Twins infielder Royce Lewis saw his career-long injury woes continue during yesterday’s game against the Orioles. The 24 year old suffered a strained left oblique while attempting to beat out a groundball. Lewis has played well in the big leagues when healthy, pairing a career 136 wRC+ in 140 plate appearances with strong defense on the left side of the infield for Minnesota. Unfortunately, staying healthy has proved to be a considerable challenge for the youngster, who’s played a total of just 82 games between the major and minor leagues since the end of the 2019 campaign. Per a club announcement, Lewis is headed to the 10-day injured list, though Phil Miller of the Star Tribune notes the club is hopeful he’ll only require a minimum stay on the shelf.
Replacing Lewis on the roster is Jose Miranda, the Twins’ Opening Day third baseman. After a solid rookie season in 2022 where he hit .268/.325/.426 in 483 plate appearances, Miranda scuffled through the first 35 games of his sophomore season. A brutal .220/.275/.318 slash line in 142 plate appearances was enough for Minnesota to demote Miranda to Triple-A, where the results (including a .686 OPS in 39 games) haven’t been much better. That being said, the 25 year old has begun to hit better in recent weeks, with a .300/.370/.456 slash line, a 10% walk rate and a 16% strikeout rate over his last 100 plate appearances. If Miranda has successfully recaptured the offensive form he flashed during his rookie season, he should help to boost a Twins offense that ranks just 18th in MLB with a wRC+ of 98.
More from around the AL Central…
- Guardians right-hander Triston McKenzie has been shut down from throwing since mid-June with a UCL sprain, but the club is still gathering information regarding their young starter before deciding on how to move forward, as manager Terry Francona told reporters (including Joe Noga of Cleveland.com). Francona suggests that an update on McKenzie’s status could come within the next few days now that the righty has received second opinions from Dr. Neal ElAttrache and Dr. Keith Meister. Any diagnosis involving the UCL- the ligament repaired during Tommy John surgery- is obviously a worrisome diagnosis, so it’s no surprise that the club is proceeding with care. McKenzie broke out in a big way for Cleveland last season, posting a 2.96 ERA in 191 1/3 innings of work, but has managed just two starts this season between his current injury and a strained teres major muscle he suffered during spring training.
- The Tigers are expected to welcome left-handers Tarik Skubal and Eduardo Rodriguez back into the rotation this coming week. Manager A.J. Hinch told reporters, including Evan Petzold of the Detroit Free Press, that the club has Skubal starting on Tuesday and Rodriguez starting Wednesday written down “in pencil”, with a final evaluation of both hurlers required before they return to a major league mound. It’s great news for Detroit, as Rodriguez as been among the best starters in the sport this season; the veteran lefty’s 2.13 ERA across 11 starts this season is the lowest of any pitcher in the majors with at least 60 innings pitched this season. Skubal could provide the club a boost in his own right, as the lefty broke out last year with a 3.52 ERA and 2.96 FIP in 117 2/3 innings of work before he underwent season-ending surgery in August.
Tigers could win the Central when they get most of their guys back.
If that’s going to happen They need Greene back soon along w (wabba-daba) Badoo. Hasse and Scoop has to overcome their season long power outage as well, otherwise don’t see either of them long for the team
Ok they win the division. Then what get smoked in the playoffs.
You think this lineup can hit good enough to win the division.
Why not, TN? No one wants it, so the AL Central is up for grabs if a team gets hot and/or stays healthier than the rest. But whoever “wins” it of course will get smoked in the playoffs.
Not true they’d get smoked in the playoffs, any team can beat any team in the playoffs because the sample size is insignificant.
And just getting there would be huge for a team like the Tigers, who haven’t been good for so many years.
Agreed.
Plus playoff revenues can’t hurt and it helps attract FA’s.
30 to 1 odds nice return!
Maybe with a couple bats, Real need for hitters. But the tigers will sell at the trade deadline.
Sell what.
They have nothing anyone one else would want except E-rod
They have guys to trade in the minors, Get a young hitter or two for now and the future. But we know they also won’t spend.
There’s no one to “spend” on this time of year.
I was saying they may have to pickup somebody’s two or three deal. , Not free agent
Tigers have some relievers that’ll draw interest if they’re available. At minimum Cisnero should be on the move.
Exactly. With Lange having some struggles of late, I’m having a hard time figuring who will rep in the All-Star game. Cisnero should bring back a lotto ticket. Another lotto ticket or two for Lorenzen. Assuming E-Rod shows he’s healthy, and there are enough starters w/o him to have a full staff, and they get a legit offer (lots of ifs), they should get a reasonable return for him. If not, keep him.
What they need to do is add a bat at 3B, or C. They should have called up Parker Meadows when Greene went down for a look see, which would have allowed McKinstry to play 3B. He would have provided more offense than Marisnick, plus provided the LH bat they need. Hopefully, Colt Keith can make it to the show at 2B/3B.
Tigers are going to be buyers at the trade deadline. They’re not far off. I’d like to see them get Ryan McMahon from COL. They need an everyday 3B and have young pitching to offer. They could also look to reacquire Candelario, he’s on a one year deal and WAS is surely trading him.
The tigers should not be buying any rentals at the deadline.
I’d like to see them move Casey Mize attached to Baez. Eat maybe 1/2 of the Baez deal and clean out another festering self inflicted wound from when Avila was pulling the trigger on deals.
