MN Twins and St. Paul Saints to play on Field of Dreams

Wednesday, we got more details surrounding the event, which will take place on August 13, 2026. The field that was built for the Cubs vs Reds game back in 2022 is no longer there. Thus, a temporary one will be erected in its place.

We're playing in Iowa 😎 pic.twitter.com/lIvQdaJiAs

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) November 19, 2025

The Baltimore Orioles are in town to start the week of August 10th. When that series ends, the MN Twins will make the short trip south to Dyersville, Iowa for their novelty contest against the Phillies on August 13.

Neither team involved can get overly wrapped up in the history of that day, because it very much counts toward their regular season record. When it ends, the Twins and Phillies will both get a day off before resuming their three-game interleague set back at Target Field, in Minneapolis on August 15.

Minnesota went to Philadelphia in 2025, where they dropped their series against the 2025 NL East Champs two games to one. The Phillies project to be a formidable opponent yet again, as Bryce Harper and the boys look to make another postseason run through the National League in 2026.

St. Paul Saints marching into Iowa as well

It’s not just the local big league club that will get an opportunity to play on the Field of Dreams this summer. The Minnesota Twins Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints, are headed to Dyersville as well, where they will battle the Iowa Cubs (Chicago Cubs’ Triple-A affiliate) on August 11 at 7 p.m..

The Minnesota Twins High-A affiliate Cedar Rapids took on the Quad City River Bandits back in 2022 when the Field of Dreams site was last used. Tickets for both games will be on sale in the coming weeks.

A Dream Scenario: Saints and I-Cubs To Meet In MiLB At Field of Dreams in Dyersville On August 11

Information: https://t.co/DdizMeNrk3 pic.twitter.com/ZFi0y2In09

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) November 19, 2025

This is an incredible opportunity for our organization and we’re thankful to Major League Baseball, the Minnesota Twins, the Field of Dreams filming location, the City of Dyersville, and everyone else involved that they asked us to be a part of this once-in-a-lifetime game. To share the field with the Iowa Cubs, a team we’ve played more times than any other in the International League since we became the Twins affiliate in 2021, makes this perfect. We look forward to putting on an incredible show for baseball fans around the country.

Zane Heiselman – Saints EVP/GM

It’s difficult to win baseball games with underwhelming pitching combined with abysmal hitting, something that the MN Twins have found out first hand to start the 2025 MLB regular season. Of course, much of that is to do with early injury issues.

The Twins infield is without Brooks Lee, who is on a rehab assignment, and Royce Lewis. Earlier this week, they lost Pablo Lopez, who is expected to be replaced by David Festa in the rotation, at least for this weekend. Meanwhile, Minnesota’s bullpen has had its own injury issues, going back to spring training.

That’s what got right-handed reliever Darren McCaughan called up by the Twins on March 31, after they signed him to a minor league deal over the offseason. McCaughan was immediately thrust into cleanup duty later that evening, in a blowout loss vs the Chicago White Sox.

Darren McCaughan re-signs with Minnesota Twins

Over the next week, McCaughan pitched three times for a total of 5.1 pretty impressive innings — 1.69 ERA, 6 K, 1 BB, 1.40 FIP. But in the last of his three outings (April 6), the 29-year-old veteran out of Long Beach, CA threw 22 pitches against the Houston Astros (0.2 IP, 2 H, 1 ER, 1BB), and was DFA’d the next day.

On Friday, after looking around Thursday for a team that might need a big league bullpen arm more immediately, McCaughan signed a minor league deal with the Twins, and was placed on the St. Paul Saints roster.

Darren McCaughan is re-signing with the Twins on a minor league deal after he cleared waivers and elected free agency.

— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) April 11, 2025

Darren McCaughan’s success with the Twins earlier this season was an outlier, compared to the rest of his career. In four years of MLB service time, McCaughan has tossed 61.1 major league innings, where he holds an unimpressive 6.02 ERA and 1.565 WHIP.

