MINNEAPOLIS – It was a bit of a slow start for James Outman upon his arrival in the Twin Cities. But the speedy, toolsy outfielder has been digging his way out recently.
Outman hit his third Twins homer on Tuesday night – a Statcast-projected 110.5 mph, 443-foot blast – as the Twins came almost all the way back from a huge deficit before losing 10-9 to the Yankees at Target Field. All three of those homers have come in Outman’s past 16 games.
Over his past nine games, Outman is 6-for-21 (.286) with five extra-base hits and an .810 slugging percentage. He has begun showing the plus outfield skill he has long been known for, and he is giving some hope that he could be a real contributor to the 2026 Twins.
“I’ve always felt like I was a good player,” said Outman, who hit 23 homers and stole 16 bases as a rookie with the Dodgers in 2023. “But just getting consistent at-bats, and finding a routine that I believe in and just taking it into the games has been huge.”
The Twins have a lot of players vying for playing time in the outfield, and with Austin Martin hot lately, manager Rocco Baldelli is making choices on a daily basis. He’s looking to see what he has in Outman and Martin, while also keeping regulars Matt Wallner and Trevor Larnach in the mix.
The more Outman produces, the more chances he’s likely to get.
“I think he's making good adjustments at the plate,” Baldelli said. “I think his swing feels good. He's getting some fairly regular playing time out there and some at-bats, and he's taking advantage of it. He's a thoroughbred-type athlete, big, strong young man that can do a lot, and we talk about it. When he barrels the ball up, watch that ball go.”
Buxton survives scare, steals a pair
It’s still a very long shot, but Byron Buxton kept his chase for the Twins’ first 30-30 season alive on Tuesday. Buxton stole two bases after walking in the fifth inning, giving him 24 on the season with 11 games remaining.
However, he got a bit of a scare on the second steal. Yankees third baseman Ryan McMahon stepped on the star center fielder’s right hand. There was at least some discussion about removing him from the game, but Buxton wasn’t having it.
“Perfectly fine,” Buxton said afterward. “I finished the game, so we good.”
Asked if maybe the team saw it a little differently at the time, Buxton granted that that was a possibility.
“Maybe,” Buxton said. “A little bit. I know a little bit of how they think, but they trust me, so it’s my job to make sure I’m honest with them.”
Buxton scored on a wild pitch after the two steals, and he also added a double. He also is now within one plate appearance of reaching 500 for the second time in his career.
“That’s a big number because that means you’ve been on the field and you’ve been in the lineup,” Buxton said. “I kind of look at it on that end of the scale like I’ve been in the lineup, been able to post up every day, not DHing and in center. That’s a positive for me.”
Minor matters
High-A Cedar Rapids’ season came to an end on Tuesday when the Kernels lost to West Michigan, 3-1, in Game 2 of the best-of-three Midwest League championship series. Cedar Rapids had beaten Beloit in the West Division championship series but was felled in going for the league title.