Get Right, Then Get Healthy: Twins Overcoming League-Worst Injury Losses

[Sherry Cerny]

The Minnesota Twins' miserable start is understandable. Only the Tampa Bay Rays have been more burdened by injury trouble this spring. Unlike the Rays, though, the Twins have turned things around--and they're about to start getting healthy.

Image courtesy of © Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

The Twins suffered major blows with injuries early in the season, especially in the forms of Max Kepler, Royce Lewis, and Carlos Correa. The club started the season against some of the better teams in the league, and playing shorthanded left them sitting ducks. The injuries sucked the life out of the team: the bats died, and they fell into a spiral not only in the Central, but in the American League. Briefly, the Twins were in the cellar, alongside the Astros(?!), White Sox, and Athletics, looking at a dismal, long season.

After the first series against the Kansas City Royals, the Twins plunged to a sub-.200 batting average and roughly a .300 winning percentage over the next three weeks. Nothing they could do at the plate made any difference. Their timing was off, their approach was worse, and if guys finally got on base, no one would get them home. Offensively, the guys were a mess.

After being swept by Baltimore, with only a few days left in the month, the Twins headed home to play host to the Tigers and White Sox. They weren't able to get right against the upstart Detroiters, and things began to look truly grim. Leading up to the White Sox series, the team's batting average was .179, and the pitching was unable to conjure wins with no run support. Byron Buxton, Edouard Julien, Carlos Santana and Willi Castro looked like they were on a high-school team. The newest acquisitions, Manuel Margot and Santana, were utterly lost at the plate and the only one producing was Austin Martin. The questions of what was wrong were everywhere, but there was no answer. There was something wrong with the bats, and the only way to get better, was to use the White Sox to get their groove back and at least win the series.

The Twins did that and then some. They dug deep and plowed right through four games against the White Sox with their first sweep of the season, one featuring both blowouts and big comebacks. The White Sox have never been great. For over a decade and a half, they have been the team you beat when you need to bring your averages up, but only talented and resilient teams actually convert on the opportunity that series presented. The Twins proved themselves to be such a team.

It was on to Anaheim next. The Angels aren't a much better team than the White Sox, but they are more dangerous, so if Minnesota wanted to win this series, the bats would have to keep working.

The Angels, recently taken over by Ron Washington, are essentially in a rebuild mode, but they still have dangerous hitters. Luckily, their pitching was not nearly as intact as their hitting, and the defense was lacking. The Twins took every advantage they could to expose all the gaps, and ran up the scores. Kyle Farmer, the lone player who had seemed not to shake things loose against the White Sox, got in on the action, getting two runs and two RBIs to help the club fly past the Angels for a three-game sweep. That makes seven wins in a row, back-to-back sweeps, and a record on the right side of .500.

The injuries remain a headline for the Twins. Only the Rays (who just got swept on a visit to the South Side this weekend, leaving the White Sox with a bit of newfound confidence as the Twins come to town) have been notably more depleted by the injured list than have the Twins so far.

Both Carlos Correa and Jhoan Durán are nearing returns, though, so by the end of this week, opponents will have to deal with a more representative version of the 2023 AL Central champs. In the meantime, they just need to keep Chicago down.

The White Sox are the least relevant team in the league, except in that they gave the Twins the capability to start their climb out of the hole they have been in since their home opener against the Guardians. The White Sox and the Angels were simply a means to an end, and now that the team is nearer full strength, they should be able to keep rolling. With a fully healthy roster, April will seem like just a bad dream; the Twins will have everything they need to be in a postseason hunt.

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[Karbo]

They played the Sox and Angels at the right time. Now they hopefully have the confidence back and carry some of these good vibes forward. 3 more with the sox and then back to decent teams.

[Patzky]

The summer sausage is nice but complacency can show up anytime. I view this as a trap series.. they should win 2 but the additions made by the Sox seem to have energized them. I'll be happy to get Correa and Duran back but virtually every player has played a role in this winning streak.. even Margot and Thielbar. Be careful who you send packing, sausage chemistry is a funny thing.

