Image courtesy of William Parmeter (photo of Emmanuel Rodriguez)
Minnesota’s offseason has been filled with speculation about trades, payroll cuts, and who might actually be on the Opening Day roster. But while many veterans are resting and preparing for 2026, a handful of Twins players are building their résumés elsewhere.
Few have boosted their stock this offseason more than Emmanuel Rodriguez. The 22-year-old outfielder spent most of 2025 on the Triple-A St Paul roster and then headed home to the Dominican Republic for an extended run of competitive baseball. For a player who has lost so many reps to injuries, the chance to play may prove to be the most important development of all.
He needed this winter more than most. Rodriguez has had top prospect tools for years, but rarely the sustained opportunity to show them by averaging fewer than 60 games played per season over the last two years. This time, he finally got the reps, and he made them count in a big way.
2025 Minor League Season Recap
Rodriguez entered the 2025 season with the same scouting report he has carried for years. Tremendous strength. Explosive bat speed. The kind of strike zone discipline that usually develops much later in a player’s career. The only thing missing has been durability. He arrived at Triple-A with a career OPS over .900, but he had never played more than 100 games in a season thanks to a knee injury in 2022, an abdominal strain in 2023, and a thumb issue in 2024.
Even with the missed time, Rodriguez managed to showcase his strengths in St. Paul. His power continued to jump off the page. His walk rate (31.8 BB%) again ranked among the highest in the Twins system. What continued to plague him was the strikeout rate (20.6 K%). It is part of his approach right now, though the Twins have always believed he will naturally trim that number as he gains more experience against upper-level pitching.
Overall, his 2025 season looked similar to his previous years. He finished the year slashing .269/.431/.409 (.839) with a 135 wRC+ while facing older batters in nearly 85% of his plate appearances. Big production in smaller samples. Impressive numbers that hinted at a huge ceiling. And another year where injuries robbed him of the consistency needed to turn tools into polish.
Dominican Winter League Performance
The Dominican Winter League is often described as the best offseason proving ground in baseball. The stadiums are loud. The pitching is sharp. The games matter. It is the kind of environment that pushes talented young players. It was also the perfect place for Rodriguez to cash in on some much-needed innings.
Playing for Águilas Cibaeñas, Rodriguez did far more than hold his own. He dominated. Over 18 games, he posted a .292 batting average with a .417 OBP and a .646 slugging percentage for a robust 1.063 OPS. He was aggressive when he needed to be and selective when pitchers tried to work around him. He hit the ball to all fields. He drove mistakes deep. And he did it against pitchers with big league experience.
If that were not enough, he walked away with All-Star MVP honors in a game that was played at Citi Field in New York City. It was the clearest sign yet that when he is healthy and getting regular plate appearances, he looks exactly like the player the Twins invested $2.5 million in back in 2019.
More importantly, he stayed on the field for the entire winter stretch. No nagging injury. No interruption. Just baseball. For a player whose biggest development hurdle has been availability, that alone feels like a victory.
His Outlook for 2026 and Beyond
The biggest question for Rodriguez moving forward is simple. Can he stay healthy long enough for his talent to take over? The Twins still believe the answer is yes. The winter numbers only reinforce that belief. He already has major league quality plate discipline. He hits the ball extremely hard. He can play an above-average outfield corner and hold his own in center. The raw ingredients are star caliber.
The winter league performance may not guarantee an Opening Day roster spot in 2026, but it does put him firmly in the conversation. If he carries this momentum into spring training and shows the same durability he displayed in the Dominican, he could force his way into the lineup sooner rather than later. Even if the organization opts to give him more seasoning, he looks like a player ready to impact the big league club at some point next year.
Long term, nothing has changed about the ceiling. Rodriguez still projects as a middle-of-the-order bat with patience and thunder. The difference now is that he finally has a clean stretch of playing time behind him and the confidence that comes with proving himself in a competitive winter league.
The Twins have waited a long time for Rodriguez to get this kind of runway. After this winter, it finally feels like he is ready to take off.
What stands out about Rodriguez’s winter performance? When do you expect to see him in the Twins lineup? Leave a comment and start the discussion.