Even though the Minnesota Twins were able to get a win on Opening Day, it's safe to say the season did not get off to the start anyone wanted.
Three innings into Minnesota's 4-1 win over Kansas City, Royce Lewis needed to exit the game with an injury. It was later diagnosed as a right quad injury, the severity of which we still don't know. Depending on the results of an MRI that was taken after the game, Lewis could return in a few days or might need to spend some time on the IL.
If Minnesota is without Lewis for an extended period of time, the team has a few intriguing options for replacing him. The Twins could call up Jose Miranda to see if he can tap back into the magic he had in 2022, or give Austin Martin his debut shuffle Kyle Farmer over to third.
One player who won't be an option is also one of the most exciting, as Brooks Lee doesn't appear to be in the mix to fill in for Lewis as he battles injuries of his own.
Brooks Lee potentially out for a month with back injury
There was an outside chance that Lee could make the Opening Day roster if he put together a convincing Spring Training. He ended up needing to cut things short after exiting a game late last week with back spasms.
Lee not only didn't return for another Spring Training game but he might not see action for the foreseeable future.
St. Paul Saints manager Toby Gardenhire updated everyone on the status of Lee an noted that he was going to miss the next three to four weeks. That means not only will he not be an option to replace Lewis in the lineup but we might not see the Twins' top prospect make his season debut until May.
Injury updates today from Saints manager Toby Gardenhire. Brooks Lee (back) out 3-4 weeks, Trevor Larnach more day-to-day. Saints home opener tomorrow pushed to Saturday, CHS Field not near ready for play. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/Iy7i7dYlwb
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) March 28, 2024
It became clear that Lee wouldn't make the Opening Day roster well before he ran into injury issues. Just like Austin Martin he was edged out of the picture after the team acquired Manuel Margot and plugged all of its depth holes.
Also like Martin, it seemed that Lee was just an injury away from getting called up and making his triumphant debut. This would have been a potential scenario for that, although there might have been better arguements for calling up Martin or Miranda over Lee even if he had been healthy.
If Lee is going to miss most of the first month of the season, it begs the question of whether his whole timeline has now shifted. It was looking like a matter of when, not if, he'd get called up but the Twins would be wise to pump the brakes and let him settle in at Triple-A before making any moves that elevate him.
It's not the most fun idea, but it's probably the right one.