Royce Lewis, Willi Castro Reinstated from IL; Julien, Gasper Optioned to AAA

The Twins’ lineup gets a boost.

After suffering a moderate hamstring strain in Spring Training, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis will make his long-awaited return tomorrow night against the Baltimore Orioles. Lewis will be joined by utility man and 2024 All-Star Willi Castro who is returning from an oblique injury, while second basemen Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper were optioned to AAA St. Paul.

Lewis’ return couldn’t come fast enough for a team that has been lacking a distinct thump since right fielder Matt Wallner went down with his own hamstring injury. It’s hard to place that pressure on a young, still relatively unexperienced player like Lewis, but the former top draft pick is joining a lineup that ranks in the bottom five in near every meaningful offensive category. Even Castro will be an upgrade over having the likes of Gasper, Kody Clemens, or Jonah Bride in the lineup every day.

Gasper was always a clear demotion candidate, given his .488 OPS on the season. Julien’s demotion is more surprising, but Castro and Lewis’ return, combined with a strong start from Brooks Lee, meant the struggling second baseman was losing playing time. After hitting well enough to re-earn the leadoff spot, Julien had a .502 OPS with a 32% strikeout rate from April 18th onward. He’ll head to St. Paul where he will try to force his way back into the Twins’ long term plans.

While Julien may be a better hitter than players like Kody Clemens or DaShawn Keirsey Jr., those two have significant defensive and base running value off the bench. If Julien isn’t hitting well, there’s little else he can do to contribute to the Twins. Castro’s return should let the struggling and oft-injured Carlos Correa take a few days off as well. Correa has played in every game for the Twins since April 16th, which would be good news if he were hitting well.

Minnesota faces the left-hander Cade Povich on Tuesday, a former Twins prospect sent to Baltimore in the infamous Jorge Lopez trade, meaning both Lewis and Castro will likely be in the starting lineup while manager Rocco Baldelli can finally deploy his “Oops, all righties” lineup against southpaws.