Ryan

Kreidler

Kreidler was 3-for-14 with two home runs in his five games with the Twins. With Royce Lewis back in the lineup, the Twins don’t need Kreidler up for now. He’ll be back at some point.

We now have a large enough sample size of games with Royce Lewis on the injured list, so we can say with certainty that Kreidler is the regular third baseman against lefties and Tristan Gray will start against righties. Unfortunately, neither one of them will likely be fantasy relevant.

Kreidler, who is getting starts versus lefty with Royce Lewis out, had two previous major league homers in 215 plate appearances, one each in 2022 and ’24 with the Tigers. The projected distance on tonight’s blast bested his previous high by 30 feet. His 108.9-mph exit velocity topped his previous high by two mph. It’s probably not a complete fluke; his bat speed is well up to begin the year. Still, it’s doubtful he’ll make enough contact to be much of a contributor.

Kreidler’s defensive versatility gives him some appeal with Minnesota in a bench role as they attempt to replace third baseman Royce Lewis for at least a couple weeks. The 28-year-old utility specialist has batted .138 (26-for-188) with two homers and seven steals in 89 games at the highest level since 2022.

Kreidler is a career .138/.208/.176 MLB hitter in 211 plate appearances, so he was always a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. His defensive versatility will likely give him a chance at some MLB at-bats this season.

The Twins are familiar with Kreidler; he spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the Tigers before his quick stint with the Pirates in September (though he never did get into a major league game with Pittsburgh). He’s a versatile defender who proved adept in center after spending most of his career in the infield, but he just doesn’t offer any offense at all; he’s come in at .138/.208/.176 in 211 career major league plate appearances. There’s a good chance he’ll find himself back on waivers at some point during the offseason.

Kreidler loses his spot on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to free up space for outfielder Will Robertson. The 27-year-old didn’t appear in a game for the Pirates after being claimed off waivers from the Tigers back in late August. He’s batted .138 (26-for-188) with two homers and seven steals in 89 games at the highest level since 2022.

Kreidler didn’t get into a game for the Pirates after being claimed off waivers back in late August. The 27-year-old heads back to the minors with Ji Hwan Bae coming up to take his spot on Pittsburgh’s bench.

Kreidler gets his first call to Pittsburgh after utility infielder Isiah Kiner-Falefa was claimed off waivers by the Blue Jays. The versatile 27-year-old got into 17 games earlier this season for the Tigers before being claimed off waivers earlier this week.

Kreidler heads to Triple-A Indianapolis as extra organizational depth for the Pirates after being jettisoned from Detroit’s 40-man roster last Friday. The 27-year-old is a versatile defender, but he’s been a complete non-factor at the plate in the majors. He went 4-for-38 in 17 games this season for the Tigers.