Twins lineup could be terrifying to face after the All-Star break

Minnesota leads the majors in runs scored (380) since April 22.

Jul 5, 2024; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Jose Miranda (64) celebrates his solo home run with right fielder Max Kepler (26) during the third inning against the Houston Astros at Target Field. /

The Twins have been on fire lately. While the All-Star break will mean there is a possibility some of that momentum is lost, the break also provides the potential for things to get even better afterwards.

Star third baseman Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day injured list last Wednesday. If Lewis' rehab goes well, he could rejoin the team coming out of the summer break, adding yet another hot bat to an already blistering hot lineup.

Add Lewis into the Twins lineup, and this is what it could look like coming out of the All-Star break:

Player	Position	BA	OBP	SLG	HR	RBI
Willi Castro	LF	.271	.357	.438	7	29
Carlos Correa	SS	.305	.376	.508	11	45
Royce Lewis	3B	.292	.354	.685	10	18
Brooks Lee	2B	.474	.476	.684	1	6
Carlos Santana	1B	.247	.326	.426	12	40
Max Kepler	RF	.259	.312	.404	6	32
Byron Buxton	CF	.275	.327	.485	9	37
Ryan Jeffers	C	.238	.326	.481	14	46
Jose Miranda	DH	.331	.373	.533	9	43

The biggest question will be who goes down when Lewis is ready to return from the injured list. Lee was called up when Lewis went down with the injury, but the way he's started his major league career would indicate he'd be sticking around the big leagues, perhaps as the everyday second baseman.

Matt Wallner was recently called up in place of utility player Austin Martin after a stellar month of June in which he was named the International League Player of the Month. In his last 19 games for the St. Paul Saints, he slashed .367/.432/.747 (1.179 OPS) with 18 RBIs.

If he replicates anywhere near that type of production, the Twins would be hard pressed to make a case to send him back down, though Wallner could potentially be an intriguing trade piece should the Twins look to add at the trade deadline, which falls on July 30 at 5 p.m.

After Wallner was sent down to Triple-A after hitting just .080 in 13 games, Trevor Larnach was recalled from St. Paul. If Wallner continues his Triple-A form with the Twins, that could result in Larnach being optioned back to the Saints. But that will all remain to be seen.

And that just goes to show the depth the Twins have on the roster. Regardless of who gets sent down when Lewis returns, their lineup is in pretty good shape. In just six games played so far in July, the Twins are slashing an absolutely ridiculous .345/.422/.549 — all are the best marks in the league since the start of the month. Minnesota is 4-2 since the calendar flipped to July.

Now, that's obviously a small sample size, so let's widen it out a little bit. Minnesota began a 12-game winning streak on April 22. Outside of two brief losing streaks surrounding series with the New York Yankees, the Twins have remained hot since that April 22 date.

The team's slashline of .272/.337/.459 leads the majors since April 22, while also leading the league with 380 runs scored. Minnesota is 44-26 in that span.

Minnesota has the 17th-strongest schedule remaining in the majors, according to Tankathon. If the Twins lineup can continue a similar pace after the All-Star break to what it's doing now, the American League Central race could become very interesting down the stretch of the season.