When the Minnesota Twins take the field at Kauffman Stadium on Opening Day, things are going to look a lot different than they did last year.
Minnesota opened up last season in Kansas City as well, and while Pablo Lopez will be back on the mound the lineup around him will have a different feel to it. Nothing drastic happened over the winter that changed the face of the roster -- in fact, quite the opposite happened.
Rather than chasing the most successful postseason run since 2002 by adding to the roster, the Twins cut $30 million out of the payroll and made mid-to-low tier moves.
New faces like Carlos Santana and Manuel Margot will be making their official debut with the Twins, but the rest of the lineup feels like one that has slowly come together over the course of the last year. The Twins have long prided themselves on homegrown and internal talent, and the Opening Day lineup is a direct reflection -- and celebration -- of that.
Minnesota Twins Opening Day lineup and probable pitchers
No name on the lineup embodies this old-is-new again feel than Byron Buxton. There's a range of emotions Twins fans have seeing his name back in the lineup playing centerfield, all of which are overwhelmingly positive.
Buxton hasn't played the field in a regular season game since August 2022, but will make his triumphant return on Thursday. Not only is he back in the lineup but he's leading off which makes all feel right in the world.
From there the lineup is a mix of guys we've come to know since last Opening Day, many of whom are hitting in new spots in the batting order.
Here's a look at the first Twins lineup of the season:
Batting Order | Player | Position |
|---|---|---|
1 | Byron Buxton | CF |
2 | Ryan Jeffers | C |
3 | Royce Lewis | 3B |
4 | Carlos Correa | SS |
5 | Carlos Santana | 1B |
6 | Max Kepler | RF |
7 | Kyle Farmer | 2B |
8 | Willi Castro | LF |
9 | Manuel Margot | DH |
SP | Pablo Lopez | RHP |
Perhaps most notably, Ryan Jeffers is hitting second. It might seem like an odd choice but absolutely lit up pitchers in Spring Training, posting a 1.178 OPS and slashing .346/.370/.808. His rise in the order not only is a reflection of how well his spring went, but shows how highly the Twins think of him offensively.
One notable absence is Edouard Julien, who will begin the season on the bench. This is not something to read into; in fact that only thing about it you should read is Aaron Gleeman detailing why the Twins platoon left-handed hitters.
We will see Julien featured heavily in the Twins lineup this season, just not on Opening Day.
Minnesota starting Willi Castro in left field over Matt Wallner is another spin on Gleeman's observation, but it also gives Rocco Baldelli maximum lineup flexibility late in the game. He doesn't have to lose a DH spot if Castro is switched out and the team starts pinch hitting.
Things went well for the Twins this time last year, and we'll see if this lineup can both give us an indication of how the season might go while also making it back-to-back years of Opening Day wins.
What jerseys are the Twins wearing on Opening Day 2024?
Keeping with the theme of running things back, the Twins will be in their road pinstripes for Opening Day. This is what they wore last March when beginning the season against the Royals and was their primary uniform on the road.
For those wondering about the cream 'Twin Cities' uniforms, the Twins only wear those at home. The alternates that the team could wear on the road are the navy blue 'Minnesota' script uniforms. We're also, at some point, going to get a glimpse at the City Connect uniforms the Twins will wear at home this season, although those haven't yet been revealed.