[Doctor Gast]

Thanks Sherry, this is IMO your best article. CWS was a young & promising team that won the division a couple of years ago. But after running into some adversity (which all teams do) they didn't have the veteran leadership to get them through & they disintegrated. We were blessed by plenty of veteran leadership last year with Correa, Buxton, Polanco & young leader in Lewis. Yet we can't underestimate CWS because they are a MLB team.

IMO the difference between us & TB is that TB has it right but they don't have the players. We have the players but didn't have it right to handle the injuries. The difference is when we finally got it right, we clicked against CWS & LAA. We got it right by changing our hitting approach. Our BP has been more than serviceable so adding Duran will only make us better. But the absence of both Lewis & Correa has shown us our big hole in our hitting philosophy & holes in our INF. Once they are permanently changed then we can really compete against better teams when Correa & Lewis comes back. So in a way, these injuries could be a blessing in disguise if changes are permanently incorporated.

[jmlease1]

Looking forward to getting Duran and Correa back to add some star power to the roster. Hoping that SWR can hold down the 5th starter role while Varland corrects things in AAA. If the offense has really gotten back into a groove, I think we're going to see the team a lot of us thought this would be.

Julien is looking good again, Kirilloff has been quality, and Jeffers has been carrying the load. Miranda has impressed in his return and Castro has gotten himself back on track. If Santana and Farmer are back to being their usual selves, that'll be a big deal against LHP going forward. And if last week's Buxton is going to roll like this for a while...

They've survived the injuries reasonably well. Be great if they can keep rolling against the ChiSox, who showed signs of life this weekend. 

[Dman]

Jeffers has been money with two strikes lately.  Kind of reminds me of Morneau who always seemed to find a way to come up in the clutch more often than not.  I hope he keeps it up.

Do we know when we get Lewis back because I think that would be a huge addition to a lineup that looks like it could have some good hitters 1-5 in Jeffers, Jullian, Kirilloff, Correa and Lewis when he returns.  If Miranda and Larnach are for real that only adds to the depth.  If the bats get rolling this is going to be a really tough team to beat.

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

As I stated last week,  I still think injuries was our biggest issue in the lopsided record last week,  along with some poor early season performances.  We seem to be rounding into form.  I think we have a solid 4 man starting rotation,  hopefully SWR or Varland can lock down that #5 position.  

The hitters,  some of our forgotten prospects or bottom of the MLB teams players are starting off well, including Kiriloff, Larnach and Miranda.  If we have those 3 and Julien doing well, we are set up really well this year and for the future if they can keep it up.  

Really looking forward to the bullpen getting Duran and Topa back.  Our best arm and another top 4 arm will really deepen the bullpen.  

[Sherry Cerny]

2 hours ago, Karbo said:

They played the Sox and Angels at the right time. Now they hopefully have the confidence back and carry some of these good vibes forward. 3 more with the sox and then back to decent teams.

Right!?!?! That's my hope! I am praying I didn't dog down on the Sox too much that they actually get a win against us lol

[Sherry Cerny]

1 hour ago, Hawkeye Bean Counter said:

As I stated last week,  I still think injuries was our biggest issue in the lopsided record last week,  along with some poor early season performances.  We seem to be rounding into form.  I think we have a solid 4 man starting rotation,  hopefully SWR or Varland can lock down that #5 position.  

The hitters,  some of our forgotten prospects or bottom of the MLB teams players are starting off well, including Kiriloff, Larnach and Miranda.  If we have those 3 and Julien doing well, we are set up really well this year and for the future if they can keep it up.  

Really looking forward to the bullpen getting Duran and Topa back.  Our best arm and another top 4 arm will really deepen the bullpen.  

I am WAY excited for SWR, I really want him to stay. He's been working hard and I really think he is ready, but against these teams is one  thing, his resilience will show in May. 

[Sherry Cerny]

2 hours ago, Patzky said:

The summer sausage is nice but complacency can show up anytime. I view this as a trap series.. they should win 2 but the additions made by the Sox seem to have energized them. I'll be happy to get Correa and Duran back but virtually every player has played a role in this winning streak.. even Margot and Thielbar. Be careful who you send packing, sausage chemistry is a funny thing.

While finding out about the sausage has been amazing, I really have enjoyed watching Margot and Santana. I really hope that they keep it moving when the sausage explodes lol. They need one made out of Resin or something!

