MINNEAPOLIS — September roster expansion arrived Sunday, with the Minnesota Twins filling their two new roster spots by activating infielder Brooks Lee from the injured list and calling up reliever Diego Castillo from Triple-A St. Paul.
Lee made his major-league debut on July 3 and carved out a near-everyday role seeing time at third base (10 starts), shortstop (9) and second base (5), but his performance suffered while playing through a right shoulder injury and he was shut down on Aug. 8. Now healthy, Lee went 4-for-19 (.211) with a homer and two doubles during a week-long rehab stint with the Triple-A Saints.
Lee is still in the growing pains portion of his young MLB career, but the 23-year-old top-50 prospect should provide much-needed infield help with Carlos Correa out indefinitely with plantar fasciitis. He can split time with Willi Castro at shortstop, lessen the reliance on Edouard Julien at second base and add to the Twins’ in-game strategic options with his flexibility.
“Having another guy who can play in the middle of the field is really, really good,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It gives us many, many options. Being a switch hitter also helps. And he’s healthy now. Brooks was playing before, not feeling good, not able to do all of the normal good things he can do. But he’s back now, and he’s motivated and ready to play.”
Lee was at shortstop for Sunday’s 4-3 win over the Toronto Blue Jays, freeing Castro to play center field in place of the injured Byron Buxton. It was the first game Castro has started in the outfield since July 2. At various points this year, Castro has had stretches as the Twins’ starting shortstop, second baseman, third baseman, left fielder and center fielder.
ROYCE. LEWIS. pic.twitter.com/JE5IqUGyqM
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) September 1, 2024
Royce Lewis spent much of the home stand taking pregame practice reps at second base and made his MLB debut there in the sixth inning Sunday. For now, it’s an effort to expand the infield options while Correa is out, opening up more third base opportunities for Jose Miranda at a time when first base and designated hitter are crowded.
In the long term, Twins officials are still evaluating which alignment Lewis and Lee fit best, flanking Correa, who remains locked into shortstop. Lewis has struggled with throwing errors at third base, grading out roughly average. Lee has looked good at both positions, and his superior arm strength and accuracy could make him the more natural third baseman.
Lewis seems somewhat apprehensive about learning the new position on the fly, but he wasted no time hitting his first homer as a second baseman. With the Twins trailing 3-1 in the bottom of the eighth inning, and a losing home stand in danger of ending on an even lower note, he snapped a rare slump with a game-winning three-run homer to right field.
Michael Helman replaces Manuel Margot
Lee and Castillo were planned reinforcements for roster expansion, but the Twins also made another change Sunday by placing Manuel Margot on the injured list with a strained right groin and calling up Michael Helman from Triple-A St. Paul.
Helman has spent the past three seasons with the Saints, and seemed close to being a call-up option several times, but hamstring and shoulder injuries repeatedly halted his momentum. He’s finally getting a shot at 28 years old, and Helman’s power-speed combo and fielding versatility could enable him to carve out a big-league niche as a super-utility player.
“Honestly, it seemed like I would always deal with some injury as soon as I was feeling good,” Helman said. “It is tough when you have a long time off and you’re trying to get something clicking again. But it’s also one of those things where, if you’re willing to come back stronger every single time, it’s part of the journey. It definitely makes it awesome to be here.”
Holy Helman!@ticasino @SOMinnesota pic.twitter.com/GxgfuDONFG
— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) April 27, 2024
Helman ranked No. 34 on my preseason Twins top prospects list, and he’s bolstered his standing since then by hitting .283/.367/.508 with 13 homers and 10 steals in 63 games for St. Paul. Much like Castro, he can play essentially anywhere, starting Triple-A games at every position but catcher and seeing extensive action at shortstop, center field and third base this season.
Margot served mostly as a platoon outfielder against left-handed pitching, and Helman should fit in that role as a right-handed hitter who can handle all three outfield spots. Helman is also much faster than Margot, giving the Twins a pinch-running weapon off the bench, and his defensive flexibility opens up all sorts of in-game options for Baldelli’s mixing and matching.
“He immediately becomes, on certain days, along with Austin (Martin), a really good option to put in later in the game,” Baldelli said. “I think that’s first and foremost what (Helman) offers. And when you do that with him, he can just move right into a certain spot on the field and hold it down well defensively, both in the infield and the outfield.”
Margot came over from the Los Angeles Dodgers as part of a Noah Miller-for-Rayne Doncon prospect swap, with the Twins on the hook for $4 million of his $10 million salary. He was brought in primarily to hit lefties and has done that well enough (.290/.342/.413), but Margot has struggled against righties, is 0-for-28 as a pinch hitter and hasn’t impressed defensively.
Louie Varland still waiting
Notable by his absence is Louie Varland, who was not called up. For now, at least. Varland will almost surely end up in the Twins’ bullpen at some point this month, like last September, but that move isn’t being made yet. He’s still needed as rotation insurance after the starter depth was wiped out by injuries to Joe Ryan and Chris Paddack.
“We’ll let him keep pitching right now and make sure he’s lined up and can give us whatever we need from him,” Baldelli said. “You’re one day away, one move away, from having to readjust all of your original plans. Louie is doing fine, My guess is that he’ll be contributing at the big-league level in September for us a good bit.”
Louie Varland was electric coming on in relief for the @StPaulSaints in the win⚡️
5 IP / 1 H / 0 R / 2 BB / 9 K
His nine strikeouts were a season high and were the most he’s had in a game since April 2023 ⚔️#MNTwins pic.twitter.com/659R1d5QxJ
— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) August 29, 2024
One possibility would be to bring up Varland to make a spot start in early September, giving everyone in the rotation extra rest when the young arms are at risk of wearing down, and then transition him to the bullpen for the final two or three weeks. Maintaining rotation depth for as long as possible is important, but the bullpen has been running on fumes.
Varland has a 5.27 ERA through 22 career starts for the Twins and profiles as a potential mid-rotation starter. However, he’s already 26 years old and his rotation window could be closing with the emergence of rookies Simeon Woods Richardson, David Festa and Zebby Matthews. Baldelli has also said repeatedly he believes Varland would have late-inning upside as a reliever.
Castillo was previously called up by the Twins in late May, appearing in five games before being sent back to the minors two weeks later. He was once a setup man for the Tampa Bay Rays and Seattle Mariners from 2018-22, and the 30-year-old right-hander still boasts a mid-90s fastball and bat-missing slider, but he’s walked 28 batters in 39 1/3 total innings this season.
(Photo of Royce Lewis: Stephen Maturen / Getty Images)
