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<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-ty-france-named-al-player-week-huge-royals-series');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Ty France named AL Player of the Week for huge Royals series');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Twins-first-baseman-Ty-France-is-dialed-in_9e772b.jpg"><figcaption>Denny Medley-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins’ Ty France named AL Player of the Week for huge Royals series</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-14T15:12:40-07:00">April 14th, 3:12pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-14T19:15:03-07:00">April 14th, 7:15pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The prospects of Ty France receiving more accolades appeared slim following two mediocre campaigns in a row, but the veteran first baseman looks reborn with the Minnesota Twins. He earns <a href="https://x.com/BNightengale/status/1911879291417313743" rel="noopener">American League Player of the Week</a> honors, per USA Today’s Bob Nightengale, after going 11-for-25 with two home runs and six RBIs. Milwaukee Brewers catcher William Contreras secures the award in the National League.</p><p>It was a rough week overall for the Twins, as they lost three out of four games to the Kansas City Royals and then dropped two more to the visiting Detroit Tigers. France did his part and then some, however. He went yard twice in Kauffman Stadium and then notched five hits in Target Field versus Detroit. It is hard to see the sun through a cloudy 5-11 start, but the 30-year-old is proving to be a <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-agrees-terms-former-all-star-infielder">nice free-agent find</a> through the first two-plus weeks.</p><h2><b>Ty France looks comfortable in the batter’s box with the Twins</b></h2><p>France is slashing .298/.355/.456/.811 after 57 at-bats with the Twins. It is obviously a tiny sample size, but he is displaying the kind of contact prowess that enabled him to earn an invitation to the 2022 MLB All-Star Game. Beyond his individual success, the former 34th-round draft pick helped the Seattle Mariners end a 20-year playoffs drought that same campaign. His previously solid plate discipline diminished the next two seasons, though.</p><p>Following the prolonged struggles, the Mariners traded Ty France to the Cincinnati Reds last July. He showed improvement but still entered free agency with little buzz surrounding him. New Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll wisely signed the right-handed hitter to a one-year, $1 million contract in February. The meager investment looks quite valuable at the moment.</p><p>The only problem, however, is that the rest of Minnesota’s lineup is scuffling immensely. Rocco Baldelli’s crew ranks in the bottom five in batting average, on-base percentage and OPS. France’s welcome resurgence is not enough on its own. Maybe his recent offensive mojo can spread to the rest of the clubhouse, or at least latch onto one or two more guys.</p><p>France and the Twins will try to win back-to-back games for the second time in 2025 when they face the New York Mets (10-5) on Monday night. First pitch is set for approximately 7:40 p.m. ET.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Ty France named AL Player of the Week for huge Royals series

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-injury-update-twins-rotation-loss');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pablo Lopez injury update to leave Twins rotation at a loss');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ablo-Lopez-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Pablo Lopez injury update to leave Twins rotation at a loss</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-09T20:34:12-07:00">April 9th, 8:34pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-09T20:37:50-07:00">April 9th, 8:37pm</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-pablo-lopez-leaves-royals-gametroubling-lower-body-injury">Minnesota Twins are bracing for the short-term loss of their ace</a>, Pablo López, after the right-hander was diagnosed with a Grade 1 strain of his right hamstring. Manager Rocco Baldelli confirmed on Wednesday that López is <a href="https://x.com/nightengalejr/status/1910156644131991840" rel="noopener">almost certainly </a>headed to the 15-day injured list, though <a href="https://www.espn.com/mlb/story/_/id/44594826/twins-pablo-lopez-leaves-start-early-due-right-leg-injury" rel="noopener">the team remains hopeful</a> his absence will be brief.</p><p>“Pablo López has a grade one hamstring strain. He’s expected to be placed on the 15-day IL, Rocco Baldelli said.” via Bobby Nightengale on X, formerly Twitter.</p><p>López exited Tuesday’s start in Kansas City during the fifth inning after walking Jonathan India. He appeared to grab at the back of his leg, prompting a mound visit from Baldelli and athletic trainer Nick Paparesta. After a short conversation, López was removed from the game. He finished the outing allowing one unearned run on three hits with six strikeouts over 4 2/3 innings.</p><p>“It took a second for Pablo to process and make a decision as to whether or not he wanted to mention anything,” Baldelli added. “These guys are competitive. The last thing we need is for him to pitch with something that could potentially get worse.”</p><h2><b>Pablo Lopez injury leaves a gaping hole in the Twins rotation</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/ablo-Lopez.jpg"><figcaption>Jeff Curry-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>López underwent an MRI on Wednesday, which confirmed the mild strain. While a Grade 1 injury is the least severe, any time missed by the Twins’ most reliable starter is a blow to a rotation that’s already reeling.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-pablo-lopez-gives-twins-lineup-chance-shine-vs-white-sox">28-year-old has been outstanding to begin 2025</a>, posting a 1.62 ERA with 14 strikeouts and just two walks across 16 2/3 innings. His consistency since arriving in the 2022-23 offseason trade for Luis Arraez has been a cornerstone for the Twins, with López making 32 starts in each of the last three seasons and finishing among the league leaders in innings pitched.</p><p>With López sidelined, the Twins will need to dig deep. Joe Ryan was dominant on Wednesday to help secure a shutout win over the Royals, but beyond him, the rotation has struggled. Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, and Simeon Woods Richardson have all been hit hard early in the season, contributing to the rotation’s league-worst 6.26 ERA entering Wednesday.</p><p>The Twins are currently in the middle of a grueling 12-game stretch without an off day. Baldelli noted Ober is set to start the series finale in Kansas City, with Paddack and Woods Richardson scheduled for the weekend in Detroit. That leaves Sunday’s start — López’s usual turn — unclaimed.</p><p>Top prospects Zebby Matthews and David Festa are candidates to fill the void. Matthews, in particular, is on regular rest and has impressed at Triple-A, allowing two runs over 10 innings with 13 strikeouts. Festa has also flashed upside, though with less consistent results. Another option is recalling veteran swingman Randy Dobnak, who cleared waivers last week. Regardless of who gets the call, losing López — even for a couple weeks — forces an already thin Twins rotation into survival mode.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pablo Lopez injury update to leave Twins rotation at a loss

