After a week’s hiatus, Minor League Monday is back. The Minnesota Twins have to be impressed with what the Wichita Wind Surge have been doing offensively, as they combined to score 37 runs this week.

Let’s dive right into:

Top Performers:

AAA

Jermaine Palacios, #26, SS
5 Games, .476 BA (10/21), 4 HR, 10 RBI, 1 BB, 6 SO, 1 SB

• Jermaine Palacios collected several base hits and flashed his ability to hit for power this week. There are a lot of question marks about who will be the future shortstop for the Twins, and Palacios has a chance of taking it.

Jake Cave, OF
6 Games, .375 BA (9/24), 2 HR, 8 RBI, 5 BB, 9 SO, 1 SB

• If Alex Kirilloff is going to miss time with the wrist injury, then Jake Cave should be the guy they call up. This season he’s hitting .273, with 14 home runs and 57 runs batted in.

Cole Sands, #14, SP
1 Game, 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 H, 2 BB, 2 SO

• Cole Sands deserves love this week after giving up one earned run in five innings against the Iowa Cubs. It’s unlikely he’s a long-term option as a starter, but he could be a lethal bullpen option if he makes that transition.

AA

Christian Encarnacion-Strand, #24, SS
6 Games, .250 BA (6/24), 2 HR, 7 RBI, 2 BB, 8 SO

• Christian Encarnacion-Strand has become everyone’s favorite prospect at this point. He continues to mash pitchers and could be fast-tracked to the majors soon. The other option is to dangle him in trades.

Edouard Julien, #27, SS
6 Games, .316 BA (6/19), 3 HR, 8 RBI, 8 BB, 4 SO, 2 SB

• Edouard Julien has flown under the radar this season, but he’s starting to draw more attention. The 23-year-old could be moved at the MLB Trade Deadline, as teams could be interested in his upside.

Louie Varland, #12, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 5.0 IP, 1.80 ERA, 7 H, 0 BB, 8 SO, 1 HR

• There’s an argument to be made for Louie Varland to be up with the Twins as we speak. Minnesota needs pitching help, and if they fail to make any moves, we could see the organization’s No. 12 prospect sooner rather than later.

High-A

Aaron Sabato, #13, 1B
6 Games, .333 BA (7/21), 4 HR, 11 RBI, 4 BB, 7 SO, 1 SB

• Aaron Sabato struck out less during the month of July (28 in June, 17 in July). This is great to see, especially since he hit two more home runs last month.

Yunior Severino, 2B
4 Games, .304 BA (7/23), 4 HR, 9 RBI, 4 BB, 8 SO

• Yunior Severino has been up-and-down since returning from his injury earlier this season. However, he’s found a groove during the month of July. Last month, he hit .303 and had an on-base percentage of .446.

Jon Olsen, RHP
2 Games, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, 2 H, 0 BB, 6 SO

• The Cedar Rapids Kernels didn’t get much help from their starters this week, but Jon Olsen was arguably the team’s best pitcher. He struck out six in his two appearances.

Low-A

Misael Urbina, #9, CF
7 Games, .308 (8/26), 1 HR, 7 RBI, 1 BB, 3 SO, 4 SB

• Misael Urbina missed most of the minor league season, but he’s made up for it since his return. The speedy outfielder has swiped eight bags and posted an OPS of .829.

Niklas Rimmel, RHP
2 Games, 1-0, 4.1 IP, 0.00 ERA, 1 H, 2 BB, 6 SO

• Niklas Rimmel was signed to a minor league contract with the Twins back in 2017. In his first season in Low-A, the 6-foot-3 right-hander has posted an ERA of 2.59 and struck out 30 in 24.1 innings. One thing about Rimmel is he will almost always post high strikeout numbers.

Top Prospects

Jordan Balazovic, #3, SP
1 Game, 2.2 IP, 10.13 ERA, 5 H, 2 BB, 4 SO, 2 HR

Simeon Woods-Richardson, #4, SP
2 Games, 4.2 IP, 0.00 ERA, 3 H, 3 BB, 6 SO

Matt Canterino, #5, RHP (FCL – Rehab Assignment)
1 Game, 1.2 IP, 5.40 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 3 SO, 1 HR

Noah Miller, #6, SS
4 Games, .167 (2/12), 2 RBI, 2 BB, 4 SO

Spencer Steer, #7, SS
6 Games, .181 (4/22), 2 RBI, 7 BB, 4 SO, 1 SB

Matt Wallner, #8, RF
6 Games, .083 BA (2/24), 3 BB, 13 SO

Brayan Medina, #10, RHP
1 Game, 4.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 2 H, 0 BB, 4 SO, 1 HR

Ronny Henriquez, #11, SP
1 Game, 4.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 5 H, 0 BB, 4 SO

Drew Strotman, #16, SP
2 Games, 2.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 1 SO

Blayne Enlow, #17, SP
2 Games, 5.0 IP, 0.00 ERA, 2 H, 1 BB, 6 SO

Steve Hajjar, #18, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 4.0 IP, 4.50 ERA, 5 H, 0 BB, 8 SO, 2 HR

Keoni Cavaco, #19, SS
6 Games, .273 BA (6/22), 1 RBI, 0 BB, 7 SO, 1 SB

Alerick Soularie, #20, 2B
5 Games, .211 BA (4/19), 2 RBI, 4 BB, 6 SO, 3 SB

Marco Raya, #21, SP
1 Game, 5.0 IP, 3.60 ERA, 4 H, 2 BB, 2 SO

Cade Povich, #22, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 5.0 IP, 5.40 ERA, 5 H, 1 BB, 8 SO

Danny De Andrade, #23, SS
4 Games, .154 BA (2/13), 1 RBI, 3 BB, 3 SO

Casey Legumina, #25, SP
1 Game, 0-1, 3.0 IP, 6.00 ERA, 5 H, 3 BB, 2 SO, 1 HR

Yasser Mercedes, #28, OF
3 Games, .181 BA (2/11), 1 RBI, 2 BB, 2 SO, 1 SB