The Baltimore Orioles announced lefty Trevor Rogers will start on Opening Day against the Minnesota Twins on March 26 at Camden Yards in Baltimore, Maryland. Joe Ryan will most likely oppose Rogers on the mound.
With Rogers being a lefty, the Twins' Opening Day lineup will likely look a bit different than it would've if the Orioles had decided to go with a righty to start the season. That said, here's a projected Opening Day lineup for the Twins:
Twins' projected Opening Day lineup vs. Orioles' Trevor Rogers
- CF Byron Buxton (righty)
- 2B Luke Keaschall (righty)
- 3B Royce Lewis (righty)
- DH Josh Bell (switch hitter)
- C Ryan Jeffers (righty)
- LF Austin Martin (righty)
- RF Matt Wallner (lefty)
- 1B Victor Caratini (switch hitter)
- SS Brooks Lee (switch hitter)
To set the tone for the lineup, the Twins may have Buxton hit leadoff, despite his offensive strength being extra-base power rather than reaching base at a high rate. Still, the Twins will likely want their best overall hitter batting leadoff to kick off the season. If Keaschall performs to his potential, the second baseman could find himself in the leadoff spot later in the season, with Buxton batting second or third.
To instill confidence in Lewis, Derek Shelton will want to have him batting high in the order to begin the season. While Lewis struggled last year, we all know he can be an MVP-caliber hitter when he's at his best. Batting him third to start the year seems like a good move.
The Twins signed Bell to a one-year deal this past offseason, likely with the idea that he will be a middle-of-the-order bat for the club this year. He hit 22 homers and 16 doubles over 140 games with the Washington Nationals last year.
Jeffers may hit third with Lewis hitting fifth on Opening Day, but the other way around should be best. The Twins are still holding on to hope that Lewis can be one of the team's best hitters. Jeffers should still hit fifth or higher in the order. Against lefties last year, the catcher hit an outstanding .313/.466/.420 in 112 at-bats.
To round out the lineup, Martin should hit sixth, followed by Wallner, Caratini and Lee. This lineup leaves out Trevor Larnach, who will likely be in most starting lineups vs. righties. When the Twins face righties, Martin or Caratini will likely be left out of the lineup most of the time.
Wallner is the lone lefty in this projected lineup. He will likely bat higher in the order when facing righties.
The Twins' Opening Day game against the Orioles is scheduled to begin at 2:05 p.m. CST on Thursday, March 26, in Baltimore. The game will be available to stream on Twins.TV.