Of the 10 young players the Twins acquired before the July 31 trade deadline, none is more intriguing — or at least might be closest to playing regular innings for the big league team — than James Outman.

Outman is an outfielder who in 2023 played in 151 games for the Los Angeles Dodgers and finished third in the Rookie of the Year voting. He hit .248 with 86 runs scored and 70 RBIs that season.

Since then, that offensive production has all but disappeared. Over the past two seasons, Outman has worked to come out of a hitting slump that before Saturday’s game against Detroit read .137 with 20 runs and 15 RBIs in a combined 75 major league games.

It’s a common story in baseball, and it’s difficult to shift the narrative.

“I think a big part of it is just knowing that you’re a good playe

See Full Page