30 September 2023
DENVER — In a matter of days, the Twins must trim their roster down from 28 to 26. Health — that of Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton — will be the foremost question as the Twins craft their playoff roster.
Minnesota Twins’ Jorge Polanco strikes out against Colorado Rockies starting pitcher Ty Blach to end the top of fourth inning of a baseball game Friday, Sept. 29, 2023, in Denver. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski)
The roster must be submitted by 10 a.m. on Tuesday, the first day of the best-of-three Wild Card Series. Here’s a look at how it might shake out:
Catchers (2): Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vázquez
The question here is not who, but how the Twins will deploy their two catchers. Vázquez is a veteran with two World Series rings. Jeffers offers more offensive upside.
Infielders (7): Donovan Solano, Alex Kirilloff, Edouard Julien, Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, Royce Lewis, Kyle Farmer
The Twins have seemed confident all along that Correa (plantar fasciitis) will be ready to return by Tuesday. But will his partner on the left side of the infield join him?
Lewis is out with a hamstring strain and if he does return, it appears that it would be as a designated hitter. Both are back home in Minnesota right now, participating in simulated games.
Their health aside, there aren’t too many question marks with this group. If Lewis is only able to serve as the designated hitter, the Twins can shift Polanco to third, leaving Julien at second base.
Outfielders (5): Max Kepler, Michael A. Taylor, Matt Wallner, Andrew Stevenson, Willi Castro (INF/OF)
The Twins will have to make a determination as to whether Buxton, who has been out since August, will be able to play. If so, what role would he fill, especially if Lewis is serving as the team’s designated hitter?
If Buxton is not included on the roster, the Twins will likely be deciding between Stevenson and Jordan Luplow. That could come down to which opponent they draw — for example, if their opponent has a lot of lefties, they could opt for Luplow. Stevenson would fit as a pinch runner/late defensive replacement, so let’s give the edge to him right now.
Starters (4): Pablo López, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Kenta Maeda
The Twins have carried 13 pitchers for almost the entire season, but this being just a three-game series, they don’t need five starters. Manager Rocco Baldelli has already announced López will start game one. Gray will follow him in game two. Ryan, it would appear, is lined up for a potential game three.
As for Maeda, he threw 3 1/3 innings out of the bullpen on Thursday, his first relief appearance since 2019. Maeda has plenty of postseason experience pitching out of the bullpen, which would seem to make him the most likely starter to make the shift.
In this scenario, Bailey Ober, who is starting on Sunday, would be left off the roster but would appear to be in line to pitch in a potential American League Division Series.
Relievers (8): Jhoan Duran, Griffin Jax, Caleb Thielbar, Emilio Pagán, Louie Varland, Brock Stewart, Chris Paddack, Kody Funderburk
The bullpen is looking strong with the recent additions of Stewart and Paddack, both of whom just returned from the injured list, and Varland, who has a 1.50 earned-run average in seven relief appearances since being called up in early September and transitioning from starting to relieving.
In this scenario, Funderburk would join Thielbar as the second lefty out of the ‘pen and Dallas Keuchel, who has both started and relieved for the Twins since August, would be off the roster.