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ST. PAUL – Royce Lewis had his second call-up to the Major Leagues a year ago and started in center field against the Kansas City Royals on May 29, 2022. The first two innings of the game went smoothly for the Twins' top prospect, then in the top of the third, everything changed for Lewis. “I remember like it was yesterday,” Lewis said. “It was just a ball hit by Emmanuel Rivera very well, that I didn't think he got a ton of, and then I realized mid-running like, ‘Oh, he got this better than I thought.’ it was bad timing on my part and a freak injury where it happened at the end." He tore his ACL for the second time in a year and was out for the rest of the 2022 season. It's now been a year since that happened and his return to the big leagues is just around the corner. Lewis has raked at the plate as his rehab began on May 11 hitting .333/.375/.700 (1.075) with three home runs, and nine RBI in the eight games he’s rehabbed in between Double-A Wichita and Triple-A St. Paul. On top of that, he’s been successful in four out of five steal attempts and flashing defensively with the glove on the left side of the infield. “He seems good right now,” said St. Paul Saints manager Toby Gardenhire on Lewis. “It's always tough coming back from an injury, especially the long injuries like this one where it takes a year to come back from it. But he really hasn’t skipped too much of a beat.” The journey back from the second ACL tear wasn’t an easy one at first for Lewis. He said the first three days following the surgery were some of the toughest he has gone through. “The next three days [post surgery] were hell. It was horrible. I would never want anyone to go through something like that, like the pain that I had. It would just hurt for the whole week, week and a half. Finally as I started walking more and moving it around more, it got better,” said Lewis. While those first three weeks were painful for Lewis to get through, he would go through it all again as it’s made him stronger both physically and mentally as an athlete. “I am glad I did it. It's something that you wish you never went through it, like kind of like hell week for football, right? They go and do that, and they come out of it better and stronger and better people. That's how I feel like I came out of that surgery. So I would do it 100 times over,” he said. (Editor's Note: Let's hope two is the charm, and that he doesn't need a third, much less a 100th time!) Lewis didn’t get through the rehab off the field without help. Former Twins centerfield Torii Hunter and his son Torii Jr. were a massive help to him while he was recovering in Texas. “He's the man, and he is always there to take care of everybody. He's taken care of me like another son and I couldn't thank him enough. And Torii Jr. has been the same way with me as well. I listened to both of Torii's, and if I can get any advice or wisdom for them, I'm gonna take it,” Lewis said. While Lewis didn’t see any in-game action during spring training his time on the back fields built him back up to the player he’s always known himself to be. And it was during extended spring training when he knew Royce Lewis was back to full health as the player he can be. “I knew I was back probably a month ago in Florida when we started doing some running stuff. They had me do everything, and it was unbelievable. We're doing way more in rehab. They're crushing you. There's no game we played, and we need to make sure you can do everything once you're in the game. So they push you to 150% where when you play at 100% in games, it makes it so much easier,” Lewis said. Lewis now describes his energy as starting at 120% at the beginning of each game now. He’s feeling comfortable at the plate, in the field at third base and shortstop, and his running game is better than ever. “The biggest thing is for him to keep improving, just keep getting better with his development. He's still young, he's still got a long way to go but he's got so many tools and so much talent that he can really go a long way,” said Gardenhire. His performance during this rehab stint points to Lewis bringing a similar performance to his first call-up to the Twins a year ago when the Twins made the move to bring him back. He can be activated as early as Monday, landing his potential return date on the anniversary of his second ACL tear. While it is in the back of his mind, it’s not holding weight on Lewis and what his performance will be day in and day out while he makes his return to the game on a full-time basis. “I'm just being myself and having fun. I think honestly when I perform well, whether it's defense or offensive, that happens to go with how I'm feeling emotionally and it just tells you where I'm at emotionally and I'm so happy to be back on the diamond and just playing the game that I love and missed,” said Lewis. For much, much more on Royce Lewis, click here.

SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Omaha 6 Box Score A veteran on the bump for St. Paul, Aaron Sanchez took the pill and was lights out. He worked six innings of scoreless baseball. Sanchez did give up five hits and a walk, but he struck out two and never allowed damage. Dropping his ERA to 4.17 in the process, he’s again looking like an option for Minnesota should they need him. Royce Lewis was given the night off after back-to-back work, but the Saints went to battle without him. Attacking right away in the first inning, Chris Williams singled to center and drove in Andrew Stevenson in the process. Looking for some separation, breathing room came in the fifth inning. An error allowed Mark Contreras to not only reach base, but Stevenson to score for a second time. Williams then singled again and drove in Contreras, pushing the lead to 3-0. St. Paul got a bit more cushion in the sixth inning when Andrew Bechtold lifted off for his fourth homer of the year. It was just a solo shot, but the game was now 4-0. Tucker Bradley quickly responded with a seventh inning double to put Omaha on the board, but the 4-1 lead still seemed safe. Quickly evaporating, Cody Laweryson’s runners all scored after he allowed a three-run blast to Nick Loftin. What was once a lead was now a new game in the seventh inning. From there, things went crazy. First, the Storm Chasers put up a pair on a Samad Taylor single in the eighth inning. Seemingly in the driver’s seat, they would be unbuckled when Stevenson ripped his second triple of the year. In the bottom of the eighth, the Saints outfielder cleared the bases and scored himself on a throwing error. Hernan Perez, Ryan LaMarre, and Tyler White all came home. The four runs put St. Paul back up 8-6 and that’s where this one ended. Stevenson recorded a pair of hits on the evening as did Williams, White, and Perez. Jose Miranda continues to struggle and went 0-for-4 with a walk. Despite giving up two runs and again struggling in relief, Ronny Henriquez got the win. WIND SURGE WISDOM Springfield 5, Wichita 4 Box Score Twins prospect David Festa needed a bounce back start tonight and he got one. Despite it being short, just three innings, he allowed only a single unearned run on one hit. Festa walked three on his 68 pitches, but picked up five strikeouts in the process. Springfield got on the board first with a second-inning run, but the Wind Surge answered in a big way during the fourth inning. Alex Isola blasted his sixth dinger of the year, a three-run shot scoring Brooks Lee and Jake Rucker, to put Wichita up 3-1. Springfield made it interesting with a sixth inning run closing the deficit to one, but a seventh inning Will Holland run scored on a wild pitch and pushed things back to two. The Cardinals again answered in their half of the seventh inning, and the run tightened things up just just a one-run contest. Scoring again in the eighth inning, Springfield evened things at four. Wichita couldn’t answer in the ninth inning and Noah Medlinger’s single walked off the Wind Surge. Brooks Lee and Jake Rucker both had a pair of hits on the evening, but it wasn’t enough to wind up on top. KERNELS NUGGETS Wisconsin 8, Cedar Rapids 4 Box Score Kyle Jones went tonight for Cedar Rapids and despite coming in with solid numbers, it just wasn’t his night. Making it through only one inning, Jones allowed six runs on six hits. He walked just one and struck out two. His 3.62 ERA ballooned to 5.13 on the season. Early on, things looked ok for the Kernels. Despite getting down 2-0 in the first inning, Kala’i Rosario continued his strong season and blasted his fifth home run, a two-run shot also driving in Emmanuel Rodriguez. That’s where the good news ended though. Two runs scored in the second inning without an out recorded, and both inherited runners for Orlando Rodriguez crossed the plate as well. Down 6-2 by the end of the frame, things didn’t look pretty. Before the Kernels could answer, Wisconsin drove in another pair during the sixth inning and the 8-2 rout was on. Cedar Rapids needed to make things interesting, so Keoni Cavaco blasted his second dinger of the season. Recently back from the injured list, his two-run shot scored Andrew Cossetti and had the Kernels back within a grand slam. Cossetti’s single was his first hit at High-A after recently being promoted. Unfortunately, that’s where this one ended, and Tanner Schobel was the only Kernels player to record a multi-hit effort. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 2, Dunedin 1 (Susp 3) Box Score It was C.J. Culpepper’s night for the Mighty Mussels, but Mother Nature decided to intervene before he could really get going. Working two innings of one-run ball while striking out two, the weather came and caused a third inning suspension. Dunedin plated a run in the second inning, but Fort Myers answered in the third inning. A Jorel Ortega groundout allowed Alec Sayre to score and knot things up. Danny De Andrade then singled to drive in Dillon Tatum and put the good guys on top. What started with lightning also brought rain and the game was called. Stopped with De Andrade on first base in the third inning and just the one out, both sides will pick this up tomorrow. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 6.0 IP, 5 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 1 BB, 2 K Hitter of the Day – Andrew Stevenson (St. Paul) - 2-4, 3 R, 3 RBI, BB, 2B(6), 3B(2) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 2-4, R #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - Day off #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, R, K #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - 3.0 IP, 1 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 5 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-3, BB, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 K #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, 2 K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (7:07PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (7:05PM CST) - RHP Aaron Rozek Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Fort Myers @ Dunedin (4:00PM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

Last May, less than one year ago, Royce Lewis crashed into the centerfield wall at Target Field. He went down in a heap, and days later it was confirmed he had re-torn his ACL. After slipping on ice in Texas the year prior, it was another fluke that was going to cause him a significant amount of time on the shelf. As he has always done, Lewis attacked the circumstances with positivity and maturity, putting himself in position to play for Minnesota again at light speed. Talking to Lewis in March during spring training, he felt ready to go at that point. He appreciated the Twins being cautious knowing the future was more important than rushing back into things, but it also seems he couldn’t have been more right. Recently beginning a rehab assignment scheduled to end on May 31, Lewis has played in five games on the farm. He is 8-for-18 with four extra-base hits, of which three have been homers. He went yard twice in a game, played in back-to-back contests, and is pushing towards an activation that will have him in the Twins lineup. Where he would be inserted was unclear earlier this season, but it seems like opportunity will continue to present itself. For now Jose Miranda is at Triple-A and looks like a shell of the player he flashed last season. Carlos Correa is the starting shortstop, but Jorge Polanco just went on the injured list with a hamstring issue leaving second base to Edouard Julien. Byron Buxton is again a consistent question mark from a health perspective, and the entirety of the roster always has a potential to be in flux. Playing for Toby Gardenhire with St. Paul, Lewis has focused on shortstop and the hot corner. His big league role would appear to be third base, which could push Kyle Farmer back to second base or more into a utility role. Julien will need to show a bit more development to stick in the majors, but his lacking defensive abilities should continue to give Lewis a leg up. It’s not as though Lewis has a lengthy track record of health or production, but he has done nothing to slow the hype train while in action since 2022. Lewis put on a show during his 12-game cameo with Minnesota last year, and it will undoubtedly bring out his beaming smile when he emerges from the Target Field dugout again this year. Sometimes prospects need trips back to the minors in order to figure things out. Miranda is going through it, and Trevor Larnach was sent on that path as well. Nothing was straightforward about Byron Buxton’s development, and even Mike Trout wasn’t an all-time great from the start. That said, Lewis’ development even while shelved has been phenomenal. He has tweaked his approach, honed in his production, and succeeded through every opportunity. Considering where Miranda is from a development perspective, that Polanco is in the final guaranteed year of his contract (though the Twins have two option years), and that Buxton remains as unlikely to play centerfield as he ever has, Lewis should find ample runway to stick. The Twins offense has been anemic at times this season, and inserting Lewis on a daily basis could be the boost this club needs for the rest of the year. By 2024 there should be no reason why Lewis isn’t considered a regular, and how quickly he takes to that reality following his rehab assignment could go a long way for the 2023 team. It shouldn’t be counted as failure if Lewis goes through a dry spell at some point, but he’s now writing a story that may have him as among the best Twins development narratives in quite some time. Fans will continue to hope that the promotion comes sooner rather than later, even if it isn’t possible until June 1. Once he gets the call this year though, it could be his last trip across town for the duration of his professional career.

The Big Bat: Blue Jays’ 3B Matt Chapman Toronto enters play Tuesday in last place in a surging American League East. The Blue Jays, with a $213 million payroll, are undeniably all-in on competing. The results so far are middling. The lineup isn’t producing to its talent level, the rotation is near the middle of the pack in fWAR, and the bullpen is about league average. FanGraphs places Toronto’s playoff odds at 48.7% with 48 games in the books. If the Blue Jays opt to trade off or take a dual buyer and seller approach at the deadline, Matt Chapman emerges as a clear candidate. Chapman is an impending free agent and leads the Jays in OPS (.887) and wRC+ (146). The premium defensive third baseman had an all-world April, slashing .384/.465/.687 with 20 extra-base hits. He’s off to a slow start in May with just 15 hits in 78 at-bats. Chapman ranks fourth among third baseman in Defensive Runs Saved (21) since 2020. He’s a three time Gold Glove winner and would fill an important hole for the Twins. Chapman’s addition would push both Royce Lewis and Kyle Farmer to valuable utility roles, giving Rocco Baldelli attractive options at multiple positions. The Ace: Brewers’ RHP Corbin Burnes Milwaukee is tied for the division lead in the adjacent NL central with a 25-22 record. Much like the Twins, the Brewers are a flawed team with a pedestrian offense and reasonable questions about their outlook as a contender. The Crew has lost 13 of their last 20 while the Cardinals hunt them down in the standings. 2021 Cy Young winner Corbin Burnes has been part of the issue, sporting an unordinary 3.97 ERA and 21.5% strikeout rate. Burnes’ previously outstanding cutter is getting hit harder at a lesser velocity. Even with his early season struggles, Burnes owns a 2.78 ERA and 2.68 FIP in nearly 500 innings since 2020. Unless you think he’s suddenly a pumpkin at 28 years old, Burnes still holds ace-level status. On one hand, the Twins already have a strong rotation and maybe shouldn’t part with significant resources for another frontline starter. On the other, if they view the trade market as thin on bats, they could double down on the rotation. Burnes is also under contract for 2024 and would be a clean replacement for free agent Sonny Gray. The Firebreathing Reliever: Padres’ LHP Josh Hader The Padres have yet to meet their sky-high 2023 expectations. After a run to the NLCS last October, San Diego continued to invest with a monster deal for Xander Bogaerts and an extension for Manny Machado. They parted with significant prospects last trade deadline for Juan Soto and Josh Hader, furthering their commitment to winning now. As of Tuesday, they are effectively 55-45 to make the playoffs, per FanGraphs. Josh Hader is one of just a few Padres performing at a high level. Hader owns a minuscule 0.95 ERA with 26 strikeouts in 19 innings. He’s one of the best relievers of this generation, pairing an upper-90s fastball with a disgusting slider. Hader has yet to allow a hit to a left-handed hitter (0-for-14, 9 strikeouts). Hader is an impending free agent and would be a prime trade candidate should San Diego look to cash in. The Twins lack another consistent left-handed reliever to pair with Caleb Thielbar and well, Hader is the best in baseball. A late-inning trio of Hader, Jhoan Duran, and Jorge López could overwhelm opponents. What do you think of these candidates? Can you think of others? Comment below!

