Cedar Rapids’ Kyle DeBarge.

The Minnesota Twins adopted an interesting approach to their eight assignments to the Arizona Fall League.

All but one of the players assigned played at either Class-A or High-A in 2026. The only one that played above those teams last season was infielder Kyle DeBarge, who played at Double-A.

DeBarge was one of two position players for the Twins that were in the starting lineup for the Salt River Rafters in their AFL opener on Saturday, a 9-3 win over Gila River. The other was outfielder Yasser Mercedes. Both had a hand in the victory.

DeBarge batted leadoff for the Rafters and he went 1-for-5 with an RBI. He also drew a walk and struck out once. Mercedes batted seventh and played left field. He went 0-for-3 with scored twice, drove in a run and drew a walk. He also struck out once. The pair were among seven Salt River players that had at least one RBI in the contest.

This is a big opportunity for both prospects to prove they’re ready for the next step in the minor league system. Neither will help the Twins in the Majors in 2027. But they can get closer.

DeBarge isn’t a Top 30 prospect in the system, but he was taken in the 2024 MLB draft with the No. 33 overall pick out of Louisiana, which was a compensatory pick for the Twins.

He spent last season with Double-A Wichita, and he does have something to prove in the AFL. He played the most games of his career, and he slashed only .221/.325/.352. He did have a career-best 12 home runs drove in 49 RBI. Listed as a second baseman, he’s going to have to prove to Minnesota that he has some versatility with the top prospects that are in front of him in the system.

He has a lifetime slash of .230/.334/.356 with 21 home runs and 135 RBI since he was drafted.

Mercedes has been on a slow burn in the Twins system since he was signed out of Puerto Rico in 2022. This was his fifth minor league season, and he played the most games of his career (109 games). He slashed .249/.343/.453 with a career-best 18 home runs and 72 RBI. He wrapped up his season at High-A Cedar Rapids. He is the No. 18 prospect in the Twins system per MLB Pipeline, and those analysts see him as a potential call-up in 2028.

The good news is that if there is a lockout at the Major League level it won’t impact the progress of either prospect at the minor league level. Their CBA doesn’t expire until after the end of the 2027 season.

The other six Twins that are playing in the AFL include outfielder Jacob McCombs, right-handed pitcher Brian Zeldin and left-handed pitchers Ross Dunn, Cesar Lares, Cleiber Maldonado and Jake Murray.