It's the Twins and Blue Jays, game one Tuesday at Target Field. One of the biggest questions facing the Twins was who would be available for the postseason roster, and it's mostly good news so far.
Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis are both in the starting lineup.
"Ultimately we have those two guys on the roster and that's critical. They've been huge parts of our success over the course of the whole season," says Derek Falvey who is president of Twins Baseball Operations.
Falvey told WCCO Radio's Adam and Jordana that Royce Lewis will be today's designated hitter, bat third, and that they aren't ruling out him playing in the field later in the series.
"He doesn't want to rule it out, Rocco (Baldelli) doesn't want to rule it out, but ultimately we want to get him in the game," Falvey said. "His bat has been so special for us. The second half of the year he's been one of the best players, not just as a rookie but one of the best players in baseball. Him, in the middle of our lineup, will really help us."
Putting Lewis at DH does shuffle things a bit for the Twins who have Polanco moving to third base and Julien playing second base.
The 24-year old Lewis burst onto the scene for the Twins this year hitting grand slams in back-to-back games in August and slammed a Twins record four over the course of the season. He was also just named the American League Rookie of the Month for September. Over the last month of the season, he hit .313 with six home runs and 23 RBI.
Correa has been dealing with plantar fasciitis all season. That flared up on him towards the end of the season and he had been on the Injured List since September 20th. Correa has, by far, the most postseason experience on the Twins' roster which they'll need.
It's well known by know, but the Twins are trying to end a long, postseason losing streak of 18 games. They'll need their stars to lead the way.
One of those stars is Byron Buxton who isn't on the roster for the Wild Card Series against Toronto. He's been on the injured list since the beginning of August, and had been reportedly working to make the roster after reaggravating his knee while on rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints.
Falvey said that they won't rule anything out going forward.
"I know Byron, he's going to continue to prep and see what we can do," Falvey said on WCCO Radio. "We'll obviously address some things in the offseason, think about how we prepare next year. But he was a big part of this at the beginning of the year. He has boosted this club. He is a part of why we are here now, no question both in that clubhouse and on the field. Hopefully we'll get him back and he'll still be a part of it."
Buxton could be added to the roster if the Twins were to advance past the Blue Jays.
The Twins decided to carry 12 pitchers for the postseason meaning Bailey Ober, who pitched very well over the last month of the season, is the odd man out.
Another big name, Joey Gallo, also does not appear on the postseason roster headed into Tuesday afternoon's game. The Twins signed Gallo to a free agent deal in the offseason but strikeouts and injuries have kept Gallo out of the lineup.
TWINS LINEUP FOR GAME ONE
Edouard Julien, 2B
Jorge Polanco, 3B
Royce Lewis, DH
Max Kepler, RF
Alex Kirilloff, 1B
Carlos Correa, SS
Ryan Jeffers, C
Matt Wallner, LF
Michael A. Taylor, CF