stringer bell

Yes to both. Kreidler was already optioned this year and Gray has one option remaining.

I really like that Matthews gets better as the game goes along. Pitching the sixth and seventh a lot doesn’t get reflected in overall stats, but saving the BP really helps the team. (Now that I’ve written this, watch Zebby have a short start).

Well, Zebby kept his first inning ERA at 9.00.

I posted about ten days ago that I thought a death spiral was near. I'm seeing the same thing now. The starting pitching is struggling and no other component of the Twins team is major league average. The sorting-out process for the bullpen is happening. Right now, I wonder how much longer the Twins will keep Taylor Rogers. He fools 'em once in a while, but he doesn't have major league stuff anymore. It seems to me that Banda will outlast him and stay a Twin at least until the trade deadline. There also is at least one too many utility players that can play shortstop. It would appear to me that from the standpoint of the major league team, the time is right to promote Kaelen Culpepper. Tristan Gray isn't really a shortstop, Ryan Kreidler has never hit as a major leaguer and Orlando Arcia is a thirty something guy who not longer profiles as a shortstop. One should go to make room for Culpepper. I fully expect the offense to struggle again today and whoever ends up on the bump to start for the Twins will have to have a good start or bulk appearance.

Can both these things be true? I think so. Keaschall's offense was pretty poor in April and he has improved in May. He finished 2025 with some regression to the mean, so if you cherry pick, you can see a subpar hitter. When last I checked, Keaschall checked in at -2 Defensive Runs Saved, not good, but better than three or four regular second basemen. The fact is, like so many other Twins players, to be a good player, he has to be a considerably above-average offensive player and for the first 60-some games he has not been that. I would add that Keaschall provides value on the base paths, despite being caught stealing his last three attempts. Positive value on the base paths is also a skill lacking in a great majority of Twins' position players. There is a video post out today calling for Keaschall to be optioned to St. Paul. I don't agree with that, but it certainly is not out of the realm of possibility. Keaschall hasn't hit for power and the underlying metrics don't predict a big surge.

Didn’t say it was bad news for Kepler.

Long-time teammates Kepler and Polanco both had news yesterday. Jorge is an "old 32" to me and Max never took the next step.

I like Culpepper’s upside as an offensive player, but I really am at a loss to see that he is being projected as a plus defender at shortstop. He’s been okay from what I’ve seen and read, but nothing more than that.

Each of Gray, Arcia and Kreidler has made at least a minimal case to stay in the majors. Gray and Kreidler can be optioned, Arcia cannot. It would seem a move to Culpepper would signal that they are not contenders, which I think is evident, but the standings don't say that at this point.

For now, Lee is a fixture at third base. Lewis will apparently get his reps at either second or first. Still waiting for a Culpepper promotion, but now there’s a roster spot available.

IMHO, it is mostly between the ears with Royce. The trip to AAA at least temporarily restored his confidence. The next slump will test that confidence. Hopefully he can persevere. I think he has the talent to be very good, but if temporary failure derails him, he won’t be anywhere near his upside.

Leaving a 40-man spot open is what will happen until the Twins need to add someone from off the 40-man. There is room to add Culpepper or Fedko or a non-roster pitcher

I finally looked it up—1st inning ERA 9.00, 2nd inning 7.20. First three innings 6.60 ERA, innings 4-6 2.02 ERA. Neglected to post this. Lots of ways to look at it, but Zebby gets stronger as thr game goes along. As long as this remains it is hard to suggest any role other than starting pitcher. It is so unusual and desirable these days to see guys work through the sixth and seventh innings.

What is Matthews’ first inning ERA? It seems he always gets hit in the first inning and settles after that. Guys returning from injury (Abel, Rojas, Sands) could bolster the pitching staff and guys returning from banishment (Lewis, Wallner) and guys not on the 40-man (Fedko, Culpepper) could help the position player side.

I watch the Defensive Runs Saved pretty closely and around two weeks ago, the Twins were around 20th with single digits of negative runs saved (I think they were -7). The last several games have been pretty bad with obvious mistakes have been made. I don’t think it’s Shelton or Rocco. The Twins have assembled a team that is weak in the most key defensive positions (especially when Buxton is DHing) and the ball is going to find the weak defenders. I’ve always felt that tesms can get away with weaker defenders at position low on the defensive spectrum, but catcher, shottsto and center field have to be very good.

