The Minnesota Twins put oft-injured infielder Royce Lewis on the injured list with what the club called “a severe quad strain” on Saturday, and the reigning AL Central champions are preparing to be without him for more than a month.
Lewis strained his right quad while rounding the bases Thursday on Opening Day against the Kansas City Royals. It is the fifth time the 2017 No. 1 draft pick has been put on the IL in just over two seasons as a big leaguer, which includes two torn ACLs in his right knee, an oblique injury and a hamstring injury.
“It’s significant enough he’s going to have some significant time down,” said Derek Falvey, the Twins’ president of baseball operations. “It’s difficult, you know, not just because of Game 1, but because of how much work he’s put in, and how much time and effort. His offseason was great. I’ve never seen him in as good of shape as he’s in right now.
“So, these things happen,” Falvey said, “in all sports. And it’s really unfortunate. He prepared better than anybody.”
The 24-year-old Lewis, who had raised hopes in Minnesota of a breakthrough when he made it through spring training without any problems, has been exceptional when he has been healthy. He’s hit .313 with 18 homers and 58 RBIs in just 71 games.
In fact, Lewis homered in his first at-bat in the Twins’ 4-2 win over the Royals on Thursday. He singled again in the third inning, and he was rounding second on a double by Carlos Correa when he came up hobbling.
“I mean, you feel terrible for Royce having to deal with this after everything else he’s gone through. You feel bad for the team as well,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You know, we got three innings out of him. And it was a pretty amazing contribution. I mean, he was one of the biggest reasons we win the game, and then we find out we’re going to lose him for a while.”
The Twins called up Austin Martin, one of their top prospects, to provide some depth. But the immediate plan was to use Willi Castro, who was in the lineup Saturday, and Kyle Farmer to handle third base duties.
“I’m ready to go,” Martin said. “I’m looking forward to, you know, the day I’m able to get to touch the field and play. And like I’ve said, the goal here is to just try to help this team win as many games as it can.”
Martin has overcome a series of injuries, too. He’s had ligament injuries in each of his elbows the past two seasons.
“I haven’t done too much reflection,” said Martin, who hit .263 with six homers and 28 RBIs while spending most of last season at Triple-A St. Paul. “Just kind of been in the moment, trying to stay with that mindset on this.”
In other news, the Twins announced that right-hander Anthony DeSclafani underwent surgery to repair the flexor tendon in his forearm and would miss the entire season. DeSclafani was expected to fill out the back of the rotation before he was diagnosed with a right elbow strain in March and placed on the 60-day IL before the season.
Falvey said that the recovery time for similar procedures is about 13 months.
“It’s not a Tommy John, so it’s a little different type of return,” Falvey said. “I think when he went there, we knew that was in consideration, and I think a lot of the conversation was around, is it the ligament or the UCL [in the elbow]. It ended up being the flexor tendon that needed to be repaired.”
Falvey said the Twins would look at internal options to fill out his spot in the rotation.
“I feel like we’ve got a group that we’re going to count on,” he said, “but we’ll always keep an eye open for new options, too.”
The Twins also signed right-hander Diego Castillo to a minor league contract on Saturday.
Why he could win: Olson is a late replacement for Acuna as the home team’s representative at this year’s Derby. Apart from being the Braves’ first baseman, however, Olson also was born in Atlanta and grew up a Braves fan, giving him some extra motivation. The left-handed slugger led the majors in home runs in 2023 — his 54 round-trippers that season also set a franchise record — and he remains among the best in the game when it comes to exit velo and hard-hit rate.
Why he might not: The home-field advantage can also be a detriment if a player gets too hyped up in the first round. See Julio Rodriguez in Seattle in 2023, when he had a monster first round, with 41 home runs, but then tired out in the second round.
2025 home runs: 36 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: It’s the season of Cal! The Mariners’ catcher is having one of the greatest slugging first halves in MLB history, as he’s been crushing mistakes all season . His easy raw power might be tailor-made for the Derby — he ranks in the 87th percentile in average exit velocity and delivers the ball, on average, at the optimal home run launch angle of 23 degrees. His calm demeanor might also be perfect for the contest as he won’t get too amped up.
Why he might not: He’s a catcher — and one who has carried a heavy workload, playing in all but one game this season. This contest is as much about stamina as anything, and whether Raleigh can carry his power through three rounds would be a concern. No catcher has ever won the Derby, with only Ivan Rodriguez back in 2005 even reaching the finals.
