FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins infielder Brooks Lee was a late scratch from his scheduled start at third base on Thursday evening due to what the club called lower back tightness. The concern level over the situation seemed low, and Lee¡¯s status is considered day to day.
Still, it¡¯s not ideal for player or team, with Opening Day a week away. With the injury to Royce Lewis, Lee will likely be needed at third on a semi-regular basis, and he has only made two starts at the position this spring. He had been playing much more shortstop and second base until recent days.
Back trouble is not new for Lee, who said earlier in the spring that he has ongoing issues and will have to ¡°manage it forever.¡±
Lee was not previously slated to make the trip to Clearwater to play the Phillies on Friday, so the next game he might play would be Saturday.
¡°It was just something that sprung up this morning,¡± said manager Rocco Baldelli. ¡°I saw him when he was coming in this morning. I saw him early. He was OK. Then he mentioned something to the training staff that something was bothering him. We¡¯re going to treat it in a day-to-day fashion. We¡¯ll see how he comes in tomorrow. We¡¯ll see how much it¡¯s improved, if it¡¯s improved, and kind of go from there.¡±
Paddack gets what he was looking for
Following his last start, right-hander Chris Paddack noted that he had not gotten a swing-and-miss on a changeup all spring. While players sometimes exaggerate on things like that, Paddack was not. He had thrown 24 changeups (not counting the March 2 game that was washed out in the third inning), getting 14 swings -- and not a single whiff.
On Thursday, Paddack turned that around in a big way. He threw 17 changeups, inducing seven swings, and Red Sox hitters missed on four. It was a very encouraging start for the veteran, who allowed one run on four hits with seven strikeouts against two walks.
¡°After seeing some swing and misses tonight, [I¡¯ll] take that into my next outing with a little bit of confidence,¡± Paddack said. ¡°Continuing to stay positive and continue to work that pitch. Just because we got some swing and misses doesn¡¯t mean we closed the book on that. Got to continue to close that gap and get it back to where it¡¯s supposed to be.¡±
Baldelli raved about his starter.
¡°That¡¯s a different animal,¡± he said. ¡°It¡¯s not maybe the way you would normally want to state it, but it¡¯s true, it¡¯s the best I¡¯ve seen him pitch ever. That swing-and-miss fastball, multiple swing-and-miss offspeed pitches, stuff up, command very good, pitching confidently, working easy, that¡¯s what you¡¯re looking for.¡±
Stewart throws
Right-hander Brock Stewart, who was removed from Saturday¡¯s game due to left hamstring discomfort, threw a bullpen session on Thursday. He feels good about his progress but acknowledged that he¡¯s not at the point where the leg feels completely normal.
¡°It¡¯s not bad,¡± Stewart said. ¡°I notice something, but it¡¯s not bad at all. It¡¯s not like a sharp pain or even like an ache at all. It¡¯s just like ¡ I feel like I worked that part of my leg really strong in the weight room, you know what I mean? Just a heavy feeling. But no, it¡¯s not bad.¡±
Due to Stewart¡¯s injury history, it¡¯s very possible the club will exercise extra caution with him. He¡¯s one of Minnesota¡¯s best relievers when healthy, but he has had trouble staying on the active roster. If there¡¯s any question regarding his health, they may choose to slow-play him when it¡¯s time to make roster decisions.