Related: New Day, New Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Injured

That’s not the guy we saw on the mound a week ago, though, which is why I expect McCaughan to get another shot with the Minnesota Twins, sooner than later. All it takes is something unfortunate to happen in the bullpen.

Earlier in camp, both Emmanuel Rodriguez and Walker Jenkins were slowed by ankle issues. Last year, Rodriguez missed a significant amount of time due to a right thumb injury that end up requiring surgery.

Friday night, the St. Paul Saints kicked off their season in a cold home opener. Rodriguez was cleared, and played in that game. Today, he is already out of the lineup.

Emmanuel Rodriguez scratched from Minnesota Twins Triple-A lineup

Last season Emmanuel Rodriguez finished the year at Triple-A St. Paul for the Minnesota Twins. He played in just 47 games during the year after suffering that thumb injury. Rodriguez went 3-for-4 on Opening Day last night, but now is dealing with a “jammed” left thumb.

Emmanuel Rodriguez is out of the Saints lineup with a jammed left thumb. Jair Camargo will replace him at DH today and bat third. #MNTwins

— Theodore Tollefson (@TheodoreTollef1) March 29, 2025

The severity of Rodriguez’s thumb injury is not known right now. However, he was originally scheduled to bat third as the designated hitter for St. Paul on Saturday. During the 11-0 victory against Indianapolis, Rodriguez had two singles and a double. He did not steal a base, but did break for second (and slid in head first) before being called back on a foul ball. He did not leave the game nor was there any indication of an injury.

Emmanuel Rodriguez 2 run double hit at 113.6 MPH 🤯 to drive in the first @StPaulSaints runs of the season

He is 2-2#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/AvSMPVkb6z

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) March 29, 2025

Hopefully this is a case of the Saints, and Twins, being cautious with Rodriguez. He is a consensus top 25 prospect across all of baseball. He has the potential to be a difference maker for the Minnesota Twins this season.

St. Paul wound up postponing their scheduled game on Saturday against the Indians. That allows another day for Rodriguez to heal and get back to full strength. It’s possible Sunday’s game sees the same fate, and that would keep Rodriguez on the shelf until Tuesday in Columbus at least.

Across 231 minor league games, Rodriguez has an incredible .457 on-base percentage. He has hit 44 home runs and stolen 49 bases. There is a significant amount of speed to his game, but given the continued issues with his thumbs, Minnesota should think about mandating he slide feet first.

Rodriguez being back in the lineup quickly would certainly be a positive development. For such an outstanding talent, he can’t continue to be unavailable due to injuries.

St. Paul Saints drive attendance with fun baseball

The St. Paul Saints aren’t out to replicate the Savannah Bananas. In fact, you could argue that the Bananas are a circus show based on what the Saints used to be. But in St. Paul, the baseball was always real. And that’s never been more the case than today.

To this day, the Saints have one of the greatest game atmospheres in professional baseball, and fans flock to CHS Field because of it. Despite being largely a feeder team for a big league club devastated by injuries all season, the Saints continue to draw wonderful crowds that rival some Big League teams.

On Tuesday, in their series opener vs Scranton/Wilkes-Barre, the Saints drew 6,913 people, which was 119 more attendees than the announced crowd that same night at loanDepot Park, home of the Miami Marlins.

In case you’re keeping score at home, for the 3rd time this month the @StPaulSaints have outdrawn the @Marlins

Attendance for August 20, 2024:

AAA – St Paul Saints 6,913
MLB – Marlins 6,794@TheVoiceBTV #BaseballandtheLaw 105, 153, 207, 809 pic.twitter.com/auSOBU34EY

— #BaseballandtheLaw ⚾️ 🏛 (@BaseballandLaw) August 21, 2024

The Saints are 57-64 overall on the season. Unfortunately they are just 1-9 in their last 10 games, and their 19-28 second half record has them well out of postseason contention.

Despite the poor performance, fans continue to show up. The level of engagement throughout a game is something the 46-81 Miami Marlins don’t have. St. Paul has also shown off prospect talent that would make multiple Marlins players blush.

