The Minnesota Twins placed outfielder Matt Wallner (oblique) on the 10-day injured list on Wednesday with a left-oblique strain that he suffered in Tuesday's contest against the Miami Marlins. Wallner said he still feels the same pain on Wednesday. In a corresponding move, the Twins recalled outfielder Austin Martin from Triple-A St. Paul. Minnesota will now be without Wallner the rest of the week as they attempt to get into the playoffs, and he'll also likely be unavailable for the wild-card round next week if the Twins are playing in October. The Twins' outfield from left to right, respectively, on Wednesday against Miami will be Willi Castro, Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach. Wallner, 26, had a career-best .894 OPS in 2024 in his third year in the big leagues, contributing 13 home runs, 37 RBI and 26 runs scored in 75 games in a part-time role.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner (oblique) left Tuesday's contest against the Miami Marlins early due to left-oblique tightness, according to manager Rocco Baldelli. The Twins will hope to know more on Wallner's injury on Wednesday, but he shouldn't be expected to be back in the starting lineup. The 26-year-old went 0-for-1 with a strikeout in his pinch-hitting appearance in the sixth inning and was seen grabbing at his side. Oblique injuries can be tricky, so there's no guarantee that Wallner will be available for the rest of the final week of the regular season or even the start of the playoffs next week if the Twins get in. Entering play on Wednesday, Minnesota is two games behind the Kansas City Royals and Detroit Tigers in the wild-card race. In a part-time role this year, Wallner has hit .259/.372/.523 with a strong .894 OPS, 13 homers and 37 RBI in 220 at-bats for the Twins.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner homered for the second straight game in Wednesday's 6-4 win over the Angels. It was his only hit of the day, going 1-for-4 at the plate, but it was his 13th home run of the season in just 184 at-bats and he's slashing .289/.396/.623 since his return from the minors in July. He also bashed 19 home runs at Triple-A, giving him 32 home runs on the season overall, but the problem is that the left-handed hitter doesn't play much against left-handed pitching which makes him frustrating for season-long fantasy. Nevertheless, with a 20.0% barrel rate, there are surely more to come before the season is out, so managers in need of pop during the fantasy playoffs could consider him and he's usually going to be in play against right-handed pitching for DFS.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner hit his 10th homer in Monday's 10-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves, part of a 2-for-3 evening, including two runs scored. Wallner is hitting .271/.403/.612 with 26 RBI, 21 runs scored, and three stolen bases on the year. Daily fantasy managers should make Wallner a priority when facing right-handers, as he's hitting .277/.408/.625 with nine homers, and 24 RBI against him. He has been a solid fantasy asset over the last month and is a must-start in leagues that use on-base percentage as a category.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner had a big night in his team's 6-3 win over the Cleveland Guardians in Game 2 of a Friday doubleheader. Wallner went 1-for-3 with a three-run homer to help power his team to the win. The 26-year-old's homer was a clutch one as the Twins were down 3-2 in the fifth inning when he launched the blast. Wallner is now hitting .274 with seven homers, 13 runs, 18 RBI, and one steal across 84 at-bats this season. He will look to carve out a more regular role moving forward.
Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner Sitting Against Lefty
Minnesota Twins outfielders Trevor Larnach and Matt Wallner are taking a seat on the bench in Game 1 of Friday's doubleheader against the visiting division-rival Cleveland Guardians with left-hander Joey Cantillo on the mound. Manuel Margot is making the start in left field and will bat leadoff, while Royce Lewis shifts to designated hitter and is batting third against Cantillo. Jose Miranda is at third base and is hitting cleanup for the Twins. Margot has some sleeper appeal in the leadoff spot for DFS purposes, but he still has a pretty low fantasy ceiling and is batting .266 (30-for-113) with three of his home runs in 58 games against left-handed pitchers this year. Expect to see Larnach and Wallner back in action for Game 2 of the twin bill versus Guardians right-hander Alex Cobb.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner went 2-for-4 with a home run and a double during Monday's 8-6 extra-inning win over the Chicago White Sox. Wallner hit a two-run homer in the top of the seventh that tied the game at 5-5, his second and first since April 13. He was called up on Sunday after the team placed utility player Austin Martin (oblique) on the injured list and has recorded three hits in five at-bats since returning. Wallner is slashing .167/.333/.433 with six RBI and two runs scored in 30 at-bats. Fantasy managers in deeper leagues should keep an eye on him, as Wallner's power can provide a needed jolt.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner was officially promoted to the major league roster, according to Aaron Gleeman of the Athletic. Austin Martin (oblique) was placed on the injured list in a corresponding move. Wallner posted a strong .257/.339/.540 slash line across 67 games at Triple-A this season. Since the start of June, the young outfielder held a stellar .342/.417/.726 slash line with 12 long balls, 29 RBI, and three swiped bags. The 26-year-old struggled in the majors in the opening month of the season with a poor .083 AVG. While he may not receive consistent playing time early on, he could become a name to monitor later in the summer as he flashed high potential in the minors this season.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner went 2-for-5 with two runs, three RBI and a home run for Triple-A St. Paul. Wallner's home run would be the 16th of the season for Wallner, who opened the season with the big-league club. To go along with his impressive 16 longballs, Wallner has driven in 43 runs and hit .250 over 200 at-bats. Wallner made his debut last season and hit 14 homers in 76 games, but struggled with his time in the big leagues earlier this season with two hits in 25 at-bats. Wallner has light tower power, but doesn't offer much else and could eventually become a Quad-A type of player. The power is nice, but dynasty managers could feel safe swapping him for a player with better upside.
The Minnesota Twins announced on Tuesday that they recalled outfielder Trevor Larnach (toe) from Triple-A St. Paul and optioned outfielder Matt Wallner to St. Paul in a corresponding move. Larnach was recently activated from the Triple-A injured list due to turf toe, but he'll now head to Minnesota to make his 2024 debut. Wallner will head to the farm to work on some things after starting off 2-for-25 with the Twins. The 27-year-old Larnach started last year in the big leagues but was sent to St. Paul after a slow start at the plate. The left-handed slugger has some intriguing power upside from the left side in a likely platoon role in Minnesota, but he's probably not going to help your team batting average and has been injury-prone in his career to this point.
Matt Wallner
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Twins
