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Matt Wallner swears he didn’t see where the baseball went after it rocketed off his bat. (One of his teammates, a few lockers down, emphatically noted he didn’t believe that statement when it came out of Wallner’s mouth.)

Had Wallner been looking up, he would have seen a sight that few -- if any -- left-handed hitters have ever seen at Target Field: The ball coming to earth in the upper deck in left-center field.

“I swear [I didn’t see it],” Wallner said. “I actually asked Eddie [Julien] because I wasn't sure. But, yeah, just felt good. Got it backside.”

That 426-foot solo blast in the sixth inning Wednesday marked the longest opposite-field shot ever measured by Statcast by a left-handed Twins hitter, an impressive exclamation mark on the first career multi-homer game for the organization’s No. 5 prospect.

With every look Wallner has gotten in the big leagues this year, he has made his case to stay, reaching base in eight consecutive plate appearances to end a five-game stint in May, and now, hitting three homers in two games at the end of this 10-game stint, capped by that particularly impressive blast that showcased his rare caliber of power to all fields.

“I just think being able to drive the ball the other way is a huge part of my game, and that just opens up the whole field to me,” Wallner said. “So I think that's really important. When I can do that, I know I can put on my best swing against anyone. So it's always a good feeling.”

Here’s what makes it tough: Seemingly every time Wallner has one or two of these performances, that’s exactly when the next roster crunch approaches. Wallner has been on the team because of Jose Miranda’s injury -- but with Byron Buxton reinstated from the paternity list and Jorge Polanco set to return to the roster during the upcoming series in Kansas City, the crunch is imminent.

“I mean, it just kind of is what it is,” Wallner said. “I feel like I've kind of done my part, but it's ultimately not my decision. But I'm just trying to do what I can do, and I feel like I've done a good job of that, honestly.”

With the current state of the roster, Wallner may be the odd man out, even with Trevor Larnach optioned after Wednesday's game -- and keeping Wallner around would involve the Twins having to alleviate their corner outfield depth via trade or otherwise. Joey Gallo’s struggles have continued, but Max Kepler and Alex Kirilloff have been among the team’s hottest hitters of late.

And soon, the Twins hope to add another bat, and after that, Royce Lewis will also return. Part of the reason the Twins feel they don’t need to make a big splash at Tuesday's Trade Deadline is because of those returners -- and knowing they might have to push both Wallner and Larnach off the roster even beyond that likely contributes to that, too.

But every chance Wallner has gotten, he has tried to do what Edouard Julien has done: Force the Twins’ hand even sooner.

“I just try to make the decisions as hard as possible,” Wallner said. “We'll see.”