FORT MYERS, Fla. — John Klein was speaking to a group of children at the MASH baseball facility in Savage, Minn., where he trains in the offseason, when director of player development Drew MacPhail started calling. By the time he got back to his phone, he estimated he had seven missed calls.

“I was like ‘OK, this could either be really good or really bad,’ ” Klein said.

It was the former.

MacPhail was phoning to let Klein know that the Twins were adding him to their 40-man roster ahead of the deadline to protect players from the Rule 5 Draft. That decision came in response to a strong showing from the Minnesota native last season in a year split between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. Now he’s in major league camp, getting his chance to make an impression.

An offseason ago, the Brooklyn Park native and Osseo High School graduate had spent his winter revamping his training program and focusing on his nutrition. The result of his hard work was an added 20 to 25 pounds.

“The velocity came right with that,” he said.

A couple of years earlier, he said, he would be lucky to touch 90-92 miles per hour. But once he got into minor league spring training games last year, he was all of a sudden hitting 96, and the results followed.

“I kind of had a feeling last year could be something special,” he said.

Klein began last year at Double-A, where he generally pitched in shorter stints. In 24 games at Double-A Wichita, he posted a 3.12 earned-run average, striking out 95 batters in 80 2/3 innings.

In August, he was promoted to Triple-A, where he finished his season in St. Paul, just one step from the majors.

“Mentally, it’s a little easier knowing they see something in me that maybe I don’t see in myself,” Klein said. “(I’m taking it) day by day just trying to get better.”

Klein threw one scoreless inning in the Twins’ first spring training game against the University of Minnesota last Friday. For now, the Twins are building him up as a starter, manager Derek Shelton said, though they could dial him back later on and he could make a push for a bullpen spot.

While in camp, Klein is soaking up time in the clubhouse where he has gotten to chat with some of the players he idolized growing up, like Twins Hall of Famer Justin Morneau.

“The first day, it was pretty cool to walk in, see my name on a jersey in a locker full of Twins stuff,” Klein said. “Obviously my entire life I’ve wanted to be here, and now that I am, it’s pretty cool.”

Briefly

Joe Ryan (back) played catch Tuesday at 90 feet, a development Shelton described as “encouraging.” … Luke Keaschall was taking pregame reps in the outfield, and Shelton said they expect to get him in a game next week. … Reliever Julian Merryweather left the Twins’ game against the Tampa Bay Rays early with a left hamstring strain.  Merryweather, 34, is a non-roster invite in camp competing for a spot in the bullpen. … The Twins lost that game 12-1 to the Rays and lost a home game to the Baltimore Orioles 10-5 after falling behind by six runs in the first inning.

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By FATIMA HUSSEIN, Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — A Washington, D.C., federal court on Tuesday rejected a request from an immigrant rights group to temporarily block the IRS from sharing certain taxpayer data that could make it easier to identify and deport people who are in the U.S. illegally.

A three-judge panel for the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit declined to issue a preliminary injunction for the immigrants’ rights group, Centro de Trabajadores Unidos, and other nonprofits that are suing the federal government over the data-sharing agreement signed last April by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The agreement allows U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement to submit names and addresses of immigrants inside the U.S. illegally to the IRS for cross-verification against tax records.

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In declining the preliminary injunction request, Judge Harry T. Edwards wrote that the nonprofit groups “are unlikely to succeed on the merits of their claim,” since the information the agencies are sharing isn’t covered by the IRS privacy statute.

A representative from Centro de Trabajadores Unidos did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Attorney General Pam Bondi said on social media that the court decision was a “crucial victory” for the administration. “Deporting illegal aliens makes the American people safer,” Bondi said in her post.

The Trump administration has argued that the agreement helps carry out President Donald Trump’s agenda to secure U.S. borders and is part of his larger nationwide immigration crackdown, which has resulted in deportations and workplace raids.

The creation of the data sharing agreement was so controversial that the acting commissioner of the Internal Revenue Service resigned last year over the deal.

Earlier this month it was revealed in court filings that the IRS had erroneously shared the taxpayer information of thousands of people with the Department of Homeland Security as part of the agreement.

A declaration filed by IRS Chief Risk and Control Officer Dottie Romo stated that the IRS was only able to verify roughly 47,000 of the 1.28 million names ICE requested. For less than 5% of those individuals, the IRS gave ICE additional address information, potentially violating privacy rules created to protect taxpayer data.

Associated Press reporter Alanna Durkin Richer contributed to this report.

INDIANAPOLIS — The question to Kevin O’Connell was rather straightforward.

