Emmanuel Rodriguez Got A Boost From Playing At Home In the Offseason

St. Paul – Not every minor league player has the privilege to have their entire family see them play in person. That has been the case for Minnesota Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez. Only his wife and son have been able to travel to see him play in pro ball since the Twins signed him back in 2019.

Rodriguez is another Twins prospect who has had a career filled with injuries. He’s never played more than 99 games in a season, and he only played 65 in 2025. With limited playing time due to a thumb sprain, pulled hamstring, and oblique strain, the Twins sent Rodriguez to get extra at-bats in the Dominican Winter League, which turned out to be more of an elixir to his game than they expected.

“It was a great experience just being able to play in my home country in front of my family, and his friends, all my people,” Rodriguez said through teammate and translator, Marco Raya. “I felt great and was just ready to get the ball rolling.”

Emmanuel Rodriguez played in 18 games in the Dominican Winter League and crushed opposing pitchers, putting up a .292/.417/.646 slash line, with four home runs, 11 RBI, six walks, and 18 strikeouts. It was a healthy sample size to showcase his abilities after an injury-riddled season.

More importantly, Rodriguez felt rejuvenated because he was able to play in front of so many friends and family who had not seen him play back home in the Dominican Republic since he was 15.

“This off-season in Winter Ball was the first time I played in front of family, specifically, my parents,” Rodriguez said. “Injuries in the past kept that from happening, being on and off the IL, and then finally this year, this past offseason, getting to be able to go back home and play in front of them. My parents being able to see me play professionally for the first time was a really good experience. I’m just grateful for it.”

Now that he’s had a fully healthy off-season and spring training, the Twins want to see what they can get from Rodriguez for at least a month without injuries in Triple-A. As things stand, he’s second in the call-up pecking order behind Alan Roden when it comes to position players in St. Paul.

He’s off to a cold start in his first three games, going 2-for-13, with two walks, a stolen base, and four strikeouts during St. Paul's opening series in Indianapolis. As things stand early in the season, the priority is to ensure Rodriguez stays healthy on the field as he shuffles between the DH role and all outfield spots. The extra thump in his swing will make him a serious candidate to bolster Minnesota's lineup whenever they need to call him up.

“That’s the main thing for him, just keeping him on the field. When he’s on the field, he does a lot of positive things,” said Saints manager Brian Dinkelman. “We’ll try to manage him and help him out the best we can to keep him healthy on the field and hopefully get him over there to the big league team sometime soon.”

Emmanuel Rodriguez said playing in front of friends and family brought new life to his game. If that can carry over early into this season, he has no doubt he will be up in the first half of 2026. But until the Twins deem him ready to be called up, he will keep doing what’s asked of him. He will showcase his incredible strike-zone judgment and improve his defensive versatility, allowing the Twins to move him around all three outfield positions.

“I’m just going into the season wherever they need me to play,” he said. “Whether it’s center or in the corners, wherever they need me, I’ll play. I’m just taking it day by day and trying to win every day to stay healthy, have fun, and play.”