Kirilloff will not be recalled from the alternate training site during the remainder of Minnesota's road trip, which runs through Wednesday in Oakland, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Max Kepler was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Tuesday, but the team didn't want to have players like Kirilloff fly commercially to the West Coast during the pandemic. This means Kirilloff will have to wait until at least Friday's home game against the Pirates to rejoin the big club.

Kirilloff was returned to the Twins' alternate training site Thursday.

EDGE Analysis

Kirilloff made his regular-season debut for the Twins as the 27th man for Wednesday's doubleheader against Boston and went 0-for-3 with a strikeout while appearing in appearing in both games in the twin bill. The 23-year-old could return to the major-league club on a more long-term basis in the near future, but he'll head back to the team's alternate camp in St. Paul for now.

Kirilloff is starting the first game of Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kirilloff was called up by the Twins to serve as the 27th man for Wednesday's twin bill, and he'll start in left field and bat sixth in his regular-season debut for Minnesota. Kirilloff appeared in 94 games for Double-A Pensacola in 2019 and slashed .283/.343/.413 with nine home runs and 43 RBI.

Kirilloff was recalled by the Twins to serve as the 27th man in Wednesday's doubleheader against the Red Sox, Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kirilloff was sent to the Twins' alternate training site after he slashed .129/.182/.258 with a home run, one double, three runs and eight strikeouts this spring. Kirilloff made his big-league debut in the postseason last year, but he'll be available to make his regular-season debut Wednesday.

Kiriloff was optioned to the Twins' alternate training site Tuesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.

EDGE Analysis

Kiriloff hasn't appeared in a regular-season game above the Double-A level but did get some major-league experience as a member of the Twins' playoff roster last fall. That seemingly indicated that he had a strong chance to open as the team's starting left fielder, but he did very little to back that notion up this spring, hitting .129/.182/.258 in 12 games with eight strikeouts and just one walk. The delayed minor-league season means he won't get the chance to prove his readiness in game action in April, which could delay his debut still further, though the Twins aren't exactly loaded in left field, so the job should still be his eventually.

Brent Rooker, and not Kirilloff, has started in left field the last two spring training games when the Twins used the majority of their projected Opening Day lineup, Do-Hyoung Park reports. Kirilloff is hitting .136 (3-for-22) with a home run this spring.

EDGE Analysis

He also has seven strikeouts and one walk in nine spring games. Kirilloff, the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is the leading candidate to take over the starting job in left field after the departure of Eddie Rosario, but the Twins may choose to have him begin the season at Triple-A. The Twins have said they're open to Kirilloff being on the Opening Day roster, and Rooker's playing time the last two days may not be a significant sign. However, the Twins could use his slow spring as an excuse to send him to the minors for three weeks to gain an extra year of service time. A decision on whether to send Kirilloff to the minors may not happen until late in spring training.

Kiriloff appears set to have a legitimate shot to compete for an Opening Day roster spot, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.

EDGE Analysis

Teams typically hold their top prospects down for the first few weeks of the season to steal an extra year of service time, prioritizing their future balance sheet over their present win total, though that's not quite a universal practice. The Twins are saying all the right things about trying to win, suggesting Kiriloff could get a shot to break camp with the team. Of course, Kiriloff has to prove this spring that he does indeed give the team the best shot at winning, something that shouldn't be hard to do when the top alternative in left field is someone who fits best in a bench role like Jake Cave. Kiriloff has yet to play a regular-season game above Double-A, but he made his big-league debut in the postseason last year, which couldn't be a much clearer sign that the team views him as one of its best 26 players.

Kirilloff will get work in left field, right field and first base this spring as he competes for a roster spot, the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Kirilloff will compete for the starting job in left field, but manager Rocco Baldelli isn't ready to commit to any role. "We're going to have to wait and see how this spring plays out, see how it plays out for everybody else on our roster, and see what things look like three weeks from now," Baldelli said.

EDGE Analysis

Kirilloff, the 15th overall pick in the 2016 draft, is the leading candidate to take over the starting job in left field after the departure of Eddie Rosario, but the Twins may choose to have him begin the season at Triple-A. If Kirilloff stays in the minors for most of April, the Twins could gain another year of club control in his contract. Baldelli and the Twins haven't yet tipped their plays. If Kirilloff begins the season in the minors, the Twins could temporarily have a committee in left field with Jake Cave, Luis Arraez and a right-handed hitter, until Kiriloff is called up.

Kirilloff is starting in right field and batting sixth Wednesday in Game 2 against the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

The Twins aren't messing around, turning to their No. 2 overall prospect to make his MLB debut during the first round of the playoffs. Including the Southern League playoffs, Kirilloff hit .309/.352/.480 with 11 home runs and a 15.9 K% over his final 60 games in 2019 and reportedly impressed in spring training and this summer at the alternate training site. He bats left-handed, which was likely a key consideration in him getting the start against righty Jose Urquidy.

The Twins selected Kirilloff's contract Tuesday ahead of Game 1 of the team's wild-card series with the Astros.

EDGE Analysis

Minnesota designated pitcher Sean Poppen for assignment to clear room on the 40-man roster and the active roster for Kirilloff, one of the organization's top prospects. He'll be on the bench for Game 1, but Kirilloff could get the chance to make his first MLB start at some point during the postseason if any members of the Twins' regular outfield (Max Kepler, Byron Buxton and Eddie Rosario) are forced to miss time.