Ted Schwerzler

I figured that would be the case. Depending on how St. Paul is, he's just not going to come here without warmth.

I don't think there will ever be a point where Julien is a regular at any position in the field. Polanco is already likely to miss Opening Day, and is probably in his last year for the Twins. Miranda could move around based on Kirilloff, and we have seen Royce play the outfield. His talent will find a home somewhere.

The Minnesota Twins watched Royce Lewis fill in for Carlos Correa last season and quickly seem to settle into Major League life. As soon as it started, it was then over, but he appears ready to roll in 2023. Image courtesy of William Parmeter For Rocco Baldelli’s Twins, Carlos Correa is back and here to stay at shortstop. He may miss time over the next handful of years, but the hope is that he remains an anchor in the lineup. That doesn’t change Royce Lewis having a focus on cracking the roster and factoring in wherever his manager can use him. Having undergone a second ACL surgery, Lewis is now on the way back and if you ask him he’s ready to go. Just recently he started stepping in for live at bats, and watching him work for the past week showcased an impressive talent ready to show out. His physical stature looks good, and the speed tool continues to remain in place. Though he’ll start the season on the 60-day injured list, Lewis will be an option for Minnesota early this summer. I caught up with Royce and sat down to ask a few questions about this team, his rehab, and where the coming season may take him. Twins Daily: With this being the second time going through rehab on a torn ACL, what’s different now? Royce Lewis: The main difference is that I started in Fort Myers and then when the hurricane happened I went to Dallas to finish there. With the city being in such a bad condition, I didn’t have the same resources so it made sense to stay in Dallas. I talked with the Twins once or twice a week. As soon as Nick Paparesta signed, he talked to me once a week himself. Minnesota wrote up the schedule and would send it to my physical therapist. He acted as the middleman and just told me what to do. TD: You recently started hitting, or taking batting practice. How does that feel? How is the lateral movement going? RL: As of three days ago (March 16) we’ve been doing lateral stuff. I think I could be pushed a bit more and challenging myself more. I think I could be playing today, I truly feel great. I don’t fault the team, I’m not mad at all. The doctors got together and it makes the most sense with the second ACL injury on the same knee to play it safe. It’s about the next 15 years, I’m young. TD: With Carlos Correa coming back, has there been a mindset change about position or where you may end up at all? RL: I haven’t been told anything about positions and I’m still training like I’m a shortstop. To be honest, me playing shortstop last year and then moving positions randomly for ten days or whatever was something I could do with ease. If you can play shortstop you can play anywhere up the middle. Short, second, center, those guys can kind of play anywhere. I feel stable, and ready to go. As you saw I’m taking live at bats, but they aren’t letting me hit, I can’t swing. I’m just tracking right now, but I do feel like I’m seeing the ball great. I’ve had a couple of check swings because I’m antsy. Tuesday (March 21) is right around the corner, so I’ll hit Tuesday or Wednesday depending on who’s throwing. TD: With regards to the new rules, both pitch clock and bases, is there an opportunity to be more aggressive? RL: I usually just steal when the situation is right. I think I can get it. The bases will definitely help, it feels a lot closer. We exposed the three pickoff thing a lot in the minor leagues. As a runner, they’re promoting people to run more. Our team (Minnesota) was a bit lower on that last year, but I think this year we’ll push the envelope a bit more with the help of those new rules. I can’t wait, hopefully I get some more green lights. TD: What’s the plan from here? Do you have a destination already after camp? RL: The only thing I know is that I’ll be down here (Fort Myers) through April. Because of the whole 60-day thing, you only have 20 games you can play before. May 29th is the last day, so you’re thinking around May 9th or 10th to go somewhere to play. I think it will depend on the weather. If it’s cold, we’re not going to send you to St. Paul. Even healthy people get stiff in the cold, so maybe Wichita. TD: What makes 2023 a success for you? What are you shooting to accomplish? RL: Really to come back and make the roster. Our team is so good. We have great players and depth on both sides of the ball. To be able to crack that roster you have to be playing good. I think that’s a good goal of mine. I want to be able to help this team make a playoff push. In my heart of hearts I believe this is a playoff team. We need to stay healthy. This is a World Series contending team. TD: Why is this team different from last year? What about 2023 Opening Day looks different? RL: Having everyone have a bit more experience and be a bit more comfortable with each other. Guys like Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, myself, there’s been debuts and people feel a bit more ready. The depth is truly a thing. Good teams like the Astros and Dodgers have depth. You see a guy like Jose Altuve out for 8-10 weeks and it’s like guess what we have so-and-so to fill in and he’s also a baller. Look at Nick Gordon, he’s the best utility player in baseball. Twins fans are going to see how good this team really is. We have health right now. TD: Ending on a light night, new jerseys, which one is your favorite? RL: I like the gray pinstripes, but I think the cream Twins Cities top is the best. I love that we switched it up. I wish we had one or two more in our back pocket. I loved the red and the baby blue. There is no denying the short cameo last season was among the highlights of the year for Twins fans. Seeing Lewis play alongside Correa on the dirt this season would be great, and he remains one of the most exciting prospects Minnesota has had in quite some time. View full article

