Minnesota

Twins

Bradley, who withdrew earlier this week from pitching in the upcoming World Baseball Classic, is suddenly an important early-season contributor for the injury-ravaged Twins. He finished with four strikeouts and only issued one walk. He served up six hits, including a gargantuan round-tripper to Jarren Duran. He’ll aim for better results his next time out.

None of the Twins’ bullpen candidates has had a good of a season in the last two years as Sands did in 2024, when he finished with an 85/12 K/BB in 71 1/3 innings. Last year, though, his strikeout rate dropped from 29% to 21%, and he wound up with a 4.50 ERA in 72 innings. He doesn’t seem like a very good bet at this point, but in a pen as weak as Minnesota’s, he has to be watched.

“Physically, I’m feeling good,” Ober said. “I’m throwing more bullpens this year, just making sure everything mechanically is lined up.” After two strong seasons in 2023 and 2024, Ober took a step back in 2025 and also saw his velocity decrease while he was battling a few injuries. Increased focus on mechanics could get Ober back to previous levels, so his first start will be something to keep an eye on when it happens.

Given Lewis’ extensive injury history, there was not a lot of optimism when he was scratched from Thursday’s lineup with side tightness. For now, it appears that the Twins have avoided a major injury.

Initially the Twins said that the move was made out of an abundance of caution, but since they sent him for imaging perhaps it’s a bit more serious than that. Given Lewis’ extensive injury history, there’s absolutely reason to be worried here. The Twins are expected to provide an update on his status on Friday after getting the results from that exam.

All of the runs scored in the first, as Woods Richardson was able to work around a one-out double in the second. His fastball averaged 91.8 mph today, down 1.4 mph from his average last season, and he ended up getting just two misses on 20 swings. Still, while this wasn’t nearly his best work, he seems safely penciled into Minnesota’s rotation.

Matthews was at 50 pitches after two innings today, so it was surprising that he was brought back out for a third in his spring debut. As it turned out, he struck out Marcell Ozuna on six pitches and then exited the game. With Pablo López out, Matthews looks like a good bet to become the Twins’ fourth or fifth starter, and he could be strong enough in terms of WHIP and strikeouts to help in fantasy leagues.

They sent Pablo López (elbow) to the 60-day injured list in a corresponding move. Kent has been DFA’d and claimed off waivers four times since the end of the 2025 season. He figures to be a back-end piece for the Twins if he makes the roster.

Lewis experienced the tightness after running the bases pre-game. This is supposedly “out of an abundance of caution,” which we’re sure everyone will take to mean everything is going just fine given Lewis’ injury history. We’ll provide further updates as we have them, but Lewis will remain a risky fantasy pick because of his inability to stay healthy.

It’s broadly good news that López’s surgery was “less invasive” than a standard Tommy John surgery. Assuming he’s able to look good in his build up and has no setbacks, a return in the first half of the 2027 season will be on the table for the star starter. López will be on the final year of his four-year, $73.5 million contract in 2027. “This is the better of the two surgeries,” Twins athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said. “We’re pretty excited about that. Pablo is excited about that as well.”