Related: MLB Pipeline Ranks the Minnesota Twins How High After Recent Update?!

Results aren’t the end-all-be-all at the minor league level. St. Paul hasn’t had a great season, but they have generated a better following than the terrible big league team.

What Twins prospects with play for the St. Paul Saints next?

St. Paul has employed top prospects like David Festa, Zebby Matthews, and Brooks Lee this season. None of them are currently rostered.

Short of Andrew Morris and Yunior Severino, top 30 prospects are largely absent from the Saints roster. When the 2025 season kicks off, there could be a handful more top Minnesota prospects at the highest level of the farm system.

• Emmanuel Rodriguez OF – The talented outfielder is a top 100 prospect and has a 1.100 OPS this season at Double-A. He has been limited to just 37 games due to a hand injury, but should be at Triple-A next season.
• Luke Keaschall INF – An incredible year ended with surgery, but Keaschall put up his numbers while dealing with a torn elbow ligament. He’ll get a clean bill of health to start next spring.
• Marco Raya RHP – Seen as comparable to David Festa, Raya has been handled with kid gloves. He has flashed well at times with Double-A Wichita, and needs to pass the final test next season.
• C.J. Culpepper RHP – Recently promoted to Double-A Wichita, Culpepper will start 2025 there but should see the Saints by the end of the season.
• Cory Lewis RHP – Lewis dealt with an injury that slowed the start of his season. He has since debuted at Double-A and looks the part of a legit pitching prospect.
• Tanner Schobel INF – The 2022 2nd round pick has slowed since reaching Double-A. His .666 OPS is much lower than the .859 mark from High-A. If he can settle in next season, a promotion will follow.
• Kalai Rosario OF – After playing in the Arizona Fall League last year, Rosario came to Double-A ready. His .759 OPS at 21 years old was impressive. His season ended in June, but he’ll have a shot at the next level in 2025.

It’s entirely possible that the St. Paul Saints see all of these prospects in the next calendar year. Whether they win at Triple-A or not, you can bet baseball fans will continue to pack CHS Field. There’s a decent chance the team playing there could knock off the Miami Marlins as well.

Related: MLB Pipeline Names Former Twins Player to All-Time Prospect Lineup

There’s a decent chance the team playing there could knock off the Miami Marlins as well. If you haven’t been to a St. Paul Saints game recently, there’s plenty of reasons to change that. They have 16 home games left this season.

Today marks exactly two weeks until the MLB trade deadline (July 30). Thus, there isn’t much time for this Twins’ front office to add the starting pitching help they need need, via trade. And if they do make a move between now and then, the cost will be extreme because Minnesota needs a front-rotation starter, not a bottom-rotation warm body to eat innings.

But do they have any help that could come from inside the organization? At first glance, the answer is no. Simeon Woods Richardson would have been that guy, but he is already up with the big league club, and pitching extremely well.

Meet Minnesota Twins meteoric pitching prospect, Zebby Matthews

Other obvious options, like Louie Varland and David Festa have failed to take advantage of the MLB opportunities they’ve earned thus far. But on Tuesday, a new starting pitcher arrived at Triple A, St. Paul. His name is Zebby Matthews and he is having one hell of a year.

Twins have promoted RHP Zebby Matthews to Triple-A St. Paul.

He’s risen all the way from High-A Cedar Rapids this season with his stuff continuing to play up without sacrificing his absolutely impeccable control (91 strikeouts and only 6 walks in 78 innings).

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 16, 2024

If his time with the Saints ends up anything like what he has already done at Single A and Double A this year, Matthews will be on a big league mound in no time.

Related: Twins Division Rival Among Many Teams Calling on Red-Hot Matt Wallner

In 78 innings (12 starts) between High A, Fort Myers and Double A, Wichita this season, Matthews has a 1.85 ERA, a 0.76 WHIP, 96K/6BB ratio and a .456 OPS against. Those are numbers that would be nearly impossible to achieve in MLB The Show, on beginner difficulty. Zebby has done it in real life.

