Returning to Triple-A, Brooks Lee Carries New Found Appreciation for the Game His Dad Helped Him Fall in Love With

ST. PAUL– Brooks Lee hadn’t set foot on the dirt at CHS Field since Sept. 24, 2023. Tuesday night, he was in the lineup at shortstop and set to bat cleanup for his first game at Triple-A this year. 

But no Saint would even put on their jersey that night; Lee’s long-anticipated return would have to wait another day due to rain. The extra day off removed any jitters Lee had about wanting to get back out on the field, and he was filled with more excitement than nerves upon getting back out on the field Wednesday night.

“It’s definitely a good feeling coming back out here, knowing I put in the work and I did, and now I’m just ready to play,” said Lee before the start of Wednesday’s game. 

Lee was a welcome sight in the Saints clubhouse for his teammates and manager Toby Gardenhire, who hadn’t seen him since he went down in Spring Training. 

“I’m really happy for him that he is here,” said Gardenhire “We all like to see Brooks Lee play, you know what you’re going to get with him. He’s a good ball player, a good leader in the clubhouse, and just a good overall dude.”

Lee revealed the herniated disc wasn’t a new injury for him. It’s something he’s been battling for years dating back to college, and has battled through--until it became too painful to play with this spring. 

“I’ve had the disc since I was in college. This is my ninth year dealing with it, with back stuff. At any given moment, I can get hurt, so that’s why I have an appreciation for the game and why I am always grateful for when I do get to play it. It’s an ongoing thing, but I’m just trying to get more knowledgeable in how to deal with it.”

Lee determined that he needed to learn more about the mental side of sitting out with his injury. The hardest part of rehabilitating his back was learning his limitations on the field and taking a step back.

“I was just making sure I am getting all my reps done, but I’m smart about it," Lee said. "I’ve always done so much, so I think that’s what has hurt me by doing too much. So just trying to do as much as I can throughout the day and that’s what I’m learning, but I want to do as much as I can, but that’s not the reality I am in anymore."

The key to that is realizing how young he still is. Instead of playing full throttle every day, he’s now pacing for longevity in his professional career. 

“I’m young and I am going to have to learn that sooner rather than later, or else it will destroy my career,” Lee said. 

The upside of being sidelined for the first two months, for him, was still being able to talk to the coach he’s trusted more than any other: his dad, Larry Lee. Their father-son relationship is as powerful as it gets in baseball. 

Larry has seen Brooks overcome every challenge thrown at him since he was a Little Leaguer. His first major injury was one of those things, when he was sidelined for most of his freshman year at Cal Poly San Luis Obispo with a knee injury 

“Early on, it was very difficult for him,” said the elder Lee on Brooks's herniated disc injury. “But he’s always turned a negative into a positive.” 

While Brooks was out with his injury, Larry was coaching the Cal Poly Mustangs three out of seven nights a week. After fulfilling his coaching duties with the Mustangs, Larry still checked in with his son over the phone almost every night. 

“Once he started playing, I called him on a daily basis just to check in with him and I was able to watch the Single-A games. He would send me some videos of the Complex League games. But he’s had a real good attitude and he had even before his injury," said Larry. "He was just going to try and better himself each and every day in all aspects of the game, so whenever the front office thought he was ready, he’d be ready to go." 

Brooks claims the phone calls were more calming for his dad than for him, but still appreciates all the effort and care his dad takes with his career. Even if he’s no longer his full-time coach and just another dad watching his son achieve his dreams from the stands, Larry is having an impact.

“I think he’s the closest one that gets it. Just being in baseball, and he knows me so well and I don’t hide anything from him, either. I express all of my emotions and let him know how I’m feeling. It’s very enjoyable for me just to get on the phone with him whenever I need to. He likes to call me a lot because he likes to worry and he likes to know how I am doing,” Brooks said. 

As Brooks began rehab with the Florida Complex League Twins, Larry knew it would only be a matter of making the most of every at-bat for his son to return to how well he was playing in spring training.

“It was just a matter of seeing pitches. When the injury occurred, he was in a really good place both offensively and defensively," Larry said. "Now it’s just a matter of getting enough at-bats, and it’s just a gradual process for him to get back to where he’s seeing the ball well and that’s just going to come with time." 

Brooks knew exactly what he could do once he returned to the diamond, and he proved it to all skeptics once his rehab assignment began. In 10 games between the FCL Twins and Mighty Mussels, Lee combined for a triple slash of .395/.452/.474, albeit without any home runs. 

“I just proved that I still got it. I still busted my ass and I always will, and that’s the plan. How much can I do and how much can I bust my ass each day and be smart about it so I can be prepared to play a long game,” said Brooks.

The proof was in the pudding for his rehab, but what would come of his first game back with the Saints? Lee went 1-for-3 with the game-winning RBI single, recorded two double plays with Edouard Julien (as if they had done it a thousand times before), and had a highlight-reel play at short to prevent a Pablo Reyes base hit, as the Saints would go on to win 5-1 against Syracuse. 

“It was actually my first time playing in a game with Brooks outside of Spring Training,” Julien said after the game. “He’s a great player, he’s really talented and we just got to hope he stays healthy. But it’s good to be here and get some reps with him.” 

With the rehab stint over, Lee is back to simply playing baseball every day, and he knows what he needs to do for himself each day, on and off the field. After every game, he also has a large support group of teammates, friends, and family he can lean on for support, but as he said, his dad will always be the one who gets what he’s going through best. 

“He’s been a tremendous help, and my whole family has been, and my girlfriend and the Twins organization, too. And it’s not easy, because I’m trying to be a big-leaguer and get there as fast as I can, and I’m not going to let my own mind get in the way."

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