Brooks

Lee

Lee brought a run home on a groundout in the third inning, then later started a four-run sixth inning with a solo homer off Michael Wacha. The 25-year-old infielder is having a solid season with the Twins, hitting .247/.300/.420 with nine homers, 27 runs scored, and 37 RBI across 238 plate appearances.

Lee drove in all three runs that Minnesota scored while registering their only two extra-base hits. Braxton Ashcraft largely shut down the Twins, but Lee tagged him for a two-run homer in the sixth before adding a solo shot in the ninth. The 25-year-old infielder mostly hit second this past week. He opened the season as the everyday shortstop but has shifted to third base since the Twins optioned Royce Lewis to Triple-A. Tristan Gray has been handling shortstop since then.

Lee takes a seat with Orlando Arcia getting a shot at third base for the first time since being called up earlier this month. The 25-year-old infielder has cooled off a bit in the last few games after an impressive five-game stretch earlier this week where he batted .350 (7-for-20) with one homer and six RBI. He appears to be Minnesota’s preferred option at the hot corner until further notice with top prospect Kaelen Culpepper seemingly earmarked for shortstop once he arrives this summer.

Lee is making his sixth consecutive start at the hot corner as Minnesota appears to be preparing for the inevitable arrival of 2024 first-round pick Kaelen Culpepper as their shortstop of the future. The 23-year-old top prospect is hitting .247/.349/.473 with 11 homers and 11 steals in 218 plate appearances over 46 games for Triple-A St. Paul this season. Lee’s transition to third base seems to signal that the Twins are likely done with Royce Lewis as a long-term option at the position. It’s a stunning development given how potent Lewis looked as a burgeoning offensive force earlier in his career before injuries derailed his promising career.

The Twins and White Sox were locked in a 2-2 tie before Lee came up in the 11th inning. With the bases loaded, he roped a double to right field that drove in all three runs. The Twins would go on to win 5-3. Lee is hitting .259 with 23 runs, six home runs, 30 RBI and three stolen bases.

Lee’s homer was his sixth of the year on just seven barrels. He’s been solid for the Twins in hitting .256/.313/.411, but it’s come with a slightly higher strikeout rate and weaker exit velocity numbers than last year. There still just isn’t much reason to think he’s going to be very good going forward, and now expectations are going to be a little higher offensively since the Twins seemed to have given up on him as a shortstop and moved him to third base in Royce Lewis’s place.

Unfortunate, but this shouldn’t exactly be a long-term absence for Buxton. who is off to a .260/.319/.580 start with 15 bombs in his first 40 games. Ryan Kreidler is taking over in center field while Brooks Lee gets a shot as the No. 2 hitter. More on Buxton as the team makes it available, and of course all eyes will be on the lookout for that information given how fragile he’s been over the course of his career.

Lee has been the Twins’ everyday shortstop, but he also qualifies at second base and third base in most fantasy formats. He’s up to five homers and three stolen bases this year, plus a .276 average, 18 runs, and 24 RBI. The switch-hitter hasn’t made a batted-ball leap, but his consistent playing time and light power/speed combo are worth rostering in deeper leagues where you need infield help.

Lee’s exit velocity numbers remain pretty weak and he’s striking out more than usual (though still a bit less than the league average) this year, but he’s thus far produced a nice .270/.323/.435 line anyway. His .302 BABIP wouldn’t be particularly notable for most, but he’d come in at just .254 in 189 games over his first two seasons. Statcast thinks it’s actually this year’s mark that’s the bigger fluke, given his modest hard-hit rates.

Lee puts the Twins in front with a two-run single in the fourth inning, which gave him 17 RBIs on the season. After a slow start to the season, Lee has gone 20-for-73 (.274) over his last 20 games with five home runs, 11 runs scored, 15 RBI, and two steals. That’s worthy of an add in most fantasy formats, but don’t be afraid to cut bait if the production dries up.