Zebby Matthews so far this season:

91 strikeouts
6 walks… 🤯 pic.twitter.com/1T6Z7oxEqr

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) July 16, 2024

Sit & Think!

Zebby Matthews zips a 98 MPH fastball down the plate to secure the win. He retired his last 13 batters faced tonight as the piggyback for Marco Raya.

Final
Wind Surge: 3
Travelers: 2 pic.twitter.com/2uZ2kbXZ4l

— Wichita Wind Surge (@WindSurgeICT) June 22, 2024

The Minnesota Twins drafted Matthews in the 8th round (Mo. 234 overall) of the 2022 MLB Draft and he has impressed since the moment he stepped on a professional bump.

Yes, his numbers this season are even more impressive than what we saw last summer, but his career 2.95 ERA, 0.92 WHIP, .564 OPS against and 10.1 K9 in 186.1 innings pitched are nothing to sneeze at.

How can Zebby Matthews help the Twins playoff rotation in 2024?

If Zebby Matthews carries his first half success over to St. Paul, there is absolutely no doubt we will see him make his big league debut this season. Will his first ever MLB pitches be thrown wearing a Minnesota Twins uniform? That’s another question.

If the Twins front office is going to find front-rotation help for the playoffs, it’s unlikely they will be able to entrust that responsibility to anyone currently in their organization, whether that’s Matthews or someone else.

Related: Minnesota Twins Linked to Blue Jays Starting Pitcher

Nonetheless, Zebby would be a great place to start, if trying to convince a selling team that you have the best trade package to offer them for a legitimate playoff-rotation starter. We know the Twins aren’t trading their top prospects, like Brooks Lee or Walker Jenkins. That leaves little options to dangle outside of Zebby, Emanuel Rodriguez, Matt Wallner and Jose Miranda (who just went on the IR).

So whether it’s via trade, or call-up, I wouldn’t be shocked at all to see this meteoric riser go from a single A mound all the way to the MLB by the end of October.

Related: Are the Minnesota Twins Playing Dead for Scott Boras Again?

The Twins drafted the infield prospect with the eighth overall pick (Cal Poly University) less than two years ago, as a 21-year-old kid. Not even two months later, Lee was already in action, making his Twins debut at rookie ball.

Brooks Lee Rising Fast Through Minnesota Twins System

Less than a week later, Lee was promoted to Cedar Rapids, where he’d compete in the High-A Midwest League. Twenty-five games later, the Twins moved Lee up to AA, where he was three years younger than the average player.

Once his second season began, the Twins kept Lee at Double-A, where he smacked 11 home runs with a batting average of .292 and an OPS of .841. After 87 games, the Twins felt Lee was ready for more, so they promoted him to Triple-A, where he’d play for the St. Paul Saints.

"I was beating myself up in BP."

No. 2 @Twins prospect Brooks Lee put thoughts of swing changes to rest with his first four-hit game for the @StPaulSaints: https://t.co/GuDvQF3LJa pic.twitter.com/Wnc1tNWpGV

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) September 4, 2023

Lee, now four years older than the average AAA player, struggled a bit, hitting just .237, but he still had five home runs and a respectable OPS of .731 in 38 games and 168 plate appearances. While Lee didn’t hit the cover off the ball for the Saints, the Twins don’t plan to slow MLB’s 18th-ranked prospect down in 2024. In fact, it sounds like they’re being more aggressive with their young infielder.

GM Thad Levine Wants Brooks Lee On Twins ASAP

On Sunday, Twins GM Thad Levine spoke to MLB Network Radio, where he unveiled the team’s plans for Brooks Lee for the upcoming season. Lee, who finished the year at Triple-A in 2023, will return to the St. Paul Saints to start the season. However, Levine also made it clear that the Twins want Lee in the big leagues as soon as he’s ready.

The Twins plan for infielder Brooks Lee — No. 18 overall prospect, per @MLBPipeline — to begin 2024 at Triple-A, GM Thad Levine told @MLBNetworkRadio today.

