The Minnesota Twins and Rocco Baldelli are dealing with a serious injury bug throughout the team to start 2025. However, they delivered positive updates on the recovery process of Pablo Lopez and Royce Lewis on Tuesday. The team might be without Jose Miranda for the foreseeable future, but the team awaits everyone else's return.
Lewis is back running on the base paths and could be sent on a rehab assignment later this week while Lopez's return to the rotation is only days away, according to Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune.
Before Miranda's bizarre injury in the minors, Lewis and Lopez were the only big pieces out of the lineup for the Twins. Lopez hasn't pitched since April 8th against the Kansas City Royals. Lewis, on the other hand, has yet to step foot on the field for the Twins this regular season after suffering an injury during spring training. Baldelli has gotten creative with his roster, but was spared further headache after a scare for Twins shortstop Carlos Correa.
Baldelli and the Twins face an uphill climb in the AL Central if they want to catch the Detroit Tigers and Cleveland Guardians. Luckily for them, their injury bug hit early, giving them plenty of time to gain ground. Minnesota narrowly missed the American League playoffs last year, falling just four games short of the sixth-seeded Tigers for the final wild card spot.
On paper, the Twins' roster has enough talent to make things interesting in the playoffs. Unfortunately, Minnesota has been unable to get out of its own way, whether it be inconsistency or injuries.
Losing Lopez earlier this month hurt, but Minnesota needs to find a way to survive without its stars. It just got swept in a series against the lowly Atlanta Braves. At 7-15, the Twins' problems run deeper than being without players due to injuries.
As May nears, the Twins are coming closer and closer to full health. If they can keep everyone on the field for the majority of the season, they could be a dark horse playoff team.