The turn of the calendar from August to September meant the return of two players who had been with the Twins earlier in the season.

One, infielder Brooks Lee, had been rehabbing with the Triple-A Saints from an arm injury that had kept him out since the first week of August. The other, reliever Diego Castillo, made his return to the majors after being designated for assignment by the Twins in June.

The Twins added both to the roster on Sunday as Major League Baseball rosters expanded to 28 players. Both of them and Michael Helman, who took the roster spot of Manuel Margot, who landed on the injured list with groin strain, were on the active roster on Sunday.

Lee’s return gives the Twins added versatility in the infield as they continue to play without injured star shortstop Carlos Correa. The 2022 first-round pick has played second, third and short for the Twins since being called up in July.

“It’s great to have a healthy Brooks back,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He certainly adds to our young group of versatile players that can more around and do a lot of different things for us.”

With Lee, who went 1 for 4 on Sunday, and Correa out, Willi Castro has primarily been playing shortstop, but the Twins are now free to move him around the field, giving them extra flexibility.

Castro played center field on Sunday with Lee at shortstop, though it seems as if Castro will still continue to see time at short until Correa’s return.

“I think there are going to be certain lineups, configurations, groups of players that are playing at the same time, where Willi is going to come back and find himself in the infield,” Baldelli said. “And there are going to be times when he’s going to find himself in the outfield. … That’s something he’s going to need to do, start bouncing around and move around the field. But I think Willi is up for pretty much anything.”

In the bullpen, Castillo gives the Twins, who have been reshaping their relief corps of late, another right-handed option. The 30-year-old veteran pitched in five games for the Twins earlier this season, giving up two runs in seven innings.

“I’m hoping he can also kind of add to the depth of the group that we have in the ‘pen,” Baldelli said. “Give us a consistent, reliable option out there. Someone that can go two innings if we need it.”

Helman gets call

The visitor’s locker room in Omaha had cleared out by the time Helman had wrapped up a long visit with his family after the St. Paul Saints played the Omaha Storm Chasers on Saturday in his native Nebraska.

But coach Tyler Smarslok and clubhouse manager Matt Tramp were still there, ready to deliver him with the news of a lifetime.

“I thought they were messing with me at first,” Helman said.

They weren’t. The Twins were calling up the 28-year-old, who can play in both the infield and outfield, for the first time in his career.

He drove back to meet his family and told them of his promotion in person, something he said was “a little more nerve-wracking” than he expected it would be.

It’s been a long time coming for Helman, an 11th-round pick in 2018 who has dealt with his fair share of injuries that have delayed him on his way to the majors.

Last year he had a hamstring issue and a shoulder dislocation that limited him to 38 games. This year, he has played in 63 minor league games because of two hamstring injuries.

But now, after all of his struggles, he’s finally a major leaguer.

“They definitely get annoying after a while,” he said of all his injuries. “But it’s one of those things where if you’re willing to come back stronger every single time, it’s part of the journey.”

Briefly

To make room on the 40-man roster for Castillo and Helman, the Twins designated Caleb Boushley for assignment and transferred Chris Paddack to the 60-day injured list. Paddack has on the IL since July 20 with a forearm strain.

A nine-game homestand at Target Field looked like prime time for the Twins to reset in the comforts of their own ballpark as they made a push for the postseason.

They didn’t quite accomplish all they hoped, losing two games to St. Louis and getting swept by Atlanta. It looked like they were well on their way to dropping two of three to Toronto, too.

Enter Royce Lewis.

Lewis had gone 16 games without a home run, the longest drought of his career. He found his home run swing at just the right time.

When his team needed him the most, Lewis hit a go-ahead, three-run home run on Sunday in the eighth inning to turn the Twins’ fortunes around, helping lift them to a 4-3 win over the Blue Jays on Sunday afternoon at Target Field.

Lewis’ home run put a jolt into the Target Field crowd, which, to that point had seen the Twins held quiet through the early innings.

They entered the bottom of the eighth inning with just three hits, trailing by two after a rare rocky outing from top reliever Griffin Jax, who walked a pair of batters and hit one with the bases loaded, allowing two runs to score in the inning.

A couple of hits in front of him from Ryan Jeffers and Austin Martin set the stage for Lewis, who rose to the occasion and gave the Twins their first lead of the day.

The Twins had been trailing since two batters into the game when Ernie Clement took Bailey Ober deep. That was the only run  — and hit — Ober would give up in a stellar bounce back outing. But he still left the game with the team behind.

It wasn’t until the seventh inning that the Twins got on the board, their first run since the fifth inning on Friday. Lewis, who walked to lead off the inning, came around to score on a Carlos Santana groundout.

