Twins manager Rocco Baldelli has been using a variety of lineups to start the season due to injuries to some of his everyday players. On Wednesday, Baldelli inserted catcher Ryan Jeffers as the leadoff hitter against the Chicago White Sox. It was the first time in Jeffers’ five-year career that he has hit at the top of the order.
Jeffers, who is known for his power, said he wasn’t surprised by the decision and that he has been working on his speed around the bases. Baldelli said the move was made to get his best right-handed hitters, Jeffers and Byron Buxton, as many at-bats as possible against White Sox left-handed starter Garrett Crochet.
Despite the lineup changes, Buxton is starting to heat up after a slow start to the season. He had a game-tying home run in the ninth inning of Tuesday’s win and is 7 for 16 with three doubles and a home run in the homestand.
“I think he’s just gaining his timing over the course of the early season,” Baldelli said of Buxton. “And I think that can be the case for almost any hitter. I think he’s just seeing the ball better. And I think he’s getting into his lower half a little better, which is letting him get some of these pitches. And he’s hitting the ball hard.”
The Twins have been without several everyday players due to injury, including shortstop Carlos Correa, second baseman Jorge Polanco, and outfielder Trevor Larnach. Baldelli said he has been forced to be creative with his lineup as a result.
“When your everyday players are not out there and you’re deciding who is actually going to be playing, it takes time,” Baldelli said. “And then you piece together an order that goes with it. It’s a lot easier when I can sit in here by myself and sketch the lineup out on a piece of paper.
“That’s the way it feels like it should be for most of the year, but it hasn’t been like that for us from opening day until now.”