Don’t forget to read Nick’s Week in Review to catch up on the Twins week. TRANSACTIONS None as of publishing. RESULTS Tuesday (5/16): Guess Who's Back? Back Again, Royce is Back, Tell a Friend Wednesday (5/17: Tough Day for the Twins Organization Thursday (5/18): Enlow Excites Again Friday (5/19): Prospects Put on a Show Saturday (5/20): The Only Way to Win is With Mother Nature Sunday (5/21): Winkel Wins it for Wichita MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT One Pitcher From Each Minor League Level That Deserves a Promotion Twins Daily Updates Top 20 Prospect Rankings Bring on Balazovic Rankings Update: 4 Twins Prospects Crack MLB's Top 100 It’s Time to Jump on the Yunior Severino Hype Train TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (11:07AM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (6:355PM CST) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - RHP Pierson Ohl (2-3, 3.60 ERA) Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - TBD WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints (Week: 2-4) Overall: 23-20, 2.5 games back in the International League West. Overview: The Saints dropped four of six at Columbus and will start a homestand on a two-game losing streak. 🔥: It sure is nice having Royce Lewis back playing. He hit three home runs among eight hits for the Saints. He looks back to his normal self and will be ready for activation around the first of June. 🔥: Brent Headrick struck out seven in his start. He gave up two runs on four hits in six innings. 🥶: Matt Wallner struck out 15 times in six games. He still had six hits in 25 at-bats, including two doubles. But a 60% strikeout rate is… yikes. 🥶: Last season, Jose Miranda turned his season around with a demotion that included taking zero at-bats at Triple-A. This week, he went 3-22 with two runs and three RBIs. With Lewis’ return imminent, Miranda could find himself buried even further down the organizational depth chart. 🥶: Randy Dobnak made two starts. He allowed nine hits and five earned runs in only four innings. What's Next: The Saints will host Omaha (18-24). Omaha has the worst record in the International League West and is only a game and a half out of last place in the entire International League. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge (Week: 3-3) Overall: 18-20, 6-5 games back in the Texas League North. Overview: The winning streak has ended with a split with a Arkansas, so no ground was made up in the race for the division. 🔥: Alex Isola collected eight hits including two home runs in twenty-five at-bats. 🔥: Blayne Enlow keep getting it done. In 5 1/3 innings, he struck out 10, walked none and gave up one run (a home run) on six hits. 🔥: Jordan Brink collected two saves, allowing only one hit in four shutout sinnings. He walked one and struck out three. 🔥: Aaron Rozek struck out eight in 5 2/3 innings. He allowed only one run on two hits and two walks. 🥶: David Festa has really come down after such a hot start to the season. Festa couldn't make it out of the third inning in his last start and gave up five runs on five hits, three walks and a hit batter. 🥶: After being on top of the world, Yunior Severino came back down to earth. He was 6-25 with no extra base hits and eight strikeouts. What's Next: A trip back on the road to Springfield (16-22) who is in last place. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Week: 4-2) Overall: 22-17, 0.5 games back in the Midwest League West. Overview: The Kernels took four of six from a Peoria team who was also competing in the division. 🔥: Kala’i Rosario had two home runs and a double while batting 7-20. He drove in five runs. 🔥: Jaylen Nowlin stuck out four and allowed three runs over six innings, issuing no walks but allowing one home run among the three scored. 🤔: Misael Urbina didn't exactly tear it up, but five hits and three walks is a huge improvement over how he's been playing. He's still 21, so there's time... but the ticking is louder than it was when he wasn't hitting at all in Fort Myers in 2021. 🥶: Alejandro Hidalgo struggled to locate in his lone start. He walked six and only got four outs. 🥶: Ben Ross was 2-20. He scored three runs and drove in one. He struck out five times and had a team-low OPS of .236 (minimum five at-bats). What's Next: Next up is the last place Timber Rattlers (11-27) who are 11 games out of first place. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Week: 3-3) Overall: 22-17, 7.0 games behind Clearwater in the Florida State League West. Overview: The Mighty Mussels split with Lakeland but remain in second place. 🔥: Andrew Cossetti led the team with seven hits on the week and was one of seven different hitters to triple. 🔥: Christian McLeod allowed one run on a hit and two walks over four innings. He struck out seven. 🔥: Zebby Matthews and Cory Lewis both had pretty good performances. Both were hurt by unearned runs, but struck out nine and eight, respectively. Both have been setting themselves up for a summer promotion. 🤔: Jorel Ortega had three extra base hits, but struck out eight times in 22 at-bats. Ortega has been playing a pretty solid third base, but he'll have to lower his strikeout numbers, which are just a tick below 30%. 🥶: Dalton Shuffield went hitless in 14 at-bats over the week. The 10th-round pick came out on fire after being drafted, but hasn't hit for average or power like he did last year. He has taken more walks though. What's Next: The road trip continues in Dunedin (21-18) who are tied with Bradenton and are one game behind Fort Myers. PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated on the first of each month throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. (Season-long stats will be in parenthesis.) 20. Michael Helman, UTIL, St. Paul: On the Injured List with a dislocated shoulder. (.333/.434/.711. 1.145 OPS) 19. Yunior Severino, 3B, Wichita: 6-25, R, BB, 8 K. (.277/.356/.546. .902 OPS) 18. Jose Rodriguez, OF: Extended Spring Training 17. Blayne Enlow, RHP, Wichita: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 6.1 IP, 6 H, ER, HRA, 10K. (1.15 WHIP, .235 BAA) 16. Matt Canterino, RHP: Still recovering from Tommy John surgery. 15. Brent Headrick, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.00 ERA, 6 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HB, 7 K. (1.27 WHIP, .277 BAA) 14. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 4.50 ERA, 4 IP, 4 H, 2 ER, HRA, 5 K. (1.29 WHIP, .210 BAA) 13. Noah Miller, SS, Cedar Rapids: 4-21, HR, RBI, 3 R, 3 BB, 3 K. (.199/.288/.270. .558 OPS), played shortstop in five games (26 total) and committed one error in 27 chances (four errors in 130 total chances); played one game (six total) at second base and committed no errors in one chance (16 total). 12. Jose Salas, INF, Cedar Rapids: 3-17, 2 2B, 4 RBI, 2 R, 4 K, SB, CS (.159/.236/.221. .457 OPS), played one at shortstop and had one error in three chances (three errors in 29 chances in nine games total) and one game (eight total) at third base with no errors in one chance (two errors in 17 total chances). He played three games (14 total) at second base with one error in 19 chances (one error in 60 total chances). 11. Austin Martin, SS: Martin is still recovering from an arm injury. 10. Yasser Mercedes, OF: Extended Spring Training 9. Matt Wallner, OF, St. Paul: 6-25, 2 2B, BB, 15 K. (.271/.392/.486. 878 OPS); Minnesota: (.000/.273/.000. .273 OPS) 8. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 0-0, 19.29 ERA, 2.1 IP, 5 H, 5 ER, HRA, HB, 3 BB, 1 K. (1.50 WHIP, .273 BAA) 7. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.60 ERA, 5.0 IP, 6 H, 4 R (2 ER), 4 BB, 3 K (1.67 WHIP, .294 BAA); Minnesota: (2.14 WHIP, .350 BAA) 6. Marco Raya, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, H, 2 K. (0.89 WHIP, .170 BAA) 5. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: On the injured list, but expected to resume throwing. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 4. Edouard Julien, 2B, St. Paul: 4-10, 2B, R, 4 BB, 4 K. (.287/.442/.481. .923 OPS), has played all 27 games at second base and has committe two errors in 119 chances; Minnesota: 1-5, B, 2K (.219/.286/.406. .692 OPS) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 3-17, 3 R, HR, 2 RBI, 5 BB, 7 K, SB. (.167/.322/.375. 697 OPS) 2. Royce Lewis, SS: St. Paul: 6-16, 3 HR, 6 RBI, 3 R, 5 K, SB, CS. (.333/.500/.500. 1.000 OPS), played two games (three total) at shortstop and committed no errors in four chances (no errors in eight total chances). Lewis played two games (three total) at third base and committed no errors in one two chances (no errors in three total chances). 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Wichita: 4-19, HR, 4 RBI, 4 BB, 3 K, SB, CS. (.252/.331/.403. .734 OPS), played five games (33 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 24 chances (three errors in 136 total chances). Lee has committed one error in three chances in one game at third base this season. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (as voted on by fans on Twitter) PITCHER - Blayne Enlow, Wichita HITTER - Royce Lewis, St. Paul Who would have been your picks? Any early season surprises or disappointments? Ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects in the COMMENTS below.

Front offices have jobs to do. Whether the fanbase likes whatever moves they make is secondary to them putting a winning product on the field, barring a rebuild. But in recent years it seems like front offices are succumbing to some combination of their own impulses and fanbase pressure and making rash (but popular) moves. Whenever a fanbase is clamoring for a young, exciting player, it seems like they are making their debuts within weeks. Look at uber-prospects Anthony Volpe of the Yankees , Eury Perez of the Marlins, or Jordan Walker of the Cardinals. Of those, only Volpe had any Triple-A experience prior to his call-up, and he didn’t do well there in 99 at-bats. None of them have been great in the big leagues, as of yet. These impulsive (or desperate) moves can manifest in other ways, as well. I wrote on this site that when Alex Kirilloff finished his rehab assignment, he would be optioned to Triple A. That happened, but for less than a week. After seeing Trevor Larnach struggle for, let's be honest, one series, the Twins optioned him in favor of Kirilloff, despite him having rarely played back-to-back days in the minors recovering from his wrist injury. Didn’t that work out? Well, he is hitting well. Would it have helped if he had gradually worked his way into playing more back-to-back games before being recalled, from a long term, wrist-health perspective? We may never know. And that’s what I question. The easy answer was to call him up ASAP. The hard answer isn’t worth answering because it's unknowable. Restraint is boring, unsexy and impossible to evaluate in hindsight. We don’t pay much attention to a bridge that doesn’t collapse. In related news, the Tyler Mahle trade was a disaster. We got nine starts out of the guy while Christian Encarnacion-Strand is lighting Triple-A on fire and Spencer Steer is settling in as a solid regular for the Reds. But was the front office impulsive in making the move? Mahle had just missed time with an injured shoulder and the Twins rotation was a mess at the time, despite being in first place. Was there an element of “f- it, let’s go for it, it's what the fans want anyway”? Maybe. Maybe not. I loved the trade at the time, and so did you. But that wasn’t because it was a smart trade. We loved it because Mahle was the best deadline acquisition starting pitcher in Twins history, unless you’re a rabid Rick Reed fan. In that context, it's easy to push the danger signs, like Mahle’s shoulder, to the background. It's like being a kid waiting for Christmas in 2001 and hoping for the latest Crash Bandicoot game. But then everyone in your fifth grade class said it's the worst game ever and what follows is a brief time period where you kind’ve hoped you didn’t get the game so that you didn’t go through the pain of seeing it suck. However, when you saw it under the tree the next morning, all that doubt went out the window because now it's yours and two days ago it was all you ever hoped for (I’m of course referring to Crash Bandicoot: The Wrath of Cortex). On August first, Mahle was an injury risk. On August second, he was the key to our impending playoff success. Fifteen days later, he was injured. Which is why I’m always skeptical when the front office does exactly what the fan hivemind wants it to do. They make plenty of mistakes, but on the whole have more information, more experience, and they have more at stake than you. Their jobs are more important than your vibes, generally. We can’t know how much fan pressure impacts decision making, but when Aaron Hicks was hitting leadoff on opening day for the 2013 Twins, I got a little pit in my stomach like, “Oh God, they listened to us.” It happened again with signing Logan Morrison and Addison Reed, along with starting Randy Dobnak in game two of the ALDS in 2019. That brings me to Royce Lewis. He is eligible to return to the Twins on June 1st, and fans are already clamoring for his immediate return. The man has played 48 games total over the past four years, is recovering from a second torn ACL, and has twelve games of major league experience. We have no idea what he’ll be at this point. What we do know is that the last time he was both good and healthy was in A-Ball as a nineteen-year-old, five years ago. I can feel the seething, impulsive bloodlust that wants the 2017 first overall pick starting at third base in two weeks. It is a festering, bile-spitting demon that lurks in the back of all of our minds like a child that can’t handle watching other kids open presents on their birthday without getting a present of their own. It projects the image of Lewis hitting that game-breaking grand slam against Cleveland for his first big-league home run over and over like a Soviet propaganda film. It’s in Derek Falvey’s mind, and it’s in my mind, too. I can picture the lineup he lengthens: The postseason pedigree of Correa, the power/speed combo of Buxton, the reliability of Polanco and the line-to-line authority Kirilloff hits with coalesced around the “aw shucks” ultra-dynamism of a fully formed Lewis. But none of that is real if Lewis isn’t ready (and the injury gods don’t smile upon us). Whenever I’m not sure whether I’ve shown enough restraint in my life, I just try to picture what legendary cartoon dad and king of measured approaches, Hank Hill, would say. Thanks to OpenAI, we can ask him about calling up Royce Lewis: “You see, bringing up a young player too soon can be detrimental to their development. They need the opportunity to face different levels of competition, learn from experienced players, and mature both physically and mentally. It's like letting a steak rest after grilling so that the juices can redistribute and the flavors can fully develop. So, my advice would be to evaluate Royce Lewis's performance in the minors, consider his readiness both on and off the field, and make a decision based on what's best for his long-term development. Just like grilling a steak to perfection, you want to ensure that all the elements are in place before you serve it up.” That’s the unexciting, non-appeasing, wet blanket logic we need. Lewis will be ready when he’s ready. It could be June 1st or August 1st. As fans, it's our right to be excited and push to see him as soon as humanly possible. As a front office, the Twins need to ignore everything we say and make sure he is ready for production, and not rushed like a certain Playstation 2 game that ruined my winter break those many moons ago.

Weekly Snapshot: Mon, 5/15 through Sun, 5/21 *** Record Last Week: 2-4 (Overall: 25-22) Run Differential Last Week: +0 (Overall: +43) Standing: 1st Place in AL Central (3.5 GA) Last Week's Game Results: Game 42 | LAD 9, MIN 8: Cuzzi Strikes Again as Resilient Twins Fall in 12th Game 43 | MIN 5, LAD 1: Ober Leads Way in Rare Win at Dodger Stadium Game 44 | LAD 7, MIN 3: Pagán's Implosion Caps Late-Inning Meltdown Game 45 | LAA 5, MIN 4: Comeback Falls Short as Jax Falters Game 46 | MIN 6, LAA 2: Bullpen Bounces Back, Buxton Exits Game Game 47 | LAA 4, MIN 2: More Stranded Runners and Another Lost Series NEWS & NOTES Things have not gone Nick Gordon's way this season. Seeking to firmly establish himself as a bona fide big-leaguer, he was off to a dreadful start at the plate and seeing very sporadic playing time as a result. Recently, however, with Michael A. Taylor battling some back pain, Gordon had been seeing more time in center, and showing signs of life offensively with a .750 OPS in May. Then, on Wednesday at Dodger Stadium, Gordon fouled a ball very hard off his shin. He was able to finish the at-bat but came out of the game and was later diagnosed with a fractured shin. Brutal. The Twins haven't put forth a timeline yet, but we can expect Gordon to be sidelined for many weeks. Also landing on the injured list last week: Jorge Polanco (left hamstring strain) and Jorge Alcalá (right forearm flexor strain). Joining the roster to replace this trio of sidelined players were Kyle Garlick, José De León, and Edouard Julien (who, interestingly, started at DH on Sunday with Donovan Solano at second). It's obviously not great to see Polanco go down with a leg injury and Alcalá with an elbow injury after the way their 2022 campaigns went, but there is no sense at the moment that either issue is especially serious. HIGHLIGHTS For all the struggles we've seen from the Twins lineup thus far, the front office does deserve a lot of credit for some of the offseason moves they made to supplement the offense and its depth. Things could be worse. Two acquisitions that are paying off big-time at the moment are Joey Gallo and Kyle Farmer. The new de facto leadoff man Gallo launched two more homers last week, pushing his season total to 11. He leads the team in OPS by nearly 100 points, and could potentially gain consideration for a third career All-Star appearance if he keeps this up. The 29-year-old slugger has been streaky as advertised, but the slumps haven't been overly drastic and the power output has been invaluable – as has Gallo's ability to cycle defensively between first base and outfield corners with grace. Farmer has stepped into a new role as primary third baseman with José Miranda down in Triple-A (and, unfortunately, struggling there with a .143 average and no extra-base hits in nine games). Farmer had a monster week on the West Coast, going 9-for-24 with a homer and six RBIs against the Angels and Dodgers. Since returning from the IL he's batting .381 with nine RBIs in 11 games. While I certainly wouldn't expect him to keep up at this rate – Farmer's current .836 OPS is 125 points higher than his career benchmark – the hot streak has come at a very opportune time. Despite missing nearly a full month after taking an HBP to the face, Farmer has provided more fWAR to the Twins (0.7) than any position player not named Gallo or Byron Buxton. In the rotation, Joe Ryan continues to lead the way with one outstanding effort after another. He delivered his eighth quality start in nine tries on Friday, holding the Angels to two earned run in six innings. In typical fashion, he was an efficient strike-throwing machine, fanning nine and walking only one. Somehow he only looks better and better as the season progresses. Ryan was a little homer-prone early on, giving up one dinger in each of his first four starts and resurfacing one of the main flaws to his game from last year, but Joe Cool has now gone five straight turns without allowing one. His overall HR/9 rate (0.64) ranks 13th-lowest among qualified starters. I know I keep saying this pretty much every week but ... the guy really looks like an ace. Bailey Ober's numbers since joining the rotation are no less impressive. By holding the Dodgers to one run over six innings on Tuesday, the big right-hander lowered his ERA to 1.78. In three May starts, Ober has struck out 18 and walked two over 19 frames, leading the Twins to a 3-0 record. As a whole, the Twins rotation ranks second in the majors in fWAR, third in ERA, and first in Win Probability Added. This despite losing two-fifths of the Opening Day group. Just a powerhouse unit. Behind the consistently strong work from starting pitchers, the Twins are finding themselves in position to win nearly every game, but too often they're coming up short because the offense and bullpen aren't holding up their ends of the bargain. LOWLIGHTS Another week, another series of back-breaking lapses from Griffin Jax in key spots. The Twins have remained committed to their plan of using Jax as a primary high-leverage setup man, while watching it backfire repeatedly. The past road trip saw Jax: enter in the eighth inning of a tie game Monday versus LA and cough up the go-ahead run, then enter in the seventh with a one-run lead on Friday in Anaheim where he gave up two runs and took the loss. It was, incredibly, his sixth L through the first team's 45 games of the season. The meltdown at Angel Stadium (which I sadly witnessed live) was emblematic of Jax's season on whole: a combination of bad luck and self destruction that culminates in calamity. He retired the leadoff man, then gave up a cheap single to No. 9 hitter Zach Neto, and from there things unraveled: RBI triple, fielder's choice, walk, RBI single, removal from game. The "snakebit" narratives are tired at this point. As I wrote last week, great relievers make their own luck and Jax is doing too much to set himself back. Too much contact, too many walks, too little of the steady execution needed for a guy called upon when games are on the line. In the last calendar month Jax has the second-worst WPA among all MLB relievers, although it should be noted the only pitcher below him on that list is Cleveland's world-class closer Emmanuel Clase. Perhaps there's some comfort to be found there. I'm not saying Jax is at Clase's level in terms of ability, but it's a good reminder that even great relief arms have bad stretches and that's not necessarily cause to abandon ship. In other cases, there's a better argument for jumping overboard. Wednesday afternoon, the Twins dropped their series at Dodgers Stadium on another bullpen lapse. Emilio Pagán followed up a bases-loaded walk with a grand slam to turn a 3-2 lead into a 7-3 deficit. To his credit, Pagán had actually been pitching pretty well this year – and dating back to late last year – in large part because he'd managed to cut down the walks and homers dramatically. Both of those historical weaknesses came back to the forefront on Wednesday, and if that's a sign of things to come the Twins are going to be in trouble. Unfortunately, with Alcalá joining Caleb Thielbar on the injured list and Jax offering little reliability at the moment, the team is short on alternatives. Speaking of unfortunate re-emerging trends from the 2022 season: Buxton's balky knee is barking again. Early last week he was showing signs of perhaps turning a corner, flashing a level of aggressiveness on the bases that we haven't seen much this year. On Tuesday Buxton posted his first two-steal game since April of 2018. The optimistic among us might've even started to wonder ... Is the knee getting better? Is he starting to worry less about it? Perhaps a return to center field could be in the offing? Turns out, no. All of that increased activity for the knee apparently caused Buxton's chronic issue to "flare up," as Rocco Baldelli put it, leading to his being removed from Saturday night's game and sitting on Sunday. Baldelli downplayed the severity of this "tightness" in Buxton's right leg, and it sounds like the DH has a good shot at avoiding the IL. Still, it's a sobering reminder: the knee issue that plagued Buck throughout last season remains a factor and his availability can't be taken for granted at any time. The entire season is going to be a precarious dance. For now, the Twins could sure use him back quickly because he was cooking before the flare-up (6-for-18 with a homer and two doubles last week) and the other ostensible centerpiece of the lineup, Carlos Correa, just keeps on looking overmatched in almost every at-bat. The past week at least saw Correa draw a bunch of walks to salvage some production, but he just isn't hitting and it's moving to the point of being legitimately concerning. Correa just can't seem to catch up and isn't making much progress toward that end. Against fastballs, he is batting just .189 – last year he hit .333 against them. Pressure is building on the $200 million man to step up and start igniting this offense, which can't break the habit of flopping in big moments. Twins hitters astonishing went 0-for-9 with the bases loaded last week. The bats are playing a major role in setting Minnesota's bullpen up for failure. TRENDING STORYLINE Royce Lewis is coming in hot. His rehab stint moved up to Triple-A last week and Lewis got right to work, going deep three times in his first four games with the Saints. That includes a two-homer outburst on Saturday night at Columbus. To say the 23-year-old looks ready would be putting it mildly – as encouraging as the power showing has been, even more so is the fact he's attempted four steals in seven minor-league games. It's no-holds-barred for Lewis and that could be great news for a Twins lineup desperately needing a sustained jolt. All that's really standing in the way now is time. Lewis has another week and a half before his mandatory 60 days on the injured list are up, meaning we'll all have to wait and stare longingly across the river until he can be called up on June 1st. As far as how he'll fit in at that point, Lewis has been alternating between shortstop and third base in the minors so it seems like he's lining up for the hot corner, bypassing Miranda in the pecking order. But with Polanco, Buxton, Gordon, and Taylor all hobbled to various degrees, I wonder if we might see Lewis start getting any rehab reps at second base, or even ... center field? LOOKING AHEAD The Twins return home for a third straight series against a California-based opponent as the Giants come to town, followed by the Blue Jays. Get ready to see a couple of old friends: LaMonte Wade Jr. is San Francisco's leadoff hitter and José Berríos is slated to start next Sunday. MONDAY, 5/22: GIANTS @ TWINS – RHP Alex Cobb v. RHP Bailey Ober TUESDAY, 5/23: GIANTS @ TWINS – TBD v. RHP Sonny Gray WEDNESDAY, 5/24: GIANTS @ TWINS – RHP Anthony DeSclafani v. RHP Joe Ryan FRIDAY, 5/26: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS – RHP Kevin Gausman v. RHP Louie Varland SATURDAY, 5/27: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS – RHP Chris Bassitt v. RHP Pablo Lopez SUNDAY, 5/28: BLUE JAYS @ TWINS – RHP Jose Berrios v. RHP Bailey Ober

