As the season begins to wind down, the intensity of the playoff race is starting to ramp up. The Minnesota Twins sit just a handful of games out of first place in the AL Central and are still well within striking distance of securing a first-round bye.
Minnesota has one of the easier schedules to close out the season, and have two massive matchups left with the Royals and Guardians. If all goes well, the Twins could slide into the division lead in the final weeks of the season after months of hanging around.
Injuries have complicated matters, though, and as the race tightens so too do the margins. The Twins are still without Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa; the former is set to return soon but it's unclear when we'll see the latter.
Correa's injury has created a bit of a managerial conundrum as Rocco Baldelli is trying to sort out the best possible layout of his infield. Part of that involves potentially moving Royce Lewis over to second base, something that has already created a ton of controversy and drama in Twins Territory.
Trevor Plouffe calls out Twins: “Royce Lewis is not a second baseman”
During Minnesota's series against Toronto, Lewis played defensive innings at second base for the first time in his career. It's a move that he didn't seem that thrilled about, and is causing a stir among fans and analysts.
Trevor Plouffe was a guest on the SKOR North Twins Show and called the Twins out for trying to make such a big change with Lewis this late in the playoff race.
"Why are we doing this to our most important offensive piece during a time where's he's struggling?" Plouffe said. "I've said it all along, that Royce Lewis is not a second baseman. Now could he work at it this entire offseason and get comfortable at it and be a guy there? Sure, he's athletic enough, I think he could figure it out. But that's not what is happening here, it's throw him into the fire, like he's saying, in the middle of a time when they're trying to secure a playoff spot. I'm not about it. And I do agree with him, there are a lot of guys that can play second base."
Correa's absence at shortstop creates a bit of a hole in the lineup, as does a slumping Edouard Julien, at least when considering the best possible configuration for the postseason. Brooks Lee spent time at shortstop against the Rays and passed the eyeball test, which has a bit of a domino effect that forces Lewis over to second.
Here's what the Twins' infield could look like without Correa:
- 1B: Carlos Santana
- 2B: Royce Lewis
- SS: Brooks Lee
- 3B: Jose Miranda
That gets three important bats in the lineup and accounts for Correa being out. When he returns things loosen up a bit more, as Lewis can DH or play third, rotating those roles with Miranda.
It's a logical way to look at things, but there's the variable of Lewis have never played second that needs to be accounted for. He's been mildly opposed to the idea in that he's out of his comfort zone, but there's a chance he simply settles in and figures things out.
Where Plouffe is justified in his anxiety is that the Twins are making some ratehr drastic changes late in the game. There are fewer than 25 games left in the season and Minnesota is considering a pretty massive shift in its approach. There's a good reason for it, and Lewis being in the lineup is a neccessity, but the risk involved is adding some extra pressure to an already intense situation.
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