Here are three things we’ll be keeping an eye on headed into the weekend:
1. Lewis sidelined:
Twins third baseman Royce Lewis has been through the wringer over the years when it comes to injuries, and he’s now dealing with another scare. As noted by Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Lewis was scratched from yesterday’s lineup due to side tightness he suffered while running the bases prior to the game. Hayes added that the Twins view Lewis’s removal from the lineup as purely precautionary, but for a player who participated in a career-high number of games last year at just 106, any sign of returning injury woes is concerning. Lewis will be looking not only for better health in 2026, but also more effectiveness at the plate. He hit a paltry .237/.283/.388 in 403 trips to the plate for Minnesota last year. Ryan Kreidler, Kody Clemens, Tristan Gray and Eric Wagaman are all on the 40-man roster and have experience at third base, and the Twins also have veteran Gio Urshela back in camp on a minor league deal.
2. Hoglund to meet with doctors:
A’s right-hander Gunnar Hoglund is headed for testing due to a knee issue that’s been bothering him throughout camp, per Martin Gallegos of MLB.com. The former first-round pick, acquired in the Matt Chapman trade with Toronto, made his MLB debut last year. His six-start cup of coffee didn’t go especially well, but the 26-year-old entered camp hopeful of earning another look in the rotation or at least in the bullpen. Injuries have been a persistent issue for Hoglund, who missed the second half last season due to hip surgery and underwent Tommy John surgery in 2021 just prior to being drafted. More details about should be available in the coming days, but if he’s unable to pitch the A’s have a deep group of young arms to work with in the rotation that includes Jack Perkins, Braden Nett, Henry Baez, Joey Estes, and Luis Morales.
3. Offseason additions making team debuts:
As the first weeks of Spring Training continue, impact players around the league are making their first game appearances for their new ball clubs. Three such players are set to start for their clubs today: Orioles right-hander Shane Baz, who will face off against Mitch Keller of the Pirates at 1:05pm local time in Florida; Mets right-hander Freddy Peralta, who will pitch opposite Cardinals southpaw Quinn Mathews at that same time; and Cubs righty Edward Cabrera, who is scheduled to pitch opposite Guardians southpaw Logan Allen at 1:05pm local time in Arizona later in the day. All three hurlers will slot in towards the front of their new rotations.
I’m more looking forward to today’s matchup in North Port where Chris Sale and the 4-2 Braves take on Brayan Bello and the 4-2 Red Sox.
World Series preview? Hey now is the time to be optimistic!
If it’s a Red Sox/Braves world series and somehow Bello is the one lining up against Sale something either went very right or very wrong with the rest of our pitching xD
It could also just be how the previous series played out for each team.
Meow – The Red Sox swept the Jays in the ALCS, but the Braves needed 7 games to beat the Dodgers in the NLCS ;o)
Fever,
I see your profile picture as Devers, that’s an interesting choice considering how that went down lol
I miss Sale too, dude was a beast for the White Sox. Now he’s flourishing again with the Braves.
Acoss – I used it because his facial expression is so funny, and the hatred some people here have for him makes me laugh. It’s my first ever profile pic too! I’m thinking of switching it to the pic of Bregman and Raffy showing each other love last week, what do you think …. should I?
Yeah Sale is just one of many Red Sox HOF’ers pushed out …. it’s been going on since I was a kid, Fisk and Boggs and Clemens and now Mookie, Raffy and Sale. Although Sale should definitely go into the HOF wearing a White Sox hat.
Seeing those guys play for other team’s didn’t suck nearly as bad as seeing Dewey wear an Orioles uniform for his final season (i know he’s not in the HoF, but he should be)
Rsox – Great point, I forgot about that.
Under this ownership group (without Lucky) I don’t see any longtime Red Sox star retiring with the team unless they get injured and are forced to retire.
Fever,
Dude, definitely show that picture of Devers and Bregman, that’s just gold lol
Jim Lonborg, Mike Andrews, George Scott, Joe Foy, Reggie Smith, Tony Conigliaro, all from the 1967 team. Carlton Fisk, Rick Burleson, Fred Lynn from 1975. Off the top of my head.
