Pablo López set to rejoin Minnesota Twins rotation; Royce Lewis nearing rehab assignment

Pablo López made a Class AAA rehab start Saturday and threw a 28-pitch bullpen session Tuesday, and he will return to the major leagues this week.

The Twins haven’t announced which day López will be activated from the 15-day injured list — he’s eligible to return Thursday — but nothing in their rotation order is solidified beyond David Festa scheduled for Wednesday’s start.

“He’s in a really good spot to return to the big leagues, not have to make another rehab start and rejoin the rotation,” said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli, who didn’t elaborate.

During Tuesday’s bullpen session, López was more focused on sequencing his pitches, simulating at-bats with righthanded and lefty batters, than worrying about how his right hamstring would respond after he strained it April 8.

“Everything’s moving well,” López said. “I’m feeling normal. We did the [weight room] jump testing, and all those numbers are in line with pre-IL” numbers.

Royce Lewis ran the bases before Tuesday’s game, moving him closer to starting a rehab assignment, which is expected to begin later this week.

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Lewis, who has been doing defensive drills and took on-field batting practice for a couple of weeks, ran sprints during Monday’s off day before working with third base coach Tommy Watkins on Tuesday. He ran out of the batter’s box a few times, and he practiced running first to third.

Sidelined since the middle of spring training with a moderate left hamstring strain, Lewis has been practicing with a “torpedo” bat, a style that grew in popularity at the start of the regular season.

Willi Castro, who came out of a game last week with tightness in his right oblique, remained out of the lineup Tuesday after missing all three games in Atlanta last weekend and two team off days.

“I just don’t want to rush it,” Castro said. “I don’t feel 100 percent, but hopefully it’s not going to be for long. In a couple of days, I know I’ll feel good.”

Castro took indoor batting practice before Tuesday’s game. The pain in his oblique, he said, flares up when the switch hitter is batting lefthanded. The injury occurred on a swing last week, and he felt it further after he tried to reach for a ground ball in the next inning.

“He’s been doing a little more each day,” Baldelli said. “Is it better to leave him active and get him back a few days before a 10-day IL would have gotten him back or not? That’s really what it boils down to. And we chose to wait this thing out, and I think we’re going to benefit from that.”

Harrison Bader withdrew from the 2023 World Baseball Classic, recovering from an oblique injury, but he announced on a friend’s podcast Monday that he plans to play for Team Israel next spring.

“The World Baseball Classic is awesome for so many reasons, and just getting an opportunity to represent Israel on the baseball side and wearing that uniform I think is special for me, my friends, my family and a lot of people I love and support tremendously,” Bader said Tuesday. “I think it’ll be a lot of fun, and I’m planning on it being a great experience.”

Bader, who will be a free agent after this season, has never traveled to Israel, but it’s a trip he’s thought about making for years.

“I guess it’s been a good thing, but with how far I’ve gone in the playoffs the last few years, I’ve really had limited time,” Bader said. “Hopefully, that’s the case this year, but I definitely have more of a reason, if you will, to definitely try to make that trip and make my way out there. It’s something I’ve been wanting to do for a long time.”