SAINTS SENTINEL Columbus 7, St. Paul 3 Box Score It was Randy Dobnak’s turn on the mound today to close out the series against the Columbus Clippers. Unfortunately the stuff wasn’t there and while he didn’t walk or strikeout anyone, Dobnak gave up five earned runs on five hits while only getting three outs. He was followed by Ronny Henriquez, and his two innings of work came with another two runs on a pair of walks and a base hit. Jose Miranda did start the scoring with a first inning sacrifice fly that scored Andrew Stevenson, but that was the only lead the Saints had. After the five-run outburst in the bottom half, and two more in the second inning, the seven runs were more than enough to withstand St. Paul’s two additional tallies. Jair Camargo hit his fourth home run of the season on a solo shot in the third inning, and Chris Williams went deep for the fifth time on a seventh inning longball. Royce Lewis did play third base and bat second in this one, but struck out three times in four at bats. Making his Twins organization debut, Austin Brice worked a scoreless inning of relief with a pair of strikeouts. Austin Schulfer continues to impress as well and lowered his ERA to 2.45 with a scoreless frame. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 4, Arkansas 3 Box Score Grabbing a series split with Arkansas, it was Travis Adams who made the start. Working four innings allowing just one run on a solo shot, it was a nice start with four strikeouts and just a single walk. Andrew Cabezas got his first win of the season in relief. After a pair of Jonatan Clase home runs put Arkansas in the lead, the Wind Surge went to work in the fifth inning. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled in Anthony Prato before Brooks Lee plated Pat Winkel on a line drive. Winkel continued his good game with a sixth inning double that scored Pratop, and it gave the Wind Surge a 4-3 lead. Arkansas attempted to claw back in the ninth inning but Riley Unroe’s RBI single was the only run they could muster. Winkel’s two-hit effort was the deciding factor on the day. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Peoria 2 Box Score Alejandro Hidalgo looked to keep a strong season going but lost his command early. Working just 1 1/3 innings after allowing six base runners to reach via a walk, he did work around damage by allowing only two runs to cross. The Kernels bullpen responded with 7 2/3 innings of perfect baseball. They allowed no hits or walks while punching out eight. Responding to the first inning runs, Kala’i Rosario put Cedar Rapids on the board despite grounding into a double play. Ben Ross scored and the good guys were on the board. Rosario was recently named the Twins minor league hitter of the week. In the fifth inning Tanner Schobel crushed his fifth double of the season to drive in both Willie Joe Garry Jr. and Jeferson Morales. The Kernels had their first lead of the game. It was then Schobel again lifting a sacrifice fly in the seventh inning that scored Garry Jr. again and giving us the final tally of 4-2. Schobel and Garry Jr. both grabbed a pair of hits in the contest for Cedar Rapids. MUSSEL MATTERS Lakeland 6, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Zebby Matthews has been impressive this season for the Mighty Mussels and that followed suit today. Although he did give up four runs, only one was earned and he struck out nine while walking none. Matthews worked 4 2/3 innings before turning things over to the bullpen. Fort Myers scored first when Carlos Aguiar sent a sacrifice fly deep enough into right field for Andrew Cossetti to race home. That lead was wiped out in the bottom half, but Danny De Andrade put the Mighty Mussels back up 3-2 in the fifth inning. His sixth double scored both Maddux Houghton and Jorel Ortega. The back and forth continued with Lakeland retaking the lead 4-3 in the fifth inning, and extended it in the sixth winning with a solo shot. Aguiar then tripled for the sixth time this season in the seventh inning, which allowed both De Andrade and Cossetti to score and tie the game. A ninth inning solo home run from Sergio Tapia walked things off, and Fort Myers had to go home empty. De Andrade and Cossetti both recorded a pair of hits in the game. Cossetti picked up his first triple of the season. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kernels Bullpen (Cedar Rapids) - 7.2 IP, 0 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 8 K Hitter of the Day – Patrick Winkel (Wichita) - 2-3, 2B(5), R, RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 1-4, 2 R, K #2 - Royce Lewis (St. Paul) - 0-4, 3 K #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 0-3, 3 K #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-3, BB #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-4, K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Omaha @ St. Paul (11:07AM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Springfield (6:355PM CST) - TBD Wisconsin @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - BTD Fort Myers @ Dunedin (5:30PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games!

The Minnesota Twins bullpen has become a regular topic of discussion on Twins Twitter (mostly for negative reasons). Blowing leads is a sore subject among fans, and Emilio Pagan and Griffin Jax had some rough outings this past week that led to Minnesota losses. Jax in particular has been struggling. After posting a 3.36 ERA and going 7-4 in relief last season, the righty has regressed to a 5.59 ERA and 2-6 record this year. This definitely matters to the Twins and their fans, but does it matter to fantasy players? Jax and Pagan are unlikely to be owned in many leagues, so the short answer is “no.” However, there is some secondary impact. For one, it solidifies Jhoan Duran and Jorge Lopez as the clear-cut top options in the bullpen. That really wasn’t in question, though there was some thought that Jax could be used in the eighth and ninth innings at certain points if he pitched well. That seems unlikely now. Duran and Lopez already had value in fantasy leagues, but they could be even more valuable if Rocco Baldelli leans on them a bit more and their usage ticks upward slightly. Obviously, blowing leads has a clear negative impact on starting pitchers because they miss out on potential wins. Joe Ryan’s 6-1 record has been a big part of his early-season fantasy value. If the Twins continue to let leads slip away in the middle innings, all the starters take a small hit, though Ryan, Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez and Bailey Ober should continue to be fine fantasy options, while Louie Varland has held his own lately, too. One final note on the bullpen: Brock Stewart is a little more interesting if Jax continues to struggle. It’s hard to see anyone outside of Duran or Lopez having a ton of fantasy appeal, but in deeper leagues, it’s worth keeping an eye on most relievers who are pitching well. Stewart could be a Duran or Lopez injury away from stepping into a setup role, which would likely lead to more holds and possibly some save opportunities. He’s not worth adding now, but he’s a lot closer to the fantasy radar than he was at the start of the year. Let’s look at some key injury updates, plus which Twins have their stock rising and falling from a fantasy perspective due to results from the past week as well as a prospect to keep an eye on. I’ll also take a look at the week ahead and highlight some matchups to target and avoid. Twins Injury Updates Byron Buxton Expected return: TBD In what’s become an annual tradition, there is unfortunately some Buxton injury news to report. He left Saturday’s game with knee tightness and won’t play Sunday. On a more fortunate note, the Twins are saying it’s a minor issue, at least for now. Stay tuned to lineups on Monday to see if the panic meter should rise any higher. Jorge Polanco Expected return: TBD The Twins placed Polanco on the injured list Saturday due to a hamstring strain. He had been performing well at the plate with a .284 average, four home runs and 14 RBI in 23 games. Hamstring injuries can be tricky, so it’s unclear at this point when Polanco will be ready to return. This paves the way for the return for Edouard Julien, who gets a big boost in fantasy value if he sees regular action at second base. Nick Gordon Expected return: TBD Gordon is out indefinitely with a fractured right leg. It’s a blow to the Twins’ depth given his ability to play multiple positions, but it doesn’t have a huge impact on fantasy leagues. Kyle Farmer likely gets a slight boost in fantasy value as a result, though he’s already been seeing regular playing time lately at third base (and doing quite well – more on that below). Max Kepler Expected return: TBD Kepler ran recently for the first time since injuring his hamstring, but there’s no clear date for his return. Trevor Larnach continues to serve as Kepler’s replacement and he’s been inconsistent at the plate, though he’s shown flashes of potential throughout the season. Kyle Garlick is also back on the MLB roster in place of Gordon, so he’ll likely have occasional value in daily formats when he starts against lefties, just like he has in the past. Kenta Maeda Expected return: TBD Maeda remains sidelined with a right triceps strain without a clear timetable for his return. Louie Varland has mostly done well in his place with a 4.18 ERA and 31 strikeouts across 28 innings. Home runs continue to be his main weakness, as he’s given up seven in those 28 innings. Royce Lewis Expected return: Early June Lewis has been hitting the cover off the ball in his rehab assignment, which has to be getting Minnesota fans and fantasy players alike excited. When Lewis is able to return, he’ll likely see time at third base and possibly in center field. He should play often no matter where he is in the field, as the Twins could use an offensive jolt. Fantasy managers may want to stash Lewis in an IL spot now, as he has the talent to make a big impact later this season. Twins Fantasy Player Trends Stock Rising: Kyle Farmer ESPN ownership: 3% It’s probably time to give this dude a little more recognition. Farmer has been solid for Minnesota with a .319 average, three home runs, 14 RBI and 15 runs scored across 21 games. He’s also taken over as the regular third baseman following the demotion of Jose Miranda. The eventual return of Lewis may complicate things, but if Farmer continues to hit, he’ll find his way in the lineup most days. As an added bonus, he’s likely eligible at third and shortstop in a lot of leagues, and he could gain eligibility at second if he sees more time there in place of Polanco. Anybody who starts most days, has dual-position eligibility and bats above .300 is worth at least considering in most fantasy formats. Stock Falling: Byron Buxton ESPN ownership: 74% This is solely based on his uncertain health status and his well-documented injury history. For now, the Twins are saying Buxton is dealing with a minor knee issue, but we’ve seen things snowball in the past with the outfielder. At the very least, fantasy managers should begin thinking about some backup plans if Buxton needs an IL stint. Lewis makes a lot of sense depending on when he returns, and he could see time at both DH and in center field. For Buxton, his fantasy value the rest of the season is tied directly to his availability. He’s dynamic when he’s in the lineup but obviously not much use when he’s not. One immediate concern, whether Buxton misses extended time or not, is the possibility that he runs less. Buxton was already running less than he did as a younger player, though he did have two stolen bases in a game at Dodger Stadium this past week. We may not see him record a game with multiple steals the rest of the way if Minnesota gets more cautious. Prospect Spotlight Matt Wallner (Current team: Triple-A) Wallner continues to toe the line between Triple-A and the majors. He’s played in 29 games for the Saints and posted a strong .902 OPS so far. The outfielder saw action in six games for Minnesota earlier in the year and failed to record a hit. Last year, Wallner managed his first two MLB home runs in limited action. It’s clear that he’s probably too good for Triple-A but hasn’t quite gotten a full-time shot yet in the majors. With Kepler out, right field could be an option if Larnach falls into another extended slump. Wallner may also get the call at some point if Buxton misses time and the Twins need some DH candidates. For now, Wallner is a AAAA guy waiting in the wings. Upcoming Week Matchup Notes 3 Games vs Giants (Alex Cobb, Sean Manaea, Anthony DeSclafani) 3 Games vs Blue Jays (Kevin Gausman, Chris Bassitt, Jose Berrios) After coming back from their West Coast road trip, the Twins will welcome another West Coast team before getting guests from Canada. Minnesota also welcomes back old friend Jose Berrios. San Francisco seems to be the easier opponent on paper, and the Twins are lined up to use Ober, Gray and Ryan in the series. I’d fire all three of them up with confidence in those spots. Two-Start Starting Pitchers Ober lines up to start Monday and Sunday. The Giants matchup looks positive, as they’re just 21st in the league in runs scored. Toronto is a bit better at 13th, though it’s hard not to like Ober at pitcher-friendly Target Field. He’s a good target in leagues with weekly lineups. I also like Ober in daily formats on Monday. Twins Fantasy Hitters to Watch The best matchups this week appear to be against Manaea and Berrios. Manaea has a 7.81 ERA and 1.70 WHIP, and the lefty is allowing righties to hit .299 against him this year. Carlos Correa is just 8-for-43 (.186 average) against Manaea all time, but he might be worth considering here along with Farmer and Buxton if he’s healthy. Berrios, meanwhile, has a 4.61 ERA, 1.25 WHIP and lefties are hitting .303 against him this year. So this would essentially be the opposite of the Manaea matchup, as you’d want to look at the likes of Larnach and Joey Gallo as the centerpieces of a stack in daily formats. The other matchups this week look like they could be pitchers’ duels. Cobb has a sub-2.00 ERA, DeSclafani has a sub-1.00 WHIP, and Gausman and Bassitt have both been stingy for the Blue Jays. These would all be contrarian plays in daily formats. One sneaky note: Christian Vazquez is 12-for-19 in his career against Cobb, so he’d be a cheap and lightly used dart throw in DFS (assuming he’s in the lineup). I’m also keeping my eye on second base with Polanco out. Willi Castro got the start there on Saturday, but he feels like a reserve option for this team. Julien will probably see more time here moving forward and could be useful this week with the Twins only facing the one lefty. To that point, he’s in the lineup Sunday as the cleanup hitter. Any Twins-related fantasy insights to share? Let me know in the COMMENTS, plus post your thoughts on the matchups this week.