The Minnesota Twins are less than two weeks from Opening Day and trending toward a Kansas City road trip without their starting second baseman. So what will they do at the position? Image courtesy of Thomas Shea-USA TODAY Sports Despite an insistence from the Twins brass that Byron Buxton, Alex Kirilloff, and Jorge Polanco were tracking well, it appears there has been a change in plans. Although it was Kirilloff initially noted to be behind schedule, he has now played multiple games on the back fields getting live at-bats and action in the field. Buxton has hit consistently, and he looks to be all systems go. The guy left out is Polanco. On Thursday, as Carlos Correa, Buxton, and Kirilloff were in action against Atlanta Braves minor leaguers, Polanco and teammate Max Kepler were in street clothes behind home plate. Kepler was watching his friends during a scheduled off day. Polanco had a compression sleeve on his left knee and a noticeable limp as he walked back to Hammond Stadium. This week the Star Tribune’s Phil Miller reported that Derek Falvey has acknowledged time is running out for Polanco. He hasn’t played in any game-situation scenarios, and being ready for Opening Day continues to trend toward a pipe dream by the day. This is not a good development for a guy who missed two months last season and is dealing with a knee injury that can be of the nagging sort. Where do the Twins go from here? Immediately the answer is Kyle Farmer. Nick Nelson touched on the status of second base earlier this month, and while Donovan Solano will be in the mix, he’s further down the pecking order, one would think. Farmer started for the Cincinnati Reds regularly at shortstop, and his sneaky pop was something Minnesota coveted. Farmer has been a regular before, and the drop off from what Polanco has been would be inconsequential. From there, Nick Gordon and Solano are candidates to rotate in from the projected 26-man roster. Gordon has done a great job operating as a utility man, and when healthy, he has played primarily second base this spring. Solano is a battle-tested veteran, and although his spring numbers aren’t good, he has a long track record of hitting for average. Polanco starting the year on the injured list would be a detriment to himself. He has a plate appearance threshold to reach this year if he wants his contract option to vest for 2024, and that almost certainly won’t happen with missed time. With a plethora of depth behind him, Minnesota could seamlessly move on from Polanco at virtually any point this season. The big league club wants to see Brooks Lee play and develop more at Double-A and Triple-A. Royce Lewis looked the part last summer but won’t be available until late May at the earliest. Austin Martin could be in the equation, but how his UCL injury is handled remains to be seen. Edouard Julien could struggle in the field, but he showed his bat is ready during March. From that group, the Twins can find an answer. With Farmer, Solano, and Gordon providing immediate major-league options, the high-quality prospect depth behind them is more than exciting to dream on. Lee and Lewis are the cream of that crop, but Julien could be a guy to rotate in solely because of his bat. Tendonitis is a painful condition, and for an athlete, it's difficult because it’s a degenerative issue. Polanco isn’t getting younger, and the situation is about management more than a true fix. If he’s going to miss time, the Twins haven’t been straightforward about it, but they do have options to pick up the slack. View full article

It hasn't been about looking to turn him into a home run hitter. Nelson is a leader. That's the point.

Don't love the back-to-back scheduling but they'll be favored against Cuba for sure.

Better there than sliding into a base during a game with a bunch of NRI’s

I’d be shocked if that happens. Don’t think that becomes a part of his game.