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-leaves-royals-gametroubling-lower-body-injury');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Pablo Lopez leaves Royals game with troubling lower-body injury');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Minnesota-Twins-starting-pitcher-Pablo-Lopez-49-throws-a-pitch.jpg"><figcaption>© Jonathan Dyer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><h1>Twins’ Pablo Lopez leaves Royals game with troubling lower-body injury</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-08T20:43:09-07:00">April 8th, 8:43pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-08T20:43:09-07:00">April 8th, 8:43pm</time><address><a>Rexwell Villas</a>Rexwell Villas is an experienced sports writer covering a variety of sports, including the NFL, NBA, MLB, NHL, and college football. He's a Communications Arts graduate from the University of Santo Tomas in the Philippines, and he claims to have JR Smith's conscience with his shot selection. He has won a basketball, a baseball, and a football championship in fantasy all within a year.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez was unable to finish his start <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/twins-royals-prediction-odds-pick-4-8-2025">Tuesday night against the Kansas City Royals</a> on the road after leaving the contest with an <a href="https://x.com/nightengalejr/status/1909775340257296550" rel="noopener">apparent lower-body injury</a> in the fifth inning, according to Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune.</p><p>“Pablo López walks off the mound with trainer Nick Paparesta before facing Bobby Witt Jr. with two runners on base,” Nightengale shared in a post on X (formerly Twitter). Nightengale also noted that Lopez was grabbing the back of his right leg after throwing a pair of pitches.</p><p>Lopez was working a solid start before leaving the mound, as he allowed zero earned runs — with one unearned due to an error — on just three hits with six strikeouts through 4.2 innings. The Royals ended up winning the game, 2-1, with Kansas City first baseman Vinnie Pasquantino scoring the deciding run in the eighth inning off of  Minnesota reliever Minnesota Twins Griffin Jax, who took the pitching loss.</p><p>Lopez’s injury is another blow to the Twins’ poor start to the 2025 MLB campaign. They have won just three of their first eight games and are now on the verge of getting swept in this three-leg series at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City.  Minnesota started the season getting swept in a three-game series by the St. Louis Cardinals before going 2-1 in a set with the Chicago White Sox. Before the Royals series, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/betting/astros-vs-twins-prediction-odds-pick-4-3-2025">Twins lost two of three games versus the Houston Astros</a> at home.</p><p>The severity of Lopez’s injury remains uncertain at the time of this writing, but it could open up an opportunity for Zebby Matthews to be called up to the big leagues. In a minor league game on Tuesday, Matthews <a href="https://x.com/GeorgeBissell/status/1909786241354072295" rel="noopener">surrendered two runs and fanned out nine hitters</a> in five innings of work on the mound for Triple-A St. Paul Saints (h/t Goerge Bissell of Rotoworld).</p><p>The 29-year-old Lopez’s start against the Royals was his third this season. In his first two starts, he allowed three earned runs on 15 hits with just two walks and 14 strikeouts <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-gives-twins-lineup-chance-shine-vs-white-sox">through 16.2 innings of mound duty</a>. In 2025, Lopez went 15-10 with a 4.08 ERA and a 3.65 FIP across 32 starts (185.1 innings) with the Twins. It is also worth noting that Lopez has yet to miss a start since becoming a Twin in 2023 when he was traded to Minnesota by the Miami Marlins.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Pablo Lopez leaves Royals game with troubling lower-body injury

