The Twins optioned Wallner to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday.
Wallner was sent out to make room on the 26-man active roster for fellow outfielder Max Kepler (hamstring), who was reinstated from the 10-day injured list. During his six-day stint in the big leagues, Wallner appeared in five games and went 7-for-11 with a home run, a double, two walks, four RBI, two runs and a stolen base.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Heading back to minors
Rotowire
Wallner will be optioned to Triple-A St. Paul on Monday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Wallner joined the big-league club Tuesday and went 7-for-11 with a homer, a double, four RBI and two runs over five games with the Twins. However, he'll head back to the minors since Max Kepler (hamstring) and Royce Lewis (knee) are set to be reinstated from the injured list Monday.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Four-hit game in win
Rotowire
Wallner went 4-for-4 with a homer, three RBI and one run scored in Saturday's 9-7 win over Toronto.
Wallner was called up Tuesday from Triple-A with several outfielders out (Trevor Larnach, Max Kepler, Nick Gordon), and he could force his way into the everyday lineup if he stays hot. He's 5-for-9 over his last three games.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Recalled from St. Paul
Rotowire
The Twins recalled Wallner from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports.
With Trevor Larnach (illness) headed for the injured list, Wallner will get another chance to show what he can do in the majors. He spent a brief stint with the Twins in April, going 0-for-8 at the plate with four strikeouts.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Optioned out to Triple-A
Rotowire
Wallner was optioned Saturday to Triple-A St. Paul, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
Wallner went 0-for-8 with one walk and four strikeouts during his six-game stint with the Twins. Max Kepler (knee) is returning to the Twins on Saturday in the Bronx.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sits after three straight starts
Rotowire
Wallner is out of the lineup for Wednesday's game against the White Sox.
Following his call-up from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, Wallner started in three consecutive games in right field but went 0-for-7 with four strikeouts. The Twins currently have all of Royce Lewis (knee), Alex Kirilloff (wrist), Joey Gallo (intercostal), Jorge Polanco (knee) and Max Kepler (knee) on the injured list, but Wallner's poor results since his call-up may have already put him on the outside looking in for a regular role with the big club. The Twins called up second baseman Edouard Julien from Triple-A on St. Paul, and if he seizes hold of an everyday spot in the middle infield, Nick Gordon could end up playing over Wallner in the corner outfield on a regular basis.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Called up from Triple-A
Rotowire
Wallner was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.
With both Max Kepler (knee) and Joey Gallo (side) injured, Wallner could get some playing time in the short term. While Kepler isn't expected to be on the injured list very long, Wallner could force himself into the lineup mix if he gets off to a hot start. Wallner went 6-for-20 with a home run and six RBI in five games with St. Paul prior to the call-up.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Still fighting for roster spot
Rotowire
Wallner went 1-for-3 in Sunday's spring training loss to Detroit. He's hitting .250 with a home run and a .798 OPS in eight games this spring.
The odds looked against Wallner starting the season in the majors at the beginning of spring training, but an injury to Nick Gordon and Alex Kirilloff's slow comeback from wrist surgery make it a possibility. Wallner made his big-league debut in 2022 and hit 27 home runs in 128 games between Double-A and Triple-A, but he needs to reduce his strikeouts after having a 38.5 strikeout percentage in 65 MLB plate appearances. He at least has an improved 25 percent strikeout rate this spring. Even if he begins the season in the minors, he'll likely get a shot with the Twins again at some point this summer.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sitting Friday
Rotowire
Wallner isn't starting Friday against the Tigers.
Wallner started the last three games and went 3-for-10 with a home run, a double, five RBI, a stolen base, two walks and seven strikeouts. Mark Contreras will take over in right field and bat ninth Friday.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Two-run homer in win
Rotowire
Wallner went 1-for-4 with a two-run home run in Tuesday's victory against the White Sox.
Wallner took Lance Lynn deep for a two-run shot to open the bottom of the sixth frame, giving the Twins a 4-0 lead. The home run was his second of the season, both of which of come over the last 11 games following his promotion from Triple-A St. Paul on Sept. 17. Wallner now owns a .243 average with two homers, six RBI and three runs over his first 37 career at-bats.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Sits against lefty
Rotowire
Wallner is not in Sunday's lineup against the Angels.
The power-hitting lefty will head to the bench with southpaw Jose Suarez on the hill for the Angels. Jake Cave is starting in right field and batting eighth.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Long ball for first career hit
Rotowire
Wallner went 1-for-3 with a solo home run and one strikeout Saturday against the Guardians in his big-league debut.
This was the lone run the Twins were able to muster against Shane Bieber in eight innings. The 24-year-old corner outfielder has massive raw power and projects as a three-true-outcomes masher in a best-case scenario. He hit .247/.376/.463 with six home runs, a 15.3 percent walk rate and a 27.5 percent strikeout rate in 50 games at Triple-A.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Contract selected Saturday
Rotowire
Wallner's contract was selected from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday.
Several of the Twins' outfielders are dealing with injuries, so Wallner will join the active roster after Max Kepler (wrist) was placed on the 10-day IL. Wallner has slashed .275/.409/.538 with 27 home runs, 95 RBI, 90 runs and nine stolen bases over 128 minor-league games this season. He'll start in right field and bat seventh during the first game of Saturday's doubleheader against Cleveland.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Set for promotion to Triple-A
Rotowire
The Twins promoted Wallner from Double-A Wichita to Triple-A St. Paul on Thursday.
Wallner has enjoyed a breakout season at Double-A with 21 home runs and a 1.022 OPS in 78 game. He's a little old for his level at 24 years old and has a high strikeout rate (31.2 percent), so Triple-A may present a challenging test. If he fares well in St. Paul, he could get a trip to the majors later this summer.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Returns from IL
Rotowire
High-A Cedar Rapids reinstated Wallner (wrist) from the 7-day injured list Tuesday, Brandon Warne of Access Twins reports.
The Twins were apparently comfortable enough with how Wallner looked during a recent two-game rehab assignment in the Florida Complex League to move him back to High-A. Wallner was hitting .333 with four home runs in 73 plate appearances before being placed on the IL in late May with a sprained right wrist.
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Twins' Matt Wallner: Out with wrist injury
Rotowire
Wallner has been placed on the seven-day injured list at High-A Cedar Rapids with a right wrist sprain.
Wallner was hitting .333 with four home runs and a 1.005 OPS through 17 games. Wallner, who was selected with the No. 39 overall pick in the 2019 first-year player draft, hit .258 with an .810 OPS with eight home runs in his first professional season in 2019 split between Low-A and High-A.
