Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (back) is serving as the designated hitter and is batting second in the team's Grapefruit League game on Wednesday against the Detroit Tigers. Buxton was scratched from the spring lineup on Monday due to back tightness, but it turned out to be a minor issue, which is great news for the oft-injured 30-year-old outfielder. Buxton wasn't able to play a single game in center field in 2023 for Minnesota due to a knee injury that eventually required surgery. His knee is healthy this spring, though, and he's hit one home run and has a 1.074 OPS in Grapefruit League play. The power/speed combination has always been tantalizing with Buxton, but his inability to stay on the field trumps any of the offensive skills he has these days.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez has not looked like the ace-tier fantasy option fantasy managers are hoping for this spring. The 28-year-old has gone 0-2 with a 7.07 ERA, 1.36 WHIP, and 14 strikeouts in 14 innings pitched. While this is not encouraging for fantasy managers, they should remember that spring samples are small and that established players like Lopez may use the time to work on aspects of their game without concern for results. Lopez should still be considered a high-end fantasy option, as he had a solid 3.66 ERA, 1.15 WHIP, and 29.2% strikeout rate in 32 starts and 194 IP in 2023.

Minnesota Twins shortstop Carlos Correa hit his first home run of the spring on Monday in a 5-2 Grapefruit League win over the Red Sox. It was a solo shot off of Red Sox pitcher Nick Pivetta, and Correa finished the day 2-for-2 with a walk, an RBI, and one run scored. On the spring, the 2x All-Star is hitting .310 (9-for-29) with a home run, three RBI, and four runs scored. The 29-year-old played through injury for most of last season, but is now healthy heading into 2024. While he's well outside the top-12 SS for fantasy, he could very well be a value pick at the end of drafts as he should easily improve on last year's numbers and outperform his NFBC ADP of 244.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Matt Canterino (elbow, shoulder), who had Tommy John surgery in August of 2022 and did not pitch in 2023, suffered a shoulder strain Monday and will start the 2024 season on the Triple-A injured list. This is a shame, as the Twins pitching staff has suffered numerous injuries and The 26-year-old had looked good in his two spring outings. He is still worth keeping an eye on in dynasty leagues, but Canterino will now have another health hurdle to overcome before continuing his trajectory to the big leagues.

Minnesota Twins relief pitcher Caleb Thielbar (hamstring) will be one of several of the team's pitching staff to start the 2024 season on the injured list, per the Athletic's Aaron Gleeman. Thielbar suffered a strained left hamstring early in camp and, while he progressed to throwing live batting practice last week, it was determined that the 37-year-old won't be ready in time to start the season. Thielbar had a successful 2023 season, earning 14 holds with a 3.23 ERA, 0.95 WHIP, and 30.0% strikeout rate in 30 2/3 innings pitched. Fantasy managers in saves-plus-holds leagues should look for additional information on a timetable for his return.