Minnesota

Twins

Matthews’ velocity declined last time out in a rough start against the Braves and was down a little further today; his fastball was off by 1.5 mph from last year and his slider was down by 2.5 mph. It still might be a temporary dip, but between that and the possibility that he opens up in Triple-A, there’s no recommending him in mixed leagues right now.

Lewis went 2-for-2 with a homer in his first game this spring, but he has just one hit in 25 at-bats since. At least that one hit was also a homer. Lewis is certainly going to open up as an everyday player for the Twins, but his chances of returning to the top half of the lineup prior to Opening Day would seem to be about gone.

While it doesn’t sound like anything overly serious, there are only 11 days remaining until Opening Day, so every day missed is critical at this stage. If it doesn’t clear up in the next few days, there’s a chance that the 29-year-old slugger may need to open the season on the injured list. It’s a situation to monitor as the next week unfolds, especially with Larnach’s history of oblique issues.

Keaschall finished 1-for-3 and is already up to four doubles, while batting .371 across 11 Grapefruit League contests this spring. The 23-year-old top prospect was putting together an impressive breakthrough fantasy campaign last year before suffering a fractured forearm that kept him on the shelf for over three months. He’s an outstanding pure hitter who projects as a strong batting average source with the ability to reach double-digit homers and eclipse 20 stolen bases, making him a potential upper-echelon fantasy option at second base.

Ryan was among candidates to start a potential WBC championship game after being added to Team USA’s pitcher pool earlier this week. That’s no longer happening. The 29-year-old Twins ace has been battling a back issue this spring but it doesn’t sound like this specific decision was made for health-related reasons. According to Leach, Ryan wasn’t an option to pitch in relief during a potential WBC finale, so the decision was made to go in a different direction with the roster spot. He’ll presumably be ready to take the ball when Minnesota kicks off the regular season later this month.

After three straight scoreless starts to begin the spring, Abel gave up a two-run homer to the second batter he faced today. He was fine after that, though his 19% CSW wasn’t very good. He’s likely currently ahead of Zebby Matthews in line for the fifth spot in Minnesota’s rotation, especially if the Twins are focusing on ERA. Matthews’ is 10.50 ERA right now, even though his FIP is 2.96.

Arcia is 5-for-20 with four extra-base hits this spring. Last year, he totaled 11 extra-base hits in 203 at-bats for the Braves and Rockies. The Twins could pick him over Gio Urshela, Ryan Kreidler and Tristan Gray for their vacant utility role, though unlike Kreidler and Gray, he’s not on the 40-man.

Ober averaged 89.9 mph with his fastball in his first start this spring, but he was down to 88.8 mph today. That’s about 1.5 mph less than last year, when he posted a 5.10 ERA, and three mph south of where he was in 2024. Maybe he’ll figure something out to get that back, but unless it happens, he figures to be a well below average starter once again.

Hendricks has given up one run over four innings this spring, striking out two in the process. The 37-year-old averaged 93.6 mph with his fastball today, which is down four mph from his last time healthy and effective with the White Sox in 2022. He probably doesn’t project as an above average reliever at this point, but even if he’s just adequate, he might wind up with a fair number of saves in a weak Twins pen.

That is, of course, assuming the American squad advances against Canada, perhaps something we shouldn’t take for granted. Kershaw hasn’t officially logged an inning on the squad in the tournament. Ryan could start either of the presumptive final two games for Team USA.