Inside The Twins

Harrison Bader leaves second game in Baltimore with groin tightness

Bader has, by one metric, been the Twins' best player this season. Hopefully it's nothing significant.
Will Ragatz|
May 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader (12) hits a double during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards.
May 14, 2025; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Minnesota Twins outfielder Harrison Bader (12) hits a double during the sixth inning against the Baltimore Orioles at Oriole Park at Camden Yards. | Daniel Kucin Jr.-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Twins

Twins outfielder Harrison Bader left the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader in Baltimore with left groin tightness, according to the team.

Bader got the start in center field, drove in a run in the first inning with an RBI single, and grounded out in the third. As the bottom of the third began, he was removed from the game, with Royce Lewis entering the game at third base and four other players moving to new positions to accommodate the switch. That included DaShawn Keirsey Jr. moving from left field to center.

It's not totally clear if this was a new groin injury or perhaps related to a play that happened in the first game of the doubleheader. In the first inning of that game, he was playing left field and collided with the wall pretty hard while making an impressive sliding catch in foul territory. Bader was able to remain in the game and play the rest of the way in the Twins' 6-3 win.

Bader, one of the Twins' free-agent additions this offseason, has been outstanding through the first quarter of the 2025 campaign — and he's been red-hot lately. His single in the first inning extended his on-base streak to 16 games. Bader is hitting .300 with four homers, six doubles, four stolen bases, and an .848 OPS that leads all Twins hitters (minimum 10 games). He's fourth on the roster in both runs scored (16) and RBI (18).

Additionally, Bader has played excellent defense in left field despite not playing that position since the 2019 season. He's provided CF insurance behind Byron Buxton but has mostly played alongside him, giving the Twins arguably the best defensive outfield duo in baseball. Bader has played in 39 of the Twins' 43 games, starting 33 of them.

By one metric, Baseball Reference's Wins Above Replacement (WAR), Bader has been the Twins' most valuable player this season. His 1.7 bWAR is just ahead of Joe Ryan (1.6) and Buxton (1.5).

Ty France, another new acquisition, left the first game of the doubleheader with a foot injury. We'll have to keep an eye on updates on the status of both players moving forward.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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