Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Sleeper hitters for Week 10 (May 29-June 4)
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Alex Kirilloff has really had only one great day since returning from the minors, but the Twins continue to run him out there against righties, which should remain the case with six on the schedule this week. The matchups are good enough that I could see him adding a few more good days to the tally.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Possible waiver wire pickups
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Remember Alex Kirilloff? He was a hot commodity when he got called up in mid-April a couple years ago, but his career has been derailed by persistent wrist issues ever since. He took his biggest step toward addressing them last year, having surgery to shave down the ulna bone in his right wrist, and now he's back, having started six of the Twins' past seven games. So how's it going so far? Well, he had two homers and a double Saturday and recently moved up to second in the lineup. He's also batting over .400, and having more walks than strikeouts is a nice touch. His minor-league production throughout this ordeal has remained off the charts, so why not take the shot in five-outfielder leagues?
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Goes yard twice in rout
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Kirilloff went 3-for-3 with a double, two solo home runs and a third run scored in Saturday's 11-1 win over the Cubs.
The 25-year-old got the rout started with a solo shot off Hayden Wesneski in the first inning before tagging the right-hander again in the third. The long balls were the first of the season for Kirilloff, and in seven games since making his 2023 debut he's batting .438 (7-for-16), making the Twins look very smart for being cautious with his return from wrist surgery.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Sitting against lefty
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Kirilloff is out of the lineup Friday against the Cubs, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Donovan Solano is playing first base and batting second versus the Cubs and left-hander Drew Smyly. Kirilloff, a left-handed hitter, has yet to start against a southpaw since his return to the Twins' major-league roster earlier this month.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Possible waiver wire pickups
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I realize we all probably have Kirilloff fatigue by now, what with his ongoing wrist saga only occasionally interrupted by productive play. But he had his most extensive surgery yet to address the issue last year and has finally recovered to the point that the Twins are welcoming him back to the lineup. His minor-league numbers while working his way back were predictably good, and if you need a reminder of his upside, he has hit .322 with a .900 OPS across six minor-league seasons. We have yet to see how much the Twins will play him (he bats left-handed, after all), not to mention if the wrist will hold up, but if you're looking to gamble on upside in a five-outfielder league, you can't ask for much more than right here.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Not in starting lineup
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Kirilloff will remain on the bench Saturday against the Guardians, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Kirilloff was recalled Friday but has spent his first two days since his return on the bench. Saturday's off day is an expected one, however, as it comes against lefty Logan Allen. Willi Castro starts in left field.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Recalled from Triple-A
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Kirilloff was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Kirilloff performed well over his 50 at-bats with the Saints with a .300 average, 1.006 OPS and four homers. The former top prospect has shown flashes of brilliance in his 104 games with the Twins prior to 2023, but his .251/.295/.398 slash over 359 at-bats shows that the brilliance has only been in spurts. He'll get a chance to show he can apply his minor-league success now that he's back with Minnesota.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Officially optioned to Triple-A
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Kirilloff (wrist) was reinstated from the 10-day injured list and optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.
Kirilloff has spent the start of the year recovering from a procedure he underwent on his wrist last August, and he completed a 20-day rehab assignment Sunday. He played 11 games between Single-A Fort Myers and Triple-A St. Paul during his rehab stint and slashed .316/.447/.658 with four home runs, 12 RBI, 10 runs and two stolen bases, and he'll be able to continue getting up to speed with the minor-league club before rejoining the Twins at some point.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Set to be sent down
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The Twins plan to activate Kirilloff (wrist) from the 10-day injured list and option him to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Kirilloff completed his rehab assignment at St. Paul on Sunday and will remain with the minor-league club now that he's healthy once again. The 25-year-old slashed .346/.469/.731 with three home runs, 11 RBI, eight runs and two steals over seven games during his rehab games in St. Paul and should continue to see regular at-bats in the minors until he's up to speed following his rehab stint.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Playing full nine innings again
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Kirilloff (wrist) will play a full nine innings for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday for the second day in a row, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
It's the first time on his rehab assignment that he'll be playing consecutive full games. Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said it will be the last test for Kirilloff from a fitness perspective, and what the club does with the 25-year-old after that will simply be a baseball decision. Kirilloff has certainly looked ready to help the major-league club, as he'll enter play Friday with a 1.326 OPS and three home runs in six games for St. Paul. However, it was reported last week that the Twins might give him extended time in the minors.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Possible waiver wire pickups
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A report came out over the weekend suggesting the Twins may not activate Alex Kirilloff when he finishes the 20-day rehab assignment for his surgically repaired wrist, wanting to make sure he's fully locked in before they put him back in front of major-league pitching. His performance Sunday may have changed that thinking. He went yard twice -- once to left field and once to right -- to continue his assault on Triple-A pitching. Even amid the wrist soreness last year, Kirilloff hit .359 with 10 homers and a 1.106 OPS in 45 games at St. Paul. The 25-year-old wouldn't appear to be a lost cause despite the many interruptions to his career already. In five-outfielder leagues especially, he's worth a preemptive stash.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Could stay in minors
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Kirilloff (wrist) may be optioned to Triple-A after his 20-day rehab assignment ends next week, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. He's hitting .333 (7-for-21) with a home run in seven games at Triple-A St. Paul.