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/houston-astros/astros-news-jose-altuve-admission-hitting-approach-astros-loss-twins');   ga('set', 'title', 'Jose Altuve’s candid admission on hitting approach after Astros’ loss vs. Twins');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jose-Altuve-cover.jpg"></figure><h1>Jose Altuve’s candid admission on hitting approach after Astros’ loss vs. Twins</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-06T00:20:00-07:00">April 6th, 12:20am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-06T00:20:00-07:00">April 6th, 12:20am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Houston Astros</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Houston Astros’ legend <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-jose-altuve-hall-of-fame-endorsement-from-ex-player">Jose Altuve has built a career on putting the bat on the ball</a> better than just about anyone in the modern era. But on Thursday afternoon at Target Field, the Astros second-baseman-turned-left-fielder experienced a first…and not a good one.</p><p>For the first time in his 15-year MLB career, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/astros-news-jose-altuve-new-strikeout-low-vs-twins">Altuve struck out five times in a single game</a>. The moment was so unusual that even Darren McCaughan, the Twins reliever who sealed Altuve’s fate in the ninth inning, <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/jose-altuve-s-fifth-strikeout-excites-twins-crowd" rel="noopener">was caught off guard</a> by the intensity of the crowd reaction.</p><p>“I figured the crowd was going crazy for a reason,” McCaughan said. “I saw him strike out a few times. I didn’t know the exact number on it.”</p><p>Despite the Astros holding a comfortable 5-2 lead late in the game, fans at the Twins’ home opener came alive for a rare spectacle — Altuve swinging and missing. The former MVP entered the game with a career strikeout rate of just 12.8%, and only two previous four-strikeout games on his résumé. But Twins pitching had his number.</p><h2><b>Twins beat Astros as Jose Altuve lets his bat swing wild</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Jose-Altuve-1.jpg"><figcaption>Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>Starter Joe Ryan got Altuve twice with sweepers early, and reliever Jorge Alcala blew a 99 mph fastball past him for a fourth K in the seventh. Then came McCaughan, a 29-year-old journeyman with only a handful of big-league innings to his name, stepping into the ninth with the crowd behind him.</p><p>“First time I haven’t been able to hear the PitchCom out there,” McCaughan said. “That was kind of new.”</p><p>McCaughan got ahead 0-2 quickly. Altuve battled, taking it to a full count, but on the seventh pitch, McCaughan landed a sinker on the outside edge. Altuve froze, the umpire rang him up, and strikeout No. 5 was in the books.</p><p>After the game, Altuve <a href="https://x.com/Chandler_Rome/status/1908638627304710450" rel="noopener">kept it real</a>: “I like swinging,” he said via Chandler Rome on X. “Sometimes I try to swing at my pitch, sometimes I swing at everything.” Honesty like that is rare — and fitting. Altuve’s aggressiveness at the plate has long been both his weapon and his occasional weakness. On Thursday, it tilted heavily toward the latter.</p><p>Still, the Astros won, and as rough as the individual performance looked, Altuve isn’t likely to dwell too long. He’s been one of the most consistent hitters of his generation, and five strikeouts — even if it’s a first — don’t erase that. McCaughan, meanwhile, may never forget the moment. Not only did he silence one of baseball’s best, but he also delivered a memory to 36,000 roaring Twins fans.</p><p>“I wanted [the 2-2 pitch], but I think it was a ball,” McCaughan said postgame. “Three-two, I don’t know. Looked good to me.” Ball or strike, it was a win for McCaughan, a loss for Altuve’s stat line, and a strange, loud chapter in a long MLB career.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Jose Altuve’s candid admission on hitting approach after Astros’ loss vs. Twins

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-pablo-lopez-gives-twins-lineup-chance-shine-vs-white-sox');   ga('set', 'title', 'Pablo Lopez gives Twins lineup a chance to shine vs White Sox');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Twins-news-Pablo-Lopez-gives-Minnesota-lineup-a-chance-to-shine-vs-White-Sox.jpg"></figure><h1>Pablo Lopez gives Twins lineup a chance to shine vs White Sox</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-03T00:33:14-07:00">April 3rd, 12:33am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-03T00:33:14-07:00">April 3rd, 12:33am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Chicago White Sox</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-byron-buxton-wants-people-quit-freaking-out-torpedo-bats">Minnesota Twins entered Wednesday’s series finale against the Chicago White Sox</a> stuck in a frustrating early-season funk—and then, the rain came. A <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6251430/2025/04/02/twins-white-sox-takeaways-correa-buxton-rain-delay/" rel="noopener">3-hour, 20-minute delay</a> pushed back first pitch and left the team stuck in a holding pattern at Guaranteed Rate Field. But instead of letting the delay derail them, the Twins found rhythm in the chaos, riding a dominant outing from Pablo López and a power surge at the plate to a 6-1 victory and their first series win of 2025.</p><p>“I was going insane,” López said of the delay. “It’s hard to turn it off and then turn it back on. But I was able to relax a little bit.”</p><p>López, who also dealt with a rain delay on Opening Day, took a pregame nap for the first time in his career—just like teammate Byron Buxton, who later joked that the nap gave him “a little extra juice.” On the 10th pitch of the afternoon, Buxton launched a 466-foot solo homer to center field, giving the Twins an early jolt.</p><p>From there, López set the tone. He retired 14 of his first 15 batters and didn’t allow a walk, scattering four hits and one run over seven innings. The only blemish was a solo homer by Brooks Baldwin in the seventh. Otherwise, he was clinical, throwing 12 pitches in the first inning—two for strikeouts—and keeping the White Sox off balance throughout.</p><h2><b>Pablo Lopez dominates on the mound for Twins</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Pablo-Lopez.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Marton-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>“I talked about it with some of the guys: ‘Let’s just go out there and attack,’” López said. “For the first three, four games, we carried away from that mentality.”</p><p>The Twins backed their ace with timely offense. Buxton’s leadoff homer set the tone, and Harrison Bader followed up in the fourth with a three-run blast to left, extending the lead to 4-0. Bader now leads the team with three home runs and eight RBIs, all coming off right-handed pitchers—traditionally a weak spot in his career.</p><p>“There’s obviously more to it than just pure numbers,” Bader said. “Every time you get a chance to be in a lineup, you get a chance to change that perception.”</p><p><a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-carlos-correa-sounds-off-on-minnesotas-quiet-offseason-as-health-improves">Carlos Correa also broke out of his 0-for-18 slump</a>, hitting a single in the third and doubling in the fifth. After reaching first, he lifted his arms in mock celebration as teammates jokingly called for the ball to be saved like a milestone hit.</p><p>“No frustration, just relief,” Correa said. “I didn’t know what to do anymore.”</p><p>Defensively, Buxton and Correa added to their strong nights with highlight-reel catches in swirling wind conditions. With the win, the Twins moved to 2-4 on the season, joining a five-way tie atop the AL Central.</p><p>“It’s like, ‘OK, we remember how to win,’” López said. “Once you get that first one, it’s easier to find your groove.”</p><p>With the rain delay behind them and momentum finally building, the Twins return home for their opener against the Houston Astros on Thursday, hoping this victory signals a turning point.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Pablo Lopez gives Twins lineup a chance to shine vs White Sox

