Twins Outright Gilberto Celestino

The Twins have sent outfielder Gilberto Celestino outright to Triple-A St. Paul, per the transaction log at MLB.com. He’d been designated for assignment last weekend.

Celestino has appeared in parts of two seasons for Minnesota. The righty-hitting outfielder debuted in 2021 and got into 122 games last year. A glove-first center fielder, he combined for a .222/.292/.300 line with four home runs through 409 trips to the plate. Celestino showed decent plate discipline and contact skills but had minimal power.

Minnesota acquired Michael A. Taylor in an offseason trade with the Royals. Taylor stepped in as a glove-first center fielder with more power upside than Celestino brings to the table. That seemed likely to push the younger outfielder back to Triple-A. Things got worse in early March, when Celestino underwent surgery to repair ligament damage in his left thumb.

He was on the injured list until mid-June. By the time he returned, the Twins optioned him to St. Paul. He played out the season with the Saints, hitting .243/.392/.389 over 233 plate appearances. Celestino walked more often than he struck out but picked up only four homers in a hitter-friendly Triple-A setting.

This is the first career outright for the 24-year-old. He doesn’t have the ability to immediately elect free agency, but he’ll be a minor league free agent at season’s end as a player who has spent seven-plus years on a minor league roster. Unless the Twins add him back to the 40-man, he’s likely to seek out other opportunities this winter.