Latest news with #Rocco Baldelli
Reuters
28-07-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Twins All-Star OF Byron Buxton (rib cartilage) day-to-day
July 28 - Minnesota Twins All-Star center fielder Byron Buxton has cartilage irritation in his rib cage and his status is day-to-day, the team announced Sunday. Manager Rocco Baldelli said after Buxton's MRI exam on Sunday that the outfielder will not be placed on the injured list. "It's a good outcome," Baldelli said. "We'll see how he is tomorrow and so on, but to be day-to-day with what he left the game with, it's a good thing. We'll measure him out, get him looked at by the trainers each day, get him a lot of treatment and, hopefully, he'll be back very soon." Buxton, 31, left Saturday's 9-3 loss to the visiting Washington Nationals because of left-side soreness and sat out Sunday, when Harrison Bader started in center field and the Nationals won 7-2 in Minneapolis. Though Buxton has dealt with a spate of injuries throughout his career, the two-time All-Star has mostly been healthy this season except for going on the concussion injured list in May. Buxton is hitting .282 with 23 homers, 59 RBIs and 17 steals in 85 games this season. He has a .343 on-base percentage, .561 slugging percentage and .905 OPS. He is a career .249 hitter with 156 homers and 412 RBIs in 857 games for the Twins since the 2015 season. Buxton earned the Gold Glove for American League center fielders in 2017. Minnesota selected Buxton with the second overall pick of the 2012 MLB Draft. --Field Level Media
New York Times
24-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Twins takeaways: Royce Lewis' re-emergence adds another wrinkle ahead of trade deadline
LOS ANGELES — As if they needed anything more to muddy the waters ahead of the trade deadline, now the Twins front office must consider this: Royce Lewis is back. Though the Twins continue to play inconsistent baseball, the team's third baseman ended an encouraging trip with another stellar showing on Wednesday afternoon. Finally demonstrating signs he's once again a dynamic hitter, Lewis homered, doubled and walked, but it wasn't enough as the Twins dropped a heartbreaking 4-3 contest at the Los Angeles Dodgers. Advertisement Freddie Freeman's two-out, two-run, bases-loaded single off Griffin Jax sent the Twins to their fourth loss in six games, a tough pill to swallow for a team determining whether to sell before next week's July 31 trade deadline. Even in the aftermath of a loss where everything that could go wrong did, several prominent Twins said the series demonstrated their best days are still ahead, with Lewis re-emerging as a threat being central to their faith. 'I believe in this team,' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. 'I'm focused on the fact that our guys are preparing the right way. Our guys are ready to go right now. We're playing good. We'd obviously be feeling better winning the series. You'd feel much better about that. But the big picture should never stand in the way of the small things and details that you have to do every day.' If they can continue on this path, Lewis and Carlos Correa emerging from first-half offensive slumbers would stand as a major development for a club that has been subpar for most of the season. Lewis and Correa were disappointments in the first half, neither coming close to delivering their full offensive potential. Beyond Byron Buxton, Willi Castro and decent stretches from Ryan Jeffers, Kody Clemens, Trevor Larnach and Harrison Bader, the Twins offense provided little reason to believe there's much to build around. Limited by two stints on the injured list for a left hamstring injury, Lewis never got underway. He entered Sunday with a .571 OPS and couldn't stay on the field long enough to prove he's more the hitter who starred earlier in his career instead of the player who's mostly languished over the last calendar year. But starting with Sunday's two-homer performance in Denver, Lewis woke up. Rolls Royce 😮💨 — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 23, 2025 And if good showings in the team's first two games in Los Angeles didn't do it already, Lewis made it clear Wednesday he's ready to excel once again. Facing Dodgers stud Tyler Glasnow, who's dominated right-handed hitters for two-plus seasons, Lewis looked comfortable in the box. He worked ahead 3-1 in the count in a third-inning at-bat before ripping a fastball at the top of the zone for a game-tying solo homer to left. Two innings later, Lewis yanked a 1-2 curveball down the left-field line for a double. Advertisement Whereas two months ago he was driving the ball to center and right-center, Lewis is once again pulling the ball in the air for power and hitting lasers to the right side. Wednesday's two extra-base hits matched the season-long production against Glasnow, against whom righties were 4-for-51 with a double and a homer. Glasnow was otherwise stellar against the Twins, striking out 12 in seven innings of one-run ball. Asked if he thinks Lewis is back, Correa shook his head yes. Correa, who also showed signs during the trip, going 5-for-16 with seven walks, thinks the Twins' offense is finally arriving. 'It's the quality of the at-bats against the pitching we've been facing,' Correa said. 