The Minnesota Twins are taking Tuesday to enjoy a rare Spring Training off day. In fact, since exhibition games began back on February 24, this is just the second day the Twins have had off.
It came at an interesting time, off the heels of an eventful 5-2 win over the Boston Red Sox on Monday afternoon. Star shortstop Carlos Correa, who signed a six year deal valued at $200 million with the Twins prior to the 2023 season, hit out his first home run of the spring in the third inning. This was a good sign for Correa, coming off a .230 batting average last season, the worst of his nine-year major league career.
Minnesota found another pick-me-up with outfielder Max Kepler, who drove in two runs on two hits in the game. The longest-tenured Twin was just 3-for-27 at the plate entering the day for the spring. With his contract up at the end of the season, it is possible 2024 will be the tenth, and final season in a Minnesota uniform.
2022 Opening Day starting pitcher Joe Ryan had his best outing of the exhibition season as well, striking out five batters across five innings of work, and allowing two runs. Ryan had sunk in the pitching rotation with the additions of Pablo Lopez and Sonny Gray, but with some losses in free agency as well as injuries, the Twins will need Ryan at his best to begin the year.
That leads into what was the bad news of the day. After Monday’s game, it was reported that closer Jhoan Duran will start the season on the injured list with an oblique strain. Duran, who saved 27 games for Minnesota in 2023, will join pitchers Caleb Thielbar and Anthony DeSclafani on the IL.
Derek Falvey, the Twins president of baseball operations, spoke after the game on how his team will replace the efforts of Duran going into April. “[Manager] Rocco [Baldelli] will have to decide which guys slide in to take some of those ninth inning duties, but we’ve got a few guys that pitched well in the back end of last year and into this year that I’m sure will take on some of that role.”
The Twins will get back on the field Wednesday afternoon to play Detroit, with the regular season beginning on March 28 in Kansas City.
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