Happy Birthday Royce Lewis! The polarizing Mr. Lewis is 27 years old today. I’ll expand on my earlier take and say that Lewis is currently the best third baseman defensively of the players being considered in this thread. If he can hit at an above average rate, he should get regular playing time for the Twins. He hasn’t done that at the major league level since Edouard Julien and James Outman were rookie sensations. I honestly don’t know why a “building” team would move him off third base for a lesser defender with less offensive upside. That said, it is good that he has accepted playing different positions for the Saints and it is also good that he has only missed ten games due to injury so far this year. In my ideal projection for the current Twins, Brooks Lee is an infield Willi Castro, playing third, short, second and maybe first base and getting full-time at-bats without a full-time position, all of which could change due to injury or lack of productivity by a “starter”. I believe Lee’s best defensive position will be third base and if the way to get both Lee and Lewis in the lineup is for Lewis to play first base, well okay Keaschall needs to get better defensively, especially since he hasn’t t found the seats and the BA is below .250. Culpepper is unproven, but he’s the immediate future at shortstop unless the Twins acquire a shortstop at the trade deadline or they are very aggressive with Marek Houston.

San Francisco didn’t move Arraez to second. Arraez wanted to play second base wherever he signed and he received assurance from the Giants that he would play second base. It has worked out well. Arraez has profiled as a top defender at second base and is hitting well over .300. He would be my pick today to win yet another batting championship with yet another team.

I was thinking that the first team that scored more than one run in an inning will win. Still think so unfortunately.

We are at the first week of June and stability is gone from the Twins' infield. Supposed regular 3B Royce Lewis was optioned to St. Paul after about 30 games, supposed regular SS Brooks Lee has moved to third base, SS is currently being manned by utility players with the presumed successor (Kaelen Culpepper) waiting in the wings in St. Paul, three guys have started multiple games at first base with none of them being under 30 or having upside suitable to satisfy the TD faithful. A poll has been posted accompanying this note and five choices were included. Ten more could have been added, especially if someone like Clemens would be added as the regular first baseman. A couple of notes to add: Tristan Gray has hit quite well, especially in RBI situations, but he shouldn't be playing shortstop on a fairly regular basis. He might be acceptable at first, second or third, but he's overmatched at short. The Twins don't have faith that Ryan Kreidler can hit well enough to hold down a regular position (neither do I), but it's a shame because he's probably the only plus fielder the Twins have for shortstop above A ball. Orlando Arcia has gotten his hits, but has only played a few innings at short. I don't think he'll sustain the hitting and if he isn't really an option at shortstop, it's probably not worth keeping both him and Gray around. Kody Clemens is far and away the Twins best defensive first baseman and might also be their best defensive second baseman. He's hit acceptably and as long as he does, he should be on the roster. The poll include four young-ish player (27 and under) to fill four infield spots. Culpepper is the darling right now and I expect at some time he'll be given a chance to see if he's ready to be a regular major league shortstop. Here is a thumbnail of each (in alphabetical order): Kaelen Culpepper: He hasn't even made the 40-man roster, but he is the odds-on choice to be the Twins' shortstop by the end of the season. He has upside, perhaps 20 homer power and 20 stolen base speed. There have been questions whether he could be a major league shortstop, but he hasn't played his way off the key defensive position. Culpepper has enough arm and suffiecient range to be at least average at short and that is better than anyone else except Ryan Kreidler, who doesn't profile as a major league hitter. Luke Keaschall: Keaschall was last year's big addition. His 2025 season was limited by injury, but he showed a good bat and impressive speed. Keaschall has been the regular second baseman and had a poor April. He's been better since, but is lacking power so far. His defense has been below average at second and he probably hasn't totally recovered from arm surgery and has a relatively weak throwing arm. He could be a candidate for the outfield or first base.He played both first base and center field in the minors. Even with the lack of power, Keaschall can help the club by getting on base and running the bases well. He is probably the safest choice to be a major league regular for the Twins in the next 2-3 years. Brooks Lee: After a rocky start with the bat, Lee has been a slightly above average hitter. It seems his time as a shortstop is over because he doesn't have the tools (arm and range) to be an acceptable major league shortstop. He has certainly improved as a hitter this year and he's produced a lot of runs. Lee has experience at second and third base. It would seem to me that his lack of foot speed would make him a liability at second and the Twins have played him exclusively at third since he was moved off shortstop. Lee has never played first base. I don't believe Lee has done enough to be written in as a regular at any position, but he's been the team's most consistent hitting infielder. Royce Lewis: Wild ride this year. Lewis had a disappointing season in 2025, but finished the season healthy. Many, including myself, thought that if he could stay healthy, he would be solid if not much more than that, this year. Lewis started rather slowly, but was getting walks and extra-base hits, and then suffered a minor injury (10 days on the IL), but fell apart upon returning to the lineup. After a dreadful 9-68 slump, with only one extra-base hit (and 25 strikeouts) he was optioned to St. Paul. He's hit like Babe Ruth in Triple A, with a slash line in the stratosphere. What happens on his return and where does he play? To me, he's a total wild card. What is reinforced with Lewis' slugging at St. Paul is that he has tools to be more than a borderline major leaguer. He has more power and speed than Brooks Lee and has been a better defender at third base. However, Lee is now the incumbent. Maybe Lewis can move to second or first base. Wherever he plays, he needs to hit closer to his results in 2022-3 than what he's produced since. Lewis has complicated things by making some awkward statements that have many questioning his character, toughness and committment. I see a pretty substantial talent and want to give him a final chance.

