The Minnesota Twins received some positive news on Thursday amidst a challenging period. Emmanuel Rodriguez, the team’s No. 3 overall prospect and MLB’s No. 22 overall prospect, is set to return to the field Thursday night as he begins a rehab assignment in Low-A Fort Myers, according to the team’s play-by-play announcer John Vittas. The 21-year-old outfielder had reaggravated a thumb injury that has troubled him throughout the summer, suffering the setback during a swing on a rehab assignment last month.
Rodriguez was initially placed on the Minor League seven-day injured list on June 7 after spraining the same thumb while sliding into second base during a double. This was in his first game back after missing a week due to a different hand injury. Despite these challenges, Rodriguez has been outstanding in Double-A Wichita this season, hitting .298/.479/.621 with an OPS of 1.100 in 167 plate appearances. Remarkably, nearly 60% of his hits have been for extra bases (22 out of 37), and he has scored 40 runs.
#MNTwins OF prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez will begin a rehab assignment with the Low-A @MightyMussels tonight in Fort Myers.
It will be his first game action since July 8. pic.twitter.com/H68E08yi7v
— John Vittas (@JohnVittas3) August 29, 2024
Rodriguez is expected to make his Major League debut next year, following in the footsteps of other top Twins prospects like Brooks Lee and Zebby Matthews, who are already on the MLB roster. Meanwhile, the Twins’ No. 1 prospect, Walker Jenkins, remains in the Minor Leagues, with his MLB debut projected for 2026, according to MLB.com.