TRANSACTIONS Shortstop Royce Lewis continues to rehab in St. Paul Outfielder Kyle Garlick, recalled by the Twins RHP Andrew Morris is reinstated from the 7-day IL after a bicep strain Infielder Keoni Cavaco has been activated from the 7-day IL Ernie Yake has been placed on the Development List Saints Sentinel St. Paul 8, Columbus 1 Box Score The Saints struck first blood tonight in Columbus with a solo home run from Chris Williams to go up 1-0 on the Clippers. The Clippers answered in like, but the Saint offense continued to give Clippers starting pitcher Zach Plesac a difficult time with another solo home run from Royce Lewis, who has been rehabbing with the Saints the past week. The Saints continued to take advantage of Plesac's pitching, scoring 4-1 by the fourth. Lewis continues to not only improve after missing time for an ACL injury, but his bat has been a considerable contributor to the Saint's run count since coming up. Lewis has less than 20 days left on his rehab assignment, and Twins fans are clamoring for the shortstop to make his appearance at the club level with all the injuries mounting in Minneapolis. Lewis has a .400 BA and is responsible for five RBI in four games. Saints starting pitcher Aaron Sanchez struggled early on, allowing three walks and loading the bases but got himself out of a jam, only allowing one of those to turn into a run. He settled down after a rough inning and stayed in the game for five innings, keeping tight control of the strike zone and the Clipper's runs. Sanchez and the bullpen didn't allow any more runs throughout the game, giving the offense free reign to create more chaos, and what do you know? Lewis took advantage of that, getting his second home run of the night and his third since returning to St. Paul, extending the lead to 5-1. The Saints got three more insurance runs (two at the top of the ninth) before the game ended to gave Sanchez his second win. Wind Surge Wisdom Wichita 10, Arkansas 14 Box Score Wichita and Arkansas battled a long game throughout the late evening on Friday. Going pitch-for-pitch and hit-for-hit, the two teams stayed in sync for the first three innings with a score of 0-0, 2-2, and 4-4. Wichita starting pitcher David Festa had a rough night on the mound. Only staying in for 2.1 IP, Festa gave up five runs, only walked one, and had one strikeout. Right-hander Seth Nordin came in to clean up the inning and minimize the damage but walked three and allowed one run. Festa and Nordin gave up six earned runs together and only had one strike, giving the Travelers every opportunity to run up the score. The Surge was not alone, though, in their pitching woes. The offense got the same opportunity due to Arkansas' starting pitcher Emerson Hancock, who, like Festas, rarely struggles on the mound. Hancock could not strike out any of the Surge line-ups, walking five and giving up six runs to the Surge. Two of those runs from Alex Isola, who has reached base now in 16 consecutive games and has a seven-game hit streak. One of Isola's runs came in the fourth inning to break the tie-game giving the Surge a one-run lead. The Surge and Travelers game did not move swiftly. Each team had a considerable amount of hits, but as many hits as they had, both teams also left 32 players on base between the two of them. The pitch clock was not able to save this game’s time. The Travelers 11 hits and left 20 on base by the top of the seventh inning, but somehow managed a three run lead (11-8) over the Surge. The Surge bullpen simply couldn’t hold it together. The Travelers dug deep into the Surge bullpen and just exploited them at every opportunity, running up the score with the Surge unable to catch up. Kernels Nuggets Cedar Rapids 8, Peoria 4 Box Score The Cedar Rapids Kernels are stacked with talent. Seven of the twenty Twins Daily prospects are in Cedar Rapids, which shows. The starting pitcher, Twins Daily #4 prospect Marcus Raya put on another clinic tonight in Peoria with three clean innings, not allowing any runs and striking out two. Raya only threw 61 pitches before being replaced by RHP Kyle Jones in the fourth. Jones allowed one earned run in the fifth, a run from a series of unfortunate events on a fielding error by Kernel's third baseman, Ben Ross, allowing him to make it to first and secure second. However, Jones controlled the damage with routine outs to end the inning. The Kernels took advantage of the opportunity to get on the board in the fourth inning, earning four runs and forcing Peoria to pull their starting pitcher. Four of the Twins Daily top 20 prospects, Tanner Schobel, Misuel Urbina, Noah Miller, and Jose Salas, took turns securing runs for the Kernels, generating five of the seven RBI throughout Friday's game. The Kernels went up on the Chiefs, scoring four earned runs in the second and the fourth innings. The Chiefs weren't willing to go down without a fight and came out swinging in the eighth inning with a pair of singles and then took Jones for three runs on a wild pitch closing the gap 4-8. Right fielder Kal'ai Rosario has been a huge part of the offensive results for the Kernels throughout May. Rosario ended April with over 20 strikeouts, straddling the Mendoza line with a .215 BA and .311 OBS. Fast forward to the later part of May, as of Friday night's game, the Hawaii native still has a high strikeout ratio, but his batting average has increased to .393 BA and his OBS to .507. In Friday night's game against the Chiefs, Rosario earned two runs and drove in two RBI to help secure the win for the Kernels. Mussels Matters Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 7 Box Score The Mussel's pitching struggled tonight after a solid win in Lakeland on Thursday night. By the third inning, the Mussels starting pitcher Andrew Morris allowed three earned runs in one shot on a three-run home run from Lakeland's Peyton Graham, pulling ahead of the Mussels 3-2. A.J. Labas came in for Morris in the bottom of the third to minimize the damage but had his struggles coming into the fourth inning, allowing three earned runs himself. Two stolen bases from Peyton Graham and Luke Gold were compounded by fielding errors that allowed Lakeland to run the score up to 6-3. The two pitchers combined gave up six runs in the third and fourth inning, nullifying Mussel's three earned runs over the last three innings. The Mussels offense couldn't generate runs and was stifled throughout the six innings, only getting four hits total, leaving 14 on base. In the act of mercy, mother nature intervened to help the Mussels out with a temporary rain delay to gather themselves. Returning from the rain delay, the Mussels' Carlos Aguiar cleared the bases with a sharp line drive to right field, tying up the score to level the playing field. The Mussels fought back hard, and it looked like the game may have gone into extra innings, but Lakeland had just enough left in them to generate one more run to pull ahead and stay there to beat the Mussels 7-6. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Aaron Sanchez (St. Paul) - 5 IP, 2 H, 1 R, 3 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, 2 R (both home runs), 1K, 2 RBI PROSPECT SUMMARY The Twins Prospect Tracker is the best way to see how each of the Twin's top prospects performed during their games, but in case you wanted a quick look, Here is how each of the top 20 performed today: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - Did Not Play #2 - Royce Lewis (Minnesota) - 3-for-4, 2 RBI #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI,1 BB,1 K #4 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - 3.0 IP, 2K #5 - Edouard Julien (Minnesota) - 1-for-1, RBI, 1 BB, K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did Not Pitch #7 - Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI, BB, 1 K #9 - Louie Varland (Minnesota) - SP 4/22/23 #10 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Injured List #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-5, RBI, BB, 1K #12 - Yasser Mercedes (Extended Spring Training) #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - 2.1 IP, 5H, 5 ER, 3 BB, 1 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, 1 RBI,1 BB, K #15 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Injured List #16 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - SP 5/20/23 #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul ) - Did Not Pitch #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-5, RBI, BB, 2 K #19 - Jose Rodriguez (Extended Spring Training) - #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 2-for-4, 1 RBI, BB, 1K SATURDAY SCHEDULE AND PROBABLE STARTERS: St. Paul @ Columbus (7:05 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-1, 2.89ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (6:05 PM CST): RH Aaron Rozek (0-1, 8.10ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Peoria (7:35 PM CST) - Jordan Carr (1-1, 2.25ERA) Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:00 PM CST) - Cory Lewis (4-1, 2.43ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss today's game!

Minnesota’s front office had a clear roster plan when addressing the team’s center field depth. The club traded for Michael A. Taylor this winter to provide depth and defensive flexibility in the outfield. Expectations were for Nick Gordon and Joey Gallo to have the ability to play in center depending on the pitching match-up. Gordon went on the IL earlier this week after fouling a pitch off his leg. He fractured his right shin and will be sidelined for multiple weeks. It’s a tough break for Gordon, who was looking to build off a strong 2022 season where he posted a 111 OPS+ in 136 games. His 2023 season was off to a slow start (.143 BA in April), but he had raised his batting average by over 50 points in May. Now, the Twins will need to look at other center-field options. Gordon had been getting more playing time in center because Taylor was dealing with a sore back. In his age-32 season, Taylor has seen some ups and downs with his performance. Through April, he hit .244/.294/.419 (.712) with three doubles and four home runs. Since May 1, his OPS has dropped to .583 as he’s been limited to one extra-base hit. His back has been an issue recently, likely tied to his decreased offensive production. The Twins can hope his back improves, but that seems unlikely if he is forced to play more regularly with Gordon on the IL. Byron Buxton is the other elephant in the room. When healthy, Buxton is one of baseball’s top defenders in center field. He has yet to play a defensive inning because the club wants him in the lineup as much as possible. He’s played in 40-of-44 games to start the year while posting a 128 OPS+ and ranking sixth in fWAR among DHs. He may play in center field later this season, but Buxton and the team have to be happy with his abundant availability so far in 2023. Gallo and Willi Castro are the only players on the big-league roster who have seen time in center field. Center field isn’t the optimal defensive position for either of these players. Castro can play nearly every defensive position, but he’s stretched in center field. The Twins needed Gallo at first base while Alex Kirilloff was returning from injury, and he’s won Gold Gloves in both corner outfield spots. Like Gordon, Gallo left Wednesday’s game after fouling a ball off his shin, but he didn’t suffer a fracture. Minnesota would likely call someone up before giving either of these players significant innings in center field. Royce Lewis is rehabbing at Triple-A in the minor leagues, but the team plans to use him at shortstop and third base. Also, he can't be activated from the 60-day IL until the last day of the May. Also, last season, he tore his ACL for the second consecutive season when playing center field. It doesn’t seem out of the question for the Twins to reevaluate whether he can be used in center field in the future, but third base might be his best chance for regular playing time at the big-league level this season. Austin Martin, one of the team’s top prospects, would be a prime candidate to see time in center field. However, the team shut him down during spring training with a UCL sprain. He has yet to resume baseball activities, and there is a chance that he will need surgery. Like Martin, Gilberto Celestino injured himself this spring, or he might be in the center field conversation. He ruptured the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which has a recovery period of 6-8 weeks. It has been over eight weeks since his surgery, and he hasn’t begun a rehab assignment. At Triple-A, Andrew Stevenson and Mark Contreras have seen the bulk of playing time in center field. Stevenson is a 29-year-old signed with the Twins this winter after playing eight seasons in the Nationals organization. The former second-round pick is hitting .276/.372/.391 (.762) with seven extra-base hits and 12 stolen bases in 31 games. Contreras played 28 games for the Twins in 2022 and posted a 22 OPS+ with 21 strikeouts. He’s off to a strong start with the Saints this year with ten doubles, five home runs, ten steals, and an .888 OPS. Contreras might be the best option from Triple-A if the Twins need a center-field replacement, especially because he hits left-handed. Many fans will call for Buxton to start getting reps in center field, but that seems unlikely. Will the Twins need more center-field depth in 2023? Who is the next best option? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

Jose Miranda looked like he was naturally progressing to becoming a regular in the Twins’ line-up. He posted a breakout season in the upper minors during the 2021 season on his way to being named the TD Minor League Hitter. Last season, he made his big-league debut and posted a 114 OPS+, even with a late-season slump. During the offseason, he worked to get himself in better shape, and plenty of buzz surrounded him at the season’s start. The Twins hoped he was ready to bat in the middle of their line-up for multiple years. Miranda struggled at the big-league level before the team demoted him last week. In 35 games, he hit .220/.275/.318 (.593) with four doubles, three home runs, and a 23-to-9 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Miranda has to hit very well to bring value to the club because his defense is below average, and he is slow on the bases. His struggles have been well documented, and now his future at third base is cloudy. Miranda would never stay at third base for the long term, so let’s reevaluate some of the team’s long-term options at third base. Carlos Correa As Correa ages, he will eventually need to move from shortstop to another defensive home. Many of baseball’s all-time best shortstops moved to third base later in their careers. Minnesota hopes Correa’s health (and ankle) can keep him at shortstop into his early 30s, but father time is undefeated regarding player performance. There is no immediate need to move Correa, but it’s certainly something the team has to consider when completing long-term outlooks. Royce Lewis Correa’s presence at shortstop means Lewis doesn’t have a defined defensive home as he returns from his second ACL surgery. The Twins have said he will primarily play shortstop and third base during rehab appearances. When back in the big leagues, he can serve as the Twins’ shortstop when Correa needs an off-day, but third base might be his best opportunity for regular playing time. During the 2019 Arizona Fall League, he played over 100 innings at third base but has fewer than 30 innings with a Twins affiliate. Brooks Lee Lee seems the ideal fit to be the Twins’ long-term third baseman. He’s played shortstop throughout his professional career, but many expect him to move off the position as he gets closer to the big leagues. Some have wondered whether Lee might solve the Twins’ offensive woes, but calling him up seems a little premature. If he continues to hit well, he can be promoted to Triple-A before midseason and make his big-league debut in the second half. Minnesota fans can envision a future infield that includes Correa at short, Lee at third, and Lewis at second base. Edouard Julien Julien might be a dark horse candidate for third base with the Twins. Nearly all of his professional career has been spent at second base, with just over 20 starts each at first and third base. In college, he was primarily used as a third baseman, so he’s had plenty of reps at the position in the past. It seemed likely for the Twins to give him reps at other defensive positions following his demotion to Triple-A, but he has only played second base this season. Minnesota’s front office might believe that he is best suited for that position, which means third base might not be in his future. Who is the correct answer at third base for the long term? Will Miranda get another look at third? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

When Twins Daily just started about a dozen years ago, I wrote the majority of minor league content and the first few Top Prospect rankings were basically me, along with Cody Christie and Jeremy Nygaard, sharing our rankings. Since then, we have been including as many Twins Daily writers who provide minor-league content (written or video). It obviously becomes much more of consensus ranking than a more limited group. With this prospect ranking, we are adding even more data points. Here’s how it works. I worked with our minor-league staff on our prospect rankings. I asked them to provide me with their Top 30 players and with that determine the Top 20 for the writers. In addition, Brock started a forum topic, asking Twins Daily readers to provide their Top 20 rankings. After several days, he then went into those rankings and consolidated them into the forum Top 20. Take the writer rankings. Take the forum community rankings. Give each 50% weight, and "Voila!" We have our new Top 20 Twins Prospects from Twins Daily. Some players have started well. Some players have struggled early. Several players have had or fought injuries. All of that may alter the rankings. So below, I will get to the updated Top 20 rankings, but here are some notes about those rankings. Who’s Out? First, Louie Varland is no longer in the rankings. While he is technically still a “prospect” today, as soon as he gets three more outs in the big leagues, he will hit the 50-inning mark, removing his prospect status. This is a great way to no longer make a prospect list! Three players at the back end of the previous rankings fell out of the Top 20. #17 Ronny Henriquez was hurt through spring training, then made about four rehab appearances and is now on the Saints roster. This one feels a bit out-of-sight, out-of-mind. Also, that he is most likely a relief pitcher likely pushes him down a couple of spots too. #18 Tanner Schobel was the team’s second-round pick last year out of Virginia Tech. He has made the jump to High-A Cedar Rapids where the 23-year-old is playing all over the infield and hitting about .240 with three homers. Finally, #20 Misael Urbina fell down a bit, just outside the Top 20. The 21-year-old outfielder is hitting just over .160 in his first month-plus of High-A ball. Who’s In? #15 – Brent Headrick jumps into the Top 20 rankings after not being in the Top 30 this spring. Many were surprised that he was added to the 40-man roster last fall. Articles were written saying he may be a DFA candidate in spring training if a roster spot was needed. Instead, the 25-year-old lefty had a terrific showing in spring training. He was sent to St. Paul to start the season, despite spending just two months at Double-A Wichita last season. Early in the season, the Twins needed a long reliever and summoned Headrick. He impressed with three solid innings out of the bullpen in Fenway Park in his debut, recording a save in the process. He got the final out in a win over the Nationals. Then he had another extended outing in Yankees Stadium and fared well. With Tyler Mahle and Kenta Maeda out for the foreseeable future, we are not likely to see Headrick in a long-relief role anytime soon. It’s possible he, along with Simeon Woods Richardson, are the two candidates for spot starts for the time being. #17 – Blayne Enlow returns to the Top 20 with a strong start to his 2023 season. As you know, the former third-round pick needed Tommy John surgery in June of 2021. He was added to the 40-man roster following that season anyway. He worked his way back and after just one rehab appearance, he was pushed up to Double-A. Admittedly, he had some troubles, throwing strikes, being consistent, as is not unusual following surgery. He was removed from the 40-man this offseason, cleared waivers, and started this season back in Double-A for somewhat of a make or break season. Somewhat surprising, he returned to the starter role. It hasn’t been perfect, but he’s shown the increased velocity, the walks are down, and he is getting a lot of strikeouts. Enlow has spent a lot of time in the Twins Daily Top 10 Prospect rankings since being drafted in 2017. He’s incredibly driven and still has an opportunity to be a long-term big-league pitcher. #19 – Yunior Severino was an intriguing signing when he signed with the Twins for $2.5 million. You can read a lot more about him, especially if you want to hop on the Severino Hype Train, so I won’t get into a ton of detail here. However, over the past couple of seasons, he has really developed his powerful swing. His 10 home runs this season are four more than any other minor leaguer in the Twins minor leagues. He’s been eligible to be selected I the Rule 5 a couple of years already. It’s very possible he wouldn’t get through that process again. #20 – Michael Helman has had a tough season, if we are being honest, but his “stock” and respect in the organization and in the mind’s of many Twins fans has greatly improved. He earned an invitation to big-league spring training, but then he hurt his hamstring and missed that opportunity, along with the first month of the season. He returned to St. Paul and for a week, he was remarkable, but now he’s on the IL with a dislocated shoulder. How long will he be out? We shall see. But if healthy, if there is a need for a versatile, right-handed bench or platoon bat, Helman is a candidate. He has hit 19 and 20 homers, respectively, the past two seasons. He stole 40 bases last year. Over the past couple of seasons, he has played at least 20 games at seven position (4 infield and 4 outfield), and hey, he was a catcher in high school, and he has a strong arm and could probably pitch if needed too. No Change at the Top Probably no surprise, but the top three did not change at all. The ‘battle’ for #1 prospect between Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis was incredibly close, and it still was. However, Lee remained at #1 for both the writers and the community. There are those (like me), who will continue to have Lewis at #1 because of his potential, his make up, and the potential we saw in his 12 games with the Twins in 2022. For others, the back-to-back seasons with the ACL injuries, were too much to keep him at #1. Neither answer is right, and neither answer is wrong. But it certainly can be a fun discussion. And Twins fans, we should ultimately just be thankful to have both in the organization. And while he has been limited with an injury, and a strikeout machine when he has been healthy, we all still believe in Emmanuel Rodriguez’s upside, and he sticks at #3. Big Movers? There really weren’t a lot of players that moved up or down the list significantly, aside from the four new guys mentioned above. But of those that were on the list preseason and now, the player who moved up the most is RHP David Festa who moved up to #8 from #13. He has been solid for Wichita and has his best start recently. He is also sitting with a fastball between 96-98 mph. Jose Salas fell four spots. He is one of the ten youngest players in the Midwest League, and he (like several of the Twins young prospects in Cedar Rapids) has struggled to keep his batting average over about .160. New to the organization, we didn’t necessarily know where to rank him before the season. Now we have six weeks of data points that haven’t looked pretty. However, there is no question that the tools are there with the bat and with his speed. What does it mean? Connor Prielipp moved up two spots to #5. He made just a couple of starts in Cedar Rapids before being placed on the IL with some left arm concerns. The reports on him since have been positive, but that’s scary. Jordan Balazovic couldn’t have had a more difficult past season. He started 2022 hurt, and then really struggled all season with the Saints. Then came this spring training where, well, things didn’t go well. His season started a bit late and then he started the season in the bullpen. But something happened. He returned to form. Sure, there have been too many walks, but he’s been making starts and shown the ability to be really good, even dominant, for two or three innings. Maybe he extends that length, or maybe he becomes a 2-3 inning guy with great stuff. Austin Martin and Matt Canterino fell just one spot in the rankings. Simeon Woods Richardson has an ERA over seven, and he only fell a couple of spots. Marco Raya and Emmanuel Rodriguez each missed a month with injury. Rodriguez stayed at #3, and Raya fell to #6 (one spot behind Prielipp). It seems like guys that missed time stayed close to where they were, or even moved up, in part due to the reality that very few top prospects have actually played great to start the season. Yes, Varland has improved, but now he’s not eligible for the list. Edouard Julien has been quite good with the Saints and showed some of what he can be in his short time with the Twins. Matt Wallner continues to bash Triple-A pitching. But those were top guys already with not very many spots to move up. Who else has started the season making a strong impression? Solid Starts, but not quite Top 20 Andrew Cossetti got a few Top 30 votes by our writers, and he has had a huge start to his season. Severino has been fantastic. For Fort Myers, Jorel Ortega is playing very well, and Dalton Shuffield is hitting well for the Mighty Mussels. Noah Cardenas has been a bright spot in the Kernels’ lineup, and I would argue that Ben Ross and Kala’i Rosario should have moved up people’s lists, but to the borderline of the top 20. DaShawn Keirsey is again playing well in Wichita and already has 16 stolen bases. Yoyner Fajardo has hit very well, for average, with the Wind Surge. On the mound, a few of the 2022 draft picks have started out strong. That would include Kyle Jones, Cory Lewis, Zebby Matthews, and C.J. Culpepper are doing well. Pierson Ohl moved up a level and has 26 strikeouts with just two walks. Newcomer Alejandro Hidalgo is young for the Midwest League, but he’s got a 1.50 ERA with the Kernels. Jaylen Nowlin is still striking out a ton of batters, though he’s walking some as well. Out of the bullpen, Regi Grace has been fantastic all season. Kody Funderburk’s ERA and strikeout rate have been terrific, though his WHIP is quite high. Matthew Swain is really starting to dominate. 2022 Day 3 draft picks Ben Ethridge and Zach Veen both have ERAs of 1.20 and lower, and WHIPS under 1.00. Who’s Next? Well, as you would expect, I can only speak to which players are next in line on the writers’ “ballots,” just outside our consensus Twins Daily Top 20 prospects. At the top of that list is Fort Myers shortstop Danny De Andrade. He was a big international free agent signing a couple of years ago. He’s being challenged, but so far, he has at least held his own. Here are “The Next 10.” 21.) Danny De Andrade, Fort Myers 22.) Misael Urbina, Cedar Rapids 23.) Ronny Henriquez, St. Paul 24.) Tanner Schobel, Cedar Rapids 25.) Bryan Acuna, FCL 26.) Cole Sands, Minnesota 27.) Kala’I Rosario, Cedar Rapids 28.) Jaylen Nowlin, Cedar Rapids 29.) Alejandro Hidalgo, Cedar Rapids 30.) Byron Chourio, FCL Ask Away Be sure to dig around in the Twins Daily Prospect Tracker to learn more about each of the Top 20 prospects. But feel free to use the COMMENTS below to discuss these prospects. Who is ranked too high, and who is ranked too low? And be sure to ask us about our rankings or about any of the players. We will try to answer your questions, and hopefully get comments from our minor-league writers on their thoughts too.

