Twins give huge update on when and where Brooks Lee could play in 2024
It's starting to sound like a matter of when, not if, Brooks Lee becomes part of the Twins lineup in 2024.
By Josh Hill
As Spring Training gets underway, one name that Minnesota Twins fans will be keeping a close eye on is top prospect Brooks Lee.
Well, he's technically not the team's top prospect anymore since that title belongs to Walker Jenkins. That's semantics, though, as Lee was the top guy in the system the minute he was drafted back in 2022 and he's exceeded expectations at almost every turn.
He quickly rose through the minors to arrive at Triple-A last September and has gone from someone who might get called up this season to a guy the Twins are actively taking measures to prepare for. Trading Jorge Polanco wasn't solely motivated by Lee's future but the move was certainly made with that in mind.
That future might be arriving much earlier than anticipated.
Twins continue to tease Brooks Lee as a major part of the 2024 lineup
According to MLB insider Jon Morosi, the Twins are not only already thinking about when Lee will get called up but are testing out specific spots in the infield where he could play. Derek Falvey is starting to hype Lee as 'major league ready', as his timeline to joining the MLB roster continues to speed up.
Brooks Lee is “getting close to being major league ready,” Derek Falvey said.
— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) February 19, 2024
Falvey noted Lee has taken ground balls at 2B and 3B.
If Lee is promoted to @MLB, the @Twins left side could remain Correa at SS and Lewis at 3B; Julien also can play 1B.@MLBPipeline @MLBNetwork
Polanco was traded to Seatle mostly so that Edouard Julien could occupy second base. The Twins need his bat in the lineup, but his glove leaves a lot to be desired. That's where we all assumed Lee would fill in, but it sounds like Minnesota isn't locking him into one specific spot.
The Twins have a pretty rich history of developing utility players who have an important impact on the lineup, and while Lee's future is less as a Willie Castro and more as a Royce Lewis, it's notable that things are fluid in terms of where he'll play.
Giving Lee reps at third base, in addition to second, only emphasizes how badly the Twins want to figure out how to get him up to the bigs. A platoon at third of Lewis and Lee is a dream, as is the idea of having the rookie play behind Julien at second.
Calling Lee up is not only exciting from the perspective of what it means for the next wave of Minnesota's youth movement, but imagining what the infield would look like is a reminder of how deep the roster is. A postseason infield of Correa, Lewis, Lee, Julien is absolutely wild, and that's before considering guys like Byron Buxton, Max Kepler, and Carlos Santana fitting into the batting order.
Not making any notable additions is still a scar on this offseason, but how close Lee is to arriving in the majors is a reminder that the team hardly took a step back.
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