It was a big day defensively for Lewis, as well, as the third baseman shifted across the infield and made his major league debut at second base. Lewis had been taking pregame grounders at the position, but the Twins had not said whether they would insert him at the position in-game.

Ryan Jeffers #27 of the Minnesota Twins celebrates as he rounds the bases to score a run on a home run by Royce Lewis #23 in the eighth inning of the game against the Toronto Blue Jays at Target Field on Sept. 1, 2024 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by Stephen Maturen/Getty Images)

By MICHAEL GOLDBERG

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Democratic vice presidential nominee Tim Walz munched on a pork chop on a stick and washed it down with a vanilla shake Sunday as the Minnesota governor and his family visited his home state fair.

Flanked by his wife, Gwen, and their daughter, Hope, and with a security detail trailing behind, Walz eyed rows of food vendors offering all manner of fair delicacies, many served on a stick.

“For those not from Minnesota, just to be clear, there’s a lot of great state fairs in the country, this is the best one,” Walz said. “I can say that having tried pork chops in Iowa.”

The annual 12-day fair is an opportunity for Minnesota farmers to showcase their products. Walz highlighted the state’s agricultural sector as he made his way past booths with signs like “PUT SOME PORK ON YOUR FORK” and “#PORKPROUD.”

Cheering fairgoers crowded around to shake hands with Walz and snap photos.

Walz acknowledged that his status as Kamala Harris’ running mate may have caused more disruption that usual at an already packed fairgrounds in Falcon Heights, a Minneapolis suburb. But he said the increased attention gave him a chance to promote Minnesota’s economy and culture.

“I think people are seeing that we’re getting to talk about Minnesota across the country, talk about the economy here, talk about things like the state fair, talk about agriculture,” Walz said.

On Labor Day, Walz plans to meet with union leaders in Milwaukee.

Talking about expectations for the Vikings last week, general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah likened the team’s current trajectory to a popular table game in Las Vegas.

“It’s a collection of players at different points in their career,” he said. “You’re trying to hit that magical craps roll where a lot of things happen together at once.”

Essentially, the Vikings are sitting at the craps table with known commodities, like star receiver Justin Jefferson, that give them a baseline of competitiveness, plus unknown commodities, like veteran, mostly untested quarterback Sam Darnold, that could make or break the next few months.

The presumed ascension of a handful of players is the roll of the dice for the Vikings. That ultimately will determine if they get on a heater or if they crap out.

Here are five players (ranked in order of importance) who need to step up for the Vikings this season:

1. Sam Darnold

Nobody will have a bigger impact on this Vikings season than Darnold as he attempts to resurrect his career. The arm talent has been on display throughout training camp  at TCO Performance Center. It’s not hard to see why he was the No. 3 pick in the 2018 NFL Draft. The issue has always been his tendency to turn the ball over. It’s something head coach Kevin O’Connell will try to fix as he hitches his wagon to Darnold in the interim. If the Vikings can get consistent play from Darnold, they could find themselves flirting with the playoffs.

2. Stephon Gilmore

The inclusion of veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore on this list is almost exclusively because he’s getting up there in age. He turns 34 years old this month, and while the depth chart certainly looks much better on paper with Gilmore slotting in as the top cornerback, it’s unclear how effective he will be with the Vikings. The good news is Gilmore hasn’t showed any signs that drop off is on the horizon. Though he’s no longer the Defensive Player of the Year that he once was, he was solid while starting for the Cowboys last season. That’s exactly what the Vikings need this season.

3. Aaron Jones

It’s no secret that the Vikings have struggled to run the ball as of late. They haven’t gotten consistent play out of the backfield since former star running back Dalvin Cook was in his prime. That could change with the addition of veteran Aaron Jones. He shined down the stretch with the Packers last season, proving that he still has something left in the tank. He will turn 30 years old this season, so the potential for a decline is a part of the calculus. That said, the Vikings are betting on Jones being a dynamic part of their offense.

4. Dallas Turner

The talent is palpable when watching rookie edge rusher Dallas Turner compete. He has a unique combination of speed and quickness for his size that allows him to win with regularity when pressuring the passer. The only question is whether Turner will be strong enough to not get washed out in the trenches. He needs to put on some muscle so he doesn’t get overpowered in close quarters. It should help that Turner will get to play situationally alongside fellow edge rushers Jonathan Greenard and Andrew Van Ginkel. That trio could end up being a menace for opposing teams.

5. Jalen Nailor

There is no doubt that Jefferson and fellow receiver Jordan Addison will be the lifeblood of the passing attack. Especially with star tight end T.J. Hockenson not available for the first month. The rise of speedy receiver Jalen Nailor could offer an added dimension that could take the offense to the next level. His emergence was a storyline in the summer, and it could generate even more attention if he can keep it going in the fall. They key for Nailor will be staying healthy. He has struggled with that in the past.

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