I’m not sure that the environment is able to be replicated on a nightly basis during the regular season, but it was insane. I think Arraez could tap into more power, but both blasts last night were him just coming around strong on contact. Such a pure hitter

Already in Ft. Myers, Ted headed across Alligator Alley to Miami to watch the USA play Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic. Despite the controversy surrounding its existence, there was no more significant evidence of its importance than Saturday night. Image courtesy of Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports After advancing out of pool play, the United States was set to square off against Venezuela, with the latter representing the home team with an undefeated record in this WBC. Shuttles were offered from downtown garages, with nearly 40,000 people heading into a congested area outside South Beach. Street vendors lined the sidewalks, and an ambiance far different than your typical baseball game was apparent. Make no mistake; this was not some meaningless game in March. Having been to LoanDepot Park once before, coincidentally for the second game it had ever hosted, my expectations weren’t high. I wasn’t impressed with the ballpark but also took it in, lacking almost any semblance of a crowd. That was for a meaningless spring training game as the Jose Reyes, and Mark Buehrle led Marlins played host to a collegiate foe in Florida Atlantic University. Last night couldn’t have been more different. Gates opened three hours before first pitch. The Venezuelan squad took batting practice first, and the outfield bleachers already began to fill in. When Team USA took over, the likes of Kyle Freeland, Miles Mikolas, and bullpen catcher Carlos Munoz consistently drew fans' favor by flipping balls into the seats. Having purchased a get-in ticket, I knew I planned to wander around. I didn’t make it very far after asking the Recess Sports Lounge attendant if I needed special access to enter the area. Recess offers seating and food options at the field level in a club-like scene beyond the left field fence. A pool in the space used to be similar to the Arizona Diamondbacks Chase Field, but that has since been replaced with a DJ booth. It was game time after the unveiling of flags, introductions (of which Venezuelan supporters were substantially more vocal), and national anthems. The pitching matchup was one of intrigue for Twins fans. Lance Lynn was on the bump for the United States, while Martin Perez took the ball for Venezuela. Unfortunately for the current Texas Rangers hurler, he gave up three runs on five hits and only recorded one out. Mookie Betts, Mike Trout, Paul Goldschmidt, Nolan Arenado, and Kyle Tucker were all over his stuff. This tournament has produced plenty of exciting tilts. Just a night prior, fans saw the Puerto Rican team ahead 4-0, only to give up five runs without an answer and fall to an unlikely Mexican squad. 3-0 was not safe for the Americans, and they knew adding on was a must. Unlike any other baseball game you have ever seen, there was pandemonium after each base hit, out, or routine play. Cheers from supporters were deafening, and the reality was an outcome unlike anything seen outside of a soccer or football stadium. When former Twins batting champ Luis Arraez stepped in, it was as though the world stopped. Not known for his power, Arraez turned on a Lynn pitch and sent it over the fence in right field. He sped around the bases in a quick home run trot but celebrated at third base in front of his dugout. The Venezuelan fans in the crowd were going absolutely crazy. The team on the field had spilled out of the dugout and waited to celebrate at the plate. This wasn’t just baseball; it was the World Baseball Classic. Producing moments that we otherwise won’t see during a regular situation, Tucker stepped in against his teammate Luis Garcia. While the baby rocking is since gone, given Major League Baseball’s new rules, Garcia remains among the better pitchers in the game. Tucker hit a double in their first matchup of the night, and rather than being able to exact revenge, it was again Tucker winning the battle as he took Garcia out of the yard for a 365-foot solo blast. As the Venezuelans were silenced momentarily, their time came in the 5th inning. Daniel Bard was on and wild. He hit Jose Altuve, who unfortunately suffered a broken thumb on the play. Continuing to be wild, runs came in, and Arraez again delivered, drawing the deficit to one. Scoring on a Ronald Acuna Jr. sacrifice fly, the lead changed hands again. With the pace of the action, no lead seemed safe in this one. Expecting this level of excitement or energy over the consistency of a 162-game season would be an unimaginable trip. Playoff atmosphere rivals the intensity, but each lineup was looking to deliver knockout punches, and the fans were ready for the roller coaster of a ride. Again, not a power hitter, Arraez stepped in during the 7th inning and took David Bednar deep. He turned on another pitch and doinked it off the foul pole. Late in this one, Miami’s newest hero sent his country’s fans into insanity. Then, it happened. The Philadelphia Phillies $300 million man took the box against Silvino Bracho. With the bases chucked and a deficit of two, Turner crushed a 407-foot blast right over my head to create a homer he called the best of his life. A man that has won a World Series, played in All-Star games, and earned a Silver Slugger, called that home run the biggest hit of his career. Fans agreed. As beers were thrown, whistles rang out, the music went crazy, and the atmosphere was something out of a storybook, Turner became Captain America, if only for an instant. Another former Twin, Ryan Pressly, got the opportunity to slam the door in the 9th inning and picked up his second save of the tournament. Once again, insanity ensued. The results didn't go the way of Arraez's Venezuelan squad, and Turner stole the show late, but it was the show he started that kicked off what would be the craziest night of baseball I have ever experienced. It’s unrealistic to think that every game throughout a 162-game regular season slate could hold this level of importance or excitement. It is evident, however, to note that the World Baseball Classic’s importance goes well beyond anything else played in March, and to experience it in person may be a bucket list venture. There was no discussion of a lacking pitch clock, and allowing shifts didn’t stifle offense. Two juggernauts went back and forth like heavyweights and gave passionate fans everything they hoped for. We may find ourselves with a pair of favorites in the championship as both Japan and USA remain, but no matter how it plays out, you can bet LoanDepot Park will be the spot for the biggest party of any sport this month. I didn’t know what to expect when heading into the stadium. Now I’m wondering how soon I can experience that again. View full article