I think Dustin Pedroia will be the last Red Sox “lifer” for a while
Acoss – Done! It’s so small, but some fans will see the handshake and uniform colors and know who the players are. LOL
Rsox – Speaking of Pedey, haven’t seen him in camp yet. Have seen Rice, Evans, Pedro, Ortiz and Mo though.
And Mayer finally gets on the field today… against Sale. Ouch. Maybe the toughest left on left match up there is.
swan – If I was Cora I’d start Abreu, Mayer, Yoshida and Duran against every lefty SP. They all need the practice.
Good point. If not in games, make them get in there during every lefty’s live BP session. They can’t have platoons at every position. Someone has to get consistent vs same handed pitching.
swan – And just like that, Duran goes deep off Sale!!!
Got all of it too. Bombs away!!
swan – Oh man that collision looked really bad, so glad Roman was able to hit the next inning. Let’s hope he’s not trying to play through pain.
I think they’re fine. Roman got a hit and Raf hit a bomb… that’s a good sign. That stuff is so frustrating though. Ceddanne has to call him off. Ya know, like they learned in little league! Man…
The fact they left both of them in the game is a good sign
swan – Hope so! Afterwards Roman was shaking his hand, and it’s kinda weird Rafaela is the only starter who has been pulled. Sometimes injuries don’t appear immediately.
Great to see the Mayer homerun!
Yaz is hitting like his grandpa.
Yeah, who says this team has no power?! Three bombs. Two off Sale and one off Iglesias (their closer).
Gonna be a fun season
If Chapman can keep up his current 27 K/9 they should be right there
It’s like the universe is trying to tell the Twins to give it up and enter rebuild mode.
“If thou shalt not enter a rebuild by thine own design, so shall I do it for you!”
Feel bad for Minnesota fans and hope that Lewis’s injury isn’t serious.
You mean the Twins have been trying to win all this time?
Lewis was scratched from yesterday’s lineup due to side tightness he suffered while running the bases prior to the game.
That’s why I am proposing a new rule for baseball. In odd innings, baserunners circle the bases counterclockwise. In even innings, baserunners circle the bases clockwise. This will help to reduce the overuse injuries that result from running bases in the same direction all of the time.
Initial federal government estimates are that baserunning injuries will be reduced by 700%.
Or they could recruit stock car drivers who have built up their obliques turning left all the time
Man, gotta feel for Lewis, he’s got all the right tools, but that injury bug keeps biting him. Frustrating.
He’s got all the right tools, but he’s got a hole in the bottom of his toolbox.
The oft-injured Giancarlo Stanton told reporters covering Yankee camp that “I can’t open a bag of chips”. Maybe that’s why the Bombers brought in Randal Grichuk as insurance against a trip to the 60-day IL for Stanton.
Stanton needs to retire after that statement. If he can’t open a bag of chips, how’s he going to swing a bat?
More worried about Giancarlo’s diet: musing over a bag of chips? Like the way TB laid into that Joel Gray troll during their weekly Monday night football interview segment on Westwood One radio back in the day, sponsored by Papa Johns. Gray asked him in cheesy time filling manner if he was going to be enjoying some Papa John and Brady couldn’t resist tearing Gray a new one. “I don’t eat that crap. Im an athlete and its in season!” So much for the sponsorship plug
I’ve said this elsewhere, but between Lewis and Buxton, the Twins are going to have one heck of a 40 game stretch at some point this year.
Is the 40 theyll be consuming while on the mend a Colt 45 or Schlitz?
York – The Jays fan who successfully mooned on live TV should get it.
Hoglund looked really solid in college. Had that injury before the draft and just hadn’t had a prolonged stretch of health since.
I wouldn’t be surprised to see the Twins eventually move like the Lakers and NorthStars did. If not to a new city, somewhere like Duluth or St. Cloud makes financial sense.
Rent some Mayflower trucks and escape from Pohladville in the middle of the night
What in the h e double hockey sticks is “side tightness?”