start the season and routinely looked overwhelmed. The outfielder had only two hits in 25 at-bats this season, one of which was a homer off a position player Saturday against the Detroit Tigers.
The Twins likely hope a reset will be helpful for Wallner, who played a critical role in helping them win the AL Central in 2023. Wallner blasted 14 homers in 254 trips to the plate last season.
This isn’t the first time Wallner has started the season with an extended slump. Wallner was 8-for-53 with 26 strikeouts to begin the 2022 season at Double A before turning it around, rising all the way to the majors that September to make his MLB debut.
What does this mean?
After Wallner and Alex Kirilloff moved above him on the depth chart, and with prospects Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez on deck, it seemed pretty clear the Twins would move on from Larnach this winter and give him an opportunity elsewhere. For whatever reason, a trade never came to fruition and now Larnach gets another chance.
Larnach started the season on the injured list with a turf toe injury and only returned to action over the weekend at Single-A Fort Myers, making 14 plate appearances.
A first-round pick in 2018, Larnach has had his share of moments since arriving in the majors in 2021, accruing 20 homers in 693 plate appearances. Larnach was in the Twins’ Opening Day lineup last season and got out to a decent start, driving in 26 runs with a .754 OPS through mid-May before he was placed on the IL with pneumonia.
Wallner stepped in when Larnach was on the IL and got red hot, which effectively allowed him to pass his teammate on the depth chart. Throughout his career, Larnach has struggled to hit off-speed pitches at the major-league level. For his career, he’s struck out 233 times in 693 plate appearances.
(Photo of Matt Wallner after a strikeout: Reed Hoffmann / Associated Press)