Hoffman should be considered near a lock at this point. Seems that was the Santana move. Megill was optioned this morning, and Moran has options as well. Coulombe could be the second lefty and easily added to the 40-man by putting Canterino on the 60-day.

After Dennis Santana being waived, it looks like we should zero in on either Hoffman or Coulombe. Alcala has looked sharp. Solano is just an extra guy, but how limited Kirilloff may be gives him extra run.

The Rays lineup, split squad aside, was a joke yesterday. The Twins have been light a few times but I thought they’ve been ok. Impressed by the Orioles group today.

Buxton should have no worries. Polanco has done nothing more than live ABs to this point but is on track. I am nervous about Kirilloff.

Fort Myers, FL – The Minnesota Twins are wrapping up another week of spring training action and there have been more than a few developments this week. With St. Patrick’s Day wrapping up the action, there will be plenty of green on the field against the Baltimore Orioles. Image courtesy of Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports We’re quickly approaching Opening Day, and as the Minnesota Twins look to iron out their 26-man roster before heading to Kansas City, they’ll continue to make cuts from the major league side of things. As the World Baseball Classic wraps up in the coming days, there will be a few players that return to camp as well. Here’s what I’m hearing and have observed through the past week of action: Sonny Gray Gray threw against the Boston Red Sox Single-A team on Wednesday afternoon. As expected, he was dominant. Ryan Jeffers came down to the back fields to catch the outing, and it was a bit more traditional. Not using pitch com, Gray did have a pitch clock set up behind the batter. He mowed down hitters, and during his final inning, allowed a Red Sox batter to start at first base in order for him to work from the stretch. With Wednesday being his day to pitch, he is lined up for an Opening Day start against the Royals. It was Joe Ryan who captured that honor last year, but appears Gray will take it from here. He should have two more starts before the regular season kicks off. Gray could certainly be a difference maker on the mound for the Twins this year. Entering the final year of his deal, a strong season could earn another big payday. Carlos Correa He returned to Minnesota’s lineup on Friday after missing some time following the birth of his son. He noted working out while away, and there is little reason to think he’ll have any rust to knock off. Correa has been a pillar of preparation this year for Minnesota and could be in for a massive season during year one of the mega deal. Nick Gordon Thursday saw a return to action for Gordon. He had missed time following an ankle injury suffered on a defensive play. Rocco Baldelli had him at second base against the Rays and he went 1-for-3 on the afternoon. Gordon should again be expected to play a substantial amount in a utility role, and is a key part of Minnesota’s 26-man roster. Royce Lewis Thursday morning saw Lewis doing sprint work on the Twins practice field before he stepped in the cage. Resuming hitting roughly a week ago, the stroke looked smooth as he sent a handful of batting practice balls over the fence. Returning from a second ACL injury, Lewis looks strong and back to form. He’ll continue to rehab having been placed on the 60-day injured list, but should be an option for Minnesota come early summer. Lewis did take live at bats on the back fields prior to the Twins game on Friday. He continues to do rehab work and has a bit longer rehab day on Saturday. I plan to talk with him following his workout, so be on the lookout for a more in depth interview in the coming days. Alex Kirilloff The good news is that Kirilloff is reportedly swinging with no pain. He has been seen smiling and upbeat following batting sessions and that is not something that Minnesota saw much of last season. The bad news is that he has yet to appear in any game action and time is running out. It remains to be seen how he will be utilized the rest of the way this spring, but logic says he’d need to get game action before being an option to start on Opening Day. Kirilloff got in some love at bat work prior to Friday’s action on the back fields. He does have a noticeable amount of wrist tape on his left forearm. The swing is still smooth, but it doesn’t appear he lets it fly every time. He was struck out in a few at bats by Alex Phillips and Sean Mooney. It was nice to see him a bit more ramped up than the casual batting practice action Thursday. Byron Buxton Although he has yet to appear in a major league game this spring, Buxton is getting plenty of work in. He got five at bats during the Triple-A game on Thursday as Louie Varland worked against the Braves minor leaguers on the mound. Buxton batted second each inning and did not play the field. He finished his day with a walk and didn’t have much opportunity to show off the wheels. Regardless of where the cuts are coming, it’s good to see Buxton appears on track to go north with Minnesota. Omari Daniel The 2022 draft pick was taken in the 14th round last year and swayed away from college. He underwent Tommy John surgery not long after and never made his professional debut. He was in the lineup Wednesday for his first professional action. The speed was on display and is impressive. He’s not a guy that appears on prospect lists, but the Twins did significant work to get him into pro ball and it’s nice that he’ll be completely healthy this year. Hernan Perez Minnesota continues to bring in depth and did so in the form of Hernan Perez. He is playing for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic alongside of Pablo Lopez, Luis Arraez, and Eduardo Escobar. There shouldn’t be much expectation for him to sniff the big league roster, but he can help at St. Paul. Perez hasn’t accumulated much major league time of late but had a run with the Milwaukee Brewers. Edouard Julien He was incredible on a global stage during the World Baseball Classic. Going 7-for-13 with a pair of doubles and homers, the bat just continues to play. He’ll return to Twins camp this week, and after being optioned earlier this week he’s ticketed for more time in the minors. Triple-A is probably the next stop, but he certainly is making a compelling case that he belongs. Should someone miss time, his bat could be enough to warrant opportunity. Lineups The Tampa Bay Rays brought one of the worst lineups I have ever seen for their action against the Twins on Thursday. There wasn’t a single player close to being a big-league regular that was in the lineup. Because that how spring training goes, Tampa won the game 2-0. It’s certainly a good thing that the result doesn’t matter. Joe Ryan did work four innings and punched out five. That would put him on track to start Minnesota’s second game of the season. He should have two more outings before heading north. What other Twins questions or comments do you have as spring training continues on? View full article