TRANSACTIONS My poor Eminem lyric-rework aside, there were several transactions in advance of Tuesday’s games, including SS Royce Lewis's rehab assignment officially being transferred to the St. Paul Saints. His rehab window is 20 days, and the end of that is also when he is eligible for activation from the 60-day injured list, FYI. The Saints also were assigned RHP Jose Bravo from the Wichita Wind Surge, as the Minnesota Twins selected the contract of RHP Jose De Leon to replace RHP Jorge Alcala, who was put on the 15-day injured list. De Leon was scheduled to start tonight's game for St. Paul. In Wichita, the Wind Surge activated LHP Denny Bentley from the IL, sending down C Kyle Schmidt to Cedar Rapids to make room. The Kernels released RHP Matt Mullenbach, and transferred RHP Owen Griffith from the 7-day IL to the 60-day. Finally, the Fort Myers Mighty Mussels were assigned RHP Danny Moreno from the FCL Twins. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 6, Columbus 5 (10 innings) Box Score It didn’t take long for Royce Lewis to make an impact in his first game back with the St. Paul Saints since tearing his ACL for the second time. He was slotted number three in the batting order by manager Toby Gardenhire, and he shot the fifth pitch he saw through the left side of the infield for a single in his first at-bat. The Saints loaded the bases in the first but weren’t able to push a run across. They got two in the second, and you’d be right if you thought Lewis played a part in that. After a Tony Wolters double put runners on second and third, Jose Miranda brought in the first run with a sac fly, and Lewis followed an Edouard Julien walk with and RBI single the opposite way to make it 2-0 St. Paul. With scheduled starter Jose De Leon being called up by the Minnesota Twins on Tuesday, it was right-hander Randy Dobnak who took the mound in his stead for the Saints. He allowed three runs (zero earned) on four hits and a walk in his three innings, striking out three Clippers. All three runs scored in the bottom of the second, after the first batter reached on an error by center fielder Andrew Stevenson. It could have been worse, but Matt Wallner cut down a runner at home to end the inning with a perfect and strong throw from right field for the assist. Cody Laweryson came on in the fourth and delivered three strong innings. He allowed no hits, walked two, and struck out four. With the score 3-2 Clippers in the top of the seventh, the top of the Saints lineup again got things cooking. Miranda led off with a single and Julien drew his third walk of the game to tee it up for Lewis, who drove it over the wall in center for a three-run homer and a 5-3 lead for the Saints. That lead didn’t last long, however, as Kody Funderburk had trouble in the bottom half of the inning. He surrendered two singles and two doubles that led to a pair of runs and tied the game at five before getting out of the inning. He did strike out two in his lone inning but the Saints still had work to do. Patrick Murphy then delivered two scoreless innings to get them into extra innings. In the top of the tenth with Mark Contreras starting on second base, Kyle Garlick led off the inning with a single to move him to third base, and Andrew Stevenson atoned for his error earlier in the game (I might have ruled it a hit, anyway…) with an RBI single and a 6-5 lead. Oliver Ortega then slammed the door on another comeback, getting a pair of flyouts to Stevenson in center field that weren’t deep enough to move the runner over, and first baseman Tyler White nabbed a liner to end the game. WIND SURGE WISDOM Arkansas 4, Wichita 6 Box Score Wichita got a big night from their top prospect, opening their series by surging past the Arkansas Travelers at home in Riverfront Stadium. Starting pitcher Travis Adams allowed a two-run homer in the top of the first, but after that stifled the Travelers for 3 2/3 total innings. He allowed three hits, walked three, and struck out one. In the fourth inning, he was replaced by Osiris German after his second walk of the inning, and German got the final out with a grounder to third base. The Wind Surge had taken the lead at that point thanks to an RBI single from Alerick Soularie in the second that followed a David Banuelos triple, and a two-run homer from Alex Isola in the third, his fourth of the season. Although Wichita fell behind 4-3 after the top of the fifth, Brooks Lee wasn’t about to let them stay there. Will Holland led off the frame with a single, and Lee cashed them both in with his third home run of the season, putting the home team back in front for good 5-4. Chad Donato came out of the bullpen to start the fifth inning and allowed two runs on four hits and a pair of walks over 3 1/3 innings pitched. He struck out three. Jordan Brink closed out the game with 1 2/3 perfect innings, striking out one. The offense tacked on an insurance run in the eighth when Lee led off with a single and was driven in by a Jake Rucker double a few batters later. Lee finished the night 3-for-4 with a pair of runs scored in addition to the homer. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. joined him with multiple hits in the game (2-for-4) and stole two bases, giving him 16 stolen bases on the year, which ranks second in the Texas League. Will Holland was 1-for-1 with a pair of walks and scored two runs. KERNELS NUGGETS Peoria 5, Cedar Rapids 6 Box Score The Kernels rode a four-run seventh inning to victory on Tuesday at home in Cedar Rapids, holding off the Chief's late rallies. Orlando Rodriguez made the start for the home team and scattered five hits and two walks over five innings. Although he did not strike out a single batter, he did allow only one run, and the Kernels held a 2-1 lead when he left the game. The lineup pounced in the bottom of the first inning with two outs, as a hit-batter preceded a two-run home run from Kala’i Rosario, his second of the season. Reliever Mike Paredes held it down for the next two innings after Rodriguez’s exit, delivering two scoreless. He allowed two hits, walked none, and also struck out none. Noah Miller led off the bottom of the seventh with his second home run of the year, kickstarting the four-run inning. Misael Urbina followed with a triple and was driven in by a sac fly from Jose Salas. Willie Joe Garry Jr. then had an interesting trip around the bases, reaching on an error, and advancing all the way home on two wild pitches that followed. A couple of walks then led to an RBI single from Rosario to cap the Kernels scoring. Peoria did their best to make a comeback, getting a pair of runs off both Regi Grace in the eighth and John Wilson in the ninth. Grace allowed those runs on three hits and got the only strikeout of the game for the pitching staff. Wilson’s runs also came on three hits. Rosario finished the game 2-for-3 with three RBI. Urbina was the only other hitter with multiple knocks, going 2-for-4. Emmanuel Rodriguez drew two walks and scored a run. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 6, Lakeland 5 Box Score Mighty Mussels starter Christian MacLeod was making just his second start after returning from Tommy John surgery and was fantastic in this one over four innings. He allowed just one run on one hit and two walks, while punching out seven Flying Tigers. He threw 62 pitches, with 38 going for strikes (61%), including ten swinging. He didn’t allow a hit until his final inning, but it came after a walk and a wild pitch, leading to his earned run allowed. Fort Myers took a 3-0 lead in the top of the third when a bases-loaded wild pitch was followed by a two-RBI triple from Jorel Ortega. The lineup added single runs in the fourth, fifth, and seventh innings, accounting for their six runs. In the fourth, it was an RBI triple from Dylan Neuse, a sac fly off the bat of Ricardo Olivar in the fifth, and an Andrew Cossetti RBI double in the seventh. Right-hander Jose Olivares came on for MacLeod to start the fifth and contributed four solid innings of his own. He allowed two earned runs on four hits and one walk, while striking out four. His two runs allowed came on solo home runs, but the score was 6-3 when his game was done. Fort Myers called upon Johnathan Lavallee to close out the game, and I’m sure he was thankful his team had added some insurance runs for him. A single, consecutive doubles, and a wild pitch left the tying runner on third with just one out before he buckled down. He picked up a strikeout and got a lineout to end the game, picking up his second save of the season in the process. The lineup got multiple hits in the game from Ortega (2-for-5, R, 3B, 2 RBI, K), Alec Sayre (2-for-4, 2 R, 3B), and Neuse (3-for-4, R, 3B, RBI). TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day - Christian MacLeod, Fort Myers Mighty Mussels (4 IP, H, ER, 2 BB, 7 K) Hitter of the Day - Royce Lewis, St. Paul Saints (3-for-5, R, HR, 4 RBI, SB) PROSPECT SUMMARY With about a month and a half of the season in the books, Twins Daily has your first Top 20 Prospect List update of the year. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 3-for-4, 2 R, HR, 2 RBI #2 - Royce Lewis (Rehab-St. Paul) - 3-for-5, R, HR, 4 RBI, SB #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-2, R, 2 BB #4 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-2, R, 3 BB, K #5 - Connor Prielipp (Cedar Rapids) - Injured List #6 - Marco Raya (Cedar Rapids) - Did not pitch #7 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #8 - David Festa (Wichita) - Did not pitch #9 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, 3 K #10 - Yasser Mercedes (FCL) #11 - Austin Martin (St. Paul) - Injured List #12 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 0-for-3, RBI, K #13 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, R, HR, RBI, BB #14 - Jordan Balazovic (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #15 - Brent Headrick (St. Paul) - Did not pitch #16 - Matt Canterino (Wichita) - Injured List #17 - Blayne Enlow (Wichita) - Did not pitch #18 - Jose Rodriguez (FCL) #19 - Yunior Severino (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 3 K #20 - Michael Helman (St. Paul) - Injured List WEDNESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (11:05 AM CDT) - RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (0-3, 7.17 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05 PM CDT) - RHP Carlos Luna (0-1, 5.64 ERA) Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (12:05 PM CDT) - RHP Pierson Ohl (2-2, 2.77 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00 PM CDT) - LHP Develson Aria (1-0, 3.38 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Tuesday’s games!

Everyone loves prospect rankings, and every time that a new list gets released it is always exciting to peruse the list and find out where the Minnesota Twins players landed. Mid-season lists are always extra interesting because players are graduating from the list throughout the year so new players are being added, and a new season of Minor League statistics are being taken into account which creates more movement than normal. In the latest iteration of MLB.com’s prospect rankings, four Minnesota Twins players made the top 100. Here’s where they landed: 25. Brooks Lee Moving up on the rankings list is Twins Daily’s number one ranked prospect, Brooks Lee. Coming into the 2023 season, Lee ranked 45th on MLB.com’s rankings. Lee started the 2023 season in AA-Wichita and has posted a respectable .737 OPS with 14 extra base hits. Lee figures to see time up with the Twins later this season, though he shouldn’t be asked to save the Minnesota Twins offense. 36. Royce Lewis Another positive mover on MLB’s prospect list for the Minnesota Twins is Royce Lewis who moved up from 45th on the preseason list to 36th on the latest update. Lewis has previously been as highly ranked as fifth on MLB’s rankings, but because of his injuries, he has had to climb his way back up the rankings. With Lewis’s return to the Majors imminent, his time on this rankings list shouldn’t be expected to last long. Royce Lewis ranks second on Twins Daily’s prospect rankings. 76. Emmanuel Rodriguez Yet another upward mover on MLB’s prospect list, Emmanuel Rodriguez has moved up from 88th on their preseason list to 76th on their latest update. After a lightning fast start to the season in which Rodriguez hit three home runs and knocked in 12 RBI, Rodriguez missed three weeks due to injury and is still looking to find his stride at the plate. At just 20 years old and still in High-A, it could still be a year or two until we see Rodriguez up with the Twins. Rodriguez currently ranks third on Twins Daily’s prospect rankings. 86. Edouard Julien The final Minnesota Twins player who cracked MLB’s latest rankings update is Edouard Julien, who Twins fans should be very familiar with after he made his big-league debut in April. Now back in St. Paul, Julien has shown a knack for crushing Triple-A pitching with a .907 OPS with the Saints. Julien will get called back up to the Twins in a matter of time, and it wouldn’t be surprising if he sticks there this time. Julien wasn’t on the preseason Top 100 list for MLB, but after some early season updates was recently ranked as high as number 96. Julien ranks fifth in Twins Daily’s prospect rankings. Other Observations A few other observations in MLB’s newly updated prospect list: The Minnesota Twins rank second in the American League Central with four prospects in the Top 100. The Twins rank behind the Cleveland Guardians who boast seven prospects on the list. The White Sox and Tigers each have two prospects in the Top 100 with the Royals only having one. The Minnesota Twins have the two highest ranked prospects in the American League Central in Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis at numbers 25 and 36, respectively. The next highest ranked prospect in the division is outfielder George Valera of the Cleveland Guardians, ranked 41st. There are three players on the Top 100 list that were born in Minnesota: Michael Busch (44, Dodgers, Simley HS), Max Meyer (54, Marlins, Woodbury HS) and Drew Gilbert (96, Astros, Stillwater HS). There are two players ranked in the Top 100 who are siblings of current Minnesota Twins prospects: Luisangel Acuña (58, Rangers) (brother of Twins prospect Bryan Acuña. And that Ronald Acuña guy...) and Ethan Salas (90, Padres) (brother of Twins prospect Jose Salas). Twins Daily will soon be updating our prospect rankings, so be sure to check back and see how our writers rank the prospects within the Twins organization, and how that changed since the preseason. Do you agree with MLB's rankings of the Twins prospects? Who do you think was ranked too high or too low? Leave a comment below and start the conversation!

