Brooks Lee is crushing; move to 2B foretelling of promotion to Twins?

Lee started just his second ever game at second base Thursday night for Triple-A St. Paul

Mar 2, 2023; St. Petersburg, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins shortstop Brooks Lee throws to first during the third inning at Tropicana Field. Mandatory Credit: Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports / Dave Nelson-USA TODAY Sports

For the first time in his career, Brooks Lee launched two homers in a game in the Triple-A St. Paul Saints' 8-5 win Thursday night. The pair of homers coincided with Lee's second ever start at second base. Could a promotion to the majors be closing in for the Twins' No. 2-rated prospect?

With stars at both shortstop and third base – Carlos Correa and Royce Lewis – already on the major league roster, Lee may be facing a position change if he is to find regular playing time with the Twins. Thursday's start at second base might be an indicator that the Twins are readying the 23-year-old for a promotion, sooner rather than later.

This past winter, Twins general manager Thad Levine told SiriusXM radio that Lee would get called up, "When he tells us he's ready to go."

The Twins plan for infielder Brooks Lee — No. 18 overall prospect, per @MLBPipeline — to begin 2024 at Triple-A, GM Thad Levine told @MLBNetworkRadio today.

Levine continued: “When he tells us he’s ready to go, we’re going to get him up to the big leagues.” @MLBNetwork

— Jon Morosi (@jonmorosi) January 28, 2024

Lee suffered a setback in the spring when he was shelved with a herniated disk. The injury knocked him out of play at a time when the Twins might've called him up due to an early-season injury Lewis.

Now, back with Triple-A St. Paul, Lee is crushing, slashing .346/.382/.654 with four homers and 15 RBI in just 55 plate appearances. With the bat in order, a smooth transition to second base appears to be the last thing needed for his first call up to the majors.

The Twins had relied on Eddy Julien for much of the season as their starting second baseman, but Julien's struggles at the plate – slashing .207/.309/.367 this season – saw him demoted to Triple-A earlier in June. Since Julien's demotion, the Twins have had Kyle Farmer, Willi Castro and Austin Martin take turns at second.

With two-on and no outs in the top of the ninth in Thursday's game, Lee was part of a double play that effectively shut down a late Toledo comeback attempt. It may just be a matter of time before Lee gets the call to the big leagues...