Twins OF Trevor Larnach, SS Brooks Lee proving doubters wrong early in 2026
Entering the season, many Twins fans and media members, including myself, felt that Minnesota should've moved on from Larnach in the offseason. With Matt Wallner, Alan Roden, Emmanuel Rodríguez and Walker Jenkins in the organization, many believed that the Twins would be better off non-tendering or trading Larnach, who had a career 99 OPS+ before this season and posted -3 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) in 2025.
As for Lee, no one thought it would be a good idea to give up on the shortstop quite yet in the offseason. But after he was slashing just .192/.250/.192 with a 26 wRC+ in his first 28 plate appearances of the season, many thought it'd be a good idea for Minnesota to demote him to Triple-A, especially since he slashed just .232/.279/.357 over 712 plate appearances in his first two big league seasons (2024-25).
Both Larnach and Lee have proved they deserve to stick on the Twins' 26-man roster, at least for now. This year, Larnach is reaching base at an elite .418 clip in 24 games. The outfielder also looks much better defensively this season with 2 DRS.
We see you Trev👏🏼 pic.twitter.com/UDqyLFWGWq
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) April 29, 2026
Trevor Larnach with a sensational catch in LF, who has been +2 in DRS this season, after being -8 the last 3 seasons. He told me pregame about how helpful Grady Sizemore has been for him on both sides of the diamond this season. #MNTwins
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) April 29, 2026
Meanwhile, Lee has been on an absolute tear at the plate. On April 7, the shortstop attempted to bunt for a single off Detroit Tigers lefty Tarik Skubal. Unfortunately, he made an out and the bat hit him in the face.
Brooks Lee tried to bunt for a single off Tarik Skubal. Instead, he made an out and the bat hit him in the face. pic.twitter.com/r44F7kSUgH
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 8, 2026
It's become a running joke among Twins Territory that being hit in the face by his bat on April 7 unlocked a different version of Lee. After that game, the shortstop has slashed .262/.333/.523 with a 135 wRC+, five home runs, two doubles and 13 RBI over 72 plate appearances.
22 goes deep for 2️⃣‼️ pic.twitter.com/8KlaPPwmtC
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) April 26, 2026
While Lee has been a formidable hitter lately, his defense has been awful. Lee has -4 DRS, which is the second-worst among MLB shortstops behind Andrés Giménez. Additionally, his -3 Outs Above Average (OAA) is tied for the second-worst at the position. Long-term, the Twins may have to move Lee to a different position. But if he can continue his tear at the plate, he should be a solid big-league second or third baseman in the future.
Of course, it's still extremely early in the season, meaning Lee and/or Larnach have plenty of time to regress and prove the doubters right. But for now, both position players deserve credit for their performances thus far in 2026. While the Twins have been tough to watch recently, Lee and Larnach have been bright spots on the struggling team.
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