Once Kirilloff is back to full health, the Twins may want to give him extended time in the minors to allow him to get back to top form. It's still possible he could be activated from the injured list next week, but it sounds like his return to the majors will come later rather than sooner.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Rehab shifting to Triple-A
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Kirilloff (wrist) has been moved up to Triple-A St. Paul to continue his rehab assignment, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Kirilloff played in four games with Low-A Fort Myers, going 3-for-12 with a home run. He's already played in back-to-back games and should only need a few more contests before he's ready to rejoin the Twins as he completes his recovery from right wrist surgery.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Beginning rehab stint Tuesday
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Kirilloff (wrist) will begin his rehab assignment with Single-A Fort Myers on Tuesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
After undergoing surgery on his wrist in August, Kirilloff's recovery takes another step forward as he is set to start taking minor-league at-bats. The Twins haven't yet announced a target date for Kirilloff to make his return to the majors, but assuming all goes well in the minors, he has a chance to make his season debut before May.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: No start date for rehab assignment
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Kirilloff (wrist) is continuing to play in extended spring training games but the Twins aren't ready to set a start date for his rehab assignment, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
The team continues to bring Kirilloff along slowly following surgery last August to shorten the ulnar bone in his right wrist and clean up scar tissue. He could still conceivably make it back before the end of the month, but we'll need to see him in official rehab games before long for that to happen.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Placed on IL, return not imminent
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Kirilloff (wrist) was placed on the 10-day injured list. The Twins are hopefully to get him in some rehab games "probably in the next few weeks," head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta told the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Kirilloff is working his way back from surgery last August to shorten the ulnar bone in his right wrist and clean up scar tissue. It appeared he would be ready for Opening Day as he had played in minor league games late in the spring. The Twins later declared he wouldn't be ready for Opening Day though it appeared he could return in early April. However, Paparesta's comments make it sound like Kirilloff may need to play rehab games in the minors first. He may not be activated from the injured list until late April or May as a result.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Might not be ready for Opening Day
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Kirilloff (wrist) might not be ready in time for Opening Day, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Kirilloff was able to play in a minor-league game Saturday but has yet to see any Grapefruit League action as the Twins ease him into things following another right wrist surgery. While president of baseball operations Derek Falvey has said the team hasn't made a decision yet on whether Kirilloff will be part of the Opening Day roster, it seems likely at this point that he'll just run out of time. Kirilloff does have options remaining, so the club could stash him at Triple-A St. Paul for a bit if he needs to knock some rust off. If that happens, Joey Gallo, Jose Miranda and Donovan Solano are among the candidates to handle first base in Kirilloff's absence.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Plays in minor-league game
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Kirilloff (wrist) played four innings at first base Saturday and went 0-for-2 in a minor-league game, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Kirilloff continues to make progress as he ramps up following surgery last August to shorten the ulnar bone in his right wrist and clean up scar tissue. His return to game action is a significant step and gives hope he'll be ready for the start of the regular season. Kirilloff has a minor-league option remaining, so the Twins could have him report to Triple-A St. Paul to begin the season in order to continue his ramp-up process rather than stashing him on the injured list if he needs more time.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Slightly behind schedule
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Kirilloff (wrist) is a bit behind schedule, and the Twins aren't committing to him being ready by Opening Day, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
Kirilloff is still not all the way back from August wrist surgery, with his progression against live pitching not advancing as quickly as the Twins would have liked. Even if he avoids a trip to the injured list, he might only be ready for part-time duty to begin the year.
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Twins' Alex Kirilloff: Making progress with wrist
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Kirilloff (wrist) continues to make progress and could be ready to play in a spring training game later in March, Phil Miller of The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. "He's on track. The plan is, if he's healthy at the end of camp, he's competing for a spot," said Derek Falvey, the Twins' president of baseball operations.
It's a little bit of a surprise that Kirilloff may not play in a major-league spring game until mid-March, but it doesn't sound like the lack of plate appearances will hurt his chances to make the roster. Kirilloff had a second surgery on his right wrist last August to shorten the ulnar bone and clean up scar tissue. He's been taking live batting practice and says there's no pain in his wrist. If fully healthy by the end of training camp, he's likely to earn a spot in the starting lineup at first base and designated hitter.
