‘He couldn’t have used his time any better’: Twins reassign top prospect Brooks Lee to minor-league camp

FORT MYERS, Fla. — Brooks Lee’s time at major-league camp may not have ended how anyone would have wanted — he exited Thursday’s game early with back spasms and was sent for testing on Friday — but injury aside, the top prospect took advantage of his time around the big-league club, impressing those around him.

The Twins reassigned Lee to minor-league camp on Friday after a meeting with manager Rocco Baldelli, who said he delivered “a lot of compliments” to the young infielder.

“I had nothing but positive things for him today. He had a great camp. He’s fantastic to work with,” Baldelli said. “… He’s level-headed, and he’s got a good way about him. He’s got a good baseball mind. He played well.”

The Twins drafted Lee eighth overall in 2022, and the 23-year-old infielder, who is MLB Pipeline’s No. 18 prospect, could force his way into the conversation sooner rather than later. He ended his season at Triple-A St. Paul, and will start this season there, as well, once his back is at full health.

The Twins plan to have him bounce around between shortstop (his natural position), third base and second base.

“For the people that haven’t seen him play a lot firsthand, he showed us that he can go out there and play shortstop. He showed us a lot at shortstop,” Baldelli said. “He showed us he can move around the field with ease. He did a lot in this camp. He had some good offensive days, and he handled being a young player in camp just the way you would want to see a guy do it.”

It’s a small sample size, but in the 13 games he played this spring, the switch-hitter leaves camp tied for a team-high 12 hits, with five doubles, a triple and a home run. Now, the Twins are hoping to see more of just that.

“He left everyone with an excellent feeling with his time here, and he was here almost until the end,” Baldelli said. “He couldn’t have used his time any better.”

Twins washed out

Both of the Twins’ split-squad games were rained out on Friday, called early around 9 a.m. because of a forecast that called for precipitation all day.

Pitcher Pablo López, who will start for the Twins on Opening Day next Thursday, was supposed to get his final tune-up of the spring in a game against the Tampa Bay Rays in Port Charlotte.

López had chosen to pitch in the away game in part to help simulate what he might see next weekend when the Twins open on the road. Instead, he’ll get his work in at the Twins’ facility in a minor-league game on Friday. If the field is not dry enough, he’s still expected to throw at the Lee County Sports Complex.

“We’d much prefer him to pitch with the extra day (of rest), if possible, but the weather is not cooperating,” Baldelli said. “He does want to face hitters in one form or another.”

Briefly

The Twins will return to exhibition game action on Saturday night, playing a road game against the Red Sox. It’s their last night game of the spring. Twins pitcher Chris Paddack is scheduled to start that game.

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