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Credit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tCredit: IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
Are the Minnesota Twins getting ready to move one of the top prospects in their farm system at today\u2019s 5 p.m. (CDT) trade deadline?<\/p>\n
That\u2019s what fans were wondering on Sunday when Emmanuel Rodriguez was scratched from the lineup down in Cedar Rapids, where the No. 52 overall prospect in baseball according to MLB Pipeline<\/a> recently began a rehab assignment<\/a> at Single-A.<\/p>\n Emmanuel Rodriguez scratched with thumb soreness\u2026 reportedly<\/p>\n Dan Hayes (The Athletic)<\/a> reported<\/a> shortly after E-Rod was scratched that it was due to left thumb soreness, not because of an imminent trade.<\/p>\n Rodriguez himself then confirmed<\/a> as much late Sunday afternoon, when he told Cedar Rapids reporter Jeff Johnson (The Gazette)<\/a> that getting jammed by a pitch Saturday was the reason for his soreness, but that he\u2019s healthy and \u201cgood to go\u201d.<\/p>\n Emmanuel Rodriguez said postgame he got jammed by pitch last night, which made his surgically repaired thumb sore. So he did not play today for @CRKernels<\/a>. Said he did not know if he was staying with the club for its trip this week to South Bend, or headed elsewhere. #MnTwins<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 Jeff Johnson (@jeje66) August 2, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n \u201cI got jammed in my first AB last night,\u201d Rodriguez said after the Kernels fell to Peoria,\u00a03-2<\/a>, at Veterans Memorial Stadium. \u201cAfter the game, it was a little sore, so I wanted to take a day off. But I can say I\u2019m healthy. I\u2019m good to go.\u201d<\/p>\n The Gazette<\/a><\/p>\n Rodriguez, 23, tore his UCL in that same thumb on May 1<\/a>, an injury that required surgery<\/a> and has cost him over three months of a crucial season in his professional baseball career.<\/p>\n Related: MN Twins Still Shopping + Latest on Larnach<\/a><\/p>\n Had he remained healthy, it\u2019s likely E-Rod \u2014 who was hitting<\/a> .247 with a .923 OPS (6 HR, 18 RBI) in his first 25 games this year at Triple-A St. Paul prior to injury \u2014 would already have made his big league debut at some point this summer.<\/p>\n Make it a two homer game for Emmanuel Rodriguez, his sixth of the season. It also marks six home run for us today, tied for the third most in franchise history pic.twitter.com\/sPn9NLPC7Q<\/a><\/p>\n \u2014 St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) April 28, 2026<\/a> <\/p>\n Instead, as has been the case for much of his five years<\/a> in the Minnesota Twins organization, Emmanuel Rodriguez has been on the injured list dealing with a physical ailment preventing him from performing his job.<\/p>\n However, while the Twins may be claiming E-Rod\u2019s scratch over the weekend was injury-related, and nothing more, it sounds like Hayes caught a whiff of something different while sniffing around on the subject yesterday.<\/p>\n While the local insider began his E-Rod reporting<\/a> by tamping down trade rumors, he ended by floating the top prospect as \u201can enticing trade chip\u201d for a MN Twins front office that remains \u201chungry\u201d to add pitching before the 5 p.m. CDT MLB trade deadline.<\/p>\n Though they\u2019ve acquired two pitchers already, the Twins are hungry to add more at the major-league level and Rodriguez, whose injuries have limited him to 324 career games, could be an enticing trade chip.<\/p>\n Dan Hayes \u2013 The Athletic<\/a><\/p>\n Related: MN Twins Authorized to Spend More at Trade Deadline<\/a><\/p>\n If the Minnesota Twins can get a requisite return for Emmanuel Rodriguez, then moving him could make a ton of sense. However, the back-end right-handed reliever they\u2019ve been reportedly chasing<\/a> is not that.<\/p>\n Should MN Twins trade Emmanuel Rodriguez?<\/p>\n Not only do they already have Byron Buxton in center field, but the Twins also have an even high-rated outfield prospect, Walker Jenkins (No. 14 overall per MLB Pipeline<\/a>), at Triple-A, pushing for a spot in the big leagues.<\/p>\n They also have fill-in young players who either have plenty of MLB experience (Matt Wallner, Austin Martin), or are ready for larger big league roles (Alan Roden).<\/p>\n With that being said, will other teams mortgage a high-end starter for a return package from Minnesota that features a prospect with the injury history<\/a> that Emmanuel Rodriguez has, especially coming off a three-month injury absence?<\/p>\n I guess we will find that out sooner than later.<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tMentioned in this article: Emmanuel Rodriguez<\/a> MLB Trade Deadline<\/a> MLB Trade Rumors<\/a> <\/p>\n More About:Minnesota Twins<\/a><\/p>\n Add MinnesotaSportsFan as a preferred source on Google. \t\t\t![\"Google](\"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/06\/google_preferred_source_badge.png\"){kind=icon}
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