'With him swinging the way he's swinging lately, definitely we've got a shot. It's a big boost to our team. If him and I keep going the way we've been going in the second half, we have a pretty good shot.' Lewis — who also jumpstarted a two-run, go-ahead rally in the eighth with a walk — declined to answer what he'd do before the trade deadline if he were the team's general manager. He noted his belief that the Twins offense can be very good and there's enough talent in the room. Mostly, Lewis reiterated what feeling good at the plate has done for him mentally after a challenging year full of injuries, slumps and more. 'It feels like playing baseball again,' Lewis said. 'There's not as much limitation. … For me, mentally, just to feel healthy again, it's huge. I'm praying it's forever. You can't control that, so enjoy the moments while you are feeling good, because this game is brutal. It'll probably throw you in a dumpster and make you hurt at some point. I've got to enjoy it while I can.' Perhaps Lewis's good mental place convinces the Twins front office to keep together a roster that has underwhelmed all season long a little bit longer. Perhaps it won't. But with another week to go, you can believe it will give Twins decision-makers Derek Falvey and Jeremy Zoll something to consider. Advertisement Here are several other Twins takeaways after a 2-4 trip to start the 'second half.' • Jax disagreed with the decision. Dodgers manager Dave Roberts called it the correct choice. Baldelli said he'd do the same over again if given the chance. With two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning and the tying run on first base, Baldelli elected to intentionally walk Shohei Ohtani, who earlier homered in a fifth straight game. Knowing the Dodgers' bench was empty, Baldelli preferred Jax face Esteury Ruiz, a speedster whose .642 career OPS is 309 points lower than Ohtani's mark. Rather than attack, Jax threw four non-competitive pitches in five and walked Ruiz, which loaded the bases for Freeman. Though Jax got ahead 0-2 in the count, he threw a 1-2 fastball down the middle. Freeman lined it to left, and Bader couldn't come up with the ball. 'It's (Baldelli's) call, but I'd like the ability to face (Ohtani) in that situation,' Jax said. 'I don't like the idea of putting the tying run in scoring position right there.' Said Roberts: 'It was the right decision. … Shohei comes up with a chance to win the game. You got to take your chances against Esteury.' Even though he wouldn't change his mind, Baldelli acknowledged the decision is one he'll play out over and over again. 'We're going to play to win the game, not going to be afraid,' Baldelli said. 'Jax is one of the best relievers in baseball. I'm going to bet on Jax to go out there, dial it in and pitch to Ruiz. Ultimately, it didn't play out the way we wanted.' • Everyone in the Twins clubhouse was disappointed when Mookie Betts wasn't rung up on a critical checked-swing call with two outs in the ninth inning. Betts appeared to go around on a 1-2 pitch from Jax, but first-base umpire Emil Jimenez signaled no swing. Betts then reached on an infield single ahead of Ohtani's walk. Advertisement • Though it didn't do anything for them in the standings, Wednesday's loss may have helped the Twins ahead of next week's deadline. After struggling for the better part of two months, Chris Paddack was dominant. Working with a fastball that touched 97 and a good changeup, Paddack once again showed swing and miss stuff. He generated 15 swings and misses in 78 pitches and looked as good as he has since striking out 10 batters in a June 1 start at the Seattle Mariners. Paddack limited Los Angeles to a run and four hits over six innings while striking out eight. What made the outing all the more impressive is how he bounced back after hanging an 0-2 curveball that Ohtani hit into the next county. 'I just kind of emptied the tank,' Paddack said. 'I was just showing my coaching staff and myself, if this is it, leave nothing out there. I was able to rare back, 96, 97.' • The Twins already knew David Festa was hurt on Tuesday when they announced Bailey Ober would make his next start at Triple-A St. Paul. Even with Festa headed to the IL with right shoulder inflammation, the Twins declined to push up Ober's timeline to fit their needs. Ober remains on track to start Friday at St. Paul. Instead of being rushed back, the right-hander gets a chance to rediscover his form in the minors without worrying about results. 'It's not a situation where I think we're going to be making drastic changes because we had another starter go on the IL,' Baldelli said. Out since June 29 with a left hip impingement, Ober feels healthy. The Twins want him to continue incorporating mechanical changes they've made and would like to see Ober hold his stuff. Though Ober's fastball hit 91.6 mph in the first inning in a four-inning rehab outing on Friday, his velocity dropped a tick below his season average. Baldelli said the outing was a step in the right direction before also noting there's work to be done. 'The results in the Triple-A game for Bailey don't matter that much,' Baldelli said. 'What matters is that we accomplish the goals that we want to accomplish.'