The Minnesota Twins shocked the world when they landed Carlos Correa following the lockout before the 2022 Major League Baseball season. After multiple twists and turns this offseason, they did it again, this time locking him up for at least the next six years. How good could he be for this team in 2023? Image courtesy of Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK Last year, Carlos Correa found himself in Twins camp following a lengthy lockout and an odd free agency process. He was thrust into action while only getting a handful of game at-bats. Despite the challenges, he parlayed it into a successful first year in Minnesota. Across 136 games, held back only by an unfortunate hit by pitch and a bout with Covid, Correa posted an .834 OPS, which translated to a 140 OPS+. He blasted 22 homers in his first year calling Target Field home, and while the defensive metrics were slightly down on him, he played a solid shortstop. However, if you watched the Twins consistently last year, you know there were stretches where it seemed Correa got lost. What if a complete spring training and traditional lead-up to the season unlocks a new level? The reality is that Correa could be embarking on a path that leads him to the Hall of Fame. His career trajectory is already impressive, and continued production for the Twins will have him in the conversation when he hangs up his cleats. Still in the prime of his career at just 28 years old, this should be another high-producing season for the superstar shortstop. Correa’s 140 OPS+ last year trailed only his 155 OPS+ during 2017 when he was named to his first All-Star team. Last season was odd in that offense was down due to MLB again tampering with the baseball. We don’t yet know how this season’s ball will play, and we don’t know to what extent it will be manipulated on a per-game basis. What we can look into is Correa’s production as a whole. Through his first 24 games last season, Correa owned just a .693 OPS. It’s unsurprising that a player would start slow, even less so when playing in a cold-temperature state like Minnesota. His next 47 games culminated in an impressive .876 OPS and saw the former Houston Astros post nearly a .400 on-base percentage. Correa hit the skids from the end of July into early September, though. While teammates were dropping like flies, he remained in the lineup but had little protection. He hit just three homers in his next 36 games and owned an ugly .695 OPS with just seven total extra-base hits. During the final month, over a span of 29 games, Correa did everything he could to produce for the Twins. Correa posted an impressive 1.032 OPS while batting a whopping .370. He had 15 extra-base hits, of which seven left the yard, and he was arguably the best hitter in baseball during that time. Baseball is a sport of streaks, and while you will have cold streaks, Correa keeping his trends pointing up could go a long way in 2023. ZiPS and Steamer projections have him slated for slightly diminished OPS marks with two additional home runs. However, ZiPS sees the fWAR tally coming in at 5.9 after being 4.4 last season, which certainly accounts for enhanced defensive production. For a guy who has twice topped a .900 OPS in his career, it’s not unthinkable to believe he could do so again this season. The projection systems seem a bit light regarding how offense may change this year, and Correa has more comfort going for him in 2023. He likes hitting in Target Field, and knowing it’s his home for the long haul could bring on an excellent show this summer. How high do you expect Correa’s stock to rise this season, and where is a reasonable expectation for his offensive production to check in at? View full article