Levine continued: “When he tells us he’s ready to go, we’re going to get him up to the big leagues.” @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 28, 2024

This is quite the contrast from how the team has typically operated in the past, especially when there isn’t a clear need ready to be addressed. As talented as Lee is, he doesn’t have a clear future in Minnesota, with Royce Lewis likely set at third base and Carlos Correa at shortstop.

Related: Byron Buxton Extremely Confident He’s Ready for Center Field Duties Again

One area where Lee could eventually take over is at second base, where Jorge Polanco and Edouard Julien are expected to play. Yet, Polanco’s long-term future is in question, and Julien is still figuring out how to field his position too. If so, a future Twins infield of 3B Lewis, SS Correa, 2B Lee, and Kirilloff/Julien at 1B could reap benefits.

As a switch-hitter with great contact rates and plus power for his size, Lee should have no trouble making his MLB debut this season. Lee can likely fill in anywhere along the infield, but first, he’ll have to thrive in Triple-A before getting his first cup of coffee with the Twins. Yet, Lee will also get a great chance to make a strong impression on Rocco Baldelli during Spring Training too.

Twins brush off Byron Buxton’s knee soreness

He was in St. Paul’s lineup as the designated hitter, before being pulled, but did open his rehab stint two nights earlier (Wednesday) as the Saints’ center fielder. It was the first time he had played defense in a real baseball game since August, 2022. Unfortunately, less than 48 hours later, his right knee wasn’t recovered enough to DH.

Concerning, right? Apparently not. Rocco Baldelli talked to reporters, prior to the Twins’ 9-7 win over the Texas Rangers Saturday night, and seemed unconcerned regarding both Byron’s sore right knee and his removal from the Triple-A lineup a night earlier.

ARLINGTON, TEXAS — The patella tendinitis that flared up in Byron Buxton’s right knee Friday is not new, and it wasn’t particularly unexpected, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said a day later. It’s a normal reaction, in a surgically repaired joint, to the increased stress of ramping up to game-level intensity after being sidelined a month by a hamstring injury, Baldelli emphasized.

“He didn’t hurt himself. It’s just a matter of, the more he’s on his feet, the more his knee is feeling it right now,” Baldelli said. “He’s had this before. We’ll continue to treat it day-to-day, like we have all along. We still expect him back this year.”

Phil Miller – Star Tribune

Are Twins being too nonchalant?

I guess, if Rocco isn’t concerned, we shouldn’t be either, right? I mean, I have a bad knee that gets sore when I increase my level of physical activity — from ‘pretty much none’ (maybe some yard work every once in awhile) up to ‘minimal running, jumping’ (a softball game or heavier yard work).

The difference, you ask? Byron Buxton is a professional athlete, who has an entire team focused daily on getting his body, and any ailments, as right as humanly possible. I sit inside on my computer all day and avoid the doctor’s office at all costs.

Buck has immediate access to scans, treatments and injections that would cost most of us $100’s of thousands in insurance claims.. Massage therapists, physical therapists, psychiatrists, psychologists, counselors, strength coaches, doctors, a full training staff, training programs, hot-tubs, cold-tubs, saunas, etc etc etc.

With all the resources available to Buxton and the Twins, there isn’t a known treatment option or medical opinion they don’t have access to. Yet, this man’s knee still cannot handle one 7-inning appearance in center field without needing 3-4 days off to recover?

We’re talking about baseball, here. Not football or hockey, where his knee could take direct contact from other participants. It’s not basketball, where he would be cutting, jumping, sprinting and squatting for 80% of play. Don’t tell these facts to Rocco, though…

Baldelli wouldn’t predict when Buxton, who received treatment on his knee Saturday, might return to action. “He’s been doing well, working hard to get back,” Baldelli said. “It’s just hard to match the intensity of game speed.”