New York Times
22-07-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Twins lose again as trade deadline looms: ‘We know the situation'
LOS ANGELES — For the moment, it looks like the Twins should sell before next week's trade deadline. After losing two of three games in Denver over the weekend and again on Monday, six teams are ahead of Minnesota in the wild-card standings. But the beauty, or perhaps it's the absurdity, or maybe even the challenge of the third wild-card spot, is it provides teams a false sense they're never quite out of the playoff picture. Four good days in a row can change an organization's plans. So too can a few bad ones determine what a club does by the July 31 trade deadline. Advertisement Even though they're only five games behind the Boston Red Sox for the third and final spot, the Twins' chances of making the playoffs are minimal. But they aren't damned, either. With time still on the clock until the front office makes a determination, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli wants his players focused on nothing more than that night's game. 'The next couple weeks of baseball might change the course of the season in one direction or another,' Baldelli said. 'So be it. That's the reality of it. That's what we have to own. We have to do our part to keep our group playing well and together and not worry about it in a negative sense. Think about it in a positive light and try to go in the direction that we want to go.' The Twins are struggling all season to stay on the correct course. They played brilliant baseball for 13 straight games in May, a stretch Baldelli described as one of the best he'd ever been a part of in his career. Prior to the loss of Pablo López, the team's pitching staff ranked first in strikeout-to-walk ratio, Wins Above Replacement, according to Fangraphs, and sixth in earned-run average. The same team is also 35-52 in the rest of its games and produced a horrendous 9-18 June. The Twins lost two of three games to a Colorado squad which won only two of its previous 31 series. With Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis both struggling to hit, the offense was 20th in runs scored entering Monday and 16th in weighted Runs Created Plus, rating as below average. The defense ranks 26th in Defensive Runs Saved with minus-27, according to Sports Info Solutions. In essence, the club is being propped up by the brilliance of Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan and bullpen which leads the majors in WAR. 'Finding consistency is hard in this game,' Correa said. 'We can sit down and have a two-hour conversation about things that can be done better and things that have been going great, and all these things that we could do or not do. But at the end of the day, it's all about wins and losses. We gotta figure out ways to get wins.' Advertisement As if winning isn't already difficult enough, Twins players are now dealing with deadline distractions. Ryan and Buxton both were asked questions at last week's All-Star Game about potential trades at the deadline, the latter noting he's not going anywhere because of his no-trade clause. The pundits are out in force wondering not if but when the Twins will sell. And rival scouts are watching every at-bat and pitch to determine which players might make the most sense for their team. Lefty reliever Danny Coulombe would love to win with the Twins, but he prefers winning wherever it happens. He's also considered how a deadline trade could impact family logistics. But seeing his name recently surface on the apps prompted him to put down his phone. 'I'm simply staying off social media,' Coulombe said. 'There's a lot of stuff going around I can't control. I can control the pitch I throw and my execution and that's about it. I want to win. I'm getting to the point in my career where that's the only thing that matters. Whether it's here or somewhere else, we'll see what happens.' Wanting to keep as many players as possible, Baldelli is monitoring the situation and intervening only when necessary. He'll handle an affected player if it's needed. But Baldelli sees addressing the entire team on the topic as counterintuitive when the focus should instead be on an upcoming game. 'The only thing that matters is being ready to pitch and hit and make the plays and be in a good head space,' Baldelli said. 