One of the coolest things that happens in baseball is when minor league players get told they're being called up for the first time in their career.
Each bite at the major league apple is special, but it's hard to beat hearing the news for the first time. That's what happened this week for Brooks Lee, as the Minnesota Twins promoted their star prospect to make his MLB debut on Wednesday night.
Lee missed the first part of the season with a back injury, something that blocked him from getting the call earlier. He was the logical choice to replace Royce Lewis when he hit the IL with a right quad strain after Opening Day, but Lee was dealing with an injury of his own that prevented him from being an option.
That's not the case this time around.
Unfortunately Lewis is back on the IL with a new injury, but Lee is healthy and ready to finally make his much anticipated debut.
Brooks Lee got told he was getting called up in front of his St. Paul Saints teammates
Watching Lee take his first at-bat with the Twins is special in its own right, but the moment he got the call is on a whole different level of awesome.
St. Paul Saints manager Toby Gardenhire delivered the news to Lee in the clubhouse while surrounded by his teammates, creating a moment that nobody in the room will forget.
The moment Brooks found out he was going to The Show! 🥹 pic.twitter.com/YHJkfEUAkJ
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) July 3, 2024
The moment Brooks became a big leaguer 🥹 pic.twitter.com/pvdxPkl2iA
— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) July 3, 2024
It's hard to call Lee's promotion long-awaited because he's managed to ascend through the farm system at an insane pace. He was drafted back in July 2022 and he reached Triple-A just over a year later. Now he's getting the call to join the Twins just 24 months after he joined the organization as a first round draft pick.
Lee's rise is unprecedented for a Twins star prospect, but he's earned his keep every step of the way. Despite missing the first portion of the season, Lee was named to the MLB All-Star Futures roster and has been mashing opposing pitchers in St. Paul.
So far this season Lee is slashing .329/.394/.635 in just 20 games, which is why everyone has been clamoring for him to get called up. It was always a matter of when, not if, Lee got promoted and that time has finally come.
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