Twins' Matt Wallner: Set to start rehab assignment
Rotowire
Wallner (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Wallner landed on the 10-day injured list April 17 due to a Grade 3 left hamstring strain. He progressed enough in his recovery to resume running in early May, and he's ready to take the next step in his rehab program by playing in games at Triple-A. Given how long he's been out, Wallner will likely need multiple games in the minors to get his timing back at the plate before the Twins activate him. Before he was shut down with the injury, Wallner slashed .263/.373/3474 with one home run and three RBI over 67 plate appearances.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Begins running
Rotowire
Wallner (hamstring) has started up a running program that includes turns, and he's also taking batting practice, MLB.com reports.
Wallner is making progress in his recovery from the hamstring strain he suffered nearly a month ago, but a timetable for him to begin a rehab assignment isn't clear. He was diagnosed with a Grade 3 strain, with the team initially giving him an estimated return of early June. Since he's only starting to run full speed and hasn't yet run the bases, that timetable may be a little optimistic, however.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Officially placed on IL
Rotowire
The Twins placed Wallner (hamstring) on the 10-day injured list Thursday.
A strained left hamstring forced Wallner to exit Tuesday's contest early, and he'll now be forced to spend at least 10 days on the injured list. The Twins haven't provided any details on the severity of his injury, so it's still unclear if he'll require more than a minimum-length stay. While Wallner is out, DaShawn Keirsey will likely receive the bulk of starts in right field, and Jonah Bride will fill the open roster spot after being acquired from Miami on Wednesday.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Going on IL with strained hamstring
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Wallner will be placed on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Wallner exited Tuesday's game against the Mets after tweaking the hamstring, and an MRI showed a strain, necessitating a trip to the IL. The severity of the strain isn't clear, so it's uncertain how long he might be shelved. DaShawn Keirsey started in right field in Wallner's place Wednesday and is likely due for an uptick in playing time in the immediate future.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Might be available off bench
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Twins manager Rocco Baldelli indicated that Wallner (hamstring) could be available off the bench during Wednesday's game against the Mets, LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Wallner was forced to depart Tuesday's game against the Mets due to left hamstring tightness and was set to undergo an MRI. The results of that imaging haven't been revealed, but Baldelli doesn't seem to believe Wallner's absence from the lineup will last long.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Records second triple Monday
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Wallner went 2-for-4 with a triple Monday against the Mets.
Wallner lined a Clay Holmes sweeper off the right-field wall in the fourth inning for a triple, his second three-base hit of the campaign already. The lefty-hitting outfielder is on the strong side of a platoon in right field, and Wallner is slashing .250/.364/.464 with one home run, five doubles, three RBI, and seven runs scored through his first 66 plate appearances (17 games).
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Hits first homer of season
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Wallner went 1-for-4 with a solo home run in Wednesday's victory over the Royals. It was his first homer of the season.
It was just his fourth career home run against a left-handed pitcher, which bodes well for him getting more at-bats against southpaws. Wallner is hitting leadoff against right-handed starters and batting .289 overall with a .912 OPS.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sitting out versus left-hander
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Wallner is not in the lineup for Monday's game against the White Sox.
The Twins are facing lefty Martin Perez, so manager Rocco Baldelli is rolling out a lineup of all right-handed or switch hitters. Harrison Bader is in right field in place of the left-handed-hitting Wallner, who went 1-for-11 with a double in the first three games of the season.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Begins season in leadoff spot
Rotowire
Wallner started in right field and batted leadoff in Thursday's loss against the Cardinals. He went 0-for-4 with a walk.