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-byron-buxton-wants-people-quit-freaking-out-torpedo-bats');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Byron Buxton wants people to quit freaking out over torpedo bats');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/04/Twins-news-Byron-Buxton-wants-people-to-quit-freaking-out-over-torpedo-bats.jpg"></figure><h1>Twins’ Byron Buxton wants people to quit freaking out over torpedo bats</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-04-01T17:53:30-07:00">April 1st, 5:53pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-04-01T17:53:57-07:00">April 1st, 5:53pm</time><address><a>Alex House</a>Alex House is a sports journalist who covers the NFL, NBA, and MLB for ClutchPoints. He grew up in a New York sports-heavy region in Connecticut and earned his journalism degree at the University of Rhode Island. His in-depth knowledge of two of the most passionate and raucous fan bases in the country gives him a truly unique writing voice.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Minnesota Twins fans could use a distraction following an 0-4 start to the 2025 MLB season, and center fielder Byron Buxton might have given them a small one via his recent comments. The 2022 All-Star is the latest player to weigh in on the emerging torpedo bats, which have <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/new-york-yankees/yankees-news-jazz-chisholm-jr-s-torpedo-bat-explanation-hilarious-donovan-mitchell-response">commanded much attention</a> through the first week of the campaign.</p><p>New York Yankees play-by-play broadcaster Michael Kay piqued curiosity when he brought attention to a uniquely shaped bat that Anthony Volpe and Jazz Chisholm Jr. were swinging in versus the Milwaukee Brewers last weekend. The team blasted nine home runs and crushed its opponent, 20-9, on Saturday afternoon.</p><p>The torpedo bat is skinnier at the top and carries a thicker barrel, with more wood being moved to the “sweet spot.” This innovative approach is obviously designed to increase contact, something the Yankees and plenty of teams have struggled with in the recent past. While many fans relish the infusion of offense this customized lumber could bring, there is plenty of <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/philadelphia-phillies/phillies-news-all-star-blasts-torpedo-bats-criminal-take">dissenting opinions circulating</a> among the baseball-watching public.</p><p>Buxton <a href="https://x.com/JesseRogersESPN/status/1907195656063832343" rel="noopener">does not want to hear it</a>. “Everyone is blowing up the Yankees about all the homers they hit,” the 31-year-old told ESPN’s Jesse Rogers. “Same guys you see hit homers are the same guys that hit homers last year. It’s not that big of a deal.</p><p>“Its like when the sweeper came around. We were like ‘what’s a sweeper?’ We never heard of sweepers. And now we’ve never heard of torpedo bats and now they pop. People talk about kick change. What’s a kick change? I don’t know. Its a screwball I guess.”</p><h2><b>Is the Twins star simplifying the issue?</b></h2><p>Byron Buxton is essentially reducing the torpedo bats to the latest controversial change that fans will become accustomed to as time passes. He is probably right, but should the masses become numb to this concept?</p><p>Overcoming hitting slumps by making adjustments is an integral part of baseball. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/cincinnati-reds/reds-news-elly-de-la-cruz-gets-100-real-torpedo-bat-amid-controversy">The torpedo bat</a> compensates for a flaw in a player’s swinging approach and presumably ease their burden to induce hard contact. Although it goes without saying that skill is still required to put the bat on the ball, it is fair to raise concerns about the precedent this legal modification can have on the sport moving forward.</p><p>Just because the technology and brainpower to create something exists does not mean it should necessarily be put to use. The late and fictional John Hammond taught us that much. However, considering that Buxton and the Twins are scuffling at the dish (just six runs through their first four games), they might benefit from the torpedo bats.</p><p>Catcher Ryan Jeffers brandished one over the weekend, and the trend could continue to pervade Minnesota and clubhouses around MLB. This will be a storyline worth tracking throughout the season. For now, however, Twins fans just want their team to get a W.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Byron Buxton wants people to quit freaking out over torpedo bats

