2023 MLB playoffs Twins vs Blue Jays preview: Wild Card series pitchers, lineups, stats...
As they prepare for the wild-card series showdown, the Blue Jays and Twins have set their 26-man rosters and with that, it’s time to take a look at them.
Sadly, this series will be about who’s not there rather than who is. To that end, it seems like the Blue Jays have been hit harder by injury than their opponents. On the other hand, it’s all part of the game, isn’t it?
Blue Jays vs Twins: The lay of the land
The final 26-man rosters for the Toronto Blue Jays and Minnesota Twins have been announced ahead of their wild-card series clash. On Tuesday morning, the teams made their lineups public as they prepare for their best-of-three series at Target Field. Worth noting, is the fact that Kevin Gausman had previously been listed as Toronto’s starting pitcher for Game 1, while Jose Berrios was supposed to take the mound for Game 2 Wednesday, however, that’s no longer the case. Should there be a Game 3 it will be played on Thursday with the eventual winner squaring off against the Houston Astros in the American League Division Series which is scheduled to start on Saturday.
Other notable omissions include catcher Danny Jansen who fractured his right middle finger when he was hit by a foul tip against the Colorado Rockies on September 1st, such that he missed the remainder of the regular season. There is also starting pitcher Hyun-Jin Ryu who made his season debut back on August 1st, after recovering from Tommy John surgery.
This of course brings us to the Twins who have listed Pablo Lopez as the starting pitcher for Game 1 and Sonny Gray as the starter for Game 2. Interestingly, Minnesota’s roster also includes superstar shortstop Carlos Correa, who has missed the past two weeks due to a foot injury but is now expected to play. Also in the mix is standout rookie, Royce Lewis, who has been sidelined since September 19th, with a hamstring injury. Lastly, there is outfielder Byron Buxton who has not been listed as part of the roster. Buxton has been struggling with a knee injury since August 1st, and was, in fact, working out with the team during the past week, however, the Twins have opted to be safe rather than sorry where he’s concerned. For a look at the rosters for each team, take a look below:
Toronto Blue Jays roster
- PITCHERS (12): RHP Chris Bassitt, RHP Jose Berrios, LHP Genesis Cabrera, RHP Yimi Garcia, RHP Kevin Gausman, RHP Chad Green, RHP Jordan Hicks, LHP Yusei Kikuchi, LHP Tim Mayza, RHP Trevor Richards, RHP Jordan Romano, RHP Erik Swanson
- CATCHERS (2): Tyler Heineman, Alejandro Kirk
- INFIELDERS (8): Brandon Belt, Bo Bichette, Cavan Biggio, Matt Chapman, Santiago Espinal, Vladimir Guerrero Jr., Whit Merrifield, Davis Schneider
- OUTFIELDERS (4): Cam Eden, Kevin Kiermaier, George Springer, Daulton Varsho
Minnesota Twins roster
- PITCHERS (12): RHP Jhoan Duran, LHP Kody Funderburk, RHP Sonny Gray, RHP Griffin Jax, RHP Pablo Lopez, RHP Kenta Maeda, RHP Chris Paddack, RHP Emilio Pagan, RHP Joe Ryan, RHP Brock Stewart, LHP Caleb Thielbar, RHP Louie Varland
- CATCHERS (2): Ryan Jeffers, Christian Vazquez
- INFIELDERS (6): Carlos Correa, Kyle Farmer, Edouard Julien, Royce Lewis, Jorge Polanco, Donovan Solano
- OUTFIELDERS (5): Max Kepler, Alex Kirilloff, Andrew Stevenson, Michael A. Taylor, Matt Wallner
- UTILITY PLAYER (1): Willi Castro