Royce Lewis’ return from a second knee surgery and subsequent emergence as a star-in-the-making was one of the most promising storylines of the Twins’ past season.

Lewis, formerly a shortstop throughout his minor league career, adapted well to third base, and as the Twins look ahead into next season, that’s where they’re penciling him in. Selected first overall in the 2017 draft, Lewis figures to be an important part of the Twins’ core moving forward.

2023 recap

After a productive rookie season, the Twins headed into 2022 with Jose Miranda as their third baseman to begin the year. But Miranda, who was limited during spring training due to a shoulder injury, struggled immensely to begin the season.

The Twins ultimately sent him down to Triple-A, only recalling him when they did because Lewis strained his oblique in early July. Miranda would quickly land on the injured list because of the shoulder. The last game he played was on July 9, marking what became a lost season for the 25-year-old.

Lewis, who began the season rehabbing his knee down at the Twins’ complex in Fort Myers, Fla., returned from the injured list in late May as a third baseman and captured the job. Though Lewis missed time with the oblique injury and again with a hamstring strain, he was one of the Twins’ most productive players when he was on the field.

The rookie hit .309 with a .921 OPS in 58 major league games. He hit 15 home runs in those games — four of them grand slams — and drove in 52 runs.

Kyle Farmer and Willi Castro also saw a good amount of time at third base, while Donovan Solano appeared there in 19 games. Later in the season, the Twins shifted Jorge Polanco from second base to third on occasion, having him play there when Lewis was out or limited to DH.

2024 outlook

At his end-of-season media session, manager Rocco Baldelli said he anticipates Lewis going into the offseason and spring training preparing to play the hot corner.

Minnesota Twins’ Jose Miranda watches his two-run double against the New York Yankees during the first inning of a baseball game Thursday, April 13, 2023, in New York. (AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Though he might still wind up taking some groundballs at shortstop just to stay sharp, the Twins head into the offseason with the left side of their infield seemingly set with Lewis and Carlos Correa.

Miranda will spend the offseason rehabbing his shoulder as the Twins work to get him healthy. Though he could see some time at third base next season — and first, also — it’s hard for the Twins to predict what they might get from him moving forward after this season.

“We know that the version of Jose we saw when he was fully healthy back in 2021 is a really exciting factor, but we can’t really have that expectation right now just because we don’t know where he’s at just from a health standpoint,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said.

Castro figures to be back and to see some time at third base as he shifts around the field and the Twins will also need to make a decision on Farmer in the coming months. If they bring him back, expect him to move around the infield, as well.

Another name worth noting? Top prospect Brooks Lewis, like Lewis drafted as a shortstop, is knocking on the door in Triple-A and got some experience at third base this season with the Saints.

But while the Twins have plenty of options to play third base, when he’s healthy, Lewis should be over there the majority of the time.

Massachusetts is part of a newly-designated federal tech hub for emerging maritime artificial intelligence.

The Department of Commerce announced the news on Monday afternoon, awarding the Ocean Tech Hub of Southeastern New England designation to Rhode Island and Massachusetts as part of an effort led by the Rhode Island Commerce Corp.

Thirty-one tech hubs were announced, all authorized under the CHIPS and Science Act signed by President Joe Biden in August 2022. The winners were selected from nearly 400 applications, and are eligible to apply to receive between $40 million and $70 million each for implementation funding.

The commerce department, led by former Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo, said the designations represent “an endorsement of the region’s plans to supercharge their respective technological industries to create jobs, strengthen U.S. competitiveness, and protect national security.”

In September, the Biden administration chose Massachusetts to create a biomedical and health hub in Greater Boston through the federal Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health, or ARPA-H.

Gas prices slide 3 cents lower

Gas prices in Massachusetts shed 3 cents during the past week despite rising global tensions  from the outbreak of war in the Mideast.

The price at the pump was sitting at $3.61 a gallon in the most recent survey, according to AAA, down three cents from a week ago, and 16 cents less than a month ago.

“Oil prices have been in a choppy range between the mid-$80s and lower $90s per barrel as markets watch to see if the war between Israel and Hamas widens,” said AAA Northeast Senior Spokesperson Mark Schieldrop. “This has slowed the pace of decline in gas prices that we typically expect in autumn.”

Jaden McDaniels continued his work post-practice Monday at Mayo Clinic Square in downtown Minneapolis, putting in ample 5-on-0 work as he rehabilitates his calf back into form.

Whether or not the 23-year-old wing is able to play in the Timberwolves’ season opener Wednesday in Toronto is still an unknown.

Whether or not McDaniels will be in Minnesota for years to come is no longer a mystery.

The Timberwolves and the young, defensive-minded wing agreed to a 5-year, $136 million extension Monday afternoon, just hours ahead of the league deadline. The move locks in McDaniels next to Anthony Edwards – who signed a max deal in July – as the youngest pieces of the franchise’s long-term core.

Had no agreement been made, McDaniels would have gone to restricted free agency next summer. Minnesota almost certainly would’ve matched any offer another team made to the wing in that setting, but getting this deal done now certifies McDaniels’ long-term future in Minnesota, while avoiding any potential awkwardness that comes between team and player during the restricted free agent setting.

