Kendry Rojas returns to Triple-A St. Paul, eased back on fourth-day schedule

Kendry Rojas is back on the mound for Triple-A St. Paul, but the Twins are not rushing him. The left-hander was activated from the Saints’ 7-day injured list on April 11 after missing the start of the season with a right hamstring strain, and the early plan is to use him every fourth day rather than pushing him into a full starter’s workload right away.

That usage pattern tells the whole story. Minnesota wants innings, but only the controlled kind. Rojas threw a live bullpen session on April 8, then returned after one rehab outing with Single-A Fort Myers on April 4, when he allowed two runs on two hits and two walks while striking out two in 1.1 innings. It was enough to clear the next box, not enough to suggest the club is ready to treat him like a finished product.

The Twins have reason to be careful. Rojas is 23, is on the 40-man roster and is listed by MLB.com as the organization’s No. 10 prospect. Minnesota acquired him from Toronto in the Louie Varland trade at the 2025 deadline, and he has moved fast enough to reach St. Paul already. In a September 20 start for the Saints last season, he struck out five over 3.1 innings, a reminder of why the Twins have viewed him as one of their better pitching prospects.

The next stretch is about proving the body and the stuff can hold up together. If Rojas can stack clean appearances in St. Paul, keep the hamstring out of the story and show the same fastball-slider bite that stood out in big-league camp, he can force the issue quickly. The every-fourth-day plan suggests the Twins still see a pitcher they want to build up, not just a depth arm they can plug in tomorrow.

That matters because Minnesota’s path to the majors for Rojas is already visible. He does not need to dominate every outing, but he does need to look like a starter who can survive longer turns, handle his command and recover on schedule. If that happens, St. Paul may not be his home for long.