3 Twins who need to step up in September to keep Minnesota's postseason hopes alive

It's early September, and the Twins are still in the postseason race. Well, sort of. As of Wednesday morning, Minnesota has a 10.1% chance to make the playoffs, according to FanGraphs. The Twins are 3 1/2 games back of the Cleveland Guardians for the final Wild Card spot. The Toronto Blue Jays are 2 1/2 games back of that spot, and the Texas Rangers and Baltimore Orioles are 1 1/2 games back.

Making the postseason will be tough, but not impossible for the Twins. If several slumping players can step up their performances in September, Minnesota will have a much better shot at clinching a playoff berth.

3 Twins players who need to improve in September to keep team's playoff hops alive

1B/2B Royce Lewis

Lewis had a spectacular start to the month, going 3-for-4 with a three-run home run, a double and a walk in the Twins' 15-2 win over the Detroit Tigers at Target Field on Tuesday.

But before Tuesday's game, Lewis had hit just .155/.194/.172 with no home runs over his last 62 plate appearances. Lewis, 27, has been a streaky hitter throughout the season, so hopefully his performance on Tuesday is the start of a hot stretch. If Minnesota gets the best version of Lewis for the remainder of the season, the club has a solid chance of reclaiming the final Wild Card spot.

C Ryan Jeffers

Jeffers hit a cold streak in August, slashing a rough .171/.256/.257 over 39 plate appearances with no home runs from Aug. 16-29. Minnesota desperately needs the version of Jeffers who appeared on the verge of making the All-Star team before he suffered a fractured hamate bone earlier in the year.

Luckily, Jeffers just started a hot streak after his recent rough stretch. Over his past three games, Jeffers went 5-for-10 with three home runs, one double, two walks and seven RBI.

If the Twins can get the best version of Jeffers and Lewis, the offense should be in a good spot for the rest of the season.

SP Joe Ryan

Ryan was one of the best pitchers in baseball in the first half, posting a 2.85 ERA with 128 strikeouts over 110 1/3 innings heading into the All-Star break.

After the break, Ryan allowed 16 earned runs in 15 1/3 innings across three starts before being placed on the injured list in early August due to a left glute strain.

Ryan began a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday. He allowed one run on one hit (one homer) and no walks with four strikeouts over three innings. He threw 42 pitches and his fastball averaged 91.4 mph.

To keep their postseason hopes alive, the Twins likely need a handful of peak Joe Ryan starts in September.

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