The Minnesota Twins’ minor league system had an exciting week, seeing Byron Buxton start his rehab assignment and watching Joe Ryan dazzle for the St. Paul Saints. BJ Boyd continued to stay hot at the plate and found himself getting the call-up to Triple-A.

Top Performers:

AAA

Tomás Telis, C
6 Games, .440 BA (11/25), 1 HR, 2 RBI, 1 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB 

• For the second consecutive week, Tomás Telis has been nominated as one of the ‘Top Performers’ of the week. In August, he’s enjoying a batting average of .361.

Mark Contreras, LF
6 Games, .348 BA (8/23), 5 RBI, 3 BB, 6 SO, 4 SB 

• Mark Contreras performed well this week: getting base hits, collecting five RBIs and wreaking havoc on the base paths. After hitting .235 in July, the 26-year-old bounced back and is hitting .302 in August.

Joe Ryan, #6, SP
1 Game, 4.0 IP, 2.25 ERA, 1 H, 1 BB, 9 SO, 1 HR

• The long-awaited start for Ryan was well worth it. In his first start with the Saints, he fanned the first six batters he faced and looked dominant. Expect to see him pitching for the Twins in September.

Ryan Mason, RHP
2 Games, 1-0, 3.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 SO

• Ryan Mason made two appearances this week, with his most impressive one coming on Aug. 18. It’s a tough act to follow relieving Ryan after he struck out nine batters in four innings, but Mason did just that, striking out five and giving up just one hit in two innings.

AA

BJ Boyd, LF
6 Games, .367 BA (11/30), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 5 SO, 1 SB

• Boyd continued his hot streak at the plate, hitting one home run and batting in seven runs. In August, he’s hitting .391, with eight home runs and 24 RBIs. As mentioned before, with how good he’s been, he deservingly earned a promotion to Triple-A.

Leobaldo Cabrera, RF
5 Games, .263 BA (5/19), 3 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 10 SO, 1 SB

• Leobaldo Cabrera struck out 10 times this week in 19 plate appearances, but on the other hand, he was able to crush three home runs and drive in nine RBIs. This season, he’s been promoted twice after starting the year with the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels.

Trey Cabbage, RF
5 Games, .333 BA (7/21), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 8 SO

• Trey Cabbage was enjoying a solid offensive week but performed even better on Aug. 22. In that game, he rocked a three-run home and drove in six RBIs. He was a huge proponent for the Wichita Wind Surge defeating the Springfield Cardinals, 11-7.

Tyler Beck, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 H, 2 BB, 6 SO

• After losing his two previous starts, Tyler Beck bounced back and pitched six scoreless innings, and struck out 6 batters.

High-A

Michael Helman, OF
6 Games, .261 BA (6/23), 4 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 4 SO, 2 SB

• This season, Michael Helman has hit 15 home runs, four of them coming this week. After a bit of a slow start to the month, it’s looking like he might be turning the corner.

Sawyer Gipson-Long, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 1 BB, 8 SO

• Sawyer Gipson-Long pitched well in Low-A and was deserving of a call-up. After making his first appearance with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, he had an opponent batting average of .400 and gave up four runs. He bounced back on Aug. 20, striking out eight batters and keeping his opponents to a .262 batting average.

Louie Varland, #29, SP
1 Game, 1-0, 7.0 IP, 1.29 ERA, 6 H, 0 BB, 6 SO

• Louie Varland has had a great month of August, going 3-0 and holding an ERA of 3.06. This week, he was responsible for striking out six batters and going seven innings deep. The Minnesota native is 8-2 and has an ERA of 1.89.

Low-A

Jesus Feliz, SS
6 Games, .333 BA (7/21), 3 HR, 3 RBI, 5 BB, 7 SO, 2 SB

• Jesus Feliz has hit five home runs in 35 games for the Mighty Mussels, three of them coming this week. He started the season a little cold, but as the year has progressed, he’s steadily gotten better.

Steven Cruz, SP
2 Games, 2-0, 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 10 SO

• Steven Cruz struck out five batters in two innings on Aug. 17, and five more in three innings on Aug. 22. His ERA is currently 1.80 in August and he’s given up two earned runs.

Sean Mooney, SP
1 Game, 3.2 IP, 2.45 ERA, 3 H, 2 BB, 7 SO

• After missing all of July, Sean Mooney has come back in a major way. In nine innings this month, he’s given up two earned runs and has struck out 16 batters. Opponents are hitting just .138 off him.

Top Prospects

Austin Martin, #2, SS
5 Games, .278 BA (5/18), 3 RBI, 5 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB

Jordan Balazovic, #3, SP
1 Game, 6.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 4 H, 5 BB, 6 SO

Jose Miranda, #8, 3B
6 Games, .259 BA (7/27, 1 HR, 4 RBI, 3 BB, 4 SO

Keoni Cavaco, #11, SS
5 Games, .261 BA (6/23), 2 RBI, 12 SO

Misael Urbina, #12, CF
6 Games, .125 (3/24), 1 HR, 1 RBI, 4 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB

Matt Wallner, #14, RF
5 Games, .350 BA (7/20), 1 HR, 5 RBI, 4 BB, 5 SO

Aaron Sabato, #16, 1B
6 Games, .150 BA (3/20), 1 HR, 4 RBI, 5 BB, 10 SO

Drew Strotman, #17, SP
2 Games, 9.2 IP, 4.66 ERA, 15, 3 BB, 7 SO

Alerick Soularie, #18, 2B
6 Games, .259 BA (7/27), 3 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO, 3 SB

Cole Sands, #19, SP
1 Game, 1.1 IP, 6.75, 3 H, 2 BB, 1 SO, 1 HR

Chris Vallimont, #21, SP
2 Games, 9.0 IP, 10.00 ERA, 10 H, 6 BB, 5 SO, 4 HR

Spencer Steer, #23, SS
4 Games, .389 (7/18), 1 HR, 3 RBI, 1 BB, 4 SO

Jovani Moran, #26, LHP
3 Games, 1-0, 3.0 IP, 9.00 ERA, 3 H, 3 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR

Yunior Severino, #27, 2B
5 Games, .261 BA (6/23), 1 RBI, 3 BB, 10 SO, 1 SB