MINNEAPOLIS, MINNESOTA – JANUARY 04: J.J. McCarthy #9 of the Minnesota Vikings talks with teammates during the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium on January 04, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

Is there still a belief that J.J. McCarthy can be a franchise quarterback for the Vikings?

As the Minnesota coach pondered those words on Tuesday afternoon inside the JW Marriott in Indianapolis, O’Connell openly acknowledged the role he played in creating some of the lofty expectations that McCarthy so far has failed to live up to with the Vikings.

It all goes back to something O’Connell said in August 2024 while announcing that McCarthy would miss his rookie campaign with a torn meniscus. There was seemingly no doubt in his mind.

“He has confirmed everything that I hoped to see,” O’Connell said at the time. “Everybody should be excited about the fact that we’ve got our young franchise quarterback in the building.”

That declaration has followed O’Connell around like a ghost ever since, as McCarthy has underwhelmed. His struggles to adapt to the highest level have been well documented, as has his inability to stay on the field for prolonged stretches.

That said, O’Connell isn’t backing down from his original assessment of McCarthy, even as the Vikings seem destined to bring in somebody to compete with him.

“A lot of those feelings are still the same,” O’Connell said of still believing McCarthy can be a franchise quarterback. “It’s just that the timeline is in a different place for all of us than it was.”

That’s the upshot.

As much as O’Connell might still believe McCarthy can be a franchise quarterback if he reaches his full potential, the Vikings are no longer in a position where they can operate with patience.

They are built to win in the present. They can’t sacrifice that with an eye toward the future.

That explains why neither O’Connell nor acting general manager Rob Brzezinski were willing to commit to McCarthy as the unquestioned starter. Though they also aren’t ready to punt on McCarthy completely, O’Connell and Brzezinski are bringing in somebody to compete with him.

There are many different avenues the Vikings could choose. Options range from somebody who would become the unquestioned starter to somebody who would operate as insurance.

“I don’t know that we’re ruling anything out,” Brzezinski said. “We have a couple of weeks. We’re exploring every option that could be out there. It’s casting a wide net, I guess I would say.”

Maybe the biggest reason the Vikings find themselves in this situation is because McCarthy has started only 10 games since the Vikings selected him with the No. 10 pick in the 2024 draft. He has missed time with a torn meniscus, high ankle sprain, concussion and broken hand.

“There have been some circumstances that have naturally hurt his chances of having a smooth development phase,” O’Connell said. “He still has shown a lot of the traits that we feel we can continue to build on.”

Minnesota Vikings quarterback J.J. McCarthy (9) holds his helmet during a timeout in the third quarter of an NFL game against the Green Bay Packers at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis on Sunday, Jan 4, 2026. The Vikings beat the Green Bay Packers, 16-3. (John Autey / Pioneer Press)

In that same breath, O’Connell stressed the importance of availability, emphasizing how the Vikings had a 13-4 record in 2022 when Kirk Cousins started every game and a 14-3 record in 2024 when Sam Darnold started every game.

“When that guy is doing his job at a baseline level that allows the rest of our offense and team to play to a certain way, we’ve won quite a few games,” O’Connell said. “That’s where we’ve got to take all the experience that we’ve had up until this point and understand what’s the best way to put together that room.”

The market will ultimately dictate what exactly the Vikings can do. They can’t make a trade for somebody that isn’t on the trading block. They can’t sign a free agent that isn’t interested in signing.

“We can’t manufacture anything that’s not there,” Brzezinski said. “There are a lot of factors that go into it.”

As much as the Vikings are looking for competition, however, they also have some empathy for McCarthy and the hand he has been dealt.

“This is a really, really hard job with a lot of pressure,” Brzezinski said. “Everybody is yearning for that young franchise quarterback. And if I could be candid, I’m not sure that it’s fair all the time.”

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President Donald Trump’s State of the Union address Tuesday at 9 p.m. Eastern is likely to be a test run of the message Republicans will give to voters in November’s elections for control of the House and the Senate.

The president and his party appear vulnerable, with polls showing much of America distrusts how Trump has managed the government in his first year back in office. In addition, the Supreme Court last week struck down one of the chief levers of his economic and foreign policy by ruling he lacked the power to impose many of his sweeping tariffs.

Though Trump is expected to focus on domestic issues, his intensifying threats about launching military strikes on Iran over its nuclear program cast a shadow over the address.

Virginia Gov. Abigail Spanberger will give the Democratic Party response following Trump’s speech. California Sen. Alex Padilla, who made national headlines last year after being forced to the ground and handcuffed by federal agents, will deliver the party’s response in Spanish.

Watch the livestream here.