Brooks Lee is knocking down the door of the big leagues, likely to debut at some point this season.

But while his Twins debut date is still up in the air, he’ll have a chance to play at a major league stadium later this month, representing the Twins at the Futures Game at Globe Field in Arlington, Texas.

Lee is also set to participate in the inaugural skills showcase, which will be a three-part hitting contest featuring challenges called Hit it Here (hitters try to hit targets), Call Your Shot (batters predict where they will hit the ball) and Swing for the Fences (which resembles home run derby).

The event will take place on July 13 and will air on MLB Network. It will also be available to watch via MLB.tv, MLB.com and in the MLB app.

“It’s a nice honor for any young player to be given, and he’ll enjoy it,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “They all do. All the guys have fun. … It kind of boosts you in some ways. You could call it almost like a good ego boost in some ways.”

Lee, the No. 8 overall pick in the 2022 draft, has been productive at Triple-A since returning from a back issue suffered late in spring training.

In 19 games entering Tuesday, he was hitting .333 with a .617 OPS. He had six home runs and five doubles among his 27 hits. While he’s currently blocked at the major league level in the infield, he could force the issue sooner rather than later.

“He has been playing some really good baseball. Everything we’ve heard is right where we would want it to be, and he’s out there proving himself,” Baldelli said. “That’s really what this is all about for him right now. Getting out there, showing us what he can do, showing himself what he can do and turning himself into the best player he can be. He’s doing all that.”

Bright lights

There was a noticeable difference in the Twins’ clubhouse on Tuesday upon entry.

A new lighting system had been installed while the Twins were on their 10-day road trip, aimed at helping players adjust their eyes and bodies to help prepare for games.

The lights were so bright that right fielder Max Kepler was donning a pair of sunglasses inside before the game.

“One thing we talked about late in spring training, early in the season was the fact that we play a lot of day games. How do we get ready for these day games? How do we help ourselves prepare better?” Baldelli said. “We’ve done a lot of things. So just one of them is trying to brighten yourself up a little bit so you don’t feel like when you walk into the clubhouse here, you’re walking into a windowless casino or something like that.”

Injury updates

Reliever Brock Stewart has progressed into throwing live batting practice, with one session on Tuesday and another set up for Friday. The Twins will see how he responds before determining his next steps, which could then be a rehab assignment.

Stewart has not pitched in a game since May 1, dealing with right shoulder tendinitis. His return — he currently has a 0.68 earned-run average across 13 games — would be a big boost for the Twins’ bullpen.

Fellow reliever Justin Topa (knee) has also been progressing, and he is scheduled to throw two bullpens this week. Topa has not pitched in a major league game this season, experiencing more knee soreness after going out on a rehab assignment in late April/early May.

Briefly

Top pitching prospect David Festa will make his Target Field debut on Wednesday night. Festa gave up five runs in five innings in his debut last week in Arizona. … Tigers starter Jack Flaherty (back) was scratched from Wednesday’s game against the Twins.

Related Articles

Twins seeing ‘ideal version’ of reliever Jorge Alcala

Twins pull away late in win over Mariners

Twins’ Ryan Jeffers taking spring training approach to right himself

Byron Buxton, Pablo López lead Twins past Mariners

Willi Castro’s versatility lands him in small club