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-designating-veteran-starter-assignment');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins designating veteran starter for assignment');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Twins-news-Minnesota-designating-veteran-starter-for-assignment.jpg"></figure><h1>Twins designating veteran starter for assignment</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-31T00:00:46-07:00">March 31st, 12:00am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-31T00:00:46-07:00">March 31st, 12:00am</time><address><a>Brayden Haena</a>Brayden Haena is an Associate Editor at ClutchPoints. He's a die-hard San Francisco Giants fan and a football fanatic. In addition to sports writing, he works for Arizona Football in the Player Personnel and Recruiting department and formerly served as the Defensive Coordinator for Heritage High School.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Just hours after Randy Dobnak delivered his best big-league performance in years, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-twins-reaction-mat-ishbia-brother-abandoning-bid-team">the Minnesota Twins are parting ways—at least for now</a>. According to Robert Murray of FanSided, the Twins are designating the veteran right-hander for assignment following Sunday’s 9-2 loss to the St. Louis Cardinals.</p><p>The move is somewhat surprising on the surface. Dobnak <a href="https://www.mlbtraderumors.com/2025/03/twins-to-designate-randy-dobnak-for-assignment.html" rel="noopener">tossed 5 1/3 innings in relief</a>, allowing just one run after starter Bailey Ober was tagged for eight earned runs in less than three frames. But roster management can be ruthless, and with Minnesota needing a fresh arm in the bullpen, Dobnak became the odd man out.</p><p>“This is the business side of baseball,” one AL executive said anonymously. “You can pitch well and still get moved—it’s about flexibility, not always performance.”</p><p>Dobnak, 30, is in the final guaranteed season of a five-year, $9.25 million extension signed in March 2021. Since that deal, he’s only appeared in 20 MLB games due to injuries and inconsistent performance. He missed the entire 2022 and 2023 seasons at the major league level, spending most of that time either rehabbing or in Triple-A.</p><h2><b>Twins make roster moves early into the 2025 season</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Randy-Dobnak.jpg"><figcaption>Tim Vizer-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>His contractual situation adds layers to the decision. Because Dobnak has already been outrighted once, he has the right to reject another outright assignment and elect free agency—but doing so would mean forfeiting the remaining money owed to him: a $3 million salary in 2025 and a $1 million buyout on a $6 million club option for 2026.</p><p>Given that, Dobnak is expected to accept a likely outright assignment if he clears waivers. It’s unlikely another club will claim him given the financial commitment attached. For the Twins, this setup provides a bit of maneuverability, essentially allowing them to cycle Dobnak on and off the roster when they need bulk innings or a spot starter.</p><p>Despite a rocky few years, Dobnak showed signs of improvement last season at Triple-A St. Paul, where he logged 133 1/3 innings with a 4.25 ERA and a strong 57% groundball rate. Though his strikeout numbers remain modest, his ability to keep the ball on the ground could keep him in the mix as a depth option going forward.</p><p>Sunday’s outing was a reminder that he still has value. While Ober struggled with diminished energy following a recent illness, Dobnak entered in long relief and stabilized the game, saving Minnesota’s bullpen from being overworked early in the season.</p><p>For Dobnak, this marks yet another twist in what has been an unpredictable journey. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/alds-preview-yankees-vs-twins">From undrafted free agent to playoff starter in 2019</a>, to injury-plagued struggles, to a brief redemption story on Sunday—his story is far from over.</p><p>And for the Twins, Dobnak might not be gone long. If he clears waivers, he’ll return to Triple-A St. Paul with $4 million in guaranteed money still on the table and the possibility of another call-up waiting in the wings.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins designating veteran starter for assignment

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/fatal-flaw-minnesota-twins-must-address-for-2025-mlb-season');   ga('set', 'title', 'Fatal flaw Minnesota Twins must address for 2025 MLB season');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Fatal-flaw-Minnesota-Twins-must-address-for-2025-MLB-season.jpg"></figure><h1>Fatal flaw Minnesota Twins must address for 2025 MLB season</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-26T19:14:40-07:00">March 26th, 7:14pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-26T19:14:40-07:00">March 26th, 7:14pm</time><address><a>Christopher Hennessy</a>Christopher Hennessy graduated with a journalism degree from Fordham University in 2022. He has also worked at Spectrum News One in Albany, New York and with The Hockey Writers as a New York Islanders writer. Chris is originally from Connecticut and is a lifelong New York Yankees, Islanders, and Jets fan.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Mini-Editorials</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>Last season, the <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-fatal-flaw-prevent-mlb-playoffs">Minnesota Twins entered September as a near-lock to make the playoffs</a>. From a 91.7% <a href="https://www.fangraphs.com/standings/playoff-odds?date=2024-09-01&amp;dateDelta=" rel="noopener">chance to make</a> the dance per FanGraphs when the final month started to missing entirely, it was a freefall. Now, the Twins have to compete in an ascending division with massive injury problems. Can Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa, and Byron Buxton finally stay healthy this year? The injury concerns are Minnesota’s fatal flaw entering 2025.</p><p>Correa played 86 games last season, Lewis 82, and Buxton 102. In his third season in Minnesota, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-carlos-correa-lands-on-il-after-all-star-break">Correa was named an All-Star and had an excellent half-season</a>. But to earn his large contract on a small-market team, he has to play in the vast majority of the games. Lewis’s 82-game sample was his largest of his three-year career. He was a highly-touted prospect and has shown upside when he plays. But he is already hurt this season and<a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-royce-lewis-injury-update-absence"> will miss Opening Day with a hamstring injury</a>.</p><p>Buxton is the longest-tenured Twin of this group, making his MLB debut with Minnesota in 2015. Last year was only the second time he has played 100 games in a season, and even in the 2020 season, he missed 21 games. The Twins have built their 2025 team around these three players. That is a great idea on paper, but with a revolving door on the training room, the core is not that strong.</p><p>The best way for the Twins to address this flaw in 2025 is by adding depth. They picked up depth for Buxton, signing defensive specialist Harrison Bader to a one-year deal. But they did not do much else, which means Lewis and Correa will have to keep their spots to give them a full lineup.</p><p>Other parts of the 2025 Twins can be improved. But staying healthy is the most important part of this season.</p><h2><b>The Twins face tough competition</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Royce-Lewis-with-Minnesota-Twins.jpg"><figcaption>Matt Blewett-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The National League is much stronger than the American League, but the playoff races should be equally entertaining. The Twins can compete for the AL Central title, but could also be in the deep Wild Card race. They are <a href="https://sportsbook.fanduel.com/navigation/mlb?tab=divisions" rel="noopener">slight favorites to win</a> the Central on FanDuel at +210. The Tigers are close behind at +230, and the Guardians are +290 to repeat.</p><p>If one of the other teams jumps up and takes the division, the Twins will be competing for a Wild Card spot. But there are three teams from each of the other divisions with their eyes on the playoffs. The Yankees, Red Sox, Orioles, Rangers, Astros, and Mariners all expect to make the dance this year. All of those teams can’t make it, especially if Minnesota rises up.</p><p>That is even more reason the Twins need Correa, Buxton, and Lewis to play as many games as possible together. Their pitching staff is not the strongest, but with more games against the White Sox than other Wild Card teams, that could even out. Their health is what will drive them to a playoff appearance in 2025.</p><p>The Twins went 8-18 in September, which included winning their first two games of the month, to miss the playoffs last year. There were injuries in that month but also bad luck that sent the Tigers sailing past them. If their guys can stay healthy this year, the Twins will compete for a playoff spot. But if it is more of the same, a potential ownership change could mean bigger moves coming to Minnesota.</p><p>The Twins open their season with two road series against the Cardinals and White Sox. Their home opener is against the Astros on April 3.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Fatal flaw Minnesota Twins must address for 2025 MLB season

