MINNEAPOLIS — Unlike the banged-up yet effective version they featured in a 7-2 victory over the Philadelphia Phillies on Monday night, the Minnesota Twins’ roster could look different soon.
Royce Lewis is set to begin a rehab assignment Tuesday at Triple-A St. Paul, and Jose Miranda could join him. The two are part of several dynamic players the Twins hope to welcome back from injury soon, including reliever Brock Stewart.
The team is targeting starting pitching help before the July 30 trade deadline. As close as that deadline seems, Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey cautioned there is waiting ahead.
“A lot of this comes down as close to the end,” Falvey said. “There’s a lot of high-level discussions, and I know it feels approximate to the deadline, but in baseball hours and terms, it’s an eternity between now and then.”
Though it’s a blip on the radar, the offense feels less potent than it did two weeks ago.
Injuries to Lewis, Miranda and Carlos Correa have sapped the Twins of three of their biggest bats. Even after a 5-for-15 showing Monday, the Twins are 13-for-76 with runners in scoring position since July 10. Lewis and Miranda could rejoin their teammates in time to catch Wednesday’s charter flight to Detroit, where the Twins open a series Friday evening.
As Lewis recovers from an adductor strain, he cleared the final hurdle Monday afternoon when he participated in an on-field running test. On the injured list since July 3, Lewis is targeting two game appearances at Triple-A St. Paul.
Fourteen games into his absence, Lewis, who has 10 home runs in 89 plate appearances this season, feels a little wiser about health and communication. After previous discussions with manager Rocco Baldelli, Lewis said he intends to speak up sooner if he feels anything awry.
“It’s just being smart and listening to your body,” Lewis said. “Knowing I don’t have to be Superman anymore is nice because I always came in with the mentality I have to give it 110 percent, I have to fight for a spot, and these guys are calming me down. I still feel like I have to earn that spot each and every day. That’s why I play how I play. Until there is some guaranteed contract or money, it’s hard to feel comfortable. I’m trying to play for my family and for myself and for our team, honestly. That’s where ultimately we have to keep working. It’s good to know. I love the communication from Roc.”
Margot delivers and the #MNTwins take a 3-2 lead over the Phillies! pic.twitter.com/kfmKvxBQg0
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) July 23, 2024
Miranda, who earlier this month matched a Major League Baseball record with a hit in 12 consecutive at-bats and has an .888 OPS this season, also ran Monday and is encouraged by his progress as he recovers from lower back tightness. He could be cleared Tuesday to join Lewis in St. Paul for the 7:07 p.m. first pitch.
Stewart, who carries an 0.68 ERA and 17 strikeouts in 13 1/3 innings, could rejoin the team during this series. The right-hander was back in the home clubhouse Monday after striking out the side against Triple-A Toledo on Sunday, his fourth appearance since beginning a rehab assignment.
Stewart hasn’t pitched for the Twins since May 1 because of a right shoulder strain. He struck out eight in four Triple-A innings and hasn’t walked a batter in his last three turns after issuing two free passes in the first appearance.
“First couple (outings) weren’t great,” Stewart said. “Last one (Sunday) was really good. Felt good. Stuff was coming out better, so definitely was a good one yesterday. But yeah, I mean, it’s not been easy. It’s kind of been a grind, the outings, but getting strikeouts and not giving up free passes, I think I had a couple walks the first outing. But then after that, I was able to compete a little better and fill up the strike zone a little better, so I was happy to do that.”
Adding Stewart to a bullpen that already includes Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax and Jorge Alcala would give the Twins the makings of a group that was projected to be one of the best in baseball at the start of the season.
Stewart, Lewis and Miranda are closer to seeing the field than Correa, who was in the clubhouse a second straight day Monday after he was instructed to stay home Saturday and get off his feet to rest his right plantar fasciitis.
Wearing a walking boot, Correa said he thought he could have been activated Sunday but chose a less aggressive path after conferring with Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta. Instead of rushing it, Correa, who’s hitting .308/.377/.520 with 13 home runs and 47 RBIs, decided to receive a platelet-rich plasma injection in his right heel.
“(Last year) I was feeling good after a couple days off. Then I played four or five games in a row, and then I had to take two days off,” Correa said. “Instead of having to go through that in the second half and see the performance dip because of it, we decided we would go this route and take a week or whatever it takes. And then when it heals, come back, and hopefully it lasts until the end of the season.”
Despite the boot, Correa already is at work in the weight room, preparing for his eventual clearance. He’s required to wear the boot for another few days. Correa confirmed an unknown target date is set, but he expressed optimism about beating it.
In the meantime, Correa is offering Falvey his thoughts on the deadline. Falvey complimented Correa for his awareness of what teams potentially would ask in return for trades during previous deadlines.
Correa said his recommendation included a starting pitcher, an obvious need after Chris Paddack was placed on the 15-day IL on Saturday.
Falvey confirmed adding to the rotation is the team’s top priority. He also suggested that because the National League wild-card picture is in flux (nine teams are within five games of the second and third spots), clubs remain uncertain about whether they’ll be buyers or sellers.
He suspects most clubs will take the final week before the deadline to see where they stand.
“What I’ve felt is the teams that are maybe more clearly ‘sell’ just believe that maybe they view the best deals will come in the last 24 to 48 hours,” Falvey said. “We’re going to have to wait to see how that all shakes out.”
Ober rebounds, leads Twins past Phillies
Bailey Ober continued an outstanding midseason run with seven sharp innings against baseball’s best team Monday.
Ober rebounded after a difficult first inning that included a two-run homer by Bryce Harper.
Facing the minimum over his final six innings, Ober and a late-arriving offense provided the back end of the bullpen with a boost. Ober limited the Phillies to two earned runs and four hits while walking one and striking out four batters in seven innings.
In his last six starts, Ober is 4-1 with a 2.23 ERA, 45 strikeouts and seven walks in 40 1/3 innings.
“The biggest thing when stuff’s going right is the mental side,” Ober said. “You’re always locked in. Nothing’s really wavering. You’re on the current pitch, and then when that one’s over, you’re on to the next one. Nothing else is really going through your mind. You’re just in that kind of flow state of getting outs and executing pitches, and right now I’m feeling pretty good.”
Carlos Santana rips one to right to double the lead!#MNTwins | #MLB pic.twitter.com/EZV0ZnJucF
— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) July 23, 2024
Facing Philadelphia’s Ranger Suárez, the Twins scratched and clawed their way back from the early two-run deficit.
Willi Castro’s two-out RBI single in the third got the Twins on the board. Max Kepler singled and Diego Castillo doubled in the fifth inning, each scoring on Manuel Margot’s two-run single.
The Twins added a run on Carlos Santana’s two-out double in the seventh inning. Kepler singled in a run in the eighth, another scored on a wild pitch, and Castro walked with the bases loaded to extend the lead to five runs.
The extra cushion allowed Baldelli to stick with Cole Sands for an additional inning. Sands provided two scoreless innings to earn his third save of the season.
Since May 29, Sands has a 1.50 ERA and 26 strikeouts in 24 innings.
“Cole’s been throwing the ball good,” Baldelli said. “We had guys ready to go. We had a rested Duran down there, several guys that we could be going to in that spot. Cole did a great thing.”
(Photo: Matt Krohn / Getty Images)
