Harrison

Bader

Bader took Jeffrey Springs deep in the fifth inning for his sixth homer of the season. The 31-year-old outfielders first season in the Twin Cities has gone well with a .792 OPS over 147 at-bats in 2025.

Bader is back in left field and batting eighth on Saturday night following a four-game absence due to right ring finger inflammation. The positive news here is that he’s managed to avoid a trip to the injured list. The Twins have their entire Opening Day lineup back fully healthy for the first time in nearly two months.

Bader has now missed four consecutive games due to inflammation in his right ring finger after breaking his bat on a swing over the weekend. If this continues to linger, the Twins may ultimately be forced to use a backdated stint on the injured list. Byron Buxton returned to the Twins’ lineup on Friday night and will cover center field while Willi Castro starts in left against Bryan Woo and the Mariners.

Bader has sat out three straight contests with right ring finger inflammation after breaking a bat over the weekend on a swing. The 30-year-old outfielder is presumably day-to-day heading into Friday’s series opener against the Mariners since precautionary imaging didn’t reveal any fractures or structural damage.

Bader was scratched from Monday’s lineup with right finger soreness and is presumably day-to-day for now. Initial imaging didn’t reveal any fractures, but he’s dealing with some inflammation in his right ring finger after breaking his bat over the weekend. His absence opens the door for rookie DaShawn Keirsey Jr. to get into the lineup for the eighth time in the last 11 games.

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli downplayed concern with reporters saying that the decision was precautionary after Bader felt something during a swing over the weekend. He added that they expect him to be fine going forward, but he’s undergoing further evaluation out of an abundance of caution. Fantasy managers should consider him day-to-day for now.

No word yet on the reason for the move and whether it’s an injury-related decision. Bader is hitting .321 with two homers and five steals in 18 games since the start of May. It’ll be rookie DaShawn Kiersey Jr. taking over in center field on Monday night at George M. Steinbrenner Field in Tampa Bay.

Bader struck out twice in five at-bats during Saturday’s lopsided win over the Brewers after missing a pair of contests with groin tightness. He was the lone Minnesota starter to go hitless during the one-sided affair. It’s possible he would get some extra time off if the Twins weren’t dealing with an avalanche of injuries at the moment with both Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton on the concussion injured list in addition to Willi Castro dealing with knee issues.

Bader is back in left field and batting seventh on Saturday evening following a two-game absence due to groin tightness. The 30-year-old outfielder’s return comes at a pivotal time for the Twins, who are missing both Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa after their involvement in a head-to-head collision earlier this week.

Bader was pulled from the second game of Wednesday’s doubleheader against the Orioles due to tightness in his groin. He then sat out Thursday’s ballgame as a precautionary measure. He’s still considered day-to-day and should rejoin the Twins’ lineup before their weekend series is through.