Erik Manoah Jr., Kyle Schmidt Join Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa – In conjunction with the Minnesota Twins, the Cedar Rapids Kernels announce the additions of pitcher Erik Manoah Jr. from the Low-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and catcher Kyle Schmidt from the Triple-A St. Paul Saints. Also, catcher Allante Hall has been transferred to the Rookie-Level Florida Complex League Twins. Brian Maloney, Minnesota Twins Senior Manager, Minor League Operations, disseminated these moves.

Manoah posted two saves and a 1.00 earned run average in six relief appearances against Low-A Southeast competition. He was signed June 9 by Minnesota following four shutout innings as a member of the Atlantic League’s West Virginia Power. His previous professional pitching came in the American Association with the Texas AirHogs and the Kansas City T-Bones and in affiliated baseball while in the minor-league systems of the Los Angeles Angels and the New York Mets.

Schmidt did not play in his recent stint with St. Paul but batted .302 with one home run and an .853 OPS over 25 outings for Fort Myers. His debut season in 2019 included playing experience with Class A Cedar Rapids, the Rookie-Level Elizabethton Twins, and the Rookie-Level Gulf Coast League Twins. A native of Smithville, Texas, Schmidt was drafted in the 33rd round of the 2019 First-Year Player Draft out of the University of Richmond.

Hall made his professional debut last month for the Kernels. The Blue Springs, Missouri native was a pinch-runner June 26 versus the Lansing Lugnuts and a defensive replacement at catcher June 30 at the Quad Cities River Bandits. He also recorded his first plate appearance against the River Bandits and tallied an RBI groundout. Hall was signed July 21, 2020 by the Twins after his sophomore season at Pensacola State College.

Following these roster moves, the current Cedar Rapids roster includes 26 active players along with seven people on the injured list and one individual on the restricted list.

Modern Woodmen Park will host the Kernels and the River Bandits for game three of a six-game series Thursday at 6:30 p.m. with Cedar Rapids right-hander Cody Laweryson (0-0, 3.00) and Quad Cities southpaw Anthony Veneziano (2-2, 5.18) slated to pitch against each other. Broadcast coverage with Chris Kleinhans-Schulz will be available on www.kernels.com.

Cedar Rapids will host its next homestand Tuesday, July 6 through Sunday, July 11. Fans can purchase tickets for all Cedar Rapids Kernels home games by visiting www.kernels.com, going to the Kernels Ticket Office, or calling (319) 896-7560. The Kernels Ticket Office is open from 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday and from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. on Saturdays. On Sundays when the Kernels have a home game, the Kernels Ticket Office will open at 11:00 a.m.