MINNESOTA TWINS NEWS

Royce Lewis - Working in center field Lewis is starting in center field for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Impact Minnesota initially indicated Lewis would remain at shortstop after being demoted to St. Paul on May 18, but he's now also seen action at third base, left field and center field. The 22-year-old hit .308/.325/.564 with two home runs, four doubles and five RBI across his first 11 big-league games, but he was sent back to Triple-A once Carlos Correa returned from the injured list. Lewis is gearing up to rejoin the Twins in a utility role at some point, though it's unclear when exactly that may happen.

MAY 28, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Byron Buxton - On bench Friday Buxton isn't starting Friday against the Royals, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Impact Buxton has gone just 1-for-18 with five strikeouts over the last four games, and he'll get a breather Friday as the Twins continue to give him sporadic days off to preserve his long-term health. Nick Gordon will start in center field and bat eighth.

MAY 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Jorge Polanco - Back in action Friday Polanco (ankle) is starting Friday against the Royals, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Impact Polanco missed the last three games due to slight soreness in his right ankle, but he'll start at the keystone and bat third during Friday's matchup. Over his last five games, he's gone 4-for-18 with five runs, three RBI, a stolen base, four walks and six strikeouts.

MAY 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Friday's Transactions BASEBALL Major League Baseball American League MINNESOTA TWINS — Reinstated LHP Danny Coulombe from his rehab assignment and from the 15-day...

MAY 27, 2022 • SANDIEGOUNIONTRIBUNE.COM

Danny Coulombe - Reinstated from 15-day IL Coulombe (hip) was reinstated from the 15-day injured list Friday.

Impact Coulombe had been on the injured list since May 11, but he recently made a pair of rehab appearances at Triple-A St. Paul and allowed a run on two hits and a walk while striking out one in two innings. The southpaw has posted a 0.75 ERA and 1.00 WHIP in 12 innings over nine relief appearances for the Twins this season and will rejoin the major-league bullpen after a relatively minimal absence.

MAY 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Gilberto Celestino - Placed on COVID-19 IL Celestino was placed on the COVID-19 injured list Friday.

Impact Celestino had started in six of the last seven games, but he'll now need to isolate from the team. It's not yet clear whether he's tested positive for COVID-19, but he'll be eligible to rejoin the club as soon as he clears the league's health and safety protocols. Nick Gordon and Kyle Garlick should see a slight uptick in playing time while Celestino is unavailable.

MAY 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Smeltzer pitches brilliant outing but Twins absorb 3-2 loss to Kansas City Tyler Duffey gave up three runs in the top of the eighth and, in the bottom of the inning, the Twins failed to score for the second game in...

MAY 27, 2022 • STARTRIBUNE.COM

Royals play the Twins leading series 1-0

The Kansas City Royals lead 1-0 in a four-game series against the Minnesota Twins

MAY 27, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Devin Smeltzer - Let down by bullpen Thursday Smeltzer did not factor in the decision against Kansas City on Thursday despite pitching seven scoreless innings during which he allowed two hits and one walk while striking out si...

Impact Smeltzer was dominant and efficient in his seven frames, throwing just 80 pitches and preventing any runners from reach second base. He was in line for the win upon his departure but had to settle for a no-decision after Tyler Duffey surrendered three eighth-inning runs to take the loss. This was Smeltzer's third start of the campaign, and he has allowed a combined two runs over 17.1 innings for a sparkling 1.04 ERA. He's currently up in place of Joe Ryan (COVID-19), but it wouldn't be surprising if Minnesota finds a way to keep him in the rotation based on how well he's pitched so far.

MAY 27, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Smeltzer keeps proving he belongs with gem MINNEAPOLIS -- Devin Smeltzer understands what it means to be a versatile pitcher with remaining Minor League options as part of this Twin...

MAY 27, 2022 • MLB.COM

Royals score 3 runs in eighth inning, rally past Twins 3-2

Whit Merrifield drove in two runs with a double and scored on Bobby Witt Jr.’s double, as the Kansas City Royals rallied for three runs in the eighth inning and beat the Minnesota...

MAY 27, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli rejoices on extended time to use 14 pitchers MLB and the players union agreed Thursday to begin enforcing the rule to limit team to 13 pitchers on a 26-man roster on June 20 instead of...

