Matt

Wallner

This is a bit of a surprise since Wallner figured to be a core member of the Twins’ lineup this season, but the 28-year-old is hitting .167/.259/.292 with a 39 percent strikeout rate, so he wasn’t providing enough value to be on the active roster. There is a chance that he can hit well enough to return over the summer, but he needs to get the swing-and-miss back to the levels that allowed him to hit .250 with 14 home runs in 76 games in 2023.

Wallner was shaking his left hand after getting hit in the sixth, but according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes, the Twins were just playing matchups when they removed him an inning later.

The pitch was only a few inches inside, and Wallner was trying to check his swing when his top hand got hit. Hopefully, this proves minor. Wallner was showing signs of warming up at the plate, having gone 4-for-8 with a homer and a double in his previous two games.

Wallner’s fourth home run of the season briefly gave the Twins a lead in the fifth inning before they allowed 14 unanswered runs by the Nationals. Alas, Wallner obliterated that homer 420 feet and it was nice to see his raw power shine through in what’s otherwise been a disastrous season so far with a .189 batting average and .613 OPS through 30 games.

It’s not surprising that Wallner is sitting against a lefty, but that makes three of the last four games where he’s sat. Wallner is in a major funk, hitting .168/.275/.284 in 27 games so far. James Outman is hitting ninth in Wallner’s absence.

Wallner has really struggled to begin the season, striking out in 37 percent of his plate appearances and forging a .172/.274/.290 slash. The 28-year-old outfielder will get a break with Austin Martin getting the start in right field against Logan Gilbert and the M’s.

Wallner is hitless in three straight games and 4-for-49 in his last 13 games, leaving him at .172/.274/.290 overall. With his strikeout rate up to 37 percent, a Triple-A stint could be a possibility here. However, his most likely replacement, Alan Roden, just got hurt and won’t be an option.

Wallner is back patrolling right field and batting seventh following a brief one-game absence due to a lingering rib issue. It doesn’t appear to be a significant concern. The 28-year-old slugger has three homers in 20 games this season.

James Outman will start in his place and will bat ninth for the Twins against Brady Singer and the Reds on Sunday afternoon. If this continues to linger for Wallner, the Twins may ultimately opt to put him on the injured list to make sure it fully heals.

Wallner had a 110-mph, 409-foot homer and a 50-mph, three-foot single in the contest, giving him his first multihit game of the year. He did strike out two more times, bringing his total there up to 18 through 39 plate appearances. He fanned a total of nine times in the three-game series against the Rays.