Alan Roden walks it off for Twins in season debut

Roden receives the call to replace injured franchise cornerstone Byron Buxton (hip) ahead of Tuesday’s series opener against the Guardians. The 26-year-old was picked up from the Blue Jays in the ill-fated Louis Varland deal at last year’s trade deadline. Roden played in just 12 games for Minnesota before undergoing thumb surgery last August while Varland has blossomed into a dominant closer for Toronto.

Roden has been on the injured list since April 24th after suffering a shoulder injury on April 17th. If he does get his batting practice sessions in this week, he will likely begin a rehab assignment next week and then would likely need at least two weeks of games before the Twins would even consider bringing him up to the big leagues. There’s also a chance he’s activated off the injured list and kept at Triple-A, where he began the season.

The good news is that surgery won’t be required, it’s something that rest and rehab should be able to take care of. It’s going to cost the 26-year-old outfielder at least a month’s worth of action though, if not longer.

Roden performed admirably in the Grapefruit League with a .310 average and .774 OPS, but he has an option year left, while James Outman does not, so Outman wins the final outfield spot to begin 2026.

Roden entered camp as a long shot to make the Twins, but he’s 7-for-14 with a homer in his five official games and there was no letup in the unofficial one today. That he bats left-handed makes him a poor fit with Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner already due to start in the outfield corners, but the Twins could have Larnach do more DHing if they want to make room for him.

Roden is 3-for-4 with a grand slam in two games, good for a .750/.833/1.500 line. Last year, he hit .407/.541/.704 in Grapefruit League action to win a roster spot on the Jays. Not much good happened after that, though. Roden is at a disadvantage as he contends with James Outman for a spot on the Twins bench, since Outman is out of options and is the superior center fielder. Roden might be a better left field option than Trevor Larnach, but Larnach is locked into a job and Roden’s left-handed bat wouldn’t make a ton of sense behind two left-handed corner outfielders in Larnach and Matt Wallner, at least not unless the Twins decide to stick Larnach at DH primarily.

That the Twins retained Trevor Larnach and added Josh Bell and Victor Caratini over the winter would seem to leave their younger outfield types with little opportunity to crack the starting lineup this spring. Roden, though, overcame similar circumstances to make the Jays last spring. He wound up disappointing and getting moved in the Louis Varland deal, but his on-base skills make him interesting, especially if he shows a little more power.

Roden was transferred to the 60-day injured list over the weekend after suffering a ligament sprain in his left thumb. There should be an official timetable from the club at some point soon, but we’re anticipating he’ll be ready for spring training.

Roden will miss the remainder of the season after being diagnosed earlier this week with a ligament sprain in his left thumb. The 25-year-old rookie came over from the Blue Jays at last month’s trade deadline.

Roden hits the shelf after suffering a thumb ligament sprain during Thursday’s loss to Detroit. The 25-year-old rookie is likely facing a multi-week absence, but there isn’t an official return timeline yet from the Twins. There should be some clarity on his status at some point in the coming days.