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Kyle Gibson rejoins Twins; Opening Day lineup posted

The Twins lineup will run as expected, with Eddie Rosario batting cleanup and Byron Buxton hitting ninth.

March 28, 2019 at 6:27PM
(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The lineups are posted for today's Twins-Cleveland game at Target Field (3:10 p.m., FSN).

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)

Righthander Kyle Gibson has rejoined the team after throwing in a minor league spring training game on Wednesday.

In six innings, Gibson threw 70 pitches before heading to the bullpen and throwing another 10. That allowed him to simulate getting up seven times. He announced himself ready for regular season action, which is expected to be during the two-game series in Kansas City next week.

Gibson was slightly behind the other starters due to a bout with E. coli in January that led to him losing about 15 pounds. He's focused on weight training in March in order to re-gain strength.

"I feel great," Gibson said. "I did a lot of good work with (stength and conditioning coordinator) Ian Kadish and the strength guys.

And Miguel Sano, on the rehab trail after recovering from a laceration on the back of his right foot, headed for the batting cages on Thursday. "Gotta start swinging it," he said.

A look at the lineups:

Cleveland Indians

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1. Leonys Martin, CF: Traded by Tigers at deadline but missed final two months because of bacterial infection.

2. Jose Ramirez, 3B: Starting All-Star third baseman survived a scare after being carted off the field Sunday after he fouled a pitch off one of his knees.

3. Tyler Naquin, RF: After part-time duty, the 27-year-old gets a chance to be an everyday player this season.

4. Carlos Santana, 1B: Traded from Philadelphia to Seattle in December, then dealt to Indians 10 days later.

5. Hanley Ramirez, DH: Veteran released by Boston last May, signed minor league deal with Cleveland.

6. Jake Bauers, LF: Came over in an offseason trade with Tampa Bay, can also play first base.

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7. Roberto Perez, C: An excellent defensive catcher who takes over because Yan Gomes was traded to Washington.

8. Brad Miller, 2B: Signed with Cleveland only three days ago and will sub for injured All-Star Jason Kipnis.

9. Eric Stamets, SS: Career minor leaguer makes MLB debut because Francisco Lindor is injured.

Starting pitcher Corey Kluber: Two-time Cy Young Award winner is 9-6 with a 3.45 ERA in 22 career games vs. Twins.

Minnesota Twins

1. Max Kepler, RF: Moves to leadoff spot even though his .319 on-base percentage was 101st in MLB.

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2. Jorge Polanco, SS: Switch-hitter who had arm soreness over the past week but is OK to go.

3. Nelson Cruz, DH: Signed as a free agent after leading MLB over the past five seasons in home runs.

4. Eddie Rosario, LF: Twins' top power threat over past two seasons with 51 homers, 155 RBI.

5. C.J. Cron, 1B: Twins picked him up after Tampa Bay waived him following a 30-homer season.

6. Marwin Gonzalez, 3B: Will play seven different positions; starts at third because Miguel Sano is injured.

7. Jonathan Schoop, 2B: Will he duplicate 2017 All-Star season (. 841 OPS) or last season's falloff (. 682)?

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8. Jason Castro, C: Knee surgery caused him to miss most of last season, and Twins missed his defense.

9. Byron Buxton, CF: Led the team with a .414 average in spring training.

Starting pitcher Jose Berrios: His 9.45 strikeouts per nine innings were 10th best in the American League.

(The Minnesota Star Tribune)
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about the writer

about the writer

La Velle E. Neal III

Columnist

La Velle E. Neal III is a sports columnist for the Minnesota Star Tribune who previously covered the Twins for more than 20 years.

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