Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Minnesota Twins placed right-handers Anthony DeSclafani (elbow) and Josh Winder (shoulder) on the 60-day injured list on Thursday. The Twins also put right-handers Jhoan Duran (oblique), Josh Staumont (calf), Justin Topa (knee) and Zack Weiss (shoulder) and left-hander Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) on the 15-day IL to open the year. DeSclafani is dealing with a right-elbow strain and won't be an option for the back end of Minnesota's starting rotation for at least the first two months of the 2024 season. The 33-year-old was acquired in an offseason trade from the Seattle Mariners in January. He went 4-8 with a 4.88 ERA and 1.25 WHIP with 20 walks and 79 strikeouts in 99 2/3 innings for the San Francisco Giants in 2023. Fantasy managers in mixed leagues can leave him to the waiver wire.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner went 1-for-1 with a two-run homer in Grapefruit League action against the Atlanta Braves on Tuesday. Wallner finishes spring with three homers and nine RBI, but a weak .132 batting average. The 26-year-old will never be big in the average department, but he has shown plenty of power, including 14 homers in just 213 at-bats last season for the Twins. The at-bats should be there for Wallner, even with a tough spring and managers seeking cheap power should consider Wallner as an option in the deepest of leagues.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Manuel Margot (hand) was hit by a pitch during an exhibition game on Tuesday versus the Atlanta Braves and departed early with a left-hand contusion. However, the Twins expect him to be fine for Opening Day on Thursday. The 29-year-old was traded from the Los Angeles Dodgers to the Twins this spring and is projected to open the 2024 regular season as a fourth outfielder in Minnesota, which leaves him very little fantasy value in AL-only leagues. The Dominican outfielder spent the last four seasons playing for the Tampa Bay Rays and slashed .264/.317/.375 with 19 home runs, 153 RBI, 41 stolen bases and 149 runs scored in 360 total regular-season games. You can avoid Margot in mixed fantasy leagues in 2024.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Louie Varland struggled to find much success during Wednesday's outing against the Detroit Tigers. The right-hander allowed eight hits and nine earned runs through four innings of work. Varland came into this game with a 11/1 K/BB ratio, but walked three during this outing. Despite this bad outing, Varland should still be the favorite for the fifth spot in the rotation. He'll likely win the spot by default with Anthony DeSclafani (elbow) heading to the injured list.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (pectoral) was scratched from Wednesday's Grapefruit League game against the Detroit Tigers due to left-pectoral tightness. It's unclear how serious Kepler's pectoral injury is, but for now he'll be considered day-to-day. With Opening Day just right around the corner next Thursday, though, the 31-year-old veteran outfielder could be in danger of missing the start of the regular season, depending on the severity of the injury. Kepler had a bounce-back year in 2023, slashing .260/.332/.484 with an .816 OPS, 24 home runs and 66 RBI in 130 games played in his ninth big-league season. He hit the ball hard and lowered his strikeout rate while also slightly improving against left-handed pitching. Kepler should once again see most of the playing time in right field for the Twins and is an outfield depth option for his power in deep-mixed fantasy leagues.