Twins' 1B Royce Lewis out of Saturday's lineup vs. Cubs
Lewis is out of today's lineup vs. the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field due to left hamstring soreness, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes.
Royce Lewis is out of the lineup with left hamstring soreness. Derek Shelton said he reported to park feeling better but is down today. #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 18, 2026
Lewis started at first base yesterday and went 0-for-4 with one strikeout. This month, Lewis is slashing .214/.298/.429 with two home runs and six RBI across 11 games.
Josh Bell is starting at first base today. The matchup is scheduled to begin at 1:20 p.m. CDT.
Twins CF Byron Buxton performs "a variety of baseball activities"
Hayes took a video of Buxton prior to Friday night's 5-2 victory over the Cubs at Wrigley Field. According to Hayes, Buxton performed a "variety of baseball activities."
Byron Buxton was moving around and performing a variety of baseball activities earlier. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/ovtUsMiOkL
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 18, 2026
Buxton has been on the injured list since July 7 (retroactive to July 6) with a right hip strain. Fans voted him in as an All-Star Game starter, but he had to sit out the Midsummer Classic on Tuesday due to his hip.
Buxton is performing at an MVP level this year, posting 2.9 fWAR and a .271/.328/.575 (146 wRC+) slash line over 75 games. The center fielder has hit 25 home runs, 16 doubles and 45 RBI in 2026.
Luckily, the Twins have been just fine without Buxton. The Twins won 6-1 over the New York Yankees in the game Buxton exited after reaggravating his hip issue while attempting to steal second base. Since then, Minnesota has gone 5-2, improving its record to 49-49. The Twins hold the third AL Wild Card spot and are just three games back of the Chicago White Sox for first place in the AL Central.
Twins RHPs Cole Sands, Julian Merryweather, Garrett Acton, Marco Raya rehabbing
Sands has been on the injured list with a right forearm strain since May 2. He began a rehab assignment in early June, but the Twins paused it because he didn't feel 100%. He began another rehab stint on July 7.
Sands, who has a 4.63 ERA in 11 2/3 innings with Minnesota this year, looked sharp for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, allowing just one hit and one walk with three strikeouts over two scoreless innings.
Merryweather, whom the Twins signed to a minor-league deal this past offseason, has been on the IL all season. He began a rehab assignment on July 4. Currently, he is rehabbing with Single-A Fort Myers. Merryweather, who has six seasons of MLB experience, threw a perfect inning with two strikeouts for Fort Myers on Friday.
Acton, a mid-season trade acquisition from the Miami Marlins, began a rehab assignment with Fort Myers on July 11. He reported to the FCL Twins during the All-Star break. Acton, who has been on the IL since May 19 with a right shoulder strain, has posted a 2.70 ERA with a 1.05 WHIP and nine strikeouts in 6 2/3 innings for the Twins this year.
Raya began a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday. he posted a 3.00 ERA with four strikeouts in six innings across three appearances for the Twins after being recalled in late June. He has been on the IL since July 8 with a right shoulder impingement.
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