With outfielder Carson McCusker’s demotion to Triple-A St. Paul after he collected his first major league hit in the Twins’ 4-0 loss to the Tampa Bay Rays at Steinbrenner Field in Tampa, Fla., it all but assures either Byron Buxton, who traveled with the team to Tampa, or Matt Wallner, who is on a rehab assignment with the Saints, will return in Seattle as the Twins begin a three-game series with the Mariners on Friday.

Once both Buxton and Wallner return to the team, who will lose their 26-man roster spot?

Either infielder Jonah Bride or outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. will likely lose their roster spot when Byron Buxton and Matt Wallner return to the Twins

Bride is hitting .250/.298/.288 (67 OPS+) with two doubles in 57 plate appearances since getting traded to the Twins from the Miami Marlins in exchange for cash considerations on April 16. Despite his struggles, he has been worth 0.1 bWAR while playing first, third and second base in his limited time on the Twins.

Manager Rocco Baldelli primarily uses Keirsey, who is slashing an abysmal .111/.138/.159 (-16 OPS+) while being worth -0.9 bWAR this season, as a primary defensive replacement and pinch runner. He has seen an uptick in playing time recently due to Buxton landing on the concussion list.

So, who is more likely to lose their roster spot?

Derek Falvey cannot go wrong with moving on from either player, as both see minimal playing time compared to their teammates. But at the end of the day, Bride would most likely see even less playing time once Buxton and Wallner return if he stayed on the roster, while Keirsey would still be in the role he has mostly been in this year as a defensive replacement/pinch runner. Therefore, while Bride would likely provide the Twins more value than Keirsey if both were in the lineup consistently, it makes more sense to hold on to Keirsey and keep a strong defensive outfielder and pinch runner on the bench.

If the Twins are adamant about keeping Bride, which is unlikely, then Keirsey, who still has options, will be sent down to Triple-A St. Paul. If Minnesota moves on from Bride, which is the most likely scenario, then the former Marlin will be DFA’d, and another team could claim him.