The Minnesota Twins will need to decide what to do with Aaron Sabato this offseason. He still has options left, so the Twins can shuffle him between the majors and Triple-A next year if they want. However, he turns 28 next season, so the Twins shouldn't keep him around unless they view him as part of the organization's long-term plans.
More likely than not, the Twins don't believe Sabato can be an everyday player in the majors. Sure, he's a former first-round pick and a power threat, but there's a reason he didn't make his MLB debut until this year , even though he was a 2020 first-round pick out of college.
Sabato had just six at-bats after earning a promotion to the majors late this past season. He went 0-for-6 with three strikeouts.
A couple of years ago, it looked like Sabato might never reach the big leagues. In 2023, Sabato hit just .221/.329/.430 (96 wRC+) with a 32.3% strikeout rate over 77 games with the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge.
Things got even worse for Sabato in 2024. He slashed .206/.303/.350 (83 wRC+) with a 29.7% strikeout rate in 85 games with the Wind Surge.
In 2025, Sabato finally showed why he was a first-round pick. Last year, the first baseman hit .305/.399/.574 (165 wRC+) with nine home runs and 26 RBI over 39 Double-A games, earning him a promotion to Triple-A. He had a poor 86 wRC+ in 65 Triple-A games in 2025, but his overall numbers that season were still solid.
Sabato took his game to a whole new level in 2026 . In 113 games with the Triple-A St. Paul Saints this year, Sabato hit .273/.349/.528 (121 wRC+) with 25 home runs and 75 RBI. He struck out at a 25.3% rate, which isn't great, but it was a career best.
A right-handed batter, Sabato may have a future with the Twins as a platoon hitter. Unfortunately, it's difficult to imagine Minnesota giving him an everyday role next year. It took him a long time to post good numbers in the minors, and his strikeout rate is still a concern.
Despite missing the playoffs three straight seasons, the Twins aren't planning to rebuild . Control person Tom Pohlad has made it clear that his goal is to make the Twins competitive as soon as possible. If Pohlad wanted to go into full rebuild mode, it might make sense for the team to give Sabato regular playing time. But for a team planning to compete, giving a 28-year-old rookie a starting role wouldn't make sense. Unless they think there's room for him on the bench, the Twins should move on from Sabato this offseason .
This article was originally published on www.puckettspond.com as Does former first-round pick Aaron Sabato have future with Twins after long-awaited MLB debut? .