'Have there been occasions where I've grabbed guys on the side if I think it's affecting them in any sort of way? Yeah. Do I make team speeches? No. I don't do that. … I don't tend to spend a lot of my energy on worrying about the trade deadline. If we play really good baseball from here until the trade deadline, we're going to keep playing and probably not going to be trading anyone.' Advertisement Still, the Twins — as assembled — likely won't have enough time. There are fewer than 10 shopping days left until the trade deadline and nobody in the clubhouse can control what the front office will do. 'We all see what the date is, the time that is coming,' Buxton said. 'We know the situation. It's definitely thought about for sure.' Carlos Correa hit a 106.6 mph laser off the bat. Everyone in the Twins dugout thought it was gone and the game was tied. But similar to how their season is playing out, Correa's bid to silence a Dodger Stadium crowd booing him into oblivion came up short. Correa flew out to the center-field fence and the Twins fell 5-2 to the Los Angeles Dodgers in front of 51,121. Buxton homered off Ohtani to start the game but the Twins offense didn't score again until the ninth inning despite myriad chances. Now THIS is how you start the series!! 😤 — (@twinstv) July 22, 2025 Ohtani answered Buxton's first-inning homer with one of his own, a two-run shot off David Festa. Will Smith belted two more solo home runs off Festa and Andy Pages hit a solo shot off Cole Sands. Even with all the homers, the Dodgers didn't put the Twins away until James Outman caught Correa's drive at the wall. Buxton, who went 2-for-4, started a ninth-inning rally with a walk. The Twins loaded the bases and cut a four-run deficit to three on Kody Clemens' sac fly. Correa, who was booed all night, ripped a 1-2 pitch from Kirby Yates to the wall in center. Though Outman didn't jump, he caught the ball with his glove positioned above the top of the fence. Carlos Correa was inches away from silencing the booing Dodgers crowd, but James Outman reeled it in for the final out — Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) July 22, 2025 'He crushed that ball,' Baldelli said. 'That ball is tattooed. … Everyone on our side of the field was surprised. My guess is everyone on their side of the field is probably surprised, too. Not sure how it didn't go out of the ballpark, but it didn't and we have to live with that fact.' Ty France is disturbed when he sees his numbers on the scoreboard. He's healthy. He's pleased with his process. The swings are good. But the results are not and France is well past laughing about his struggles. France carried a .245/.309/.348 slash line with six home runs and 42 RBIs into Monday's game. His struggles were exacerbated by a long weekend in Denver where all but one of five hard-hit balls found a glove. Advertisement He was robbed of extra bases by Ryan McMahon on Friday. On Sunday, a pair of hard-hit balls carrying expected averages of .469 or better resulted in two runners thrown out at home plate. Another potential hit found a glove Friday. 'I'm the furthest thing from laughing right now,' France said. 'This is frustrating. It's not a mechanical thing. It's not a timing thing. It's placement. That's tough to control. It is what it is unfortunately. I'm going to keep swinging and hopefully they start falling.' France spent the All-Star break working on and diagnosing his swing. He estimated he took at least 1,000 hacks. That's what a slow first half full of bad luck can do to a player. France is hitting the ball harder than ever. His barrel rate is the highest since 2020. His hard-hit rate is high, too. But his batting average is 22 points below his expected one and his expected slugging percentage is 99 better than his real slug. France was dogged by bad healthy in 2024 and it resulted in him signing a one-year prove it contract with the Twins in February. But France said health has no bearing on performance. 'Right now, I'm chalking it up to luck,' France said. 'I look up at the numbers every day and I'm not pleased with where they're at. I look at my expected numbers and there's really not much more I could be doing. I'm hitting the ball right to people for some reason. Aside from the double against the Cubs, I can't think of the last time I had a bloop hit or a broken-bat single. I'm not striking out, either. I'm just hitting the ball right to people. I feel like I'm in a really good spot. I feel like I showed it in Colorado.' (Photo of Byron Buxton celebrating his solo home run off Shohei Ohtani:)
