Minneapolis – The Minnesota Twins rewarded two players who have been racking up numbers in Triple-A St. Paul this season with their first-ever call-ups to the big leagues.

Ryan Fitzgerald hit .328/.426/.528 in 35 games, the Saints’ second-best slash line. Meanwhile, Carson McCusker almost led the team in all offensive categories (except OBP, which Fitzgerald was first in). He had a .350/.412/.650 slash line, 10 home runs, and 36 RBI in 38 games. With those numbers, it was only a matter of when these two would debut with the Minnesota Twins this season.

Unfortunately, the Twins had to call them up after Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton landed on the 7-day concussion IL following their collision in shallow center field in Baltimore on Thursday. However, their arrivals with the team have bolstered the vacancies left behind by Minnesota’s two biggest stars.

“I got there and I talked to Rocco [Baldelli], ‘We don’t know what’s going on yet, so let you know in about an hour,” Fitzgerald recalled Monday. “And then the hour went by, and they put the contract in front of my face and said, ‘Here you go, you’re active.’

Only a few hours later, Fitzgerald entered the game to replace Willi Castro in the lineup after he fouled a ball off his kneecap. It wasn’t exactly how Fitzgerald drew things up over the years on what his MLB debut could look like. Nonetheless, it was still the satisfying achievement he’d been dreaming of since he was a kid.

“It was kind of quick, but I’m glad it happened that way rather than sitting on it, just get me in there and get me going,” Fitzgerald said. “I talked to a lot of people about it, you know, I’ve been doing this for so long, I was kind of like, if it happens, it happens. And if it doesn’t, it doesn’t. I’ve done everything I can to put myself into this position.”

The next day, McCusker was in the same situation, left out of the lineup with the Saints for their Saturday game against the Iowa Cubs, only to find out he would have to pack his bags and join the major league club in Milwaukee.

“Excitement, shock, a little bit, because it was kind of out of the blue, but just blessed,” McCusker said on his call-up. “Vibes are great. Came up when we were on a 13-game win streak, so everybody’s spirits are high and we’re feeling good.”

McCusker didn’t arrive until after 1 a.m. at the team hotel, but he debuted off the bench in Minnesota’s Sunday finale against the Brewers. McCusker came off the bench in the top of the eighth to pinch-hit for DaShawn Keirsey Jr. against Nick Mears. He hit a chopper back to the pitcher in his first at-bat to end the inning. Still, it helped McCusker to have an at-bat like that to help alleviate the anxiety of his first MLB appearance.

“Definitely a ton of nerves for that first at-bat,” said McCusker. “I’m sure every guy who comes up experiences the same thing. Getting that first one out of the way, just getting a feel for what it’s like and knowing what to do is huge.”

Baldelli put McCusker into the lineup for Monday’s suspended game against the Cleveland Guardians with lefty Logan Allen on the mound.

“I think it kind of played out perfectly for him to get in the lineup and go bop a few. That’s what he does,” Baldelli said before the game. “I think he’s been in a really great spot in Triple-A, a good offensive player. We’re always in the business of scoring runs, and that’s a guy who can lead us to a few of them.”

McCusker had only one at-bat before the game was suspended on Monday and struck out, but he also had what was most likely the furthest a bat has traveled when accidentally slipping out of a hitter’s hands. It landed about 20 feet beyond the infield dirt in left field and shocked everyone with how far it had traveled.

.@Cut4 we need statcast data on this bat launch from Carson McCusker pic.twitter.com/KIJiSgbR2a

— CJ Fogler 🫡 (@cjzero) May 20, 2025

Fitzgerald, a left-handed hitter, would still have to wait another day for his first MLB start. However, with the weather disrupting Minnesota’s series against the Guardians, he will likely get that opportunity before Cleveland leaves town.

Correa and Buxton welcomed their new teammates with open arms and helped them get acquainted with their new clubhouse. The timing of Fitzgerald and McCusker’s call-ups came immediately as Correa celebrated 10 years of service time in the majors, which they both took part in.

“[I’ve been] talking to Buxton, Correa, guys like that,” Fitzgerald said. “Correa got the 10-year service mark yesterday, so it was cool to be there for that. I told him, ‘You’ve got 10 years, I’ve got 10 seconds, so congratulations.’”

Fitzgerald and McCusker weren’t in big league camp this spring, not even as non-roster invitees. Therefore, they had much more limited time around their major-league teammates. Still, they’ve praised Minnesota’s welcoming culture as they try to start another winning streak against divisional foes this week.

“I think I still have my Boston Red Sox hat on some of the iPads here,” said Fitzgerald. “I don’t have any pictures in a Twins hat yet, and I don’t think McCusker even has a picture.

“It’s kind of funny, the two of us were sitting in the back of the plane playing cards together, and everyone else was in the front. It’s been great, the other guys have been great.”

“Anywhere you go, you move up through any clubhouse in the minor league level, same thing,” McCusker said. “Take a couple of days to get comfortable, get to know the guys, and then get on a roll.”