The Minnesota Twins continue to work to chase the Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central. Despite having one of the best records in baseball, they are trailing in their own division. Rocco Baldelli will soon bring two healthy hitters back into his lineup.
The Minnesota Twins lineup will soon be healthier
Brooks Lee was placed on the injured list on August 9, retroactive to August 8. This was unrelated to the back injury he suffered earlier in the year, and inflammation of the right biceps tendon kept him out of action for over two weeks. He will play for the St. Paul Saints this weekend.
Alex Kirilloff will begin rehab today in St. Paul and Brooks Lee is scheduled to play on Saturday, Rocco Baldelli announced.
— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) 23 August 2024
Alex Kirilloff has been out of the Minnesota Twins since June. He was told he would be demoted to Triple-A, and after a no-show, he told Baldelli he was injured. Instead of going to St. Paul, the former first-round pick landed on the 60-day injured list. He, too, will return to action for the Saints on Friday.
It remains to be seen what kind of rehab work both players will need. Lee has played on both sides of the pitch over the past week and recently settled back into the sandlot, and his schedule appears to be much shorter. It’s possible Kirilloff could travel to Omaha with the Saints next week.
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The fact that both players can give the major league club a clean bill of health is certainly good news.
Where do Brooks Lee and Alex Kirilloff fit in?
Make no mistake, Lee and Kirilloff are not in the same situation. The former was promoted to play premium positions in the infield due to Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis being out. Kyle Farmer was activated and took that spot, but there seems to be room for him when he’s ready. The best thing going against Lee is his OPS of .642 in 26 games.
Brooks Lee hits his first home run in the Major League! 👏 pic.twitter.com/VsZEkITf9C
— MLB (@MLB) July 6, 2024
The latter has an OPS of .653 and has nearly 1,000 batting appearances in his major league career. Kirilloff hasn’t lived up to his promise. The decision to demote him still plays a role, too. Rosters are now only two spots wide, and that could make it difficult to secure a spot for Kirilloff.
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Minnesota needs a healthy trio of Byron Buxton (who didn’t play Friday), Correa and Lewis. That both Lee and Kirilloff are options is a positive reality, but the lineup has proven itself. It’s a sprint to the finish, and the Twins need to win.
Read more: Minnesota Twins News