[Sherry Cerny]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Thanks Sherry, this is IMO your best article. CWS was a young & promising team that won the division a couple of years ago. But after running into some adversity (which all teams do) they didn't have the veteran leadership to get them through & they disintegrated. We were blessed by plenty of veteran leadership last year with Correa, Buxton, Polanco & young leader in Lewis. Yet we can't underestimate CWS because they are a MLB team.

IMO the difference between us & TB is that TB has it right but they don't have the players. We have the players but didn't have it right to handle the injuries. The difference is when we finally got it right, we clicked against CWS & LAA. We got it right by changing our hitting approach. Our BP has been more than serviceable so adding Duran will only make us better. But the absence of both Lewis & Correa has shown us our big hole in our hitting philosophy & holes in our INF. Once they are permanently changed then we can really compete against better teams when Correa & Lewis comes back. So in a way, these injuries could be a blessing in disguise if changes are permanently incorporated.

Thank you!!!! That means a lot. I am taking more reps to improve! We should NEVER get complacent, ever. I worry about trap games, so I am praying the bats and sausage keep doing what they are supposed to!

[Sherry Cerny]

2 hours ago, Dman said:

Jeffers has been money with two strikes lately.  Kind of reminds me of Morneau who always seemed to find a way to come up in the clutch more often than not.  I hope he keeps it up.

Do we know when we get Lewis back because I think that would be a huge addition to a lineup that looks like it could have some good hitters 1-5 in Jeffers, Jullian, Kirilloff, Correa and Lewis when he returns.  If Miranda and Larnach are for real that only adds to the depth.  If the bats get rolling this is going to be a really tough team to beat.

There is still no word on Lewis, but I have to think it's getting close??? Because on March 28 it was at LEAST a month. So....I am impatiently waiting.  I am HOPING after this Chicago series because May looks atrocious. 

[bean5302]

9 minutes ago, Sherry Cerny said:

There is still no word on Lewis, but I have to think it's getting close??? Because on March 28 it was at LEAST a month. So....I am impatiently waiting.  I am HOPING after this Chicago series because May looks atrocious. 

Royce Lewis started up baseball activities about 10 days ago and was expected to begin his running progression last week. Probably more news by the end of this week, I'd suspect. I wouldn't expect a rehab assignment to start before next week, though. Maybe mid May at the earliest?

[mickster]

3 hours ago, Patzky said:

The summer sausage is nice but complacency can show up anytime. I view this as a trap series.. they should win 2 but the additions made by the Sox seem to have energized them. I'll be happy to get Correa and Duran back but virtually every player has played a role in this winning streak.. even Margot and Thielbar. Be careful who you send packing, sausage chemistry is a funny thing.

Who will be taken off the current roster when they come back.   I heard on talk radio that Miranda may go down for Correa.   I would prefer to release Margot as Martin has proven he can play the OF.    Not sure what bullpen arms leave as Toppa will be ready soon as well.     Thielbar, Bosman, Funderburk???

[Patzky]

5 minutes ago, mickster said:

Who will be taken off the current roster when they come back.   I heard on talk radio that Miranda may go down for Correa.   I would prefer to release Margot as Martin has proven he can play the OF.    Not sure what bullpen arms leave as Toppa will be ready soon as well.     Thielbar, Bosman, Funderburk???

MLB says Austin Martin was sent to St Paul and Carlos Correa is active on the Twins roster.

[JD-TWINS]

On 4/29/2024 at 10:37 AM, Dman said:

Jeffers has been money with two strikes lately.  Kind of reminds me of Morneau who always seemed to find a way to come up in the clutch more often than not.  I hope he keeps it up.

Do we know when we get Lewis back because I think that would be a huge addition to a lineup that looks like it could have some good hitters 1-5 in Jeffers, Jullian, Kirilloff, Correa and Lewis when he returns.  If Miranda and Larnach are for real that only adds to the depth.  If the bats get rolling this is going to be a really tough team to beat.

Jeffers went into last night (Monday) hitting .305 and they said his average with 2 strikes was some 40 points higher. Impressive!

Lewis is more than likely mid-June return.