Twins’ Opening Day roster features familiar faces in 2024

Carlos Santana, first base

Age: 37

Base salary: $5.25 million

An All-Star in 2019 for Cleveland, the free-agent signee has 301 home runs in 14 seasons, including 23 last year.

Edouard Julien, second base

Age: 24

Base salary: $740,000

Made his big league debut and had an .840 OPS, mostly from the leadoff position, last season; finished seventh in the AL Rookie of the Year balloting.

Royce Lewis, third base

Age: 24

Base salary: $745,700

Former No. 1 overall pick belted 15 home runs — including four grand slams — in 2023 and was darn near voted the team’s MVP.

Carlos Correa, shortstop

Age: 29

Base salary: $32 million

Plantar fasciitis was to blame as the two-time All-Star hit a career low .230, but he had a wonderful postseason and has pronounced himself fully healed.

Matt Wallner, left field

Age: 26

Base salary: $740,000

An impressive rookie season (14 homers in 76 games) with a .370 OBP for the Forest Lake native included showing off his outfield arm.

Byron Buxton, center field

Age: 30

Base salary: $15 million

Surgery to clean out his right knee means he can play center again after only DHing in 2023; he’s played more than 100 games only once in nine seasons.

Max Kepler, right field

Age: 31

Base salary: $10 million

After a first half last season where Kepler struggled and seemed likely to be traded, he turned it around mightily and hit .300 from July on.

Ryan Jeffers, catcher

Age: 26

Base salary: $2.425 million

By the playoffs, he was the No. 1 catcher after a breakout season where had the highest WAR (3.3) on the team despite playing only 96 games.

Alex Kirilloff, designated hitter

Age: 26

Base salary: $1.35 million

Injuries in his first three seasons have stalled his major league career; he had a .270/.348/.445 slash line last season in 88 games.

RESERVES

Kyle Farmer, infield

Age: 33

Base salary: $6.05 million

Ultra-valuable reserve despite a horrific facial injury when hit by a pitch; Farmer split time between second (45 times), third (43) and short (40) in 120 games played last season.

Christian Vázquez, catcher

Age: 33

Base salary: $10 million

Nine-year veteran’s batting average fell to .223 (career average is .257), but he vows to rebound and his defense is more vital in the new stolen base era.

Willi Castro, infield-outfield

Age: 26

Base salary: $3.3 million

Maybe the team’s biggest surprise, he played infield and outfield well in his first season with the Twins, led the team with 33 steals and hit a respectable .257.

Manuel Margot, outfield

Age: 29

Base salary: $10 million

Picked up in a spring training trade, Margot takes the spot of departed defensive specialist Michael A. Taylor; the Twins are paying only $4 million of his salary.

STARTING PITCHERS

Pablo López, righthander

Age: 28

Base salary: $8 million

Lived up to promise, got a long-term contract, made the All-Star team, had 234 strikeouts and was 2-0 in the postseason.

Joe Ryan, righthander

Age: 27

Base salary: $740,000

The first half of the season was great for Ryan, but he struggled and was injured after the All-Star break and ended up giving up 32 home runs in 161 ⅔ innings.

Bailey Ober, righthander

Age: 28

Base salary: $740,000

The 6-9 Ober earned a spot in this season’s rotation with promising work in 2023 — 26 starts, 3.43 ERA and more than a strikeout (146) per innings pitched (144 ⅓).

Chris Paddack, righthander

Age: 28

Base salary: $2.525 million

Recovered from his second Tommy John surgery in time to pitch well in relief late in the season, setting the stage for a return to the rotation.

Louie Varland, righthander

Age: 26

Base salary: $740,000

Had 10 starts and seven relief appearances on the shuttle from St. Paul; he’ll get a chance in the rotation after Anthony DeSclafani’s injury.

RELIEF PITCHERS

Griffin Jax, righthander

Age: 29

Base salary: $740,000

With Jhoan Duran sidelined, Jax is a candidate to close after a season where his stats were respectable, but he ended up with 10 losses in relief.

Jorge Alcala, righthander

Age: 28

Base salary: $790,000

Elbow surgery wiped out his 2022 season, and a forearm fracture scotched 2023; full of promise if he stays healthy.

Brock Stewart, righthander

Age: 32

Base salary: $740,000

An amazing find, Stewart gave up only two runs in 28 appearances, missing three months because of an elbow injury.

Jay Jackson, righthander

Age: 36

Base salary: $1.3 million

Free-agent signee after posting a 2.12 ERA in 25 appearances for the Blue Jays, but he wasn’t on their postseason roster.

Steven Okert, lefthander

Age: 32

Base salary: $1.0265 million

Picked up from Miami for Nick Gordon, Okert had a 4.45 ERA in 58⅔ innings for the Marlins with 73 strikeouts.

Kody Funderburk, lefthander

Age: 27

Base salary: $740,000

Went from Class AA to AAA to Target Field without a hiccup — one run allowed and 19 strikeouts in 12 late-season innings with Twins.

Cole Sands, righthander

Age: 26

Base salary: $740,000

Started last season in the big leagues, but was up and down at St. Paul — where he was mostly brilliant — four times.

Daniel Duarte, righthander

Age: 27

Base salary: $740,000

After stint in Mexican League, pitched for the Reds last season. Twins claimed him off waivers, then DFA’d him, so he was in camp on a minor league deal.

INJURED LIST

Jhoan Duran, reliever

Age: 26

Base salary: $747,200

Converted 27 of 32 save opportunities and threw 104 mph, but a spring training oblique injury means he’ll be out at season’s start.

Caleb Thielbar, reliever

Age: 37

Base salary: $3.225 million

An oblique strain limited him to 30 innings last season, and he’ll start this one on the IL because of a sore hamstring.

Anthony DeSclafani, starter

Age: 33

Base salary: $12 million

DeSclafani was supposed to be the fifth starter before elbow issues sidelined him. The Twins are paying $4 million of his salary.

Josh Staumont, reliever

Age: 30

Base salary: $950,000

Free-agent signee who had surgery to correct thoracic outlet syndrome last summer; he is sidelined because of a knee injury.

Justin Topa, reliever

Age: 33

Base salary: $1.25 million

Acquired from Seattle in the Jorge Polanco deal, he had his best major league season with a 2.61 ERA in 69 innings last year. Has left knee tendinitis.