BRADENTON, Fla. -- The Twins confirmed Monday what had been widely feared: Royce Lewis will open the 2025 season on the injured list due to a moderate left hamstring strain.
It¡¯s unclear at this time how long Lewis will be out, but the word ¡°moderate¡± indicates that it is a matter of weeks and not days. And while the primary concern within the clubhouse is for Lewis¡¯ well-being, discussions about how to fill the void are already underway.
Brooks Lee got the first start at third base in Lewis¡¯ absence in Monday¡¯s 4-2 loss to the Pirates, but that doesn¡¯t mean Lee is the new third baseman. He¡¯ll be in the mix, but so will Jose Miranda and Willi Castro. Don¡¯t ignore the Twins¡¯ remaining Grapefruit League lineups, but don¡¯t obsess over them, either.
¡°We have [eight] games left,¡± manager Rocco Baldelli said Monday morning, ¡°and we¡¯re going to have a little bit of movement in our lineups as a whole. So today we have Brooks over there. ¡ I¡¯m pretty sure almost every day we¡¯re going to have some movement there. Get them some work in different places.¡±
All of that movement makes it clear -- ¡°what to do at third base¡± is not a simple question, because it¡¯s not a question that exists in isolation. The Twins also have an unsettled second-base situation. The two spots will draw on some of the same players, increasing the complexity for Baldelli and the club¡¯s baseball operations staff.
¡°We have those conversations before we deal with issues, and that way we¡¯re not starting from [the] get-go when those questions become real and right in front of us,¡± Baldelli said Monday morning. ¡°We¡¯re prepared to answer the questions that are in front of us. How it looks in Spring Training, the visuals will tell you something, but there¡¯s also a lot else to be considered.¡±
At some positions, Minnesota has a clear-cut backup, or two primary options. Third base is not one of those positions. When he¡¯s healthy, Lewis is the starter, and then there are multiple options behind him -- Miranda, Lee and Castro all got multiple starts at third last year. Barring an acquisition, those three will receive the playing time in Lewis¡¯ absence this year. Ty France and Edouard Julien have some previous experience at third base, but they will not get a look there.
As for how they¡¯re deployed, that¡¯s to be seen. Miranda is the most established offensive threat, but he's the least effective defender. That may be enough for him to see extensive opportunities. There will be some defensive falloff due to the various moving parts. So on some days -- potentially even most days -- the Twins may decide just to live with that and make up for it with offense. They would then likely use designated hitter as a place to give other players partial days off, including outfielders Byron Buxton and Trevor Larnach.
Playing Lee at third represents a defensive upgrade over Miranda, and his offensive potential remains enticing. But he did not reach it as a rookie last year. He¡¯s a switch-hitter who has been better from the left side in the Minors, so he might make for an intriguing platoon partner with Miranda, who hits from the right side. Miranda showed a significant reverse platoon split in 2024 (.573 OPS vs. left-handers, .856 vs. right-handers), but it was the opposite in his only previous full season (.820 vs. southpaws in 2022, .721 vs. righties), and reverse platoon splits for hitters tend to wash out over time.
Then there¡¯s Castro, who may seem like an obvious fit, but might be the least likely to see extensive time at third. In an ideal world, the Twins would prefer to have him as a utility man who can be plugged in all around, but with openings at both second and third, they may not be in position to do that. Castro has played extensively in the middle infield this spring, and it¡¯s not unreasonable to deduce that¡¯s where he might see the most time in season -- specifically at second, since Carlos Correa is entrenched at shortstop.
It all makes for a much more complicated final week-plus of camp than maybe the Twins were anticipating.
¡°We knew that at some point we were going to have to move guys around,¡± Baldelli said. ¡°That¡¯s why we get them ready to play different spots. ¡ The versatility in all of these guys will continue to be important, and we know we¡¯re going to need them to play different spots.¡±