Predicting the Twins' lineup when Buxton and Lewis return

Byron Buxton could be returning to the lineup this weekend after spending a couple of weeks on the injured list, and Royce Lewis might be back from his opening day quad injury when the calendar flips to June. If both are back in the lineup in the relatively near future and everyone else *knock on wood* stays healthy, what will the lineup look like?

One thing is certain: Willi Castro has to remain an everyday player, which he wasn't when the season began. But he's been one of baseball's best hitters over the past three-plus weeks, forming an incredibly trio with the red-hot bats of Ryan Jeffers and Max Kepler.

Carlos Santana is also hot, Eddy Julien has been playing well and Carlos Correa isn't going anywhere, so that makes six players in the current lineup who can't be taken out, and Buxton and Lewis make seven and eight.

That leaves just one spot available for an everyday role. The guys we haven't mentioned include Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff, Manuel Margot, Austin Martin, Kyle Farmer and Jose Miranda. It'll be up to the front office and manager Rocco Baldelli to decide who gets a bench seat with spotty appearances in the lineup and who finds themselves on a bus back to Triple-A St. Paul.

Whatever the case, the Twins have had the best offense in the majors since April 22 and it's on the verge of getting more dynamic. Here's a crack at what the batting order/lineup could look like against a right-handed starter when Buxton and Lewis are back in the lineup.

Name	Position
Eddy Julien	DH
Royce Lewis	3B
Ryan Jeffers	C
Max Kepler	RF
Carlos Correa	SS
Will Castro	2B
Byron Buxton	CF
Carlos Santana	1B
Trevor Larnach	LF

That's a deep and dangerous lineup against right-handed pitchers. Here's how they could role against lefties.

Name	Position
Ryan Jeffers	C
Royce Lewis	3B
Carlos Correa	SS
Byron Buxton	CF
Willi Castro	2B
Carlos Santana	1B
Max Kepler	RF
Jose Miranda	DH
Manuel Margot	LF

That's also a dangerous lineup as Margot is the only weak link. Kepler is actually 8-for-19 at the plate against lefties this season and Miranda is hitting .333 with an .898 OPS against left-handed pitchers.

The Twins are deep and as long as they can stay healthy they could be an intimidating group when Buxton and Lewis return.