While a casual observer across the country may be perplexed that a player who averaged 13 points per game could net such a large financial figure, Timberwolves fans have seen first-hand just how valuable McDaniels is. His on-ball defense is a marvel. Per BBall Index, McDaniels graded out as the best perimeter isolation defender in the entire NBA. Missing out on All-Defense accolades last spring likely had more to do with name recognition than actual performance. He’s already widely regarded as a top-tier defender by elite offensive players around the league.

So while this deal may look like an overpay to some in the now, the Timberwolves are betting more people recognize McDaniels’ name in seasons to come. And, frankly, McDaniels’ extension simply falls in line with market value.

San Antonio inked young wing Devin Vassel to a nearly identical deal at the beginning of the month. That number was a major marker used in negotiations, and it doesn’t appear to be a coincidence that McDaniels’ deal is for $1 million more.

The McDaniels contract does guarantee Minnesota will be in a major salary tax crunch starting next offseason. That’s when his extension, Edwards’ extension and Karl-Anthony Towns’ extension – signed last offseason – all kick in. The new collective bargaining agreement will make it very difficult for the Timberwolves to operate thanks to the restrictions placed on teams various levels above the luxury tax.

That could lead to some difficult decisions Minnesota will need to make down the line. But, for now, Minnesota is in a good spot to contend given its current level of talent. And the Wolves are in a good spot for the distant future, as well, with Edwards and McDaniels locked in as pillars on the wings of lineups for years to come.

ROCHESTER, Minn. — A 30-year-old Mayo Clinic physician who is accused of fatally poisoning his wife this summer is being held on $2 million bail after appearing before a judge in Olmsted County District Court.

Connor Fitzgerald Bowman is charged with felony second-degree murder with intent but not premeditated. Judge Lisa Hayne ordered that he be held on $2 million bail provided he consent to GPS monitoring and not use or possess alcohol or controlled substances. Hayne also ordered that Bowman, who has been in custody in the Olmsted County Adult Detention Center since Friday, can be released on $5 million bail without conditions.

Connor Bowman (Olmsted County Sheriff’s Office)

His wife, Betty Bowman, died on Aug. 20 after she went to an emergency room days earlier complaining of diarrhea and dehydration.

The couple lived in Rochester, where Betty worked as a hospital pharmacist while Connor completed an internal medicine residency. Both worked at the Mayo Clinic.

“We are aware of the recent arrest of a former Mayo Clinic resident on charges unrelated to his Mayo Clinic responsibilities. The resident’s training at Mayo Clinic ended earlier this month,” Mayo Clinic spokeswoman Amanda Dyslin said.

The two married in 2021 in Independence, Mo., according to her obituary .

“Her kindness and intelligence was noticed and valued by friends and strangers alike,” part of her obituary reads.

His next court appearance is scheduled for Nov. 1.

According to the criminal complaint:

The Rochester Police Department was notified Aug. 21 by the Southeast Minnesota Medical Examiner’s Office of a suspicious death. Betty Bowman was scheduled to be cremated, but that was halted after the examiner’s office learned of possible suspicious circumstances.

She was admitted to a hospital with severe gastrointestinal distress and dehydration on Aug. 16, and her condition rapidly deteriorated.

A woman called the medical examiner’s office and said that Betty and her husband were having marital issues and were talking about filing for divorce due to infidelity issues.

Her symptoms were similar to those of food poisoning, but she did not respond to standard treatments and continued to deteriorate while at the hospital. She experienced cardiac issues, fluid in her lungs, and eventually organ failure. She was taken into surgery after it was discovered that part of her colon was necrotic, with dead tissue.

Connor Bowman suggested to doctors while his wife was hospitalized that she was suffering from hematophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis, a rare autoimmune disease in which white blood cells attack organs.

He told multiple people she died from this disease despite testing from his wife coming back inconclusive for it. He also included it in her obituary.

He told the medical examiner that she should be cremated immediately and argued that her death was natural. He also attempted to cancel the autopsy and asked investigators if the toxicology analysis would be more thorough than usual.

Connor Bowman worked in poison control in Kansas.

According to the complaint, the couple had separate bank accounts due to debt and he was going to receive $500,000 in life insurance following her death.

A witness told law enforcement that Betty Bowman said she had been drinking with Connor Bowman on Aug. 15 and she was feeling sick the next morning. She told her friend that she believed the drink, a large smoothie, had caused the illness.

A detective found that Connor Bowman had looked at his wife’s medical information while she was in the hospital.

A laptop from the University of Kansas that was owned by Connor Bowman was searched by the university, which found internet searches for colchicine, a drug used to treat gout. There were also several internet searches related to hiding information from police on the laptop, as well as a search for where to obtain sodium nitrate, a drug used to restrict oxygen in the bloodstream.

Connor Bowman also searched for and found the lethal dosage of colchicine for his wife’s weight, according to the report. Police also found that he had purchased colchicine online.

A toxicology report listed colchicine as a substance in Betty Bowman’s system. She did not suffer from any ailments that would require the drug.

He was arrested on Oct. 20. Police found a receipt for a bank deposit of $450,000 in his residence.

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