Twins Reassign Dinged-Up Top Prospect Brooks Lee to Minors Camp

Fort Myers, FL – The Minnesota Twins announced that they have sent infielder Brooks Lee to minor league camp.

So much for that little pipe dream.

Brooks Lee, Twins Daily’s second-ranked prospect, left Thursday’s game against the Nationals with back spasms. He will be looked at by the Twins’ training staff to determine the next course of action. His reassignment is unrelated to the injury, but he is unlikely to play in any games between now and the start of the regular season.

It’s not ideal to have this expected demotion happen in the shadow of a potentially nagging injury, but Lee acquitted himself gorgeously in his time with the big-leaguers. He’s not on the 40-man roster and wasn’t a serious candidate for the Opening Day roster, but assuming he gets healthy at back in action soon for St. Paul, he could still factor into the team’s plans during the first half of the season.

“I think he had a better than a good camp,” Rocco Baldelli said of Lee’s spring performance. “I think he had a great camp. He showed us that he can go out there and play shortstop. He left everyone with an excellent feeling with his time here.”

It’s interesting to hear the skipper call out the work Lee put in at shortstop, specifically. Because of Carlos Correa’s long-term contract, many have glossed over any possibility that Lee will stick at the six as he matriculates to the majors. It’s still likely that he plays mostly at another position, but impressing Baldelli and the coaches with his defensive work on the left side ensures that Lee will be in position to be called up and installed, should Correa battle injuries again and a need arise at short.

We’ve been assuming Kyle Farmer would be the de facto starter in such a situation, and that could still be true, but Lee showing out has increased his chances of being the one to whom the team turns in case of a need that stretches beyond a day or two, toward a month or two. In combination with the glove, he also proved he can hit big-league pitching in competitive settings–and perhaps that he can bring a different dynamic to the homers-and-strikeouts mad Twins lineup.

The switch-hitting infielder hit .333/.351/.611 with seven extra-base hits in 13 Grapefruit League games. He made some modifications to his swing that have produced favorable results.

The Twins’ roster is now down to 40 players in camp.