Don't forget to check out Nick's Week in Review. TRANSACTIONS Dereck Rodriguez was claimed off waivers by the Braves. Rodriguez was optioned to St. Paul on Saturday and it appears the Twins tried to slide him through waivers. There is now an open spot on the 40-man roster. Royce Lewis had his rehab transferred to St. Paul. He'll need to be re-added to the 40-man before being activated. He cannot come off of the 60-Day IL until June 1st. RESULTS Tuesday (5/9): Helboy? No, He Is a Helman! Wednesday (5/10): Big Bats, Big Innings, and Big Returns Thursday (5/11): Royce Returns Friday (5/12): Power Hitting and Solid Pitching Leads to Affiliate Wins Saturday (5/13): Offense Continues to Surge for Wichita Sunday (5/14): No-No for the Moms! MORE TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE CONTENT Minnesota Twins 2017 Draft Retrospective: Lewis Early, Ober Late Respect Michael Helman It's Louie's Time to Shine The Twins Shouldn't Ask Brooks Lee to Save the Team's Offense TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS St. Paul @ Columbus (6:05PM CST) - RHP Jose De Leon (0-2, 3.62 ERA) Arkansas @ Wichita (7:05PM CST) - TBD Peoria @ Cedar Rapids (6:35PM CST) - TBD Fort Myers @ Lakeland (5:30PM CST) - TBD WEEK IN REVIEW Triple-A: St. Paul Saints (Week: 3-3) Overall: 21-16, 2.0 games back in the International League West. Overview: The Saints split with Indianapolis, who is below .500 on the season but is one of the hottest teams in the International League as they game into the series on a five-game winning streak. 🔥: Trevor Larnach came back to St. Paul and had seven hits with four extra base hits (two doubles and two home runs) in four games and 14 at-bats before heading back to Minneapolis. 🔥: Michael Helman continued his hot stretch before going on the injured list with a shoulder injury. He collected six hits in 12 at-bats and had a double, triple and home run. He drove in eight runs over three games. 🥶: Neither Ronny Henriquez, Simeon Woods Richardson nor Josh Winder had memorable weeks. They combined to give up 18 runs on 22 hits in only 10 2/3 innings. Their combined seven walks matched their combined seven strikeouts. 🔥: …on the flip side of that, the bullpen (minus Henriquez, Winder and Connor Sadzeck) combined to throw 17 2/3 shutout innings. That’s quite impressive. 🥶: Jose Miranda played in only three games, but in his 12 at-bats only had two hits. He walked once and struck out twice. After appearing to be the third baseman of the future recently, there is plenty of competition for that title currently. What's Next: The Saints head to Columbus who, like Indianapolis, is 18-20. But their +41 run differential and 22-16 expected win-loss record suggests they’re a better team than their record shows. Double-A: Wichita Wind Surge (Week: 5-0) Overall: 15-17, 6.5 games back in the Texas League North. Overview: The only thing that could stop the Wind Surge from going 6-0 this week was the weather as Sunday’s game was rained out. So the team will have to settle for 5-0. 🔥: Yunior Severino deserves more than one fire emoji. He had 11 hits in 22 at-bats with a double and four home runs. He drove in eight and scored nine times. With all the attention on Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis, Severino has flown under the radar. He’s played mostly at third base but is also dabbling in left field now. He went hitless in 14 at-bats earlier this month but is now hitting .286/.375/.619 on the season. 🔥: David Festa allowed four hits and two walks in five innings. He took struck out four and the lone run scored was unearned. 😏: Royce Lewis. He’s back! 🥶: Brooks Lee went 1-for-18 this week. He’s going to get back to hitting soon, but a good sign that his team can win five games without getting much of any production from Lee. What's Next: At home against Arkansas (22-11) who is tied for first place. High-A: Cedar Rapids Kernels (Week: 5-2) Overall: 18-15, 2.5 games back in the Midwest League West. Overview: The Kernels dropped two of their first three, but ended with a four-game winning streak. 🔥: Jordan Carr threw six shutout innings in his lone start, striking out six while allowing four hits and two walks. 🔥: Noah Cardenas was limited to only 15 at-bats, but tied for a team-high with six hits. 🔥: Marco Raya is still on a short leash, but he struck out four in three one-hit innings. 🥶: Noah Miller got only two hits in 25 at-bats. He also struck out seven times. 🥶: Emmanuel Rodriguez struck out 12 times and has now struck out 32 times in 55 at-bats. What's Next: A two-week homestand, which begins with Peoria (18-15). Cedar Rapids and Peoria are in a second-place tie behind Beloit. Low-A: Ft. Myers Mighty Mussels (Week: 6-0) Overall: 19-14, 5.0 games behind Clearwater in the Florida State League West after making up three games in the standings. Overview: Fort Myers got the brooms out against Tampa and ended the series with an exclamation point when they no-hit the Tarpons on Sunday. 🔥: Cory Lewis faced 17 batters and retired every one of them, striking out seven (including four on his knuckleball). He was the first leg of a no-hitter. The bullpen didn’t give up a hit, but they blew the perfecto (on a strikeout/wild pitch). 🔥: After a week of being human, Andrew Cossetti got back to doing ridiculous things. In 14 at-bats, he got five hits (including a double and two home runs), plus he walked six times, drove in seven runs and stole a base. His OPS was 1.381. It’s time to promote him. 🔥: Speaking of promotions, Jorel Ortega was 9-23 with two doubles, a triple and a home run. He did strike out eight times, but drew two walks and also stole a base (in two tries). He should move up too. 🔥: Danny De Andrade shouldn’t move up because he’s so young, but a 7-for-19 week is what he needed. He doubled, homered, stole a base and struck out five times versus four walks. 🔥: C.J. Culpepper wasn’t perfect, but was really good. He struck out eight in 5 1/3 innings. He allowed a run on four hits and a walk. 🔥: Develson Aria bounced back after a poor showing. He struck out seven in five innings. He walked three and gave up two hits, but no runs. What's Next: The Mighty Mussels will hit the road for two weeks, beginning with a stop at Lakeland (13-20). PROSPECT SUMMARY This Prospect Summary shows our current Twins Top 20 Prospect Rankings and how they performed last week. The Prospect Tracker will be updated several times throughout the season. Notice that these pages now include stats and splits, as well as past article links, video and more. (Season-long stats will be in parenthesis.) 20. Misael Urbina, OF, Cedar Rapids: 5-for-21, 2B, 3 RBI, R, 2 BB, 8 K. (.150/.239/.240. .479 OPS) 19. Jose Rodriguez, OF: Extended Spring Training 18. Tanner Schobel, 2B, Cedar Rapids: 6-for-23, 2 2B, 3B, HR, 3 RBI, 5 R, 5 BB, 5 K. (.239/.315/.389. .704 OPS), played one game at second base (12 total) and committed no errors in four chances (two in 50 chances total); played six games at third base and had one error in 10 chances (has committed one error in 32 total chances in 15 games). 17. Ronny Henriquez, RHP: St Paul: 0-0, 10.80 ERA, 3.1 IP, 8 H, 4 ER, 3 BB, 1 K. (3.30 WHIP, .533 BAA) 16. Jordan Balazovic, RHP, St. Paul: 0-1, 3.52 ERA, 7.2 IP (2 starts), 3 H, 3 ER, 3 BB, 9 K. (1.29 WHIP, .200 BAA) 15. Matt Canterino, RHP: Still recovering from Tommy John surgery. 14. Noah Miller, SS, Cedar Rapids: 2-for-25, 2 R, 3 BB, 7 K, 3 SB. (.200/.287/.258. .545 OPS), played shortstop in six games (25 total) and committed one error in 29 chances (three errors in 103 total chances); played one game (five total) at second base and committed no errors in no chances (15 total). 13. David Festa, RHP, Wichita: 1-0, 0.00 ERA, 5.0 IP, 4 H, 1 R (0 ER), 2 BB, 47 K. (1.34 WHIP, .257 BAA) 12. Yasser Mercedes, OF: Extended Spring Training 11. Matt Wallner, OF, St. Paul: 5-for-14, 2B, 2 HR, 4 RBI, 2 R, BB, 4 K. (.280/.423/.537. 960 OPS); Minnesota: (.000/.273/.000. .273 OPS) 10. Austin Martin, SS: Martin is still recovering from an arm injury. 9. Louie Varland, RHP, St. Paul: 1-0, 1.69 ERA, 5.1 IP, 4 H, 2 BB, 8 K. (1.27 WHIP, .263 BAA); Minnesota: 1-0, 4.30 ERA, 6.1 IP, 4 H, 3 ER, 2 HRA, BB, 7 K. (1.23 WHIP, .247 BAA) 8. Jose Salas, INF, Cedar Rapids: 3-for-20, 2 2B, 3RBI, 2 R, 1 BB, 8 K, 1 CS (.156/.250/.219. .469 OPS), played one at shortstop and had no chances (two errors in 26 chances in eight games total) and one game (seven total) at third base with an error in four chances (two errors in 16 total chances). He played four games (11 total) at second base with no errors in 18 chances (no errors in 41 total chances). 7. Connor Prielipp, LHP, Cedar Rapids: On the injured list, but expected to resume throwing. (1.75 WHIP, .294 BAA) 6. Simeon Woods Richardson, RHP, St. Paul: 0-0, 10.38 ERA, 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 ER, 2 HRA, 1 BB, 4 K (1.59 WHIP, .295 BAA); Minnesota: (2.14 WHIP, .350 BAA) 5. Edouard Julien, 2B, St. Paul: 6-for-28, 2B, 5 R, 5 BB, 6 K. (.276/.427/.480. .907 OPS), has played all 23 games at second base and has committed two errors in 106 chances; Minnesota: (.222/.276/.444. .720 OPS) 4. Marco Raya, RHP, Cedar Rapids: 0-0, 0.00 ERA, 3.0 IP, H, 4 K. (1.84 WHIP, .184 BAA) 3. Emmanuel Rodriguez, OF, Cedar Rapids: 4-22, R, 3 BB, 12 K, 2 CS. (.164/.309/.382. 691 OPS) 2. Royce Lewis, SS: Wichita: 2-6, 2B, RBI, 3 R, BB, 3 K, 2 SB. (.333/.500/.500. 1.000 OPS), played one game (one total) at shortstop and committed no errors in four chances. Lewis played one game (one total) at third base and committed no errors in one chance. 1. Brooks Lee, SS, Wichita: 7-for-22, 3 2B, 4 RBI, 6 R, 2 BB, 3 K. (.263/.323/.439. .762 OPS), played three games (27 total) at shortstop and committed no errors in 12 chances (three errors in 112 total chances). Lee played one game (one total) at third base and committed one error in three chances. PLAYERS OF THE WEEK (as voted on by fans on Twitter... except for this week, where 81% of voters agreed it was "obviously these two.") PITCHER - Cory Lewis, Fort Myers. The following tweet says it all. The Mighty Mussels combined for a no-hitter on Sunday, but when Lewis left the game he had retired all 17 batters he had faced. He had a perfect week... and it's hard to not be recognized for that. HITTER - Yunior Severino, Wichita. Severino wasn't perfect... but he was as close as a hitter is going to get in a week's worth of games. Who would have been your picks? Any early season surprises or disappointments? Ask questions and discuss the Twins prospects in the COMMENTS below.

Major League Baseball's 2023 Draft is scheduled to start on July 9, 2023. Each team prepares for the draft with a specific plan, and sometimes those plans play out better than others. To prepare fans for the upcoming draft, this series will examine recent Twins drafts and how those players have performed so far in their professional careers. First Round: Royce Lewis, Brent Rooker The Twins had an intriguing choice at the top of the 2017 MLB Draft. Multiple players were in consideration for the top overall pick, including Hunter Greene, MacKenzie Gore, Brendan McKay, and Kyle Wright. Minnesota took Lewis and signed him to an under-slot deal which they could use on other picks in later rounds. Greene and Wright have provided positive value in the early years of their careers while the Twins are waiting on Lewis. Lewis was considered one of baseball's top prospects for multiple seasons, but now he is recovering from his second ACL surgery. At Twins Daily, the minor league writers had difficulty deciding whether Lewis or Brooks Lee should be the organization's top prospect. Lewis began his rehab assignment on Thursday, so he has a chance to rejoin the Twins next month. Minnesota's current front office has loved drafting college bats, and Rooker was the first player to fit this profile. The Twins selected him with the 35th overall pick, a competitive balance before the second round. He played 65 games for the Twins with a 96 OPS+, and the team included him in the Taylor Rogers trade with the Padres. In recent seasons, he's bounced around to a few different organizations before finding a home with the A's. Rooker is leading baseball in SLG, OPS, and OPS+. It didn't look like the Twins had room for him, so it's good he is getting an opportunity for a bad team. Second Round: Landon Leach The Twins used their second-round pick on Leach, a high school pitcher from Canada. He pitched fewer than 60 innings in the Twins organization and topped out in Low-A during the 2021 season. Last season, he pitched in the Braves organization and is currently a free agent. Minnesota passed over multiple players that have accumulated 2.4 WAR or more, including Griffin Canning and Daulton Varsho. Third Round: Blayne Enlow The Twins used some of the money they saved on Lewis to coax Enlow out of his commitment to LSU. He was one of two players in the third round to sign for $2,000,000. Enlow pitched well in the low minors with a sub-3.50 ERA and improving strikeout rates. Unfortunately, he underwent Tommy John surgery in June 2021. Since that time, Minnesota has added and removed him from the 40-man roster. Now in his age-24 season, Enlow is pitching well at Double-A with a 3.56 ERA, a 1.15 WHIP, and 11.0 K/9. If he continues pitching this well, he can put himself back into the team's long-term plans. 12th Round: Bailey Ober Ober has established himself at the big-league level, and he looks like a steal from the 12th round of the 2017 MLB Draft. He's accumulated more WAR than any other Twins draft pick from that class. Minnesota sent him to Triple-A to begin the season, but Tyler Mahle's season-ending injury firmly puts Ober into the rotation's fourth spot. He's made 35 big-league starts and has a 117 ERA+ for his career. Ober projects to be in the Twins' rotation for the better part of the next decade, which is an excellent value from a late-round pick. Other Notable Picks: Andrew Bechtold, Mark Contreras, Calvin Faucher, Charlie Barnes Bechtold and Contreras may never be significant contributors at the big-league level, but both have provided depth to the Twins organization. Contreras played in 28 games for the Twins last season and struggled with a .441 OPS. He's off to a solid start to the 2023 campaign with a .896 OPS with nine doubles and five homers at Triple-A. Bechtold is also a regular in the Saints line-up, and he has ten extra-base hits in his first 25 games this season. Two other Twins draft picks from the 2017 draft class have made their big-league debuts. Minnesota took Barnes in the fourth round and he pitched his way to Triple-A during his third professional season. He made nine appearances for the 2021 Twins and has pitched the last two seasons in the Korean Baseball Organization. Faucher was the team’s 10th round pick and he was included in the Nelson Cruz trade with Tampa. He’s bounced between Triple-A and the big leagues over the last two seasons with a 5.86 ERA and a 1.64 WHIP across 35 1/3 innings during his MLB stints. How should the Twins feel about the 2017 MLB Draft? Did they make the right pick at the top? Will Enlow impact the big-league roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES -2016 Draft Retrospective

Welcome back to Twins Fantasy Fix! First things first: Happy Mother’s Day to all the wonderful moms out there. You are the real superstars and MVPs. Thanks for all that you do! We’re about a quarter of the way through the MLB season, so the sample is probably large enough to draw some conclusions about the Twins from a fantasy perspective. On the pitching side, the squad has been outstanding. Minnesota’s 3.30 team ERA is third in the majors. Joe Ryan and Sonny Gray have both been fantasy aces, while Jhoan Duran and Jorge Lopez have been excellent in relief. They say a rising tide lifts all boats, and it appears that’s largely been true of the Twins, as these great individual performers all seem to motivate each other. There’s a lot to like here from a fantasy angle. Meanwhile, Minnesota bats have been more middle of the pack, as the team is currently 13th in runs scored. Fantasy performances have been all over the board as well: Byron Buxton and Joey Gallo lead the team with eight home runs each, but they’re batting just .215 and .209, respectively. Carlos Correa’s struggles have been well documented, though a .220 BABIP suggests he’s been pretty unlucky as well. Jose Miranda was demoted to Triple-A on Wednesday. Alex Kirilloff is batting a robust .438, though he’s only played in seven games so far. There’s upside for Minnesota hitters, but fantasy managers may need to be patient. Let’s look at some key injury updates, plus which Twins have their stock rising and falling from a fantasy perspective due to results from the past week as well as a prospect to keep an eye on. I’ll also take a look at the week ahead and highlight some matchups to target and avoid. Twins Injury Updates Tyler Mahle Expected return: 2024? Tommy John surgery is coming for Mahle, which is a huge blow to him and the Twins. Without getting into the bigger picture here in terms of real baseball (Matthew Taylor’s piece has you covered), the fantasy baseball impact is pretty clear: Mahle should be dropped and Bailey Ober should be locked into a rotation spot. The latter has been really good in four starts, so fantasy managers should definitely have him on the radar. Max Kepler Expected return: TBD Kepler hit the injured list Saturday with a hamstring strain. Hamstrings can be tricky, so for now, his return date is uncertain. Trevor Larnach was recalled from Triple-A to fill the roster spot. His earlier struggles led to a demotion and Kirilloff’s call-up, but maybe a second chance is what Larnach needs. He’ll likely play most days in right field with Kepler out, while Kirilloff should cover first. Fantasy managers definitely don’t need to scramble and pick up Larnach, though he should be monitored in case he gets hot. Kenta Maeda Expected return: TBD Maeda remains sidelined with a right triceps strain without a clear timetable for his return. As noted above, Mahle’s injury has opened the door for Ober, while Maeda’s absence is giving Louie Varland a chance. Varland hasn’t been quite as sharp as Ober, though his 10.8 K/9 is intriguing. Limiting home runs will be the key to Varland’s future success. Royce Lewis Expected return: Early June Lewis has started a rehab assignment with Double-A Wichita. He’s stolen two bases in two games so far, so the knee looks good in the early going. The Twins will undoubtedly be cautious with the talented 23-year-old as he ramps up, but his return is on the horizon. That could be further bad news for Miranda. More on him below. Twins Fantasy Player Trends Stock Rising: Alex Kirilloff ESPN ownership: 3% As mentioned previously, Kirilloff is batting .438 across seven games coming into Sunday. He’s also chipped in two home runs, three RBI, and four runs scored. It’s an impressive start for the first baseman, who will likely see his ownership tick upward. Of course, it’s a small sample size, so some regression will likely come. The team will also likely continue to give him frequent rest days to manage his wrist. All that said, he is the team’s primary option at first and should occupy a premium lineup spot most days. There’s fantasy upside here. Stock Falling: Jose Miranda ESPN ownership: 46% The impending return of Lewis looked like the end of the road for Miranda, but it actually came sooner, as the Twins demoted him with the return of Kyle Farmer. That the Twins kept Willi Castro on the active roster ahead of Miranda shows the full scale of the latter’s struggles. Lewis’ return will only make it harder for Miranda to return to the majors, as Royce could take over as the primary third baseman. With nowhere else to play on a regular basis, Miranda could stick with St. Paul through the end of the year unless the Twins suffer any injuries. In season-long leagues, he’s an easy drop candidate. In dynasty formats, Miranda’s sophomore season has been concerning, though he still has long-term value, which he put on display toward the end of 2022 with the Twins. Prospect Spotlight Ronny Henriquez (Current team: Triple-A) Henriquez started the year on the IL due to right elbow inflammation but recently completed a rehab assignment and will stick with the Saints for now. The young righty looked good in a small sample for the Twins last season, so he’s a candidate to return to the MLB bullpen at some point this summer. Henriquez has worked as a starter and reliever in the minors and could be a long-relief option for Minnesota. He likely won’t have a ton of fantasy impact in 2023, though he could vulture some wins and provide decent ratios. His outlook in 2024 and beyond is more promising, as Henriquez has good stuff and could carve out a larger role with the Twins. Upcoming Week Matchup Notes 3 Games at Dodgers (Noad Syndergaard, Clayton Kershaw, Dustin May) 3 Games at Angels (Reid Detmers, Patrick Sandoval, Shohei Ohtani) The Twins head out west for a Los Angeles road trip. Kershaw and Ohtani are the names that jump out among the probable starters, and it’s hard to feel good about Minnesota hitters in either of those two spots. A few other matchups look more promising, however. Two-Start Starting Pitchers Pablo Lopez is lined up to start Monday and Sunday. The Dodgers are fourth in the majors in runs while the Angels are sixth, so the matchups both look challenging. I’m probably rolling Lopez out for both given his success so far this season, though you can probably find better options in daily leagues those two days. Twins Fantasy Hitters to Watch As noted above, I’m probably avoiding the Kershaw and Ohtani games, for obvious reasons. Monday is more interesting, as Syndergaard is dealing with a finger issue and could miss the start, with 24-year-old Gavin Stone as the likely replacement. Even if Syndergaard goes, it’s still a spot I like, as he’s been underwhelming this year with a 6.12 ERA, 1.42 WHIP and 5.85 K/9. Minnesota hasn’t seen a ton of him all time, though Twins hitters are 10-for-34 combined in their careers against the righty. Detmers looks like the most exploitable Angels pitcher with his 4.89 ERA and 1.51 WHIP. Correa has seen him the most and has gone 2-for-7 with a home run. You could also consider a Twins stack against Sandoval as a somewhat contrarian play, as he’s been pretty solid with a 3.41 ERA and 1.24 WHIP. He’s also a lefty who doesn’t miss a ton of bats, so Buxton and Correa could both line up nicely. One final note here on Ryan Jeffers. Christian Vazquez has been slumping lately, which has led to an uptick in playing time for Jeffers behind the plate. The latter has done well with a .292 batting average and .872 OPS across 48 at-bats. If Jeffers continues to see his playing time increase in the week ahead, he becomes an interesting option due to his power potential at a thin position. Who have been the best and worst Twins in fantasy a quarter of the way through the season? Let me know in the COMMENTS, plus share your thoughts on the matchups this week.

