Brooks Lee Has a Chance to Play September Savior for the Twins

The Minnesota Twins have been awash in bad news lately. Neither Byron Buxton nor Carlos Correa's injuries have healed as hoped. Alex Kirilloff started ramping up on a rehab assignment and was quickly shut down. Joe Ryan is officially out for the season and Chris Paddack effectively is also. The bullpen has turned into a "this is fine" meme. 

Through it all, there is one positive developing story, and it could do much to offset some of the negative impacts referenced above. Brooks Lee is on the comeback trail from his shoulder injury, and his return looks imminent.

Out since August 8th with a shoulder injury, Lee embarked on a rehab at Triple-A St. Paul this past weekend. After slumping through his final weeks with the Twins, with the injury likely playing a role, Lee's bat has looked rejuvenated for the Saints. He homered in the first at-bat of his rehab and doubled twice in the second. Overall he has a .913 OPS in four games. 

It's not totally clear when Lee will be activated to rejoin the big-league club, but he's not far off. At the soonest, Lee could be called back on Friday for the start of a series against Toronto to close out their current home stand. The latest I could see it happening is on Sunday when rosters expand, if there happens to be any timidity about a roster move to make room.

I don't want to set expectations too high for Lee. He's 23 years old. He's played 26 MLB games. And as mentioned, he really struggled for much of that time, slashing .187/.262/.240 in his final 20 games before going on the IL. But again: he was hurt. And before the skid, Lee had notched 11 hits in his first six games, with a double, a homer and eight RBIs. 

It was no mirage. Lee is a great talent who is renowned by evaluators everywhere, ranking as the 16th-best prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline. He has thoroughly outclassed Triple-A pitching with a 1.016 OPS in 24 games at the level. And what's most exciting is that Lee's functional profile presents a crucial fix for some of Minnesota's gravest current needs:

• Willi Castro has been mostly limited to playing shortstop in Correa's absence, preventing Rocco Baldelli from being able to take advantage of the versatility and positional flexibility that made Castro so valuable in the first half. If the Twins trust Lee to play short, at least part-time, it will free up the utilityman to move back into his best role.
• As a result of Castro being stuck at short, he can't play second or center, which means Edouard Julien and Austin Martin are being forced into essentially everyday duty. They look stretched both offensively and defensively. Scaling back their usage will be a positive for the team. 
• Perhaps most critically, the Twins need a spark near the top of their order. Correa and Buxton have left a void, as has Royce Lewis's ongoing slump. Lee had worked his way into that mix, appearing first, third and fourth in the lineup before his production dropped off. His switch-hitting bat can factor against any pitcher.

Right now it's reasonable to feel a sense of looming pessimism around the Twins and their outlook, for a variety of reasons. There's not an abundance of hope on the horizon, with several key players mired in uncertain or unpromising health situations. Lee is an exception, looking strong and healthy as he prepares to rejoin the team for an intense stretch run. The Twins are desperately in need of something approximating his best form.

Like I said, no pressure Brooks.