Twins Prospect Weekly: Jenkins Debuts, Lackey's Cedar Rapids Arrival Turns Heads
By Liam Carter ·
Twins Prospect Weekly covers the last 7 days of action for the Twins farm system.
Jenkins Gets the Call
Walker Jenkins (AAA, OF, Rank: 1) went 8-for-20 with three home runs, five RBI, and five walks this week, then made his MLB debut on August 28 and recorded his first big league hit, a 102.3 mph single to right field. The promotion had been building momentum all month. Over his last 30 days at Triple-A, he slashed .388/.464/.729 with eight home runs, three doubles, a triple, 12 walks, and an 80.7 percent contact rate across 97 plate appearances. He walked more than he struck out in that stretch, and his swing rate held at 45.4 percent, right at the league-average threshold. The production was not coming from expanded aggression or a favorable schedule; it was coming from a 21-year-old who had simply outgrown the level.
The full Triple-A picture is just as compelling: .308/.407/.532 with 12 home runs and 17 doubles across 307 plate appearances, plus 17 stolen bases and a 15.6 percent strikeout rate. Last year at Triple-A he posted a .242/.324/.396 line before a more encouraging Double-A run, so this season represents a genuine developmental leap, not a continuation of what came before. He is a 60 hit tool, 60 raw power, 60 speed center fielder projecting to an everyday role with All-Star upside, and the primary scouting concern, how the swing holds against premium major-league velocity and spin, is a fair one. His first game gave no conclusions either way. But the combined line across all levels this year sits at .323/.418/.557 with 14 home runs in 328 plate appearances. Minnesota ran out of reasons to wait.
Lackey Hits Cedar Rapids Like a Freight Train
Vahn Lackey (A+, C, Rank: 2) was promoted from Fort Myers to Cedar Rapids on August 24, and the first three games at High-A looked almost unfair. He went 5-for-16 in the week's plate appearances with two home runs, five RBI, and ten walks against zero strikeouts across 21 plate appearances. The zero-strikeout part deserves its own sentence: in 21 trips to the plate at a new, more advanced level, he did not strike out once. His A+ line now reads .556/.750/1.222 in 16 plate appearances, though the sample is small enough that the rate stats are more curiosity than conclusion. What matters more is the underlying profile those numbers reflect.
At Fort Myers this year, Lackey hit .204/.389/.370 across 72 plate appearances, a line that looks modest on the surface but contains a 19.4 percent walk rate that kept his on-base number well above his batting average. The power was always the more tantalizing part of the profile: a 60 raw power grade, real bat speed, and a plus arm that already draws strong reviews behind the plate. His defensive foundation, soft hands, strong lateral mobility, and a 65-grade arm, gives him a floor that reaches the majors even if the hit tool plateaus near average. At 21 years old, the bat is still catching up to the rest of the profile, but the approach discipline he showed this week, 10 walks, zero strikeouts, two home runs against High-A pitching in his first three games there, suggests the feel at the plate is ahead of where his Fort Myers average implied. I would take the over on his hit grade reaching the 55 it is currently slotted at.
Quick Hits
Emmanuel Rodriguez (AAA, CF, Rank: 5) · drove in three runs on six hits with two home runs and six walks across 27 plate appearances this week, adding to a strong recent stretch. Over his last 30 days at Triple-A, he is slashing .282/.440/.493 with four home runs and a 18.7 percent walk rate. His 64.5 percent contact rate is the one number that keeps the ceiling conversation grounded, but the on-base skills and 60 raw power are both showing up in the production. He has 10 home runs in 169 Triple-A plate appearances this season.
Tanner Schobel (AAA, SS, Rank: 49) · had a week that looks completely different from the rest of his season: six hits and three home runs across just 16 plate appearances with four RBI. For context, he had six home runs total in his first 294 Triple-A plate appearances this year, posting a .236/.337/.362 line that fits the utility projection squarely. The 50 hit tool and 40 power grade make three-homer weeks a genuine outlier, and his last 30 days (.212/.328/.404 across 61 plate appearances) reflect the broader season trend more accurately. Still, the plate discipline has been a strength all year with an 11.9 percent walk rate.
