Matt Wallner is obliterating Triple-A pitching; will Twins trade him?

Wallner's OPS over the past three weeks over north of 1.300.

Sep 18, 2023; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Twins left fielder Matt Wallner (38) at bat during the seventh inning against the Cincinnati Reds at Great American Ball Park. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports / Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports

With the July 30 trade deadline quickly approaching, local Minnesota sports insider Darren Wolfson suggested that Twins' outfielder Matt Wallner is a name watch. Mackey & Judd podcast.

It has been a tale of two seasons for Wallner. In 13 games in the major leagues, he slashed .080/.273/.240, prompting his demotion to Triple-A in mid-April. In 52 games for the Saints since being sent down, Wallner has slashed .270/.379/.517 with 16 home runs and 43 RBIs.

Earlier this week, just before Wallner was named the International League Player of the Week, the Twins demoted Alex Kirlloff and instead of giving Wallner another shot they called up Austin Martin.

“Matt Wallner, I don’t think he thought he was coming up. You could have made a case, lefty bat down, bring up a lefty bat…I just wonder, let’s call this reckless speculation on a Thursday, Matt Wallner is a great trade chip," Wolfson began. "The Twins have received calls going back the last couple of years. At this point, it looks like [Trevor Larnach] has passed him by. You don’t call up Wallner now. To me, you trade Matt Wallner in July. Something to keep an eye on, I would put it that way. My sense is that he would be open-minded to a change of scenery.”

Martin, Larnach and Wallner are all in the outfield rotation along with Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, Manuel Margot and Willi Castro.

Related: Bowden wants to see Twins make blockbuster trade for Pete Alonso

Wallner went 14 of 27 at the plate with five homers in six games last week. And entering play Tuesday, the Forest Lake native is on a torrid streak that has him boasting an OPS of 1.326 over the past three weeks.

Congrats to Matt Wallner for being named @MiLB International League Player of the Week 👏

He is 14-27 (.519) with 5 homers and 2 doubles in his last 6 games…good for a 1.700 OPS

Over the last 3 weeks, his 1.326 OPS is the highest in @MLB and @MiLB 📈#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/eOdJlMrYeW

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) June 17, 2024