Griffin Jax, Class AAA Rochester: Promoted last week from Class AA Pensacola, the righthander won his first start Thursday. Jax, 24, was a 2016 third-round pick out of Air Force who was 4-3 with a 2.69 ERA for Pensacola. Serving under the World Class Athlete program, which means he can play professionally full-time while in the service, Jax would be the first Academy graduate to play in the major leagues.
Anthony Vizcaya, Class AA Pensacola: He came off the injured list last week and has a 1.00 ERA in 18 games for the Blue Wahoos. The 25-year-old righthander also pitched for Class A Fort Myers this season and has a combined 70 strikeouts in 61 innings. Out of organized baseball since he left the Cleveland organization in 2014, Vizcaya pitched in his native Venezuela until the Twins signed him as a free agent in January.
Kyle Schmidt, Class A Cedar Rapids: The 22-year-old catcher was a 33rd-round pick this year from the University of Richmond. Catchers are valuable commodities in the minors, and Schmidt has been with the Gulf Coast League Twins (nine games), Elizabethton (five games) and now the Kernels. He entered Saturday hitting a combined .216.