The Twins selected Rodriguez to their 40-man roster Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
One of the top prospects in Minnesota's minor-league system, Rodriguez is now officially protected from being plucked away in the upcoming Rule 5 Draft. The 20-year-old outfielder has posted a .908 OPS with 35 home runs and 40 stolen bases through his first 183 professional games. He finished the 2023 campaign in High-A ball.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Treading water at High-A
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Rodriguez is slashing .219/.378/.371 with seven home runs, 10 steals and a 28.9 percent strikeout rate in 50 games since coming off the injured list with High-A Cedar Rapids.
On the season, Rodriguez has 10 home runs, 10 steals and a .206 average while walking or striking out in 51 percent of his 259 plate appearances (31.7 K%, 19.3 BB%). Rodriguez's 37.7 percent hard-hit rate is excellent, but it's not otherworldly like the 50 percent hard-hit rate he posted in 2022. He missed three weeks earlier this season with an abdominal strain.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Activated from injured list
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Rodriguez (abdominal strain) has been activated from the 7-day injured list at High-A Cedar Rapids, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Rodriguez hit three home runs in his first seven games at Cedar Rapids before the injury. He was 5-for-27 with three homers and a .954 OPS, but he did have 17 strikeouts. Rodriguez's combination of excellent plate skills and monster power at such a young age (20) have made him a popular breakout pick in 2023. However, he needs to show he can stay healthy, as a torn right meniscus ended Rodriguez's 2022 campaign.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Placed on IL with abdominal strain
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Rodriguez was placed on the 7-day injured list at High-A Cedar Rapids on Tuesday due to a left abdomen strain, TwinsDaily.com reports.
Rodriguez had hit three home runs in his first seven games at Cedar Rapids before the injury. He was 5-for-27 with three homers and a .954 OPS, but he did have 17 strikeouts.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Opening at High-A
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Rodriguez (knee) should open the season at High-A Cedar Rapids, Sam Dykstra of MLB.com reports.
A torn right meniscus ended Rodriguez's 2022 campaign, but he returned to the field this spring and made a couple Grapefruit League appearances in mid-March. Rodriguez's combination of excellent plate skills and monster game power at such a young age (20) have made him a popular breakout pick in 2023.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Making progress in return
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Twins director of player development Drew MacPhail told reporters that Rodriguez (knee) could return to action in the "next week or two," Sam Dykstra of MiLB.com reports.
Rodriguez tore the meniscus in his right knee last June and missed the second half of the 2023 season. The 20-year-old was putting up stellar numbers prior to the injury with a .272/.492/.551 slash along with nine homers over 199 plate appearances. Considered one of the more intriguing prospects in the lower levels, Rodriguez has a good chance of providing fantasy relevance in the coming years.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Has season-ending knee surgery
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Rodriguez had season-ending knee surgery this week, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
He tore the meniscus in his right knee while sliding into a base a week ago. The 19-year-old outfielder was having a breakout year at Single-A Fort Myers, hitting .272/.492/.551 with nine home runs, 57 walks and 52 strikeouts in 199 plate appearances.
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Twins' Emmanuel Rodriguez: Out with apparent lower-body injury
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Rodriguez has been placed on the 7-day injured list at Single-A Fort Myers. He suffered an apparent lower-body injury when sliding feet-first into third in Wednesday's game, Play-by-Play Broadcaster for the Daytona Tortugas, Justin Rocke, reports.
Rodriguez was hitting .272 with nine home runs and a 1.043 OPS before the injury. The top prospect for the Twins has displayed strong on-base skills and power at age 19.
Rodriguez is hitting .258/.457/.484 with five homers, seven steals and a 31:35 BB:K through 30 games for Single-A Fort Myers.
The pop he showed early on has dried up, as he's homerless over his last 16 games -- and yet he's put up a .449 OBP and five steals in that time. The 19-year-old outfielder remains a fascinating prospect with a wide spectrum of potential outcomes, but with his on-base skills and power, there's a lot to like. The keys for Rodriguez will be cutting down on his swing-and-miss and getting to his power in game situations more consistently.
