FORT MYERS, Fla. — At long last, baseball is upon us.

The sights and sounds of baseball season were on display Wednesday at the Lee Health Sports Complex, where Twins ace Pablo López and closer Jhoan Duran were among the pitchers that threw bullpen sessions. Twins pitchers and catchers have reported and underwent their first workout on Wednesday. In a matter of days, the full group will be in town.

Here’s what you need to know as spring training gets underway:

Storylines to watch

Will the Twins acquire any other plays?

Last year, the Twins signed infielder Donovan Solano after spring training had already started. Could they do that again this year?

The Twins could use another outfielder, particularly one who can hit right-handed, and there are plenty available on the free-agent market who could fit the bill. It wouldn’t necessarily be surprising to see another addition in the coming days.

“We make upgrades when we can and maybe we still have some more moves to make at this point,” manager Rocco Baldelli said Wednesday.

How will Byron Buxton hold up?

Buxton, who is coming off his second knee surgery, proclaimed himself ready to return to the outfield this season a couple weeks ago at TwinsFest. But he hasn’t played center field in a major league game since 2022, and this spring training will be an important time to assess him.

The Twins did not acquire anyone this offseason that can play center field and figuring out what kind of workload Buxton can handle will be a storyline to watch not just in spring training but throughout the season.

Roster battles: last bench spot

Should everyone stay healthy, it seems as if the Twins have one bench spot remaining. And if they don’t make an external acquisition this spring, they have a number of candidates who could potentially fill it.

Outfielder Trevor Larnach has major-league experience in parts of three seasons, but he’s a left-handed corner outfielder, which isn’t the best positional fit for this roster as Max Kepler and Matt Wallner are both left-handed hitters, as well.

Infielder Jose Miranda essentially had a lost season last year, injuring his shoulder in spring training and then slumping when he did play. With Carlos Santana now in the mix, the Twins could opt to send Miranda to Triple-A to begin the season. But if Miranda does make the big-league club, he’s a right-handed bat who would most likely be used at first base and as a DH.

Austin Martin, who has yet to debut, could offer the Twins some positional flexibility. The 24-year-old has plenty of experience both at second base and center field, which could be helpful for the roster as constructed. He played some left field for the Triple-A Saints last season, as well.

Roster battles: last bullpen spot

The Twins made a lot of additions to the bullpen this offseason, and most of the group looks fairly set headed into spring training. Duran, Brock Stewart, Justin Topa, Griffin Jax and Caleb Thielbar are locks. Assuming the Twins carry eight relievers, as they like to do, that leaves three more spots.

Recently-acquired relievers Jay Jackson and Steven Okert are both out of options, making it likely that both would be on the Opening Day roster. There are a number of other relievers in camp, but this could come down to whether the Twins prefer to carry a long reliever like Cole Sands or Brent Headrick or more of a one-inning option like Josh Staumont, whom they signed this offseason.

Key dates

Feb. 17 — Position players report
Feb. 18 — First full-squad workout
Feb. 23 — First game, against University of Minnesota
Feb. 24 — First Grapefruit League game, against Pirates
March 26 — Last Grapefruit League game
March 28 — Opening Day, at Kansas City Royals

How to watch/listen

The Twins have yet to announce television information for spring training games after recently reaching a deal to return to Bally Sports North for the 2024 season, but usually a handful of spring training games games are televised, available to stream through MLB.tv, on the radio or both.

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