Minnesota Twins DVOA, Stats, & MLB Rankings

Minnesota Twins shortstop prospect Brooks Lee (biceps) was activated from the 10-day injured list on Sunday and is starting at the 6 and batting eighth for the Twins in Sunday's series finale at Target Field against the Toronto Blue Jays and rookie right-hander Yariel Rodriguez. Lee, the team's No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline, should play regularly for the Twins, at least until Carlos Correa (heel) is able to make his return. The 23-year-old switch-hitter has played in only 26 games for Minnesota in 2024 in his first year in the big leagues and has hit .253/.309/.333 with a .642 OPS, two home runs, two doubles, 15 RBI, three steals, nine walks and 16 strikeouts in 110 plate appearances. He has an advanced approach at the plate from both sides and favors contact over raw power. At least in deep mixed leagues, Lee could be serviceable as middle-infield depth if he's playing regularly.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) remains out of the starting lineup ahead of Friday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. The 31-year-old outfielder continues to deal with a lingering left knee issue. The hope is that Kepler can rest on Friday and be available to play this weekend. For now, fantasy managers should consider Kepler as day-to-day. Matt Wallner will play right field and bat cleanup against right-hander Kevin Gausman on Friday. Wallner has eight hits, two home runs, and three RBI over his last five games. He's worth a look as a streaming option until Kepler is back in the mix.

The Minnesota Twins moved starting pitcher Joe Ryan (triceps) to the 60-day injured list on Tuesday, ending the hurler's regular season. Since Ryan's IL placement for the Grade 2 teres major strain behind his right shoulder was dated to Aug. 8, the 60-day placement means he is eligible to return on Oct. 7 at the earliest. He has not yet resumed throwing. As of Tuesday, Ryan also did not have a sense of any potential timeline, or if there was even any path for him to return to pitching this season. The Twins can only hope he'll be able to return at some point during the postseason if they embark on a deep run in the playoffs. The 28-year-old star right-hander was one of fantasy's most reliable starters this season, registering sevens wins, a 3.60 ERA, 0.98 WHIP, and 147:23 K:BB across 135 innings for Minnesota.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Max Kepler (knee) is starting in right field and is batting sixth against Atlanta Braves rookie right-hander Spencer Schwellenbach at Target Field on Tuesday. Kepler will make a return to the lineup for Minnesota after missing the previous two games with left-knee soreness. The 31-year-old left-handed hitter won't be a popular DFS play in his return given his recent slump. He's hitting only .236 (17-for-72) with two home runs, three doubles, six RBI and 16 strikeouts in 19 games in the month of August but has also gone 4-for-30 (.133) in his last eight games since Aug. 15. Kepler is always a better bet against right-handed pitching, but he's done very little for fantasy managers in 2024 with a .259/.309/.392 slash line and only eight home runs, 42 RBI and 42 runs scored in 355 at-bats.

Minnesota Twins outfielder Matt Wallner hit his 10th homer in Monday's 10-6 loss to the Atlanta Braves, part of a 2-for-3 evening, including two runs scored. Wallner is hitting .271/.403/.612 with 26 RBI, 21 runs scored, and three stolen bases on the year. Daily fantasy managers should make Wallner a priority when facing right-handers, as he's hitting .277/.408/.625 with nine homers, and 24 RBI against him. He has been a solid fantasy asset over the last month and is a must-start in leagues that use on-base percentage as a category.