The Minnesota Twins have plenty of certainties regarding their Opening Day roster for 2023. Most of the lineup looks to be set, and there isn’t much intrigue regarding the starting rotation. The final spots in the bullpen could be in flux, and there is a lefty worth considering. Image courtesy of Scott Taetsch-USA TODAY Sports Rocco Baldelli will have a much better bullpen entering this season than last year. That much is already a given. Jhoan Duran is established as an elite arm, Jorge Lopez was an All-Star closer in 2022, and Griffin Jax has emerged as a high-leverage arm. The Twins are in a much better position. There are a few candidates when trying to figure out the final pieces. From the left-handed side, Caleb Thielbar and Jovani Moran have been considered the top two candidates. That is still true, and while he’s not on the 40-man roster, Danny Coulombe continues to make noise for Minnesota. This is the fourth straight season that Coulombe has agreed to a minor league deal with Minnesota. He has made it into major league action each year and clearly feels a level of comfort with the organization. Coulombe established himself as a big league reliever with Oakland spending the 2016-2018 seasons there, but has truly taken off with the Twins. For a team that has built more depth this season across the roster, Coulombe is another example of that. A season ago, the veteran reliever pitched just 12 1/3 innings before dealing with an injury. Calling his season a wash is a pretty accurate description. In 2021, Coulombe threw 34 1/3 innings for Minnesota, and his 3.67 ERA was plenty usable. He recorded roughly a strikeout per inning and limited walks to less than two per nine innings. Now healthy and back to work for the Twins, Coulombe has looked the part of a quality left-handed arm this spring. He has pitched in four games and has not given up a run across six innings. He has eight strikeouts and four walks. The sample size is admittedly small, but it’s not as though he hasn’t shown this type of production previously. It would stand to reason that Minnesota currently has two spots open for southpaws in their bullpen. There is almost no way that Thielbar misses out on the 26-man roster, and even if Moran is optioned, there would still need to be room made on the 40-man roster. The more likely outcome is that Coulombe starts his season with Triple-A St. Paul, but he could be relied upon when first needed. A year ago, Minnesota saw a substantial amount of injury and had to constantly shuttle pitchers from different levels of the farm system. Rather than immediately relying upon an unproven resource, Coulombe could provide a level of veteran depth that the starting rotation now seems to be afforded. We won’t know how this story plays out until later during spring training. The expectation should be that Coulombe is among the Twins final cuts, and that will give him plenty of opportunities. He has seen a good amount of work through the first two weeks of spring, and that should only increase as additional bodies are sent out of camp. Combining ZiPS and Steamer projections show Coulombe throwing something just north of 30 innings at the big-league level this year. Both systems see him posting an ERA similar to 2021 and a modest strikeout rate. While there is no such thing as a lefty specialist anymore, given the three-batter minimum, the Twins have helped the 33-year-old develop a few new tricks to keep him relevant. Don’t be surprised if we see Coulombe throw some serious innings for the Twins this year, and that really shouldn’t be a bad thing. View full article

