Twins prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez is headed back to the injured list

Emmanuel Rodriguez is headed back to the injured list. The 22-year-old outfielder, who is the Twins' No. 2 prospect and MLB.com's 32nd-ranked overall prospect, is headed to the IL with a right hip injury, the Triple-A St. Paul Saints announced on Monday.

Rodriguez has had a tough time staying healthy as he's climbed up the minor-league ranks in the Twins' system. A knee injury in June 2022, when he was playing with Low-A Fort Myers, knocked him out for the remainder of that season. The following year, he missed a few weeks with an abdomen strain, though he went on to have a big year with High-A Cedar Rapids. Last season, Rodriguez missed a huge chunk of time due to a nagging thumb injury after a great start at Double-A Wichita. He played in only 47 games in 2024.

Even earlier this year, Rodriguez missed some time in training camp with an ankle sprain. Now he'll be out for at least a bit due to this hip injury. It's an unfortunate trend for a guy with immense talent and a future that looks very bright, as long as his body holds up.

Across 269 career minor-league games, Rodriguez has a .913 OPS with 48 home runs and 55 stolen bases. Nearly half of his hits (108 of 222) have gone for extra bases. He gets on base at an elite rate (.419 OBP) and can drive the ball to every part of the park when he's going well.

Rodriguez got off to a slow start at Triple-A this year before heating up. In 39 games, he's hitting .232, but he has a .400 OBP and .792 OPS. He's hit four home runs and stolen six bases.