Matt

Wallner

Wallner made Cade Horton pay for a two-strike sweeper in the fourth inning that caught way too much of the plate for a loud solo home run that left the bat at 113 mph. That wound up being the last run scored in what became an impressive showing by both bullpens. He missed a chunk of the season due to injury, but this was Wallner’s first multi-hit game since April 16 as he tries to get going before the All-Star break.

Wallner was responsible for the only run of the game for Minnesota, as he took Cade Gibson deep in the seventh inning. He’s now gone deep eight times with 14 RBI, and it’s worth remembering that those numbers have come in just 47 games and 151 at-bats. Alas, his .199 batting average is hard to deal with in fantasy baseball. Perhaps he’ll get hot again soon.

With tough left-hander Tarik Skubal toeing the slab for the Tigers, both Wallner and Trevor Larnach will get the night off for the Twins. Willi Castro will patrol right field in his place while Jonah Bride will draw a rare start at third base and bat eighth for the Twins.

Wallner smashed a homer to left-center that extended Minnesota’s lead to 10-0. The power-hitting outfielder has homered seven times in 2025,, and the roundtripper helps his slugging percentage bump up to .442. He’s also hitting just .209 in 2025, and he’s the very definition of a one-category player over the first half of the campaign.

The presence of veteran southpaw Jose Quintana on the mound for Milwaukee makes it easier for Minnesota to give Larnach an extra day of rest after being scratched from Friday’s lineup with a right hand contusion. It’ll be Willi Castro heading out to handle right field with Matt Wallner at DH on Saturday afternoon in his absence.

One batter after Byron Buxton walked to end Misiorowski’s perfect game, Wallner homered, snapping Misiorowski’s 11-inning hitless streak to begin his career. His was the only hit the Twins had against an actual pitcher tonight. The Twins scored five runs in the ninth with Jake Bauers mopping up in a 17-2 game.

Wallner tagged Rangers’ starter Tyler Mahle for a 404-foot (109.0 mph EV) solo shot to lead off the sixth inning, trimming the Twins’ deficit to six runs at 10-4. That would be his lone knock in four at-bats on the evening. The 27-year-old slugger has done a decent job in his limited action on the season, slashing .247/.366/.529 with five homers and just eight RBI in his first 101 plate appearances.

Wallner has three homers in five games since coming off the injured list, putting him at .260/.380/.532 in 92 plate appearances. While he’s been treated strictly as a platoon guy so far, it seems like time for the Twins to give him a real shot against lefties. Trevor Larnach has been playing against some southpaws, and he’s just not as good as Wallner, who is a lifetime .252/.368/.504 hitter.

Wallner takes a seat for the second straight game on Wednesday evening with lefty Jeffrey Springs taking the ball for a bulk relief appearance. It’ll be Trevor Larnach getting an opportunity in right field to open the contest. Wallner has gone 3-for-11 in three games since returning last weekend from the injured list.

Wallner was making his return from the injured list after missing over a month with his hamstring strain, and in his first at-bat back he homered off Bryce Miller — who also was making his return off the IL — to give the Twins a 2-0 lead. The 27-year-old has enormous power, and while he’s not a great bet to hit for average, those looking for some run-production should look at Wallner if he’s still available.