Josh Bell has provided the Twins exactly what they needed in 2026.
The Minnesota Twins will not play October baseball this year after collapsing in the second half. At 73-83, they were officially eliminated from the race on Sunday.
Even so, Josh Bell has quietly delivered the one thing the club went out and paid for. On Sunday, the 34-year-old veteran designated hitter reached 90 RBIs, a mark no Minnesota hitter had touched in five years.
“Josh Bell is the first Twins hitter with more than 90 RBIs in a season since Jorge Polanco had 98 RBIs in 2021,” reported Twins beat writer Aaron Gleeman.
Bell got there in an 8-0 win over the Los Angeles Angels. He went 3-for-4 with two runs driven in and now sits at 91 RBIs on the season. His single in the third inning put Minnesota ahead 1-0 before the offense pulled away.
The last Minnesota bat to reach 90 RBIs was Jorge Polanco, who drove in 98 during his breakout 2021 campaign. Polanco accomplished it with a bit more pop, launching 33 home runs and slugging .503 that season.
Bell has taken a more balanced approach. He has mashed 20 home runs, leaning more on situational hitting. Minnesota signed Bell to a one-year, $7 million deal in December 2025 with a specific job in mind. Its first basemen had ranked among the least productive in baseball the previous year. Bell was expected to provide stability and a veteran presence for a young locker room. He has done just that.
Bell has reached these heights before. He drove in 116 runs during a 2019 All-Star season with the Pittsburgh Pirates, still a career-high.
His next-best mark prior to Sunday came as a rookie regular in 2017, when he knocked in 90. This year's total of 91 now stands as the second-best of his career. He has been durable as well, appearing in 149 games, missing just seven games total.
At the plate, Bell enters the final week hitting .258 with a .320 on-base percentage and a .741 OPS. His road ahead is uncertain. His contract carries a mutual option for 2027, but a rebuilding team like the Twins may decide to hand first base to prospect Aaron Sabato instead of Bell. Sabato was called up for the final week of the regular season on Monday.
Whether he stays with the Twins or departs in free agency, Bell has provided the Twins with exactly what they needed in 2026.
