Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Minnesota Twins infielder/outfielder Willi Castro (oblique) is on the 10-day injured list with a right oblique strain. In a corresponding move, the Twins promoted Mickey Gasper from Triple-A St. Paul. Castro has been held out of the lineup since suffering this injury on April 16. Fantasy managers should continue to monitor his status as this injury could keep Castro sidelined for an extended period. While he remains out, fantasy managers should expect prospect Luke Keaschall to continue to see time at second base and Brooks Lee to see time at the hot corner. Through the first 18 games of the campaign, Castro has held a .227/.292/.364 line with six doubles, one home run, and one stolen base. He is worth holding on an IR spot in deeper formats given his positional flexibility.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Trevor Larnach continued his recent surge with another home run on Wednesday against the White Sox. Minnesota has been desperately searching for offense, and Larnach has delivered over the last few games. The 28-year-old lefty has hit safely in each of his last five games, going 6-for-17 (.353) with three home runs and a .545 wOBA over that short span. He has six hard-hit balls in those five games, per Statcast, giving him a 40.0% hard-hit rate over that stretch. On the season, Larnach is still hitting only .218 with a .303 wOBA and 99 wRC+; however, this recent surge should earn him some more playing time and keep him anchored as a key contributor in the Twins' batting order against right-handed pitchers. He can be a short-term pickup or DFS streaming option while he's so hot, although he hasn't been able to sustain this kind of production in the past.

Minnesota Twins second baseman Luke Keaschall continued his impressive start in the majors, going 1-for-3 with a double, a run scored, and a pair of stolen bases in Wednesday's 6-3 win over the Chicago White Sox. The No. 57 prospect on MLB Pipeline now has five steals in five major league games and is hitting .353 (6-for-17) over that small sample. He has also been hitting third in the Twins' lineup for the last few games, so the team might be buying into his hot start. While he is unlikely to provide much power, the 22-year-old should provide plenty of speed and a good average. He is worth a pickup in standard-size leagues for those looking to improve in those areas.

Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (hamstring) is expected to start a minor-league rehab assignment later this week, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale. It's the next step in his progression from a left-hamstring strain that he suffered in spring training in March after he ran some sprints on Monday and ran the bases on Tuesday of this week. In addition to running, the 25-year-old power threat has been taking on-field batting practice and doing fielding work on the infield. If Lewis can avoid any setbacks with his hamstring this weekend in minor-league action, he could be activated from the injured list to make his 2025 big-league debut at some point next week. The former first overall pick in 2017 has high-upside power when he's healthy, making him stash-worthy in all fantasy formats until he returns.

Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez (hamstring) is eligible to come off the 15-day injured list on Thursday, but the Twins have already announced that right-hander Chris Paddack will start that day against the division-rival Chicago White Sox. That makes it extremely likely that Lopez will come off the IL to rejoin the team's starting rotation during this weekend's series against the Los Angeles Angels, according to The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman. The 29-year-old needed just one minor-league rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul last Saturday and allowed an earned run on three hits while walking none and striking out four in 4 2/3 innings pitched. Fantasy managers should be itching to get the Venezuelan hurler back in their starting lineups this weekend against an Angels team coming back down to Earth after a strong start. Lopez had a 1.62 ERA with 14 K's in 16 2/3 frames in his first three starts this year.