Wallner usage in the leadoff spot against right-handed starters in spring training carried over into the regular season. He had a chance to tie the game with a runner on in the top of the ninth inning but struck out. Wallner will likely sit against most left-handed pitchers -- he had a .275/.387/.566 slash line against righties last year over 217 plate appearances, but just a .184/.295/.316 line in 44 PAs against southpaws.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Healthy heading into spring
Rotowire
Wallner is not expected to have any issues related to his season-ending September left oblique strain by the time spring training begins, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
It wasn't thought that this would be a long-term concern, but it's still good to hear his injury won't have more serious ramifications. After starting the 2024 season in Triple-A, Wallner found his stroke in the second half and hit .272 with a .914 OPS and 10 home runs over his final 55 games.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sent to IL with oblique strain
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The Twins placed Wallner on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a left oblique strain, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Wallner suffered the injury during a pinch-hitting appearance in Tuesday's loss to the Marlins, and it will cost him the remainder of the regular season. He would be eligible to return during the ALDS if replacing an injured player, although neither the Twins making it that far nor Wallner being healthy by then is guaranteed. Austin Martin has rejoined the active roster in Wallner's place.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Battling oblique tightness
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Wallner was removed from Tuesday's game against the Marlins due to left oblique tightness, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Wallner was grabbing at his left side after striking out during his pinch-hit appearance in the sixth inning. The Twins have now confirmed the issue to be in the 26-year-old's oblique, though the team will have to wait until Wednesday to determine the severity of his injury. If he needs to sit down for a game or two, Jose Miranda may be in line for more work as Minnesota's DH.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Exits grabbing left side
Rotowire
Wallner left Tuesday's game against Miami with an apparent injury to his left side after striking out as a pinch hitter, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Wallner struck out and grimaced and grabbed his left side as he walked back to the dugout. Trevor Larnach then replaced him in right field.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Takes seat against southpaw
Rotowire
Wallner is out of the lineup for Monday's game against the Guardians.
Wallner will hit the bench along with fellow left-handed hitters Trevor Larnach and Edouard Julien while the Guardians send southpaw Matthew Boyd to the hill. Willi Castro and Manuel Margot will serve as the Twins' starters in left and right field, respectively, while Ryan Jeffers gets a day off from catching and serves as Minnesota's designated hitter.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Not starting against lefty
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Wallner isn't in the Twins' lineup for Tuesday's game versus San Diego.
Wallner and his career .476 OPS against lefties will take a seat Tuesday as the Padres send southpaw Martin Perez to the mound. His absence will move Royce Lewis into the DH spot while Jose Miranda starts at third base.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sitting versus southpaw
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Wallner isn't in the Twins' lineup for Thursday's game versus Texas.
Left-hander Cody Bradford will throw the first pitch for the Rangers in Thursday's series opener, so the left-handed bat of Wallner will step out of the lineup. In his absence, Jose Miranda will serve as the Twins' designated hitter and bat fourth.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sitting out first game
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Wallner is absent from the lineup for the first game of Friday's doubleheader against the Guardians.
Lefty Joey Cantillo will start for the Guardians, so the lefty-hitting Wallner will begin this one on the bench. Wallner should be in the lineup for the nightcap versus right-hander Alex Cobb.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Regains foothold in lineup vs. RHPs
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Wallner will serve as the Twins' designated hitter and cleanup batter in Wednesday's game against the Cubs.
Wallner has now started in nine consecutive matchups with right-handed pitching and may have supplanted Jose Miranda as the Twins' preferred option at DH. The Twins will have room for both players in the lineup Wednesday, however, as Royce Lewis will get the day off to open up third base for Miranda. Wallner comes into Wednesday's contest having produced a 1.431 OPS over his last 10 games.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Second straight game with homer
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Wallner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run, two runs scored and two walks in Friday's 9-3 win over the Tigers.
Wallner took Keider Montero deep in the second inning for one of four Twins homers on the night. Wallner has now homered in back-to-back games for the third time in his career and second time this month. After struggling early and being sent down in April, he was called back up in July and has four of his five homers on the year over his last 12 games. The 26-year-old is hitting .353 since his call-up in early July.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Swats second homer
Rotowire
Wallner went 2-for-4 with a two-run home run and a double in an 8-6 extra-innings win against the White Sox on Monday.
Wallner was called up from Triple-A on Sunday and started in left field one day later. He belted a big homer in the seventh inning, clubbing a two-run shot to right field to tie the game 5-5. Wallner demonstrated his power potential last year with 14 home runs in 254 plate appearances with the Twins, and he has two long balls through 39 plate appearances this year but is slashing just .167/.333/.433.
