Twins Video
After injuring his oblique during the middle of the summer, Royce Lewis is back for the Twins on Tuesday night. He played four rehab games with the St. Paul Saints, and his time there was spent at third base. He went 5-for-12 with a pair of home runs and certainly looks ready to go. Rocco Baldelli could use the influx of offense for his lineup the rest of the way.
With Lewis ticketed to take back over at the hot corner, that puts veteran Jorge Polanco in an interesting position, and Minnesota must consider where everyone will play both this year and next.
On the season, Polanco has a 102 OPS+, but he has hit just .228/.343/.386 since returning from the injured list at the end of July. Assuming Lewis takes his spot at third base, it will be the second time this season that Polanco has been outdone by a younger talent, and Edouard Julien has settled in nicely at second base. Polanco doesn’t seem likely to be benched, so the designated hitter spot could become his regular home going forward. If there is fear Julien's defense holds him back, rather than is necessary development, the positioning between the two could be swapped.
The Twins have hamstrung themselves in terms of lineup flexibility when Byron Buxton plays this season. Currently on the injured list and looking for a health reset, he doesn’t seem ticketed for centerfield any time soon. That means he will continue to clog the designated hitter spot, and he’s doing so at a detriment to the Twins with just a 99 OPS+.
Shuffling will need to take place.
First base can presumably be Joey Gallo and Donovan Solano’s role until Alex Kirilloff returns from injury. It remains to be seen whether he can get healthy, but the shoulder issue is not the same as his wrist plaguing him in recent seasons. Kirilloff has seemed to be an everyday player this season, and that would be the hope for 2024 as well. He has the ability to play corner outfield, but keeping him at first is straightforward.
Right now, there is no reason to take Max Kepler out of the lineup, and Matt Wallner fits in at the other corner spot. Should Kepler’s option be declined next season, Trevor Larnach could figure to factor back into plans, but he has struggled to do anything with opportunities presented to him thus far. The Twins glut of corner outfielders becomes substantially more manageable in 2024, and seems to have sorted itself out for 2023.
At centerfield, a player like Austin Martin could find a chance to establish himself. Martin probably profiles more as a utility type, but could rotate with Michael A. Taylor. He’s a better defender in the grass than on the dirt, and his speed plays in center. He’s a high on base percentage guy, and it could give Minnesota a different look down the stretch.
Logically, it makes sense that Lewis could also start in centerfield for 2024, but that won’t be part of the equation this year. Even with the injury being a fluke in 2022, the Twins are set on their youngster not playing off the dirt this season. Giving him a full offseason to transition into the outfield helps to take some of the mouths needing to be fed on the infield out of the equation.
Carlos Correa will remain the starting shortstop this year and into the future, which then pushes Brooks Lee to third base. Julien is settling in at second, and unless he’s given more reps at first base, that seems like the role where he will stay. Lee has already advanced to Triple-A St. Paul, and although he won’t be with the Twins in 2023 or to start 2024, a quick debut could be coming.
At this point it’s hard to suggest what the future looks like for Jose Miranda, who failed to take the path he was provided and run with it. Losing the starting third baseman job, and then essentially losing a season due to injury, his future with Minnesota is a bit murky.
Beyond the big names, there are a few guys that could push for playing time, but these are the talents that should be expected to anchor Minnesota in years to come. A left-to-right infield of Lewis, Correa, Julien, and Kirilloff can add Lee at third a season from now. Wallner then flanks Lewis in the outfield, with one spot up for grabs. The Twins have more to shuffle on the infield than they do the outfield, but having this much young talent pushing for time is hardly a bad place to be.
As Minnesota turns the books to 2024, the amount of pre-arbitration contracts should provide ample opportunity for a big addition or two. Pairing that with established youth is something that should be exciting to fans for years to come.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now