Harrison

Bader

This is the first right-handed pitcher that the Twins have faced since Royce Lewis (hamstring) landed back on the IL. With Clemens at second base, Willi Castro will shift to left field, and Harrison Bader will be on the bench. Bader has set against right-handed pitching recently, so this might be the new lineup against righties with Lewis on the IL and Brooks Lee shifting over to third base. That would make Clemens more attractive in deeper formats, but it still seems like he’s going to sit against all left-handed pitchers.

Bader greatly exceeded expectations offensively over the first two months of the season, but regression seems to have set in now; he’s hitting .171/.250/.314 with 16 strikeouts in 40 plate appearances during June. Assuming that Byron Buxton is fine, Bader is probably in line to do more sitting against righties until he heats back up.

It’ll be Harrison Bader in center field with Willi Castro getting a turn in left field on Saturday afternoon. Buxton is hitting .258 (8-for-31) with 10 RBI and two steals across seven games since returning from the concussion injured list back on May 30.

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.