The composition of the Twins’ infield has shifted over the first few months of the season. Brooks Lee, who opened the year at shortstop, has settled in at third base. He moved to the hot corner when Royce Lewis was optioned amid ongoing struggles. Lewis is back and raking — .324/.381/.622 in 42 plate appearances since being recalled from Triple-A — but doing so at a new position. The former No. 1 overall pick is playing primarily first base with a couple starts at second base also under his belt.
Shortstop has been a revolving door since the Lee/Lewis shuffle, but any thoughts of a promotion for 2024 first-rounder Kaelen Culpepper to take the reins at shortstop should be put on hold. The Twins placed the hot-hitting Culpepper on the minor league injured list this week due to a left hip strain. It’s not entirely clear yet how long he’ll be sidelined.
It’s a tough blow for Culpepper and the Twins alike. The 23-year-old, currently ranked as the game’s No. 32 overall prospect at Baseball America, had been on an absolute tear in Triple-A St. Paul at the time of his injury. The Kansas State product started the season in a bit of a slump but was hitting .298/.407/.576 with nearly as many walks (13.7%) as strikeouts (14.8%) over his 151 most recent plate appearances. Along the way, he popped 11 homers and went 10-for-12 in stolen base attempts.
The Twins’ recent DFA of journeyman Orlando Arcia leaves shortstop duties to Tristan Gray and Ryan Kreidler for the time being. The latter has dramatically outperformed the former and is a better defensive option at short, but he’s been used in the outfield more than at shortstop. At this point, both players feel like placeholders for Culpepper, who ought to get a legitimate audition at shortstop over the final few months of the season, depending on how long he’s shelved.
One byproduct of Lewis’ move to first base has been less time there for Kody Clemens. Minnesota picked Clemens up for cash early last season after the Phillies designated him for assignment, and he’s become a regular in the year-plus since that time. Dating back to the trade, the son of seven-time Cy Young winner Roger Clemens has given the Twins 617 plate appearances with 30 homers and a .230/.297/.461 batting line (107 wRC+).
As Dan Hayes of The Athletic writes, Clemens’ power production and defensive versatility have endeared him to the organization and the clubhouse. He’s played first base, second base and all three outfield spots this season, and Clemens has 176 career innings at third base, too (albeit none in Minnesota).
“Regardless of where you put him, he seems to really produce,” skipper Derek Shelton tells Hayes. “Grinder, baseball player, say what you want about him. Regardless of where he goes on the field, in big moments, nothing gets too big for him.”
The Twins control Clemens for three more years beyond the current campaign. He’s earning just over $800K this season and will be arbitration-eligible this coming offseason. At the very least, his .255/.328/.521 line against right-handers should have him in the lineup more often than not, even if Clemens lacks one set position.
Turning to the other side of the roster, Minnesota’s rotation is on the verge of getting much healthier. Left-hander Kendry Rojas went out on a minor league rehab assignment this morning. He’s been out since late May due to elbow inflammation and triceps discomfort but is headed to St. Paul to get built back up. Acquired in last summer’s Louis Varland trade, Rojas posted a 2.20 ERA in 16 1/3 minor league innings and a 1.26 ERA in his first 14 1/3 MLB frames before landing on the shelf.
Assuming all goes well on the rehab front, Rojas should return to a spot in the team’s rotation. The Twins had just started the process of moving Rojas into the starting five after using him in long relief through his first few outings. With Rojas, Pablo López, Bailey Ober, David Festa and Mick Abel all on the injured list concurrently, Minnesota called up righty Mike Paredes to join their beleaguered staff. Paredes has held his own but isn’t as well regarded as Rojas, whom Minnesota will surely want to evaluate in a starter’s role.
Speaking of Abel, he could return to the rotation even sooner than Rojas. Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune writes that Abel topped out at 97 mph in a five-inning rehab start yesterday. The team is waiting to see how the 24-year-old righty bounces back today and tomorrow before determining his next step, but a return to the big leagues this weekend is possible.
Abel, acquired from the Phillies in the trade sending Jhoan Duran to Philadelphia, broke camp as the Twins’ fifth starter following a dominant spring showing (22 innings, 2.05 ERA, 32.9 K%, 4.9 BB%). After a couple rough outings to start his season, he rattled off 13 shutout frames with 16 strikeouts against three walks in his next two appearances before a bout of elbow inflammation sent him to the injured list. He’s been on the IL for just over two months now but is on the cusp of a return.
If Abel and Rojas are both ready for looks in the near future, they’ll have some decisions to make. Optioning out Paredes seems logical, and the other decision could come down to former top-100 prospect Zebby Matthews and current top-100 prospect Connor Prielipp. Both have looked sharp at times but have middling ERAs thanks to a handful of rough performances. Prielipp, in particular, has struggled of late (7.66 ERA in five starts dating back to May 22).