Mize only has 3 years left on his deal. Coming off TJ-you’d have to find a team with money willing to take on Baez & a team that believes in Mize. Mize will be cheap next year but will get rising arb salaries after that too.
I think it’s more likely Detroit eats the Baez deal and cuts him when he’s truly unplayable.
Great points. At this point I just can’t take anymore watching Baez play baseball. Swing at anything. Below average fielder. Getting plugged into the middle of the lineup everyday because of his big name. It all reminds of my little kid baseball experiences watching the coaches dad get big spots and hype that he isn’t earning.
Lewis: another good player when he’s healthy…but he never is for long.
Although he would certainly have had more than 82 games in the minors since the end of 2019, if the 2020 minor league season hadn’t been unnecessarily cancelled.
Miranda was a breath of fresh air after he was sent down last year. Hopefully this year will be the same
The Tigers aren’t likely to trade prospects or any young players with multiple years of team control left, nor should they. They could trade Rodriguez or Lorenzon plus maybe Cisnero.
I still think the Tigers will win about 75 games this year and somewhat more next year.
I agree with you on who to trade. Maybe Foley or Lange but only for an absolute haul.The cupboard is bare on offence so we have nothing anyone wants there. Tork, Greene, Rogers (surprisingly), Baddoo, Vierling are players to build around. We NEED some offensive players in any trades.
The theory that the Tigers could win the division with healthy Tarik & E-Rod isn’t preposterous nor a roaring endorsement of Detroit. More a condemnation of the division
MLB needs to try and find the root of all these oblique problems. I know from past experience that some of this is caused by insecurities found in today’s players. All they want or think they need to do before the games is Swing, Swing, Swing. Are we doing too many medicine balls, is the supplement regiment flawed, what is the answer? Too many players missing time with the dreaded oblique pull.
Oh, bleak is the future of baseball indeed
notagain27;
The way MLB is played today is insane. All out all the time……for 162 games.
The money is so absurd that the young players especially will do anything not to get sent down – to pitch the ball faster or hit the ball harder. Silly things such as “Yes, he’s hitting well, but his BABIP shows he’s due for regression”, or “He’s lost 2-3 mph on his fastball” at any point in the season are ridiculous.
Imagine analyzing a horse race by snippets of distances in the race and noting that a horse is slowing down at times; or clocking marathon runners and saying the same thing.
Two clichés about MLB:
1. “MLB is a marathon not a sprint.”
2. “It’s not how you start but how you finish.”
We can add in that a player at age 22-24 is not as strong as he’ll be at 28-30. To expect him to hit the ball as hard, throw it at fast, or run as fast is not realistic.
Salaries in MLB all stem from some sort of negotiation or arbitration hearings. Most players agents encourage them to get those numbers up, which give the agents negotiating points. Unfortunately, that has nothing at all to do with how players are brought along and how their teams perform over a 162 game season…which in turn has little to do with the teams performance over the course of a season, then going into the stretch run and playoffs.
Actually their numbers do translate very well to team performance, but dinosaurs like you are never going to get it. And if you don’t understand BABIP and how it relates to future fluctuations in batting average, then sorry, can’t help you.
Hammerin’ Hank;
I’ve read your posts. You’re not a good person to call anyone else names.
Fact is that the quality organizations that win consistently such
as the the Rays, Astros, Dodgers, Braves. etc. don’t get all bent
out of shape over a stat or two with young players – rather they
show incredible patience if the player’s responding to coaching.
If he does the stats will take care of themselves.
So, how’s your rotisserie league team doing this year?
Hope it’s not TJ surgery for Mckenzie I love watching him pitch
Really hoping for the best for McKenzie but he got a late start to the season because of the newly invented Tersis major injury. But he may end up being shut down for the season anyway
Wouldn’t be at all surprised if that confounded newfangled “sweeper” pitch had something to with his injury woes.
As of right now, I have the Tigers written down in pencil” for 4th place in the Central.
Probably depends whether the Tigers or White Sox become more aggressive sellers, depleting their teams for August and September. I’d bet on the White Sox as they have more attractive trade chips. Tigers in third place unless they stay healthy, and then it’s anyone’s race. Otherwise, Twins, Guards, Tigers, White Sox, Royals.
I’ll pick the Tigers to win 75 games, and that should be good enough for second or third in their division. I think they’ll trade a couple of pitchers for a couple of infielders, if I had to guess. Probably won’t be enough to win the division… Next year could be another story.
My poor Royals suck so bad they don’t even get mentioned in AL Central news.
Dear Tigers. Please NEVER play Tyler Nevin again. Thanks.
They’ll likely send him down when Baddoo and Greene go back to Detroit. Of course, they might give Nevin yet another chance later in the season.
No doubt you’re right. They should cut him now and grab Jahmai Jones and see what he has to offer. If he looks good when Baddoo and Greene get back then they can finally cut Schoop.
I was under the impression bullpen are extremely valuable in the playoffs….and it’s a good sales pitch. There are many team who should listen to it. The Tigs should target the prospect they want and go down the list from there.
Too bad Rodriguez is injured.
So sad Meadows is injured.
Trading people doesn’t mean throwing in the towel. There’s a reason why they play the games.
Playing Toronto should bring back reality.