They talked about it in spring training; what it would actually look like if Royce Lewis, Carlos Correa and Byron Buxton could take the field at the same time.
Since Lewis debuted in 2022, the trio had played together sparingly, slowed by a variety of injuries that robbed the Twins and their fans of the opportunity to watch the three stars together. But all three made it through spring training healthy and were ready to showcase their immense talent.
“It feels like the possibilities are almost endless,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said at the time.
But the prospect of watching them all play together lasted mere innings because, almost immediately, Lewis strained his quadriceps, suffering an injury that would sideline him for two months.
Now, all three are finally healthy and the Twins are finally getting to see what they’ve been dreaming about.
“We’ve been waiting for all of these guys to be out there and playing great and feeling great, all at the same time,” Baldelli said before Friday’s game against Oakland. “It’s kind of like a sort of explosion. A lot of things can happen, a lot of good things for us can happen, really quickly.”
Correa is in the middle of the hottest stretch of his career. He entered the Friday hitting .432 with a 1.040 OPS in the month of June. In the seven games preceding Friday’s, he was hitting .552. In the five games before Friday, he had 14 hits.
Lewis, who did not start on Friday, has been tormenting pitchers since he’s returned. He’s hit five home runs in his 10 games played this season and has a hit in every game but one. Buxton is heating up, too, hitting .391 in the six games leading up to Friday, with multiple hits in three of those games.
“Obviously, it’s a small sample size. So, to be able to do this over the rest of the season is something to look forward to,” Buxton said. “I ain’t going to sit here and lie — it’s something to look forward to. It is. It is. I can’t wait. This is what you want.”
Lewis, perhaps, best summed up the sentiments of the fan base when he said, “It’s fun for me to watch,” noting that he feeds off of his teammates.
Two of the three — Correa and Lewis — were the first-overall pick in the draft. Buxton went No. 2, one pick behind Correa in 2012. The talent has always been undeniable. It’s just been a matter of keeping them on the field.
“We talked about it in spring training about when we’re healthy, the things that we can do for this team,” Correa said. “I feel like this is just the start for us as the leaders of this team. We just have to keep going, It’s a long season, so just stay the course.”
Twins debut new look
The Twins wore their City Connect uniforms for the first time on Friday. The ballpark was decked out for the occasion, complete with the new logo painted behind home plate.
Graphics around the stadium showcased the new logos and marks, and Twins players debuted new accessories — Correa, for example, wore yellow, blue and pink cleats featuring Lake Minnetonka on one shoe and the Minneapolis lakes and skyline on the other.
The Twins are the last of the 28 teams getting City Connect jerseys to unveil and wear theirs, opting to be in the later group after debuting a fresh uniform set last year.
“It’s been a long time coming. I’ve been kind of waiting to see what they end up looking like, how the guys like them. I think everyone is actually pretty pumped,” Baldelli said. “We wear the same stuff. You see the same T-shirts, you see the same everything. You almost look and feel like a new team.”
Briefly
The Twins will wear their City Connect uniforms on Saturday, as well. Bailey Ober is scheduled take the mound for that game opposed by Joey Estes.
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