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-minnesota-owners-could-demand-multi-billion-dollar-asking-price-for-franchise');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ owners could demand multi-billion dollar asking price for franchise');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Minnesota-could-demand-multi-billion-dollar-asking-price-for-franchise.jpg?w=1024"></figure><h1>Twins’ owners could demand multi-billion dollar asking price for franchise</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-24T19:11:57-07:00">March 24th, 7:11pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-24T19:11:57-07:00">March 24th, 7:11pm</time><address><a href="https://linktr.ee/jordan.llanes">Jordan Llanes</a>Jordan Llanes is a sports writer and reporter based in Florida. In addition to ClutchPoints, he writes for a few other publications covering the NFL, college sports and Tottenham Hotspur. When he's not writing, Jordan enjoys spending time with his fiancée, cats, family and friends, as well as catching the latest TV shows and movies, and traveling.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/editorials/minnesota-twins-2025-over-under-win-total-prediction-odds-pick">Minnesota Twins enter 2025 looking</a> to make a return to the postseason. The team collapsed down the stretch after holding a strong lead in the AL Central and looks to redeem themselves this season. With Opening Day drawing closer, the rumors of a potential sale of the franchise have swirled, leading to the air of uncertainty at Target Field. It is believed that the Pohlad family, the owners of the Twins, are seeking over <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6228151/2025/03/24/minnesota-twins-sale-pohlads-valuation-debt/" rel="noopener">$1.5 billion for the team,</a> according to the Athletic’s Dan Hayes, Ken Rosenthal and Brittany Ghiroli.</p><p>“The Pohlad family is believed to be seeking at least $1.7 billion to sell the Minnesota Twins, though it’s unclear whether they can get that amount, and if not, whether they will ultimately keep the team,” reported Hayes, Rosenthal and Ghiroli in their article on the Athletic.</p><p>Despite this high reported asking price, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-joe-pohlad-sale">the Pohlads might not receive</a> it. In that case, there’s a good chance they would maintain ownership of the team. A variety of factors, including the team’s high amount of debt (over $425 million currently) and the market size, might force Joe Pohlad and his family to sell below their asking price, which doesn’t seem likely. If Minnesota remains in their hands, will things change for the better? Or will they continue to fall further behind in the AL Central?</p><h2><b>Will the Twins be sold in 2025?</b></h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Twins-chief-baseball-officer-Derek-Falvey.jpg"><figcaption>Mandatory Credit: Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>This saga is the last thing that president of baseball operations <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-twins-president-on-carlos-correa-stance-amid-trade-rumors">Derek Falvey and his staff</a> need over their heads. Not to mention manager Rocco Baldelli and the players. They are still focused on bringing another World Series title to the Twin Cities. If ownership is still unwilling to invest in the team, it can cause problems with both their players and the fanbase. These feelings of uncertainty currently hang like storm clouds over the Twins.</p><p>“The Twins have failed to draw 2 million fans since 2019 despite winning the American League Central in 2023, when they spent a club-record $154 million on payroll,” wrote the trio of Hayes, Rosenthal and Ghiroli. “They were forced to take a lesser broadcast deal in 2024, after their RSN paid them $54 million in 2023. This year, they’re streaming via MLB with the team’s payout to be determined. The Minneapolis-St. Paul television market is the 11th-smallest in the majors.”</p><p>Despite all of these negatives going against the team, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-minnesota-president-drops-intriguing-roster-update-on-top-prospect-brooks-lee">Falvey, Baldelli and their team</a> will continue to push forward. With Opening Day just three days away, a new season brings the feeling of perpetual hope. Can Minnesota capture that hope and make a return to October once again? If so, who knows? Perhaps a sale of the franchise would come sooner rather than later.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ owners could demand multi-billion dollar asking price for franchise

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-royce-lewis-injury-update-absence');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins’ Royce Lewis injury update hints at long April absence');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Twins-news-Royce-Lewis-injury-update-hints-at-long-April-absence.jpg"></figure><h1>Twins’ Royce Lewis injury update hints at long April absence</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-18T07:59:31-07:00">March 18th, 7:59am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-18T07:59:31-07:00">March 18th, 7:59am</time><address><a href="https://www.facebook.com/joey.mistretta/" rel="facebook">Joey Mistretta</a>Joey Mistretta is a Dallas Mavericks beat reporter, Dallas Wings beat reporter and lead MLB editor for ClutchPoints. He is originally from Lake Arrowhead, California. Mistretta graduated from Biola University with a degree in broadcast journalism.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The Minnesota Twins have been looking for Royce Lewis to establish himself as a star over the past few years. He has played at a high level for the most part while on the field, but Lewis has dealt with no shortage of injury concerns. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-royce-lewis-injury-scare-minnesota-11-days-opening-day">Lewis is expected to miss Opening Day</a> in 2025 with a hamstring injury, adding yet another concern to his unfortunate injury history. According to Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic, Lewis <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/athletic/6209658/2025/03/18/royce-lewis-twins-opening-day-roster/?onboarded=true" rel="noopener">could miss an extended period of time</a>.</p><p>“The Twins provided no timeline for Lewis’ return, but based on recovery periods for similar injuries across MLB, it’s possible he’ll be out for most or all of April. In recent Twins history, Jorge Polanco missed about six weeks with a moderate left hamstring strain in 2023,” Gleeman wrote in a recent article.</p><p>As mentioned, the Twins have yet to provide an official injury timeline for Lewis’ return. The infielder is obviously hoping to return sooner rather than later, but he could end up missing most of April with the injury.</p><p>It is worth noting that predicting injury timelines for hamstring concerns can prove to be a challenge. They are not always consistent. <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-royce-lewis-bracing-horrible-injury-update-mri">Lewis’ injury history</a> is unfortunate, as he features the ceiling of a star at the MLB level.</p><p>He hit .300 with an .867 OPS after making his big league debut in 2022. He only appeared in 12 games, though. In 2023, Lewis slashed .309/.372/.548/.921 across 58 games played.</p><p>His 82 games played in 2024 set a new career high. Although Lewis’ production declined, as he hit .233 with a .747 OPS, he still displayed signs of stardom. And he may have been able to turn things around had he played a full season.</p><p>The Twins are certainly hoping that Royce Lewis will be able to stay healthy once he returns from the hamstring injury. It remains to be seen when he will return, however.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins’ Royce Lewis injury update hints at long April absence