MAY 27, 2022 • STARTRIBUNE.COM

Jorge Alcala - Throws bullpen session Alcala (elbow) threw a bullpen session Wednesday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Impact Alcala hasn't thrown since April 10, and he was transferred to the 60-day injured list April 23. While the right-hander isn't eligible to be activated until at least June 10, he'll take a significant step in his recovery Saturday, when he's scheduled to throw live batting practice. Whether Alcala is able to return when he's first eligible isn't yet clear, but he's certainly trending in the right direction.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Royals Make Flurry of Roster Moves Before Series Opener vs. Twins The Royals make some changes on the road in Minnesota.

MAY 26, 2022 • STAR-TELEGRAM.COM

Max Kepler - Not in Thursday's lineup Kepler isn't starting Thursday against Kansas City.

Impact Kepler will get a breather after he started in the last eight games and hit .269 with a homer, a double, eight runs, seven RBI and a stolen base. Gilberto Celestino will take over in right field and bat ninth.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Trevor Larnach - On bench Thursday Larnach isn't starting Thursday against the Royals.

Impact Larnach started in three of the last four games and went 2-for-11 with a home run, two RBI and four strikeouts. Kyle Garlick will take over in left field and bat third.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Jorge Polanco - Remains out of lineup Polanco (ankle) isn't starting Thursday against the Royals.

Impact Polanco will be out of the lineup for a third consecutive game due to some slight soreness in his right ankle, but manager Rocco Baldelli is optimistic that the second baseman could return as soon as Friday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. The 28-year-old had been playing through the issue recently, but the team wants to give him some time to rest while receiving treatment. Luis Arraez will shift to the keystone while Jose Miranda starts at first base.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Buxton, Twins relish 'little wins' of crash-free OF plays

The Minnesota Twins are carefully managing center fielder Byron Buxton's playing time in the lower-pressure first half of the season to make sure he's healthy down the stretch

MAY 26, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

MLB notes: Marlins' unique program, Byron Buxton's impact and Adley Rutschman's promotion The Marlins' program aims to educate students about mental well-being and is believed to be the only one of its kind among MLB teams.

MAY 26, 2022 • THEATHLETIC.COM

Buxton battle 'trending in the right direction' MINNEAPOLIS – Byron Buxton says that his teammates have made it “very, very clear” to him: Make smart decisions and do everything he can to...

MAY 26, 2022 • MLB.COM

Hunter Wood - Inks minors deal with Twins Wood signed a minor-league contract with the Twins on Thursday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.

Impact The 28-year-old reliever has spent parts of four seasons in the majors, posting a 3.34 ERA and 86 strikeouts in 92 innings. He had elbow surgery last summer.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

N.J. native hoping to stick with the Twins The Minnesota Twins (27-17) have a 4.5-game lead over the Chicago White Sox (22-21) in the American League Central.

MAY 26, 2022 • NJ.COM

Royals enter matchup with the Twins on losing streak

The Kansas City Royals look to break their six-game losing streak with a win over the Minnesota Twins

MAY 26, 2022 • ASSOCIATED PRESS

Trevor Larnach - Slugs first homer Larnach went 2-for-3 with a two-run home run Wednesday against the Tigers.

Impact Larnach took Rony Garcia yard in the fourth inning to record his first home run of the campaign. It was also his first hit since being activated from the injured list May 22. Larnach is in line to receive the majority of starts in left field, and he has maintained a .295/.341/.449 line with nine RBI and 13 runs scored across 85 plate appearances on the season.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE

Dylan Bundy - Punches out six Bundy allowed one earned run on five hits and one walk while striking out six across 5.2 innings Wednesday against the Tigers. He did not factor into the decision.

Impact Bundy kept the Tigers lineup in check, with the only damage coming on a solo home run by Harold Castro. He racked up 14 swinging strikes on 85 total pitches and struck out at least six batters for the third time in seven starts this season. Since returning from the COVID-19-related injured list, Bundy has allowed only one earned run across 8.2 innings. Overall, he has a 4.54 ERA and 31:8 K:BB across 33.2 frames.

MAY 26, 2022 • ROTOWIRE