Carson Tinney (A, C, Rank: 6) · went 5-for-17 with two home runs and three RBI, adding five walks and only two strikeouts in 17 plate appearances. The patient approach is his calling card: a 22.6 percent walk rate and 32.1 percent swing rate across 84 plate appearances at Fort Myers this year. The 60 raw power grade is real, and this week reinforced it. His seven home runs in 84 plate appearances at Low-A suggest the bat may be ready for a tougher challenge sooner than the line implies, though the 40 hit tool grade reflects real whiff risk as pitching quality rises.
Ramiro Dominguez (A+, IF, Rank: 41) · was promoted to Cedar Rapids on August 27 and immediately went deep twice, driving in nine runs across 21 plate appearances in his first taste of High-A. The nine RBI in one week from a 19-year-old getting his first look at Advanced-A pitching is a notable debut. At Fort Myers this season he posted a .237/.349/.391 line with nine home runs and a 10.9 percent walk rate across 413 plate appearances, which already exceeded the production expected from a player his age with a 45 hit grade.
Adrian Bohorquez (AA, RHP, Rank: 42) · was promoted to Double-A Wichita on August 24 and made an immediate impression in his debut: 5 IP, 0 ER, five hits, one walk, and seven strikeouts. Over his last 30 days at Cedar Rapids before the promotion, he owned a 0.38 ERA across 23.2 innings, allowing just nine hits with 30 strikeouts and a 34.1 percent strikeout rate. His fastball sits 95-98 and his slider-curve combination has produced real swing-and-miss throughout the year; the question as he climbs is whether the changeup and command tighten enough to project him as a fifth starter rather than a reliever. So far in 2026, his combined ERA sits at 3.40 across 47.2 innings.
Marco Raya (AAA, RHP, Rank: 30) · allowed three earned runs across 4.1 innings this week, striking out nine batters while generating 22 swinging misses. The strikeout total is the real number here: nine punchouts in 4.1 innings reflects a whiff rate that has been exceptional over the last month, with a 43.5 percent whiff rate and 36.2 percent strikeout rate across his last nine appearances. The home runs remain the issue, with 14 surrendered at Triple-A this year and a 6.29 ERA at that level. He has a plus slider and a fastball that plays above its velocity, but the command (40 grade) keeps the margins razor thin. He has appeared in three games at the MLB level this season with a 3.00 ERA in six innings.
Brandon Winokur (AA, OF, Rank: 19) · went 8-for-27 with two home runs and five RBI at Wichita this week. The 19 home runs across Double-A and High-A this season are encouraging for a 21-year-old with a 60 raw power grade. The concerns have not changed: a 29 percent strikeout rate across 514 combined plate appearances and a 63 percent contact rate reflect the profile risk baked into his 40 hit tool. Over his last 30 days, he is slashing .242/.309/.465 with six home runs, so the pop is genuine even as the contact rate stays thin.
Kendry Rojas (AAA, LHP, Rank: 7) · was placed on the 7-day injured list on August 22 with left elbow inflammation. He had been outstanding in the 14 days leading up to the placement, posting a 1.00 ERA across nine Triple-A innings. On the season, he has a 3.18 ERA at Triple-A and a 3.34 ERA in 29.2 MLB innings across 12 appearances. The injury can erase months of momentum in a hurry, and with the big-league club still in play for him, the timeline on his return is worth watching closely.
Danny De Andrade (A+, SS, Rank: 51) · had the most productive offensive week of any hitter in the system outside the two feature subjects: eight hits, two doubles, two home runs, six RBI, and seven walks in 29 plate appearances. His season line at Cedar Rapids sits at .240/.313/.423 with 14 home runs across 438 plate appearances, which is more power than the 40 raw grade would suggest. The strikeout rate (27.2 percent) and aggressive 56.3 percent swing rate are still the carrying profile risks. Over his last 30 days, he is slugging .512 with four home runs, so the pop is peaking at the right time.