Phil Miller – Star Tribune

Seriously, how many times did Buck have to move around on Wednesday night and how rigorous were his movements, while playing center field for the Saints? He probably swung a bat 8-20 times, threw a ball around, ran some bases, jogged out to and in from center field 7-8 times and he maybe sprinted after a fly ball or two? Yes Rocco, baseball “game speed” is so intense…

Skeptical optimist or Optimistic skeptic?

Rocco & Co can play it cool, if that makes them feel better about the situation. But clearly, Byron Buxton’s knee is nowhere near right. If he can’t play center field, come playoff time, there’s no way they can write Buxton into the postseason lineup. He’s been absolutely atrocious all season as a DH.

Are they really going to have him come off the bench, during the playoffs? That would be a tough look, for a player who has 5 years, $75million left on his contract. So, I hope Baldelli is right not to be worried. That Buxton does return before the playoffs start and that he can be written into game-1 of the AL Wildcard round in center field.

But that doesn’t seem very likely, at this point. And it’s clear Byron Buxton and the Twins need to take a more aggressive approach to fixing his knee next offseason.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

It's Fina-Lee Happening: #MNTwins Number One Prospect @brookslee22 Promoted To St. Paul

Story: https://t.co/xgjjqaO5Rt pic.twitter.com/bQ3PfXHynh

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) August 3, 2023

Dominating every level

Brooks Lee, who’s the #17 best prospect in the MLB according to The Athletic, has been on the minor league fast track since joining the Twins organization last summer. But that’s because he has dominated every level he has played at over the last year. He started at rookie ball (FCL Twins), where he played just 4 games before Twins brass (.353/.353/.454) had seen enough.

Lee spent most of his first professional summer at Single-A with the Cedar Rapids Kernels, where he boosted his OPS to .848 with a .289/.395/.454 slash line in 24 games. Then, just 28 games into his professional career, the Cal Poly State phenom was called-up to Double-A Wichita, where he went 3-for-8 in just two games before their season ended.

Now, Brooks Lee will face his toughest challenge yet. But if his pro career so far is any indication of what’s to come, Lee will be even better in St. Paul than he was in Wichita. That’s right, if you haven’t been paying close attention to the numbers in this blog, Lee’s stats have improved every level of the Twins’ system he has climbed.

When will we see Brooks Lee in a Twins uniform?

Without a doubt, Brooks Lee is a huge part of the Minnesota Twins’ future plans. He has played shortstop for 107 of his 111 minor league appearances and that will continue to be his main position in St. Paul for the rest of this summer.

I’d imagine he does get more reps at other infield positions, however, in an effort to prepare him to play elsewhere once he gets to the big leagues. For the foreseeable future, Carlos Correa will remain the Twins’ shortstop. It would take a series of injuries or a complete end-of-season collapse for Lee to get his big league call up this year.

With Jorge Polanco now back from injury and Royce Lewis expected to return this month, Lee will most likely have to wait until next summer before taking a big league field in a Twins uniform.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

That includes both external and internal options. Over the weekend, Falvey told reporters that the Twins will not pursue high quality hitters at the trade deadline and, to this point, they’ve keep on writing Max Kepler and Joey Gallo into the starting lineup, even though both hitters’ have struggled mightily all season.

Matt Wallner keeps raking, but can’t buy a big league call up.

Meanwhile, 25-year-old corner outfielder, Matt Wallner, has been CRUSHING Triple-A pitching for the St. Paul Saints most of the season. He’s batting .292 on the year, with a .931 OPS and won Minor League Player of the Week a week ago. But no matter how well he hits (.348 BA, 1.010 OPS since May 27) and Twins’ corner outfielders struggle, Wallner can’t get a call up.

Matt Wallner is our Minor League Hitter of the Week????