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-news-royce-lewis-injury-scare-minnesota-11-days-opening-day');   ga('set', 'title', 'Royce Lewis injury scare hits Twins 11 days before Opening Day');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/03/Twins-news-Royce-Lewis-injury-scare-hits-Minnesota-11-days-before-Opening-Day.jpg"></figure><h1>Royce Lewis injury scare hits Twins 11 days before Opening Day</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-03-16T11:55:19-07:00">March 16th, 11:55am</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-03-16T12:19:05-07:00">March 16th, 12:19pm</time><address><a>Troy Finnegan</a>Troy Finnegan is a Senior Editor and College Sports Lead at ClutchPoints. He graduated from the University of Colorado Boulder in 2023 with a degree in journalism and minors in communications and sports media, as well as a critical sports studies certificate. He has had a passion for sports his entire life, and enjoys covering and writing about all sports.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-minnesota-agrees-terms-former-all-star-infielder">Minnesota Twins are looking to climb back into the playoffs</a> in 2025 after a relatively disappointing 2024 campaign that saw them miss out on the postseason.</p><p>That quest isn’t getting off to a great start, as starting third baseman Royce Lewis <a href="https://x.com/nightengalejr/status/1901333716573532363" rel="noopener">went down with a hamstring injury</a> during Minnesota’s spring training clash against the Boston Red Sox, per Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune.</p><figure class="op-interactive"><blockquote class="twitter-tweet"><p dir="ltr" lang="en">With 11 days until Opening Day, Royce Lewis exited the Twins’ spring training game with a leg injury.</p><p>Story here: <a href="https://t.co/D7IeUQv0WM">https://t.co/D7IeUQv0WM</a><a href="https://t.co/W7HN4aZxYh">pic.twitter.com/W7HN4aZxYh</a></p><p>— Bobby Nightengale (@nightengalejr) <a href="https://twitter.com/nightengalejr/status/1901333716573532363?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 16, 2025</a></p></blockquote><p><script async="" src="https://instagram.com/embed.js"></script></p></figure><p>Lewis pulled up while legging out a ground ball during the second inning and immediately was pulled. The Twins later clarified that <a href="https://x.com/nightengalejr/status/1901334281177231446" rel="noopener">it is a left hamstring strain</a>, which puts Lewis’ status for Opening Day in 11 days time in serious jeopardy. No timetable for Lewis’ return has been officially announced, but given the lingering nature of hamstring injuries it’s safe to assume that this could bleed into the season.</p><p>Unfortunately, <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-royce-lewis-reveals-plan-to-contain-troubling-injury-concerns">injuries have become somewhat of a theme of Lewis’ career</a> so far. He hasn’t played in more than 82 games in a single season in any of his previous three seasons and has made just 152 total appearances so far in his career.</p><p>If Lewis can stay on the field for an extended period of time, he has shown that he has the talent to be a star in the middle of the Minnesota lineup. In those 152 games, Lewis has crushed 33 home runs and 104 RBIs with an OPS+ of 126.</p><p>Last season, Lewis got injured on Opening Day and immediately went on the injured list. He later hurt his adductor, which caused him to miss even more time.</p><p>If Lewis can get back from this setback sooner rather than later and then stay healthy, it’s reasonable to assume the Twins can improve on that 82-80 record that they notched last season with their star at the hot corner playing just part time. After a season where they finished just four games out of the final wild card spot, Lewis could be the key for Minnesota to crack into the postseason.</p><p><i>This story will be updated.</i></p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Royce Lewis injury scare hits Twins 11 days before Opening Day

