Twins thoughts: Kendry Rojas must fine-tune arsenal for sustained success

AL EastBlue JaysOriolesRaysRed SoxYankeesAL CentralGuardiansRoyalsTigersTwinsWhite SoxAL WestAngelsAstrosAthleticsMarinersRangersNL EastBravesMarlinsMetsNationalsPhilliesNL CentralBrewersCardinalsCubsPiratesRedsNL WestDiamondbacksDodgersGiantsPadresRockiesScores & ScheduleStandingsPodcastsThe Windup NewsletterFantasyMLB ProspectsMLB OddsMLB PicksPower RankingsFans Speak UpMLB Season Kendry Rojas struck out five batters over 3 1/3 innings to earn his first career win as the Twins beat the Guardians, 5-4. (Jason Miller / Getty Images) Share articleCLEVELAND — Hard-throwing Kendry Rojas clearly has all the tools necessary to be a standout major-league pitcher. Now, he and the Minnesota Twins must piece it together. The young left-hander was downright nasty at times on Sunday afternoon, as he made his second big league appearance, and shaky at others. Fortunately for the rookie pitcher and his team, Rojas was filthy enough to earn his first career victory as the Twins rode it and a good showing from their offense to a 5-4 win over the Cleveland Guardians at Progressive Field. The key piece acquired in the Louis Varland trade last July, Rojas struck out five batters over 3 1/3 effective innings for Minnesota, which claimed its first series victory in a month. “(Rojas) managed,” Twins manager Derek Shelton said. “He’s got really good stuff. It’s going to be more getting him acclimated to the big leagues and getting him to trust it. But we saw his ability to execute pitches. He scattered it, but then came back and executed.” Kendry got the game ball after his first career @mlb win pic.twitter.com/cUn5prnLBB — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 10, 2026 As outstanding as Varland is with the Toronto Blue Jays, the Twins were thrilled to receive Rojas in exchange. Whereas Varland is now breaking out at age 28 after struggling for several seasons as a starting pitcher, the Twins love that Rojas is five years younger and possesses a high-90 mph fastball, as well as a slider and changeup with swing-and-miss capabilities. Varland’s development clearly changes the calculus of how this trade will be viewed. Even so, the Twins think Rojas can deliver. But to get there, Rojas needs to better command his arsenal. Same as in his April 22 debut in New York when he walked three batters over two scoreless innings, Rojas’ command issues immediately surfaced on Sunday in Cleveland. Rojas — who has improved this season after struggling with walks at Triple A in 2025 — walked the first batter he faced on four pitches. He followed with a pair of strikeouts, including ringing up Daniel Schneemann on a full-count fastball located on the outside corner. But before he could escape the inning with a pop out, Rojas walked another batter. An inning later, Rojas surrendered singles to three of the first four batters he faced, allowing Cleveland to tie the score at 1. But once again, Rojas pitched out of trouble. Even after walking another batter to load the bases, he induced an inning-ending flyout to center. He also worked around two more base hits in the fourth, stranding a runner at second base. Had he faced a stronger offense, Rojas might have faced harsher penalties for the constant traffic. Instead, he did a nice job limiting Cleveland to a run despite allowing eight men to reach. “It’s just working little by little and polishing on the things that have been giving me trouble,” Rojas said through an interpreter. “It’s in the mindset. If I trust my stuff and let things play out, it should be good.” Before re-joining the Twins in Cleveland this weekend — the result of Taj Bradley going on the 15-day injured list — Rojas was working on a four-day schedule at Triple A and pitching in relief. The Twins can see Rojas developing into a starting pitcher. But for now, they’re focused on helping him build up his innings and develop. “Kendry is showing some really encouraging signs,” Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said last month. “Hopefully, over time, we continue to see positive steps forward in all directions there. … (His schedule) is an opportunity to maintain different flexibility, get him as many game reps as possible. … We can go a bunch of different directions depending on what needs arise.” Here are several more observations from a successful weekend in Cleveland: • Though they only acquired Yoendrys Gómez from Tampa Bay for cash and activated him Friday, the Twins already got their money’s worth. The 26-year-old appeared in all three games, on Sunday becoming the seventh pitcher this season to record a save for the Twins. If it wasn’t already evident, the fact that Luis Garcia and Gómez not only earned saves in the team’s wins Saturday and Sunday, but were placed in big spots, demonstrates how chaotic things are in the bullpen. Shelton and his coaching staff are trying everything to record high-leverage outs and secure victories, but they have few trusted pitchers they can turn to. Unfamiliar pitchers occasionally are going to appear in big spots because the Twins are limited in experience. • There’s promising development occurring with rookie Andrew Morris, but that’s expected to take time. Morris only now pitched on consecutive days for the first time in his career, hitting 98 mph while recording two outs Saturday and pitching a scoreless inning Sunday. Now, the Twins need to see how Morris’s arm responds to throwing more frequently. With a day off on Monday, Minnesota picked an ideal spot to test out Morris. Because the Twins are developing a rookie like Morris, the bullpen needs to be flooded with veterans instead of other young, undeveloped arms. Not knowing how Morris’s arm and body will respond, the Twins know they may need to occasionally give him extra days of rest. Having two young relievers on the roster like the Twins did earlier in the week, when John Klein was up, can be tricky because if both rookies are unavailable, it places a heavier strain on the rest of the bullpen. • After discussing his concerns about his future during the week, Royce Lewis made several positive contributions in Cleveland. Following two days off to work on his swing, Lewis hit a laser to the warning track on Friday on the first pitch he saw and later singled. He also drew a walk on Saturday and made several nice defensive plays. Lewis made his biggest impact on Sunday with an RBI double off Gavin Williams. He also turned in a nice defensive play in the eighth inning, snagging a tough one-hopper and making a nice throw to end a Guardians rally. Not everything was positive as Lewis was picked off after walking on Saturday. But perhaps the good contributions can help Lewis get back on track — a development that would be massive for the franchise. • Brooks Lee had a big hand in both victories. The shortstop made two stellar defensive plays late in Saturday’s victory to extend and end the game. On Sunday, he followed it with two singles, a stolen base, a run scored and a sac bunt. I’ll have more on Lee later this week. • Look for Connor Prielipp’s next start to be pushed back at least one day as the Twins try to manage his workload. Minnesota listed a TBA for Thursday’s finale against Miami, the game in which Prielipp was on pace to start. With Prielipp already having thrown 34 2/3 innings between the big leagues and Triple A, the Twins want to slow him down. Prielipp pitched only one game per week in 2025 and logged a career-high 82 2/3 innings. The Twins recognize that throwing every five days this season constitutes a big step for Prielipp and will look to give him an extra day or two when possible. With the team off Monday, the Twins could keep the rest of their rotation on normal rest and move Prielipp back if they choose. Spot the pattern. Connect the terms Find the hidden link between sports terms