The Minnesota Twins are more than two weeks into spring training action this season, and a few of their key players have yet to show up on the diamond. This is by design, but the question as to whether it will matter or not remains. Image courtesy of Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News / USA TODAY NETWORK Rocco Baldelli has been putting together lineups during 2023 spring training for over two weeks. We have seen Carlos Correa and new additions like Joey Gallo and Christian Vazquez. Notably missing from the lineups, however, have been the trio of Byron Buxton, Jorge Polanco, and Alex Kirilloff. They missed significant time last season and are returning from offseason rehab. Having brought in a new head trainer in Nick Paparesta, Minnesota is looking to distance itself from injuries that all but sank their 2022 season. The Twins have held their key pieces out of action in practicing caution and looking to have them ready for Opening Day. Not all three of them are in the same place, though. For Buxton, he is coming off of a knee surgery that addressed an issue sustained early on last year. Despite producing at an MVP level, he found himself constantly in the training room and needing fluid drained from his knee. Undergoing surgery and ultimately sitting out the end of the season, Buxton should be all systems go for 2023. The hope with Buxton is that a lessened spring workload would give him the maximum amount of time to build strength and be available. However, a cautionary exercise is in play here, as his injuries have often been fluky. Buxton suffered his 2022 knee injury on a slide against the Boston Red Sox. There was nothing abnormal about the play, but it changed the entirety of his season. Minnesota’s thinking in keeping him off his feet and working in multiple starts as the designated hitter in 2023 is reasonable. For now, it remains to be seen how it will work. At second base, Polanco dealt with soreness related to tendonitis. He missed substantial time last year and lacked plenty of the power he displayed during the 2019 and 2021 seasons. Before the 2022 season, Polanco had largely been a pillar of health, and his tendonitis-related issue is unfortunate. With the reality that tendonitis can be consistently recurring, the goal is to strengthen the area to withstand the rigors of a season. This is an important year for Polanco as he’s in the last year of his contract extension. A vesting option is available should he hit plate appearance thresholds, but to do that, he must be both effective and healthy. All parties involved want to make sure the second baseman puts his best foot forward on Opening Day, and for Polanco, he’ll need to stay ahead of the competition. Brooks Lee, Royce Lewis, Edouard Julien, and a now-injured Austin Martin could all be potential replacement options. If Minnesota has Polanco healthy out of the gate, it gives him the best chance to sustain a high level of performance. Keeping the tendonitis at bay through a slowed process is a reasonable bet. This may be the most straightforward scenario regarding a delay in helping the cause. For Kirilloff, things couldn’t be worse over the past few seasons. He has been dealing with wrist issues for some time, drastically changing the production level he can contribute. A power hitter with a smooth stroke, Kirilloff has been neutralized at the plate. He may be a Gold Glove-caliber first baseman, but it isn’t a position that can afford to have nothing come from the bat. Undergoing a second, more drastic wrist surgery, Kirilloff is still not ready. In fact, despite not being shut down as he was last fall, Kirilloff is behind schedule. He was expected to be the club’s Opening Day starter at first base, but it’s looking like that could be manned by Gallo. Michael A. Taylor was brought in as outfield depth, but he could see starts pretty regularly if Kirilloff is going to miss time. It’s a disappointing outcome to again see Kirilloff’s stock trending down. There had been so much excitement regarding his prospect status, and an injury that has yet to be alleviated continues to hold him back. Slow-playing this issue may help the long-term prognosis, but each time he ramps up, it reappears. How Kirilloff comes through this, and if he is ever effective, remains to be seen. Regarding each scenario, caution could help but only to varying degrees of effectiveness. Polanco may only need a few game at-bats to be ready to go. Buxton should be near full strength, and avoiding flukes is pretty tricky to do. It’s a waiting game for Kirilloff, and it’s hard to see the end of the tunnel. View full article