Then on Friday the team optioned Mickey Gasper to make room for top prospect Luke Keaschall, freshly called up from Triple-A.
The sum result of these moves is that the Twins essentially substituted Gasper for Bride on their bench.
In evaluating the two players against one another, we find some interesting similarities but also some divergences that might help explain why the front office wants to try its hand with a new bench option, just three weeks after naming Gasper to the Opening Day roster.
In the latest Week in Review column on Sunday, I noted that Gasper’s days on the roster could be numbered, with his performance offering little promise and his track record warranting little patience.
His 2-for-18 start at the plate this year leaves him with a .056/.244/.056 slash line through 45 MLB plate appearances.
He will head back to a Triple-A level that he’s thoroughly dominated, hoping to pick up where he left off and maybe find another chance later in the season.
Bride, like Gasper, has formed a reputation for monster production in Triple-A (.940 OPS) and he’s done it in similar fashion: extreme patience and lots of contact with middling power. Their overall slash lines in the minors are pretty close to identical: .285/.401/.459 for Bride, .275/.392/.449 for Gasper.
Understandably, it might be tough to sell anyone on the meaningfulness of gaudy minor-league numbers given what we just saw from the latter.
Gasper was a perfect case study for why this prototype often fails to translate outstanding Triple-A production to the majors: if you’re not a threat, the best pitchers in the world aren’t going walk you.
There’s a good chance Bride won’t be much more productive than Gasper.
His own performance through 45 plate appearances this year for the Marlins (four singles and five walks with 15 strikeouts in 45 plate appearances) doesn’t inspire much confidence on that front. And I mean, he did get cut by the Miami Marlins.
But Bride has significant MLB experience (610 PAs) and has at least shown some ability to hit there, posting a 120 OPS+ with 11 homers in 71 games last year.
More importantly, the Twins aren’t making this swap for an offensive upgrade.
Not primarily, at least. The hope is that Keaschall can jolt the lineup as a regular. Adding Bride is for functional utility.
Gasper offered very little of that, as someone who the Twins would rather not play at first base and can no longer justify even trying at second.
The attrition striking the Minnesota roster, between players who are on the IL and those who are banged up but still active, necessitates a more practical bench option.
Bride can handle all non-shortstop infield positions and, hey, you know what, he’s even donned the catching gear a few times.
Ultimately, the Twins’ decision to pivot from Gasper to Bride is less about upside and more about usefulness.
In a season already defined by injuries and instability, the team can’t afford a bench bat who doesn’t bring defensive versatility or a remotely dependable offensive profile. Gasper, who might have made an impact given more opportunity, became a luxury the roster couldn’t carry.
That leaves him in a precarious spot.
While he’ll return to Triple-A where he’s thrived, the same limitations that made him expendable in the short term also put his long-term standing on the 40-man roster in question.
As injuries pile up and new needs arise, that valuable spot could soon be needed elsewhere. Gasper still has a chance to rewrite his story, but the clock is ticking — and the margin for error is gone.