Let’s get to the report. As always, please feel free to discuss and ask questions in the COMMENTS. I plan to check in frequently to answer as many questions as we get. TRANSACTIONS With Max Kepler going on the Injured List with a hamstring injury, the Twins recalled Trevor Larnach from St. Paul. RHP Dereck Rodriguez was optioned to St. Paul with Cole Sands being recalled by the Twins. 1B Tyler White was activated from the Development List. Wichita announced that RHP Tyler Beck has been released. OF Alerick Soularie has been activated from the IL. He had been hit by a pitch in the wrist. SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 1, Indianapolis 3 Box Score In the bottom of the first inning, Matt Wallner hit his third home run for the Saints this season. Unfortunately, that was the only run for the Saints on Saturday afternoon. Aaron Sanchez made the start for the Saints. He gave up three runs (2 earned) on seven hits and three walks over 4 1/3 innings. He had two strikeouts. Kody Funderburk came out of the bullpen and recorded six outs, three of them came on strikeouts. He gave up no runs and no hits, though he walked one. Patrick Murphy and Oliver Ortega didn’t allow a run or a hit over the final 2 2/3 innings. Wallner had a good day at the plate. He went 2-for-3 with a walk, a double, and the home run. Edouard Julien had a single and a walk out of the leadoff spot. Jose Miranda went 1-for-5. Hernan Perez added a triple. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 12, Frisco 3 Box Score The Wind Surge offense just continues to, well, surge. After scoring 16 runs on Wednesday and 13 runs on Friday, they scored a dozen runs on Saturday and won their fifth straight game. In the first five games of the series, the Wind Surge have outscored the RoughRiders 54-26. In this game, the offense was just very consistent throughout the game. They scored in six of the nine innings. They had 11 hits and 10 walks in the game. What you’re here for… Brooks Lee was back in the lineup, leading off and playing third base. He went 0-for-4 but walked twice. Royce Lewis played the first seven innings at shortstop and batted second. He went 2-for-3 with a walk and a double. He also added a stolen base. The two combined to score five of the team’s runs. Yunior Severino remains on fire. After hitting two home runs on Friday night, he went 3-for-4 with a walk and his 10th home run of the season. That is four home runs in five games so far this series. Jake Rucker went 2-for-4 with a double and five RBI. (So yes, the top four hitters in the lineup went a combined 7-for-15 with 10 runs scored and eight driven in.) Pat Winkel went 2-for-4 with a walk and did a very nice job behind the plate. Alerick Soularie returned from his wrist injury and went 1-for-3 with two walks. David Festa made the start for the Wind Surge and looked really good, frequently hitting 98 mph with his fastball. He was charged with one run on four hits and two walks over five innings. He had four strikeouts. Festa told Twins Daily what helped make him successful, “My fastball command was definitely better than previous outings, and (Pat) Winkel did a great job calling the game. We were both on the same page, and the defense was great behind me.” And Festa also enjoyed the opportunity to face big-league rehabber Corey Seager. In the first inning, Seager grounded out to second base. In the fourth frame, Seager popped up to the catcher. In the fifth inning, Festa walked the $325 million man. “Facing Corey Seager was awesome. An elite hitter like him, in a few big situations, was such a cool experience.” Seth Nordlin came on and gave up two runs on four hits and three walks over two innings. Jose Bravo walked one and struck out four batters over the final two, scoreless, innings. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2 Box Score The Kernels clinched a series win in Davenport on Saturday night with a 4-2 win. Kyle Jones went the first four innings and gave up just one run on three hits. He walked two batters and struck out five batters. Niklas Rimmel came on and gave up one run on three walks over 1 2/3 innings. He struck out three batters. Malik Barrington entered the game with the bases loaded and allowed just one of the inherited runners to score. In total, he went 1 2/3 innings and gave up no runs on one hit and one walk. He struck out two batters. Miguel Rodriguez gets the save with 1 2/3 scoreless innings. Following the game, Barrington told Twins Daily, “Honestly, I try not to think about the runners when it’s a bases-loaded situation. My mentality in that situation is to just attack the hitter because if I give up a hit there, then runners are scoring regardless.” He continued, “Anytime I can get out of a jam, especially in that scenario, is a big confidence boost, and it gets the team going as well. So in that scenario, I just think ‘never shy away from competition. It’s a do-or-die situation, so throw the best I have and trust that I will be successful.’” The Kernels took the lead right away in the first inning when a Tanner Schobel double scored Ben Ross. Then Misael Urbina singled in Schobel for the second run. Then in the fourth frame, Ernie Yake hit a triple that scored Kyler Fedko before he was singled in by Ross. Cedar Rapids had seven hits by seven different hitters. The two batters that didn’t get a hit combined for three walks. They had more opportunities to score but went 2-for-9 with runners in scoring position. MUSSEL MATTERS Fort Myers 5, Tampa 2 Box Score The Mighty Mussels had a four-run fifth inning and held on late to record their fifth straight win against the Yankees affiliate. In that fifth frame, Andrew Cossetti “drove in” the first run with a bases-loaded walk. That was followed by a bases-clearing triple off the bat of Carlos Aguiar. Aguiar drove in the other run on a fielder’s choice in the seventh inning. It may not surprise you that the Mighty Mussels managed just three hits in this game and had 14 strikeouts. However, they had the patience to coax 10 walks. Cossetti hit his ninth double and walked three times. Danny De Andrade, Dalton Shuffield, and Alec Sayre each had two walks. The Mighty Mussels had a really good day on the mound. Lefty Wilker Reyes made his first start (fifth appearance) of the season. He gave up two hits and walked three batters, but he threw two scoreless innings with the help of three strikeouts. The 21-year-old topped out at 91.7 mph. Sam Perez improved to 3-1 with three innings of one-hit baseball. He had six strikeouts and didn’t issue a walk. Perez is an interesting prospect. He has experienced a lot of success in the low levels of the minor leagues. He was the Twins Daily Short-Season Pitcher of the Year in 2021. As you see in this game, he gets swings-and-misses. But the southpaw tops out at 83.3 mph. Statcast calls out 38 of his 48 pitches as change ups. However, the velocity range on the pitch are from 72.5 to 83.3 mph, so my assumption is that his fastball and his changeup are both called changeups. Right-hander Jackson Hicks gave up three hits but no runs over two scoreless innings. He had three strikeouts. The 25-year-old threw 32 pitches and 20 of them were 81-84 mph sliders. His fastball topped out at 91.8 mph, but he threw just 10 fastballs. Finally, Zach Veen, the third lefty of the day, came in for the final two innings. He pitched a scoreless eighth frame, but a leadoff error led to two unearned runs in the ninth inning. He struck out two batters and dropped his ERA to 1.20 this season. The 2022 draft pick threw 25 breaking balls among his 41 pitches. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – David Festa (Wichita Wind Surge) - 5 IP, 1 R, 0 ER, 4 H, 2 BB, 4 K. 70 pitches, 43 strikes. Hitter of the Day – Matt Wallner (St. Paul Saints) -2-for-3, BB, 2B(7), HR(3), R, RBI. PROSPECT SUMMARY Check out the Prospect Tracker for much more on the new Twins Top 20 prospects after seeing how they did on Wednesday. #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-for-4, 2 BB, 2 R, K, SB #2 - Royce Lewis (Wichita-on Rehab) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B, R, RBI #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 1-for-4, BB, K, E(2) #11 - Matt Wallner (St. Paul) - 2-for-3, BB, 2B(7), HR(3), R, RBI. #13 - David Festa (Wichita) - 5 IP, 4 H, 1 R, 0 ER, 2 BB, 4 K, 70 pitches, 43 strikes. #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-3, BB, K, SB(6). #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-4, BB, 2B(4), R, RBI, 3K. #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-for-5, RBI, 2K. SUNDAY’S SCHEDULE AND PITCHING PROBABLES Toledo @ St. Paul(2:07 PM CST) - RHP Jordan Balazovic (0-0, 2.45 ERA) Wichita @ Frisco (4:05 PM CST) - RHP Travis Adams (1-4, 8.50 ERA) Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (1:00 PM CST) - LHP Jordan Carr (0-1, 3.00 ERA) Tampa @ Fort Myers (11:00 AM CST) - RHP Cory Lewis (3-1, 3.00 ERA) Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Saturday’s games!

Entering the 2023 season, most national outlets ranked Brooks Lee as the top prospect in the Twins organization. In fact, he ranked in the 31-45 range among baseball's top 100 prospects. Minnesota drafted Lee with the eighth overall pick in the 2022 MLB Draft. Some surprising picks earlier in the first round allowed Lee to fall to the Twins. His impact on the organization was immediately evident. Coming from the college ranks, the Twins had Lee get his first taste of professional baseball in the Florida Complex League. He only played four games at that level but went 6-for-17 (.353 BA) with two doubles. Minnesota had him skip Low-A and move directly to High-A. With Cedar Rapids, Lee hit .289/.395/.454 (.848) with four doubles and four home runs. The Twins promoted him to Double-A for Wichita's playoff run, and he helped the Wind Surge qualify for the Texas League Championship Series. It was a whirlwind professional debut, but Lee had solidified his top prospect status. Lee was a non-roster invitee to spring training this season, and the team gave him plenty of opportunities to play and showcase his talents for the big-league staff. He played in 14 games this spring and went 7-for-44 (.159 BA) with two doubles and a 15-to-3 strikeout-to-walk ratio. Even with those numbers, Lee was happy to be with the major leaguers and starting to build a relationship with some of the team's core players. "He had what I would call a near-perfect camp -- because nothing's ever perfect, but he did everything and showed us everything that we would be hoping to see from him," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "… I'll bet on the kid." The Twins sent Lee back to Double-A to begin the 2023 season. In his first 27 games, he has hit .274/.333/.434 (.767) with 12 doubles and two home runs. Since the start of May, he has hit .243/.310/.378 (.688) while recently being named the Twins Minor League Player of the Week. His elite hit tool is starting to separate him from other prospects in the organization. He's also been facing older pitchers in all but four of his at-bats this season. Based on his strong start, some people have suggested that Lee might offer the Twins a solution to their offensive woes. However, he's played fewer than 40 games at Double-A and wasn't precisely destroying the ball versus big-league pitching in spring training. He may be able to move to Triple-A in the coming months, but there isn't a reason to rush him to the big leagues, even with Minnesota's struggles. Many players struggle in their first taste of the big leagues, including the organization's last four minor league players of the year (Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, Jose Miranda, and Matt Wallner). Edouard Julien is another prime example of a top prospect that struggled in his first taste of the majors. He destroyed the ball in spring training and the World Baseball Classic, but he went 6-for-27 (.222 BA) with nine strikeouts in his first eight MLB games. There are things for him to focus on at Triple-A, and hopes remain high that he can make a significant impact for the Twins this season. Lee has been joined in the Double-A line-up by Royce Lewis, the Twins' other top position player prospect. Lewis is rehabbing from his second ACL tear in as many seasons. Minnesota will have 20 days to evaluate Lewis before deciding whether or not to add him to the big-league roster or option him to Triple-A. He might be another candidate to help spark the Twins' offense, but he might have some rust to shake off before being an impact bat. The Twins hope Lee is part of the team's long-term core, but he should be looked at as something other than a savior to the team's line-up. For Minnesota to succeed, players like Carlos Correa, Byron Buxton, and Jorge Polanco must produce at a high level. Lee could supplement the line-up in the second half, but it's not the right time to push him to the MLB level. Do you think the Twins will call up Lee during the 2023 season? How much can a rookie impact the big-league roster? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 8, Indianapolis 7 Box Score Twins pitching prospect Simeon Woods Richardson made the start for the Saints. It was a tough outing as he lasted just 4 1/3 innings giving up five runs on six hits. Richardson did punch out four and allowed only a single walk but ceded a pair of longballs. His ERA on the seasons sits at 7.17. After getting behind 1-0 in the 2nd inning, Ryan LaMarre evened things through a throwing error that plated Mark Contereras. The 3rd inning saw Indianapolis plate four and St. Paul fell behind by a score of 5-1 The Twins sent Trevor Larnach down to find power, and he did so with a 3rd inning solo shot to right field. Michael Helman then walked with the bases loaded in the 5th inning and brought Larnach across the plate. Andrew Stevenson then singled to score Kyle Garlick and it was a 5-4 game. Looking to regain the lead Larnach blasted his second dinger of the evening and knotted things up. Michael Helman then tripled for the first time this season, scoring Garlick to take the lead, and Stevenson brought Helman in on a fielder’s choice. St. Paul was able to hang on and win by an 8-7 score giving the Twins a new look into the future. Larnach had two hits on the day and was tied in that regard by Helman. Jose Miranda made his 2023 debut with St. Paul going 1-for-5 with a strikeout. WIND SURGE WISDOM Wichita 8, Frisco 6 Box Score Twins star prospect Royce Lewis made his 2023 debut for Wichita, and while he went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts and was hit by a pitch in the shoulder, his availability was the key. Carlos Luna made the start for Wichita and worked four innings while allowing two runs on four hits. He struck out five and walked a pair. Down 2-0 through four innings, the Wind Surge plated their first run in the 5th inning. Anthony Prato stole second base and Will Holland was able to race home on a throwing error by catcher Scott Kapers. After giving up a few more in the 5th inning, Wichita scored Brooks Lee on a Yunior Severino 6th inning single. Kapers got his run back with a solo shot in the 6th inning, but then Wichita went to work. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled to drive in both Holland and Pat Winkel before Lee lifted a sacrifice fly to score Prato. By the end of the 7th inning it was a tie game at 5. In the top of the 9th inning Alex Isola singled home both Jake Rucker and Lee before a Yoyner Fajardo single plated Isola. The Wind Surge had their first lead of the game and it came at a great time. Despite Frisco getting a run back in the bottom of the 9th inning, this one ended 8-6. Severino and Fajardo both had a pair of hits on the evening. KERNELS NUGGETS Quad Cities 3, Cedar Rapids 0 (Game 1) Box Score After a rainout on Wednesday the Kernels played a pair against Quad Cities on Thursday. Pierson Ohl worked a complete game in the opener going six innings. He allowed three runs on nine hits while striking out four and walking none. Quad Cities scored in the bottom half of the 1st inning and that would be enough of a lead to win this one. The Kernels were able to put up only four hits and three dropped the first half of the twin bill. Cedar Rapids 4, Quad Cities 2 (Game 2) Box Score Looking to even the day, Cedar Rapids sent Mike Paredes to the mound. He worked 2 2/3 innings allowing one run on a pair of hits and a trio of walks. He did strike out two. Regi Grace continues to be a bright spot in relief and picked up his second save while working a scoreless inning with two strikeouts. Misael Urbina started the scoring with a single that plated Noah Miller in the 1st inning. A Jose Salas ground out then brought Tanner Schobel home and Cedar Rapids was off and running. Quad Cities answered with a run in the 2nd inning, but the Kernels immediately responded. Salas ripped his third double of the year in the 3rd inning to score Schobel for a second time in the nightcap and Jeferson Morales lifted a sacrifice fly to score Kala’i Rosario. Up 4-1, the Kernels would withstand a late run by Quad Cities and wound up taking game two. Emmanuel Rodriguez, who has been scuffling since his return, had a nice multi-hit game. MUSSEL MATTERS For Myers 4, Tampa 0 Box Score Develson Aria took the mound and was lights out against Tampa on Thursday night. He worked five innings and put up a scoreless effort on the evening. He allowed just two hits and struck out seven while walking just three. Aria lowered his season ERA to 3.38 with the outing. Andrew Cossetti started the scoring in the 4th inning with a sacrifice fly to score Jorel Ortega. Ricardo Olivar then flew out to left field but scored Danny De Andrade in the process. Before the frame was over Dalton Shuffield reached on an error that allowed Carlos Aguiar to cross the plate. Up 3-0, the Mighty Mussels had some breathing room. De Andrade ripped a solo shot, his first homer of the season, in the 6th inning to make it 4-0. That’s where this one ended. De Andrade reached twice and recorded two of the five Fort Myers hits. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Develson Aria (Fort Myers) - 5.0 IP, 2 H, 0 R, 0 ER, 3 BB, 7 K Hitter of the Day – Trevor Larnach (St. Paul) - 2-3, 3 R, 2 RBI, 2 BB, 2 HR(2) PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-3, 2 R, RBI, BB K #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) - 2-6, BB, 3 K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 0-5, 2 K #6 - Simeon Woods Richardson (St. Paul) - 4.1 IP, 6 H, 5 R, 5 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-6, 2B, 2 RBI, 2 K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 0-6, R, BB K #18 - Tanner Schobel (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, 2 R, BB, K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, BB, K FRIDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - LHP Brent Headrick Wichita @ Frisco (7:05PM CST) - LHP Blayne Enlow Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - RHP Marco Raya Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - RHP C.J. Culpepper Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Thursday’s games!