Wallner posted a triple slash of .450/.450/.900 (1.350 OPS) with 2 HR, 2 2B, 1 3B, and 4 RBI????#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/reYabVQdTA

— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) July 2, 2023

Matt Wallner update: Since May 27 (day he got 4 hits at Target Field) he’s hitting .348/.443/.607. He obviously deserves a chance to succeed with the Twins, but it appears they won’t allow it. pic.twitter.com/uXRO5DHom0

— Jeff (@MNTwinsZealot) July 10, 2023

It’s obvious to everyone who’s not making roster decisions for the Minnesota Twins that they need more production out of their corner outfield positions. If Falvey isn’t going to acquire that help via trade then he needs to stop delaying the inevitable in-house.

DFA Max Kepler and/or Joey Gallo and call Matt Wallner up for a real chance at being an everyday MLB outfielder. In his first call-up this season, Wallner went 7 for 19 (.368) with a HR, 4 RBI and a 1.099 OPS. In 76 career big league at bats, Wallner is batting .263 with a .812 OPS (130 OPS+).

Is there any doubt he’d be an upgrade over Kepler and Gallo? Not really. So WTF are the Twins waiting for? If this organization has any common baseball sense, they will come back from the All-Star break this weekend without Kepler and/or Gallo on the roster and Matt Wallner batting 5th in the lineup.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

"I feel like I'm at 120%."

No. 2 @Twins prospect Royce Lewis is healthy and homering for the @StPaulSaints: https://t.co/gWiE8PzKqC pic.twitter.com/dlEVuvJj34

— Minor League Baseball (@MiLB) May 20, 2023

Lewis’ smoking hot return to baseball has Minnesota Twins fans salivating as they wait for June 1, the first day he is eligible to come off the injured list and join the big league squad. A squad that has lost four of its last six games and happens to have a vacancy needing filled at 3rd base.

Twins do not appear in any hurry to call Royce Lewis up after rehab assignment

But not so fast, says Twins’ manager, Rocco Baldelli, after the Twins’ latest lackluster offensive performance on Sunday, a 4-2 loss to the Angels. That’s when Rocco was asked about how quickly the organization plans to add Lewis to its MLB lineup, once his rehab assignment expires. Baldelli’s answer: ‘we’re not…’.

“We’re not going to bring anyone back from a situation like his until they’re fully ready —physical, mentally and everything else. He still has a way to go as far as at-bats, even though he’s put some good swings on the ball. He’s got some playing to do right now. When we think it helps us and it works well for the team, hopefully we’ll have him here.”

Rocco Baldelli (Quote via the Star Tribune)

Rocco downplays Royce’s hot start

Wow, “he’s put some good swings on the ball” has to be THE sports downplay of this century. Royce Lewis has done nothing but mash baseballs since stepping back into the batter’s box earlier this month. I mean, his bat is a legitimate danger to the careers of Triple-A pitchers across the league, as long as he is still playing for the Saints.

Not only is Lewis showing he’s a big league caliber baseball player on his current rehab assignment, but he has already proven he can hit MLB pitchers too. Nobody wants to rush a call-up for any top prospect but Royce already made his big league debut before his injury and he looked like a future superstar, hitting .300 with a .867 OPS, 2 HR and 5 RBI in 12 games with the Twins in 2022.

Royce Lewis has the most RBI in #MNTwins history by a player who has driven in 100% of his runs via the homer. Lewis has five career RBI, coming on a grand slam and a solo home run. https://t.co/rSdGY8FAA5 pic.twitter.com/o5m4UOZLWn

— Twins Dingers (@TwinsDingers) March 5, 2023

But it doesn’t matter what I think or want. As of now, it seems like a June 1 Royce Lewis call-up is unlikely to happen. That date is just over one week away and Lewis isn’t even playing in back-to-back games yet with the Saints. He’s on a play one, sit one schedule. So Rocco saying “he’s got some playing to do” hints to me that Royce will be in St. Paul for at least a couple more weeks.

Of course, that could change quickly if Kyle Farmer or someone else in the Twins’ infield suffers an injury that forces the Twins’ hand. Jorge Polanco is already on the injured list and Jose Miranda has been terrible with the Saints since his demotion. Rocco & Co may not have a choice but to bring Royce Lewis up, should they suffer any other losses in the infield.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan