Wander

Javier

Javier was a borderline top-100 prospect with the Twins a few years ago, but missed significant time due to injuries and never quite panned out. The 24-year-old shortstop batted .204/.271/.357 with 13 home runs and five stolen bases across 457 plate appearances last season between High-A Cedar Rapids and Triple-A St. Paul. He gives the Padres some additional organizational middle infield depth heading into the 2023 season.

Javier picked up his third and fourth homer of the season in the contest. He also drove in six runs, if that’s something you might be interested in. It’s been a struggle for the 20-year-old as of late, and the four-hit day breaks a snide that saw him go 1-for-32 in his previous nine games with 17 strikeouts. Once considered one of the top prospects at the shortstop position, Javier has struggled with injuries as well, but this is a friendly reminder that when he’s on the field, there’s substantial upside. It’s best to take a wait-and-see approach with these type of prospects, but time is still on Javier’s side. If he lives up to the hype of just a couple years ago, he could help in every fantasy category.

The club is referring to his exit as precautionary. One of the Twins’ top prospects, Javier missed most of last season following shoulder surgery.

He’ll undergo surgery next week, performed by world-renowned surgeon Dr. James Andrews. He initially suffered the injury late last season and suffered setbacks in spring training and again recently. He’s expected to be sidelined for six-to-nine months and should be fully recovered in time for spring training next season.