<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd"><html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en" lang="en">    <head>        <script>   (function(i, s, o, g, r, a, m) {     i["GoogleAnalyticsObject"] = r;     i[r] = i[r] || function() {       (i[r].q = i[r].q || []).push(arguments)     }, i[r].l = 1 * new Date();     a = s.createElement(o),       m = s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];     a.async = 1;     a.src = g;     m.parentNode.insertBefore(a, m)   })(window, document, "script", "https://www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js", "ga");   ga('create', 'UA-66147751-16', {     'storage': 'none',     'clientId': localStorage.getItem('ga:clientId')   });   ga(function(tracker) {     localStorage.setItem('ga:clientId', tracker.get('clientId'));   });   ga('set', 'checkProtocolTask', null);      ga('set', 'page', '/mlb/minnesota-twins/twins-players-break-silence-on-traumatizing-near-car-accident');   ga('set', 'title', 'Twins players break silence on ‘traumatizing’ near car accident');   ga('send', 'pageview');</script>        <style type="text/css" media="all">            body {    background: transparent;    margin: 0px;}h1, h2, h3 {    color: #DDDDDD;    font-family: "SFUIText-Semibold";    margin: 30px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 21px;    line-height: 125%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}header {    margin: 0px;    height: 0px;    display: none;}p {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 15px 15px 15px 15px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}p > img {    margin-left: -15px;    width: calc(100% + 30px);}a {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;    text-decoration: underline;}ul {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 3px 10px 3px 10px;    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}ol {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    font-size: 17px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.23px;}img {    margin: 0px;    width: 100%;    height: auto;}blockquote {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.8);    font-family: "SFUIText-Medium";    margin: 30px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 19px;    line-height: 135%;    letter-spacing: -0.41px;}blockquote p {    margin: 0px;}.op-tracker, .op-ad {    display: none;    height: 0px;}article > figure {    margin: 0px;}figcaption {    color: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0.7);    font-family: "SFUIText-Regular";    margin: 10px 15px 30px 15px;    font-size: 13px;}iframe {    width: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;    margin: 0px;    border: 0;}.vine-embed {    height: __SCREEN_SIZE_WIDTH__;}.twitter-tweet, .instagram-media {    margin-left: 15px !important;    margin-right: 15px !important;    width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;}.clutchpoints-widget {    /*margin: 10px 15px 10px 15px !important;*/    /*margin-top: 1px !important;*/    padding-top: 10px;    /*margin-left: 15px !important;*/    /*margin-right: 15px !important;*/    /*width: __SCREEN_CONTENT_SIZE_WIDTH__ !important;*/}        </style>        <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />    </head>    <body>        <article id="mvp-content-main"><header><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/unnamed-1_05a444.jpg"></figure><h1>Twins players break silence on ‘traumatizing’ near car accident</h1><time class="op-published" datetime="2025-02-27T19:18:33-08:00">February 27th, 7:18pm</time><time class="op-modified" datetime="2025-02-27T19:18:33-08:00">February 27th, 7:18pm</time><address><a>Daniel Locke</a>Daniel Locke covers the New Orleans Pelicans and is an Associate Editor for ClutchPoints. He will graduate from Auburn University with a degree in Journalism in May. Daniel has covered Auburn Athletics for the entirety of his time as a student, focusing on football, men's basketball, and baseball.</address><h3 class="op-kicker">Minnesota Twins</h3><figure class="op-ad"></figure></header><p>On the way to the spring training facility, three members of the Minnesota Twins were nearly involved in a car accident. Edojuard Julien, Jorge Alcala and Matt Wallner <a href="https://www.mlb.com/news/twins-players-avoid-near-car-crash-at-spring-training-complex" rel="noopener">saw a car fly over them</a>.</p><p>“We were just driving straight on that street, and we see a car that was going pretty fast, but honestly, Wallner let me know,” Julien said via The Athletic. “He started screaming, like, ‘Oh my God! Oh my God!’ He was cussing a little bit, and I’ve never heard Wallner scared like that.</p><p>“So I look up, and I just see a car that’s in a ditch, like in the middle of the road, just going through bushes and going through trees, smaller trees. And all of a sudden, he just jumps up, like six feet in the air.”</p><p>The experience left a mark on Alcala.</p><p>“It was something really scary, a little traumatizing,” Alcala said through an interpreter.</p><p>The <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/perfect-trade-twins-make-2025-spring-training">Twins are looking to take a step forward</a> in 2025 after a mediocre campaign last season. The team will look to <a href="https://clutchpoints.com/mlb/twins-news-agree-contract-ex-rays-mariners-pitcher">make some additional moves</a> before the season begins.</p><h2>Jorge Alcala primed for breakout season with Twins</h2><figure><img src="https://wp.clutchpoints.com/wp-content/uploads/2025/02/unnamed-2_c62e15.jpg"><figcaption>Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images</figcaption></figure><p>The Minnesota Twins are looking to make progress in 2025 after an up-and-down season in 2024. Right-handed relief pitcher Jorge Alcala is expected to be one of the Twins’ most dependable arms this season.</p><p>The 29-year-old from the Dominican Republic made a TwinsDaily.com list of three arms that could be impactful for the Twins this season <a href="https://twinsdaily.com/news-rumors/minnesota-twins/3-minnesota-twins-pitchers-who-will-impact-2025-despite-not-making-the-opening-day-roster-r17840/" rel="noopener">despite not making the opening day roster</a>.</p><p>“Despite dealing with various injuries and inconsistency throughout his career, Alcalá has shown flashes of being a very good reliever,” Matthew Lenz wrote. Before imploding in August last season, he carried a 2.93 FIP with a 24.7% strikeout rate and an opponent OPS of just .500.</p><p>There’s also some strategy to starting him with the Saints: Alcalá is a mere eight days from five years of service time, at which point he can no longer be optioned without his consent. Although he did find his footing in September, the Twins’ best strategy may be to open the season with him in St. Paul and make him one of the first calls when a bullpen spot opens. PECOTA projects Alcalá to be an above-average reliever, with a 3.80 ERA across 60 innings.”</p><p>Alcala appeared in 54 games for the Twins last season. He ended the campaign with a 3.24 ERA through 58.1 innings pitched. He had 58 strikeouts to 20 walks.</p><figure class="op-tracker"></figure></article>    </body></html>

Twins players break silence on ‘traumatizing’ near car accident

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.200	0	1	0.533	0

2025 SEASON STATS
BA	HR	RBI	OPS	SB
.200	0	1	0.533	0

Brooks
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