MINNEAPOLIS -- Royce Lewis looked like he didn’t miss a minute.
Playing his first Minor League rehabilitation game after sitting out for more than a week with a left knee sprain, Lewis homered in his first at-bat for Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday. He went 1-for-4 for the Saints as their DH, driving in two runs while the big league Twins fell, 5-4, to the Reds across town at Target Field.
Walker Jenkins, Minnesota's top prospect, led off the first inning with a walk, and Lewis worked a 2-2 count against Lehigh Valley right-hander Ryan Cusick. He then reached down for a slider below the zone and drilled it a Statcast-projected 381 feet to left-center field for a home run. The ball left Lewis’ bat at 99.6 mph.
Lewis is eligible to be activated from the injured list on Monday. The Saints play at home again on Sunday, then both teams are off Monday, so the earliest day he could play for the Twins would be Tuesday in New York against the Mets.
Ryan Kreidler and Tristan Gray have split time at third base for Minnesota in Lewis’ absence. Kreidler has hit well and got a look in center field on Saturday, indicating that it’s possible he’ll be kept around even after Lewis is activated.
Shelton perplexed by ejection
Twins manager Derek Shelton received his second ejection of the young season and the 18th of his career after Elly De La Cruz was ruled to have checked his swing on a pitch in the top of the seventh. Shelton acknowledged that he was displeased with the call but contended that he had not been addressing home-plate umpire Nic Lentz, who tossed him.
“I had my head down when I made the comment I made, and he evidently thought I was making the comment at him,” Shelton said. “But I had my head down. I was not looking at any umpire after I made it. You guys can make the determination on the check swing what you think. But when I made the comment I made, I had my head down.
“I’ve been ejected a lot of times, and in that one I was not directing anything at anything except frustration down at our bench.”
Bradley builds slowly
It was yet another chilly game at Target Field Saturday, with a first-pitch temperature of 39 degrees and winds of 19 mph. As a result, Taj Bradley’s high-octane arsenal came out of the gate at a slightly tuned-down pace at the start of the game.
Bradley, who can touch 100 mph on occasion, threw his first fastball at 93.0 mph and sat in the 93-94 mph range at the start of his outing. However, as he loosened up and got into the game, he threw harder, hitting 96.1 mph on his final four-seamer.
“You’ve got to thaw out a little bit,” Bradley said. “The wind [when I was] playing catch was kind of harsh earlier today, so I took it a little slow on the catch play and ramp up into the bullpen. I just feel like, ‘All right, this is one of those days I just start building throughout the outing.’”
It worked out, as Bradley had yet another strong performance. He permitted two runs, both earned, on five hits over six innings, with five strikeouts and two walks. His ERA actually climbed to a still sparking 1.63.