The Minnesota Twins are in the middle of their best stretch of the season, but fans still expect more from a few players on the roster.

The Minnesota Twins got off to a tough start this season.

At the end of April, the team was below .500 and was out of the conversation in the American League Central. However, Rocco Baldelli’s team has turned things around in May. The team has won 16 of their 20 games so far this month, including two straight walk-off wins over the Kansas City Royals in Minnesota.

While Byron Buxton is out with injury and Carlos Correa playing in limited capacity for the Twins, Baldelli’s squad has thrived. Kody Clemens, Brooks Lee, and Ty France have stepped up in their absence. The latter two provided the walk-off hits that won games against the Royals. However, the team’s success has not completely excused particular players and the slow starts to the 2025 season.

The Twins are notorious for fighting injuries across the team every season. This year, though, most of the team has been healthy. Minnesota Twins fans have enjoyed seeing the majority of their talent on the field at the same time, but there are still a few names that they expect more from. Success makes up for a lot, but fans still want to see all of their players at their best.

Here are three players that are on the hot seat for the Twins when it comes to fan scrutiny.

Third Baseman Jose Miranda

On a team where the role players have become just as important as the stars, Jose Miranda’s absence is felt. After a slow start, Miranda made headlines for a bizarre injury in the minor leagues instead of his play. The 26-year-old’s batting average is a career-low by a significant margin. However, his health is the biggest knock against him.

With Miranda out of the lineup, players like Lee and Clemens have received more playing time. They have taken full advantage, leaving fans wondering if they even need Miranda any more. The fourth year player will be under pressure to deliver when it makes his return to Baldelli’s lineup. If he can’t hold his own, he could be back in the minors before realizing what happened.

Miranda’s trade value is an interesting thought experiment. Now that Minnesota knows what they have in their other players, he becomes expendable. Most of their success this season has come without him, and he could be used to fill other holes on the team. Miranda went from one of the team’s future stars to a player who could play himself right off the Twins’ roster.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee (2) is showered by catcher Ryan Jeffers (27) after hitting the game winning base hit in the ninth inning against the Kansas City Royals at Target Field.

Minnesota Twins second baseman Kody Clemens (18) celebrates his walk off double against the Cleveland Guardians in the ninth inning during game one of a doubleheader at Target Field.

Twins make Target Field history with walk-off win over Guardians

Both Lee and Clemens are behind Castro on Baldelli’s depth chart. However, both are playing better than the 28-year-old, especially recently. His .239 average is serviceable, but his power doesn’t match up. Both players behind him have done almost as much as power hitters as he has with fewer at-bats. In a league where production is paramount and power is becoming more important, Castro needs to be better.

Similarly to Miranda, Castro used to be one of the future faces for Minnesota. After an All-Star appearance last year, it looked as though his spot on the team was his for the next few years, barring injury. Now, the players behind him have made things interesting. Correa’s spot in the infield is secure, as is Ty France’s. Second and third base appear to be a revolving door, with Baldelli riding the hot hand in each spot. As of recently, Castro is the odd man out.

Castro’s development has been much slower than the players around him and at 28, he has been in the league for seven seasons. As a slightly under average fielder and an underwhelming batter, Castro could be on the move in the coming months. Other teams banking on him needing a change of scenery could try to buy low on him while they can. The former Twins All-Star could be one of the biggest chips moved this summer. The Twins could get help in another area while clearing out a defined role for Lee and Clemens without Castro in front of them.

Relief Pitcher Griffin Jax

If one were to look solely at Griffin Jax’s statistics as a setup man, they would be pleased. The 30-year-old has pitched 23.2 innings and has 13 holds so far in 2025 to go along with a 1-2 record. However, a deeper dive reveals concerning trends. Jax has already allowed 12 earned runs on the season and 25 hits, the most of any Twins reliever.

It hasn’t come back to haunt his team too much, but Jax’s inconsistencies have manifested into a 4.56 ERA. A number that high is concerning for any pitcher on the team, but Jax’s role is too important for him to be playing at the level he is currently at. The Twins has one of the better closers in the league in Jhoan Duran. If the pitchers coming out of the bullpen aren’t up to snuff, he could lose out on save opportunities.

There are plenty of relievers expected to be available at this year’s trade deadline. Anthony Bender is one of many names that have been thrown around in rumors. Minnesota needs an effective bullpen that can come in and maintain the leads their starters give them in order to seriously contend. If Jax can’t do that now, the odds of him being able to do so in the postseason are unlikely.