The Twins have moved on from veteran infielder Orlando Arcia. The 31-year-old was released from Triple-A St. Paul’s roster, as noted by Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune. Arcia played in 19 games with the Twins this year. He’s been in the minors since mid-June.
Arcia inked a minor league deal with Minnesota in January. He didn’t break camp with the team, but earned a shot in the big leagues when a struggling Royce Lewis was booted to the minors. The veteran posted a .654 OPS in 50 plate appearances with the Twins. He saw time at all four infield spots. With Lewis back in the mix in June, Arcia was bumped off the roster after less than a month with the team. He could’ve elected free agency after being designated for assignment, but chose to stick at Triple-A with Minnesota.
The well-traveled Arcia struggled mightily between the Braves and Rockies last season. He notched a 33 wRC+ in 76 games. An elbow injury cost him some time in August. With his plate discipline slipping and his power tailing off, Arcia wasn’t a lock to make it back to the majors. The 2026 campaign looked more like a typical Arcia output. He showed middling offensive skills and solid defensive versatility. Arcia was putting together a solid season with St. Paul, slashing .282/.336/.498 through 63 games.
It’s a small big-league sample, but Arcia’s bat speed was intact this year. He had a 10.1% swinging-strike rate and an 85.5% zone contact rate in his brief time with the Twins, which are both a bit better than his career marks. The main drawback was a 25% hit rate. Arcia hasn’t typically impacted the ball at an above-average level, but he didn’t show much punch at all in Minnesota.
The Twins have made shortstop Brooks Lee their full-time third baseman. That’s meant the majority of the reps for Lewis are coming on the right side of the infield. Veteran Ryan Kreidler has handled shortstop, with Kody Clemens at second base now that Luke Keaschall is a full-time outfielder. It’s a roster that maybe could’ve used Arcia, particularly considering the bench doesn’t include a middle infielder, unless you count Austin Martin (four games at second base in 2025). Instead, Arcia will hit the market in search of another opportunity.
Photo courtesy of Charles LeClaire, Imagn Images