SAINTS SENTINEL St. Paul 4, Nashville 3 (Game 1) Box Score Looking to play a doubleheader yesterday, the weather decided not to cooperate. Instead, the Saints were able to reschedule a twin bill today and Randy Dobnak was on the bump for game one. Dobnak worked a solid 5 1/3 innings allowing three runs on six hits while striking out four. Josh Winder took over for Dobnak in the 6th and allowed both the inherited runners to score before locking things down the rest of the way to earn the win after recently being optioned. Nashville scored first, but Kyle Farmer continued his strong rehab assignment as he returns from his hit by pitch. Having doubled twice yesterday, he launched a solo shot in the 1st inning today to knot things up. It would seem likely that he returns to the big league roster on Tuesday. Down 3-1 in the bottom of the 6th inning, Michael Helman stepped in and launched a three-run homer to put St. Paul in the lead 4-3. Farmer and Andrew Stevenson came in on the big fly. Helman’s dinger came of the brother of Twins pitcher Louie Varland, Gus Varland. Nashville 7, St. Paul 1 (Game 2) Box Score It was quick revenge for the Sounds as Aaron Sanchez recorded just two outs for the Saints in the second game. He allowed six runs on two hits. Four walks did him in as they came around on a pair of homers. Nashville led 6-0 before St. Paul took their first at bats. Leading off the game for the Saints, Edouard Julien hit his fourth home run of the year to put them on the board. Despite generating five hits on the afternoon, the one run was all they could muster. WIND SURGE WISDOM NW Arkansas 12, Wichita 3 Box Score David Festa took the mound today for Wichita and it wasn’t his best start of the season. Lasting 4 1/3 innings, NW Arkansas touched him up for six runs on eight hits and three walks. He did record five strikeouts on the afternoon. The Wind Surge jumped out to an early lead as they plated two in the 1st inning. Yunior Severino doubled to drive in Alex Isola before DaShawn Keirsey Jr. singled in Severino. They did give both runs back in the bottom half of the inning before Yoyner Fajardo tripled to score Will Holland in the top of the 2nd inning. Fajardo’s triple extended his hitting streak to eleven games. That was as far as Wichita would lead in this one however. Two runs in the 3rd inning were followed by three-spots in the 5th and 6th inning for NW Arkansas. The Naturals added two more in the 8th inning and the 12-3 tally stood as a final. Fajardo racked up a pair of hits as did Keirsey Jr. The six hits for Wichita checked in 13 behind the Naturals 19 for the game. Twins prospect Royce Lewis will begin a rehab assignment this week starting out at Wichita. KERNELS NUGGETS Cedar Rapids 6, South Bend 1 Box Score It was Kyle Jones on the mound today for Cedar Rapids, and he was very sharp for the afternoon. Working five innings of one-run ball, Jones allowed five hits and a single walk while striking out five. The bullpen then worked four scoreless innings while giving up just two hits to close it out. Scoring got underway in the 2nd inning when Misael Urbina grounded out but plated Kala’i Rosario in the process. Ben Ross then doubled in the 3rd inning to score Emmanuel Rodriguez and make it 2-0. After giving up a run back in the 3rd inning, the Kernels put the game away with a four-run 5th inning. Rosario walked with the bases loaded to score Rodriguez before Jose Salas singled in Ross. Urbina then took another bases loaded walk and brought in Noah Cardenas and Willie Joe Garry Jr. ended the inning on a sacrifice fly that allowed Rosario to score again. Cedar Rapids only had six hits for the game, and only Ross recorded a pair of hits, but the Kernels had great plate discipline taking nine walks. MUSSEL MATTERS Dunedin 8, Fort Myers 5 Box Score Tomas Cleto was on the bump today for the Mighty Mussels, and his day got started a bit late after a brief delay. Working 3 2/3 innings, Cleto gave up five hits that turned into three runs. Cleto punched out four while walking three. Ronny Henriquez did get two innings of work in relief, and the Twins prospect will move up to St. Paul shortly. After getting behind 4-0 through the top half of the 5th inning, Fort Myers began to answer. Danny De Andrade singled in Rubel Cespedes to put the Mighty Mussels on the board. It was De Andrade doing damage again in the 7th inning when he took a bases loaded walk to drive in Dalton Shuffield. Andrew Cossetti then followed his lead and walked to score Dylan Neuse and make it a one-run game. Dunedin doubled their tally in the 8th inning and made it an 8-3 contest. While Alec Sayre was able to drive in Ricardo Olivar on a single in the bottom half, that’s where this rally would end. Carlos Aguiar was the only hitter to record multiple hits in the game. TWINS DAILY MINOR LEAGUE PLAYERS OF THE DAY Pitcher of the Day – Kyle Jones (Cedar Rapids) - 5.0 IP, 5 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 5 K Hitter of the Day – Ben Ross (Cedar Rapids) - 2-4, R, RBI, 2B, BB, K PROSPECT SUMMARY We will again keep tabs on the Twins top prospects. You’ll probably read about them in the team sections, but if they aren’t there, you’ll see how they did here. Here’s a look at how the current Twins Daily Top 20 performed: #1 - Brooks Lee (Wichita) - 0-5 #3 - Emmanuel Rodriguez (Cedar Rapids) -0-3, 2 R, 2 BB, K #5 - Edouard Julien (St. Paul) - 2-7, R, RBI, 2B, HR(4) K #8 - Jose Salas (Cedar Rapids) - 1-4, RBI, K #14 - Noah Miller (Cedar Rapids) - 1-5, 3 K #17 - Ronny Henriquez (St. Paul) - 2.0 IP, 3 H, 1 R, 1 ER, 1 BB, 4 K #20 - Misael Urbina (Cedar Rapids) - 0-4, 2 RBI, BB, 2 K TUESDAY’S PROBABLE STARTERS Indianapolis @ St. Paul (6:37PM CST) - TBD Wichita @ Frisco (6:05PM CST) - TBD Cedar Rapids @ Quad Cities (6:30PM CST) - TBD Tampa @ Fort Myers (6:00PM CST) - TBD Please feel free to ask questions and discuss Sunday’s games!

We all know that injuries and attrition are inevitable during the baseball season. This reality has been made painfully clear to Twins fans. So it comes as a nice change of pace here in 2023 that players joining the fold, rather than exiting it, is a storyline worth looking forward to. The Twins have already lost several players to the injured list in the early weeks, and they're certain to lose more in the months ahead. But there are a handful of difference-makers in the wings, either working back from injury or waiting their turn, who are capable of offsetting some of this inevitable attrition, while adding strength to a team that has already jumped out to a strong start in the Central. While the timelines aren't firm, we can confidently expect all five of the players below to join the Twins at some point this spring or summer, barring injury or the unforeseen. Each has the ability to make a substantial impact on the team's fortunes, going well beyond your typical role player or wild-card rookie. They are listed below in order of estimated arrival, starting with a former All-Star shortstop whose return is growing imminent. Jorge Polanco, 2B ETA: Late April Polanco was slowed in spring training by lingering knee soreness, so the Twins and trainer Nick Paparesta decided to take it slow with him, employing an extended build-up approach that spilled over into the regular season. Polanco doesn't appear to be all that far behind, however – he initiated a Single-A rehab stint shortly after the season started, and is now six games in. The 29-year-old seems to have reached a good place physically, evidenced by the fact he played a full game for Fort Myers on Saturday night, then started and played a full noon game on Sunday. He's in line for a move up to Triple-A in the near future, and from there, a return to the majors could happen within days. With the Twins offense struggling to find traction, Polanco's bat could be a godsend. He has a 111 career OPS+, including 117 since 2019, and even last year while slowed by the knee issues, Polanco's production was 16% better than average. His switch-hitting stick with patience and power can revitalize the top of the lineup, which has been noticeably short on weapons in his absence. Alex Kirilloff, 1B ETA: Early May Recovering from a second straight offseason wrist surgery, Kirilloff is a little behind Polanco's timeline but not by much. Both players started back-to-back games at Single-A for the first time over the weekend, and Kirilloff is starting to get the regular reps he needs following an offseason and spring disrupted by his gradual rehab. Given the circumstances, I assume the Twins will opt to use the entirety of Kirilloff's 20-day window, which leads right up to May 1st. But barring a setback or reassignment, he'll need to be up to the majors by then, giving him five months to try and finally establish himself at the major-league level. We've seen flashes of what AK is capable of during his time with the Twins, but never for a prolonged period thanks to the recurring wrist issues. Time will tell whether those are resolved, but when he's right Kirilloff is legitimately capable of being the best hitter in the Minnesota lineup – a power-hitting, run-producing force in the heart of the order. Or: exactly what this team could use right now. It's reasonable to be skeptical of getting that version of Kirilloff, and to wonder if the last-ditch procedure will deliver the desired results after so many starts and stops. But the fact that Kirilloff is already well into his rehab, ahead of the expected schedule, and playing quite well – he has a .900 OPS through four games – sure seems promising. Bailey Ober, SP ETA: May Unlike Polanco and Kirilloff, health is not the factor holding Ober back from the majors, but rather an intentional abundance of starting pitching depth for the Twins. Minnesota's rotation success has been the story of their season thus far, and the presence of Ober helps you believe they can keep their front-to-back excellence clicking long-term. The addition of Pablo López late in the offseason was bad news for Ober, ticketing him to open in the minors despite his proven big-league track record. But it was great news for the Twins, precisely because it shifted Ober to Triple-A, where he's now serving as stellar rotation depth, ready to step in should anything go amiss. The Twins have been fortunate so far in terms of rotation health, with mostly everyone looking strong and healthy. I say "mostly" because Kenta Maeda has experienced some fatigue – not too surprising or concerning at age 35 after a year off – and was skipped for his latest turn. Ober probably would've been the fill-in had the decision had been made a day earlier. Instead it was Louie Varland, another notable depth piece in this rotation mix. Varland pitched well, and he adds confidence to this unit's outlook, but not to the same degree as Ober, who's fully proven himself as at least a mid-rotation starter in the majors and looked flat-out fantastic in spring training. Ober's timeline is a little harder to peg than others on this list because unlike the others, it's dictated by matters outside of his control. He's simply waiting for an opportunity to arise. With that said, I have to think one way or another Ober will be up by the end of May if he's healthy and throwing well. I can't envision the team leaving a 27-year-old Ober sitting in the minors for anything approaching half the season. Royce Lewis, UTIL ETA: June In his brief major-league debut last season, Lewis showed everything that made him a first overall draft pick and fixture near the top of prospect rankings for years. He was an electric force on the field, making plays with his athleticism and smashing drives with his bat. He looked capable at shortstop while flashing a skill set that can play almost anywhere. It all came to an end too soon, of course, but Lewis is now in the late stages of his lengthy rehab trail from a second straight ACL tear. While nothing is a given in that situation, all signs have been positive. Lewis looked mostly unencumbered while taking part in workouts during spring training, and was cleared to run bases and take live batting practice by the end. At the time, the Twins said they hoped to have Lewis playing in minor-league games around mid-April, and while I've not heard anything on him specifically of late, I would guess we'll receive an update on his next milestone soon. Because he is on the 60-day injured list, Lewis is unable to return before June regardless of how well he takes back to the field. However, the Twins set a 12-to-13 month timeline when he underwent surgery on June 21st of last year and he sure seems to be tracking toward the front end of that. If this pace holds, the Twins might get Lewis for a majority of this season, providing a jolt for the second half that could prove highly consequential. Brooks Lee, INF ETA: July Unlike everyone listed above, Lee has yet to appear in the major leagues. His impact is entirely theoretical in comparison to those more established commodities. He's also in just his full professional season. How much can you realistically expect from the kid? Normally I'd say, not that much. And it's why I didn't include other near-ready prospects on this list like Edouard Julien, Matt Wallner, and Austin Martin – even though I could envision any of these talented youngsters coming up and making a real difference. It's just hard to take for granted that'll happen instantly, for reasons made evident during the brief MLB glimpses from Julien and Wallner. It's a very difficult transition! Yet I can't help but set that instinct aside when I look at Lee. There's something different and special about him, and it was very noticeable in spring training, where he piled up MLB shortstop reps as the youngest player in camp, handling it all with aplomb. Last year he worked his way to Double-A during a two-month pro debut, and now he's back there at age 22, batting .323 with an .898 OPS through his first eight games. There are a variety of different ways Lee could slot in for the Twins, even as he continues to play shortstop exclusively at Wichita. His switch-hitting bat is the real attraction, and the club will be hard-pressed to keep it bottled in the minors all summer if they feel he can help their contending cause.

One of the Twins’ biggest goals for 2023 is keeping Byron Buxton healthy and productive. Buxton’s injury history is well documented. Minnesota’s All-Star center fielder has only played over 100 games in one big-league season. His value to the Twins is undeniable, with 48 home runs in his last 162 games. There isn’t an easy solution to keeping Buxton on the field, but the Twins are attempting a different strategy to start the 2023 campaign. Buxton took a slow approach to prepare for the season during spring training. He got a lot of work on the back fields before appearing in his first game with the big-league club. Eventually, the Twins announced that Buxton would begin the year as the team’s full-time designated hitter. He is one of baseball’s best defensive center fielders, but he can’t play in the outfield when hurt. His bat has become so valuable that it hurts the team significantly when he can’t be in the lineup. The Twins traded for Michael A. Taylor this winter to have some insurance for Buxton in center field. Taylor is among a handful of players near Buxton’s level regarding defense in center field. At the time of the trade, it looked like a solid move to provide some Buxton insurance. Taylor isn’t an offensive threat, but the Twins hoped Buxton would play regularly in the outfield, and Taylor could be a bench option. That plan hasn’t come to fruition because Taylor has been needed in the line-up daily while Buxton is in the DH role. Typically, batters are slightly behind pitchers at the season’s start because of colder weather and the ramp-up to the season. Taylor has struggled to start the season by hitting .194/.219/.258 (.477) with two doubles and 12 strikeouts in his first nine games. Nick Gordon (-37 OPS+) is the only regular with a lower OPS+ than Taylor (32 OPS+). Taylor has a career 80 OPS+ which is below league average, but it also points to some improvement in his performance. With the plan for Buxton and Taylor, the Twins are losing an opportunity to have a bigger bat in the line-up regularly. If Buxton were in center field, the Twins could rotate DH through players like Trevor Larnach, Matt Wallner, Joey Gallo, and even Jorge Polanco when he returns from injury. Even if he is hitting his career average, Taylor provides negative offensive value, keeping the Twins line-up from reaching its full potential. So, what does building Buxton up look like when he isn’t getting any opportunities in the outfield? Based on reports, it sounds like the Twins will take the approach of “if it ain’t broke, then don’t fix it.” In a radio interview this past weekend, Derek Falvey said Buxton won’t see any time in centerfield until mid-May. When he starts in the outfield, it seems likely for the team to use a slow ramp-up with him starting in the outfield one-two days per week. Like it or not, Taylor will continue to get regular at-bats throughout the season’s first half. Looking forward, Twins fans can hope that Royce Lewis returns to the line-up in the second half and can make starts in center field. Lewis projects to start playing in minor league games in the coming weeks. It will be a slow build-up for one of the team’s top prospects as he returns from his second ACL tear. The Twins have stated that his knee might feel good, but he needs to continue strengthening the muscles around the injury to avoid future injuries. Many fans will eagerly be awaiting Lewis’ return, but it likely won’t come until mid-summer. Besides Lewis, some of Minnesota’s other center field depth has already been tested to start the year. Gilberto Celestino suffered an ulnar collateral ligament tear in his thumb that will sideline him until May. Austin Martin has a UCL sprain in his right elbow, which means the Twins have shut him down from throwing and hitting. Martin’s injury can eventually result in Tommy John surgery, but the Twins are hoping rest will help him avoid surgery. The team’s center field depth chart can quickly get low if Taylor misses time. Minnesota’s plan for Buxton is complicated because he is not guaranteed to stay healthy even when playing DH regularly. Fans have seen him be aggressive on the base paths to start the year, and he can get hurt just as easily sliding into a base as diving in the outfield. What is the correct timeline for Buxton to return to center field? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion.

The Twins have been a poor base running team in recent years, which projects to stay the same in 2023. Last season, Minnesota ranked last in baseball with 38 stolen bases, and FanGraphs ranked the team second to last in BsR, an all-encompassing base running statistic. Some of Minnesota's best base running prospects could help the team's running game in 2023 and beyond. Scouts and front office personnel use a 20-80 scale to evaluate players' tools. This ranking system also projects how those tools will change as the player develops. Speed is one tool that tends to decline as players age, and that reflects in the projections. Below are the top five Twins prospects regarding current and future speed potential. 5. Yasser Mercedes, OF Current Speed/Future Speed: 55/50 Mercedes quickly impacted the 2022 Dominican Summer League after signing with the Twins for $1.7 million out of the Dominican Republic. Born in Puerto Rico, he hit .355/.421/.555 (.975) with 13 doubles, three triples, and four home runs in 41 games. Even more impressively, he stole 30 bases in 35 attempts. He turned 18 in November, so he projects to become more physically mature. All his defensive innings came in center field last season, and the Twins hope he can stick at the position for the long term. Mercedes is a five-tool talent, and speed might be his worst tool when he reaches Target Field. 4. Ben Ross, UTL Current Speed/Future Speed: 60/55 The Twins took Ross with their fifth-round pick in last June's draft out of Notre Dame College (Ohio). Ross was a tremendous hitter in college as he batted .405/.471/.758 (1.229) and showed to be a baserunning threat. He played 22 of his 24 games at Low-A during his professional debut and went a perfect 6-for-6 in stolen base attempts. Since turning pro, the Twins have adjusted his swing, and he has added muscle to his frame. His speed can help him stick at shortstop, but he will likely move around the diamond to multiple defensive positions. He will likely begin 2023 in Fort Myers and is a prospect to watch during the 2023 campaign. 3. Jose Salas, SS Current Speed/Future Speed: 60/55 Salas was the top-ranked prospect acquired from the Marlins as part of the Luis Arraez-Pablo Lopez trade. In 2022, he went 33-for-34 in stolen base attempts between Low-A and High-A. He is a very athletic player that projects to add more weight to his body, which will likely take away from his speed before he reaches the big leagues. For now, he's considered a shortstop, but he might lose some quickness and shift to second base, third base, or the outfield. Salas was over three years younger than the average age of the competition in the Midwest League, so the Twins can have him start the 2023 season in Cedar Rapids. 2. Will Holland, SS/OF Current Speed/Future Speed: 70/65 The Twins selected Holland in the fifth round of the 2019 MLB Draft from Auburn University. His speed helps him on both sides of the ball, and that's one reason the Twins have used him at shortstop and in the outfield. Last season, he went 32-for-36 in stolen base attempts between High-A and Double-A. For a player with limited power, he doesn't make consistent contact (.227 BA in 2022), and he strikes out a lot (137 K in 116 G). His numbers did improve when he got to Double-A, so there is hope he can continue to develop at that level in 2023. 1. Royce Lewis, SS/OF Current Speed/Future Speed: 70/65 Evaluators have praised Lewis' speed since he was an amateur, but that was before two major knee surgeries. He returned strongly from the first surgery and is on pace to return to action later this year. His rehab work from the first knee surgery strengthened him and increased his speed. Lewis averaged 25 steals per season in both years, where he played over 50 games. Last season, he went 12-for-14 in stolen base attempts at Triple-A. Overall, he is a smart base runner with the speed to cause havoc for the opposition. Who do you think has the best speed tool in the Twins system? Should someone else make the list? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. OTHER POSTS IN THE SERIES -Power Tool -Hit Tool