Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

The Minnesota Twins will have Michael Helman batting ninth and starting in right field in Tuesday's game at the Tampa Bay Rays and left-hander Jeffrey Springs, marking the major-league debut for the 28-year-old. Helman, an 11th-round pick in the 2018 draft by the Twins, hit .283/.367/.508 with 13 homers, 43 RBI, and 45 runs scored along with 10 stolen bases in 11 attempts with Triple-A St. Paul. While Helman won't entice many in standard fantasy leagues, daily fantasy managers might want to consider a low-risk investment in the former Texas A&M University standout.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (undisclosed) has been scratched from the starting lineup ahead of Monday's game against the Tampa Bay Rays. The team hasn't given a reason why Kepler was scratched, but it's probably related to his lingering knee issue. For now, fantasy managers should consider Kepler as day-to-day until further notice. Carlos Santana will replace him in the lineup, while Trevor Larnach takes over the designated hitter spot against right-hander Zack Littell. Larnach has been a surprisingly decent bat for the Twins this season. He's hitting .253 with 14 home runs and 45 RBI, so he'll probably see more time at DH until Kepler returns.UPDATE: Kepler was scratched with left-knee soreness after missing time last week with the same injury.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Byron Buxton (hip) is starting a minor-league rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Monday and will play center field. Buxton has been sidelined since the middle of August with a hip injury, but he's getting close to a return and could rejoin the big-league roster later this week, barring a setback on the farm. Buxton is scheduled to play seven innings in center field on Monday before taking the day off on Tuesday and then playing nine innings on defense on Wednesday. If all goes well, the 30-year-old outfielder could be activated from the 10-day injured list before Friday's series opener on the road at Kaufmann Stadium against the Kansas City Royals. The Twins could choose to ease Buxton back into center-field duties at the major-league level once he's back. The former first-rounder doesn't run much these days but can still provide decent power and speed for fantasy managers.

MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park assumes that Minnesota Twins right-hander Louie Varland will get the nod to start on Wednesday against the Tampa Bay Rays at Tropicana Field given how he lines up this week, which also plays into why he wasn't part of the team's roster expansions on Sunday. Varland is currently at Triple-A St. Paul, but he figures to come up this week for a spot start as the Twins look to get their regular starters some extra rest to kick off the final month of the regular season. The 26-year-old has an ERA over 6.00 with 32 strikeouts in 36 2/3 innings over eight outings (seven starts) for the Twins in 2024. However, he had a quality start in six innings in his last start on Aug. 14 against the Kansas City Royals and has been very solid of late at St. Paul. Regardless of his recent hot stretch in the minors, Varland will be a shaky fantasy streamer if he starts on Wednesday with not much strikeout upside.

Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Bailey Ober dominated the Blue Jays on Sunday, going six innings while allowing just one run on one hit. Ober struck out eight and walked three in this one, with the only damage coming in the first inning off of an Ernie Clement solo home run. Ober needed a start like this after getting blown up by the Atlanta Braves for nine runs in his last start. To be fair to Ober, that was the only start in his previous 13 where he'd gone less than six innings or given up more than three runs, a span that dates back to June 9. The 29-year-old remains a must-start pitcher heading into fantasy playoffs.