2025 home runs: 24 | Longest: 451 feet
Why he could win: He’s big, he’s strong, he’s young, he’s awesome, he might or might not be able to leap tall buildings in a single bound. This is the perfect opportunity for Wood to show his talent on the national stage, and he wouldn’t be the first young player to star in the Derby. He ranks in the 97th percentile in average exit velocity and 99th percentile in hard-hit rate, so he can still muscle the ball out in BP even if he slightly mishits it. His long arms might be viewed as a detriment, but remember the similarly tall Aaron Judge won in 2017.
Why he might not: His natural swing isn’t a pure uppercut — he has a pretty low average launch angle of just 6.2 degrees — so we’ll see how that plays in a rapid-fire session. In real games, his power is primarily to the opposite field, but in a Home Run Derby you can get more cheapies pulling the ball down the line.
2025 home runs: 20 | Longest: 479 feet
Why he could win: Buxton’s raw power remains as impressive as nearly any hitter in the game. He crushed a 479-foot home run earlier this season and has four others of at least 425 feet. Indeed, his “no doubter” percentage — home runs that would be out of all 30 parks based on distance — is 75%, the highest in the majors among players with more than a dozen home runs. His bat speed ranks in the 89th percentile. In other words, two tools that could translate to a BP lightning show.
Why he might not: Buxton is 31 and the Home Run Derby feels a little more like a younger man’s competition. Teoscar Hernandez did win last year at age 31, but before that, the last winner older than 29 was David Ortiz in 2010, and that was under much different rules than are used now.
2025 home runs: 16 | Longest: 463 feet
Why he could win: If you drew up a short list of players everyone wants to see in the Home Run Derby, Cruz would be near the top. He has the hardest-hit ball of the 2025 season, and the hardest ever tracked by Statcast, a 432-foot missile of a home run with an exit velocity of 122.9 mph. He also crushed a 463-foot home run in Anaheim that soared way beyond the trees in center field. With his elite bat speed — 100th percentile — Cruz has the ability to awe the crowd with a potentially all-time performance.
Why he might not: Like all first-time contestants, can he stay within himself and not get too caught up in the moment? He has a long swing, which will result in some huge blasts, but might not be the most efficient for a contest like this one, where the more swings a hitter can get in before the clock expires, the better.
2025 home runs: 23 | Longest: 425 feet
Why he could win: Although Caminero was one of the most hyped prospects entering 2024, everyone kind of forgot about him heading into this season since he didn’t immediately rip apart the majors as a rookie. In his first full season, however, he has showed off his big-time raw power — giving him a chance to become just the third player to reach 40 home runs in his age-21 season. He has perhaps the quickest bat in the majors, ranking in the 100th percentile in bat speed, and his top exit velocity ranks in the top 15. That could translate to a barrage of home runs.
Why he might not: In game action, Caminero does hit the ball on the ground quite often — in fact, he’s on pace to break Jim Rice’s record for double plays grounded into in a season. If he gets out of rhythm, that could lead to a lot of low line drives during the Derby instead of fly balls that clear the fences.
2025 home runs: 19 | Longest: 440 feet
Why he could win: The Athletics slugger has been one of the top power hitters in the majors for three seasons now and is on his way to a third straight 30-homer season. Rooker has plus bat speed and raw power, but his biggest strength is an optimal average launch angle (19 degrees in 2024, 15 degrees this season) that translates to home runs in game action. That natural swing could be picture perfect for the Home Run Derby. He also wasn’t shy about saying he wanted to participate — and maybe that bodes well for his chances.
Why he might not: Rooker might not have quite the same raw power as some of the other competitors, as he has just one home run longer than 425 feet in 2025. But that’s a little nitpicky, as 11 of his home runs have still gone 400-plus feet. He competed in the college home run derby in Omaha while at Mississippi State in 2016 and finished fourth.
2025 home runs: 17 | Longest: 442 feet
Why he could win: Chisholm might not be the most obvious name to participate, given his career high of 24 home runs, but he has belted 17 already in 2025 in his first 61 games after missing some time with an injury. He ranks among the MLB leaders in a couple of home run-related categories, ranking in the 96th percentile in expected slugging percentage and 98th percentile in barrel rate. His raw power might not match that of the other participants, but he’s a dead-pull hitter who has increased his launch angle this season, which might translate well to the Derby, even if he won’t be the guy hitting the longest home runs.
Why he might not: Most of the guys who have won this have been big, powerful sluggers. Chisholm is listed at 5-foot-11, 184 pounds, and you have to go back to Miguel Tejada in 2004 to find the last player under 6 foot to win.
CINCINNATI — Cincinnati Reds right fielder Jake Fraley was activated from the 10-day injured list on Saturday.
He had injured his right shoulder while trying to make a diving catch June 23 against the New York Yankees.
An MRI revealed a partially torn labrum that will eventually require surgery. Fraley received a cortisone shot and will try to play through it for the rest of the season.