Much discussion about which infielders should be playing and where they should be playing

Royce is certainly doing what he can to come back to the Twins. The domination is epic.

Back to Lewis and Lee--There is no statistic that shows that Brooks Lee is a better defensive third baseman than Royce Lewis. Lee is currently playing third base because he is hitting slightly above league average and he has shown that he isn't an everyday major league shortstop due to his tools (or lack thereof). In the last year, Brooks and Royce have similar OPS numbers, but Lewis has had about 100 fewer plate appearances and less productivity. He's been better than Lewis by a significant margin. Lee doesn't have the tools that Lewis has demonstrated, but he's a switch hitter with better bat-to-ball skills who has been available to play almost every day. Lewis missed ten days this season and wasn't healthy much of last year. His performance this spring was lousy with no obvious way out. He's showing signs in St. Paul of having found his groove, but AAA isn't MLB. Meanwhile, Lewis is taking heat for his off-field remarks and supposed attitude issues. Has he burned his bridges with the Twins organization? I don't know one way or another. I do think his tools and early performance are enough to at least give him one more chance with the team that selected him #1-1. The odds are probably against him, but the upside is IMHO worth the extra chances.

Regression to the mean is a statistical fact of life. It is bad news for Martin and Larnach, but good news for Bell and Caratini. I really hoped that Martin had taken a big enough step forward to be considered s regular, but his performance has been down substantially.

Reading the Game Thread shortly after the game is over. First of all, nice win. Prielipp got through a tough inning and went six plus. Good for him! Gray had another go-ahead RBI hit and the lineup did a good job against a guy who had been outstanding for the first two months of the year. I only saw about five minutes of the game and witnessed an infield hit by Acuna that more often than not is an out. The White Sox had four infield hits out of their total of eight knocks. Should any of the other three have been turned into an out? Jackson was charged with two errors including his second catcher's interference call, so the Pale Hose got some help from the Twins. Still, the team allowed only four runs and scored enough to win. A lot of discussion about Royce Lewis, who homered twice more tonight in St. Paul. While Lewis deserved to be sent down with poor play, he also is doing what he can to come back and be a productive player, at least on the field. He was a mess when demoted, but the swings he is making in Triple A look short, strong and powerful. I wonder if he just needed to breath and let his natural talent and swing take over. According to the Fielding Bible, Lewis has a -1 defensive runs saved, the same number that Gray and Lee have in fewer games and innings. Is he a horrible defensive player? I think not and all of this discussion about him changing positions is overblown. If he can be a good hitter (115-125 OPS+) slightly below average defense at third base isn't a team-killer and I believe there is no reason why he can't improve to average or better. Brooks Lee is playing third base because he doesn't have enough tools in his toolbox to be an everyday shortstop and he is currently an average major league hitter, while Royce Lewis has not been. If Lewis can outhit Lee, there is no reason why Lee should be playing in front of him. I think there has been enirely too much speculation about Lewis' personality, entitlement, selfishness and character. We don't know him personally and interpreting what he has said to the media probably doesn't fully portray what type of person he is. I will add that Lewis has made a career's worth of awkward statements, so some of the distaste for him is probably justified.

I like that defensive configuration so much better. A good first baseman is playing first base, a good center fielder is playing center field and a poor defender is the DH. I’m not convinced Gray is any better at short than Lee, but it is apparent he’s a placeholder.