While there’s hardly a good excuse for why the Minnesota Twins have struggled so mightily in the first half of the season, there are at least tangible things that could be contributing to the slump.
One of the key factors has been bad injury luck. Byron Buxton, Joey Gallo, Max Kepler, Kyle Farmer, Nick Gordon, and Kenta Maeda have all spent time on the injured list this season, something that has put the Twins in a bit of a bind.
Jorge Polanco began the season on the IL and made his triumphant debut with the team in May. It was a short-lived stint, though, as a hamstring strain back in May has derailed his season. The Twins have already put Polanco on the IL twice this season, first after his injury on May 17th and again in June just seven games after he returned to the lineup.
After missing almost all of last month, it appears Polanco is gearing up to begin yet another rehab assignment and eventual return to the Twins.
Twins provide latest Jorge Polanco injury update
According to Twins beat writer Betsy Helfand, the Twins are hoping that Jorge Polanco can begin his rehab assignment at St. Paul as soon as next weekend.
Derek Falvey said Jorge Polanco (hamstring) is progressing in his running and will continue to do so throughout this week.
— Betsy Helfand (@betsyhelfand) July 9, 2023
He said their hope and expectation is that he can get out for a rehab assignment with the Saints "maybe around next weekend."
Thankfully the Twins have been able to mitigate the loss of Polanco at the plate. Edouard Julien is slashing .264/.345/.273 while filling in and has created a good problem for the Twins to have once the time comes to add Polanco back to the lineup.
For as bad as the Twins offense has been, Julien has been providing a much-needed spark. Minnesota needs to find a way to keep him at the Major League level once Polanco is healthy enough to return, and cannot afford to take his bat out of the lineup when the offense so badly needs it.
Julien’s defense, however, leaves a lot to be desired. Rocco Baldelli’s insistence to plug Byron Buxton in as DH complicates an potentially easy solution where Julien is the designated hitter while Polanco plays second.
Of course, this is also an easier solution if Buxton could play centerfield.
Over the All-Star Break, Derek Falvey went on record as saying the team won’t be overly aggressive in the trade market due to how many players the team already has that could provide an offensive boost when healthy. That’s a bold prediction and a big gamble, but it highlights how badly the Twins need Polanco to not only get healthy but stay healthy.
Hopefully the third time is the charm.