MINNEAPOLIS — September 4, 2026 (Minnesota Nice News)
The Minnesota Twins moved Brooks Lee off shortstop this season, and the 25-year-old is finishing his make-or-break year with more home runs than his first two combined.
The youthful slugger has hit 22 home runs through 134 games, posting a .250 batting average with 77 RBIs and a .435 slugging percentage. He hit three home runs in 2024 and 16 in 2025.
The primary question heading into this season was whether Brooks could hold shortstop at all. The Twins traded Carlos Correa back to Houston at the 2025 deadline and handed Lee the starting job, where he made 50 starts down the stretch. He hit .236 that year with an 81 wRC+. Twins Daily labeled 2026 make-or-break for him in March, while Just Baseball spent the winter evaluating if he had done enough to retain the position. He did not keep shortstop, but moving to third base brought his bat to life.
The Multi-Year Growth of Brooks Lee
The three-year statistical progression tells a clear story:
- Batting Average: Climbed from .221 (2024) to .236 (2025) to .250 (2026).
- Slugging Percentage: Increased from .320 to .370 to .435.
- Ground-out to Air-out Ratio: Dropped from 0.94 down to 0.80 this season, showing an intentional effort to elevate the baseball.
The second half of the season marked a dramatic turning point. From Aug. 9 through Aug. 23, Lee hit .327 with a .986 OPS from both sides of the plate. Over his last 30 games, Lee posted seven home runs and 21 RBIs, slugging .517 across a 15-game stretch. In a three-game series against Detroit, he drove in four runs.
Analyzing the On-Base Outlook for Brooks Lee
What remains an area for growth is plate discipline.Lee has drawn 33 walks in 501 at-bats, leaving his on-base percentage at .299, up 14 points from last year, but still keeping his .734 OPS from reaching elite territory. He has not drawn a walk in his last 15 games. For a switch hitter with high-level contact skills, raising that on-base rate remains the final hurdle.
Minnesota selected Lee eighth overall in the 2022 MLB Draft out of Cal Poly, where his father, Larry Lee, serves as head baseball coach. He made his MLB debut on July 3, 2024, against Detroit at Target Field. After opening 2025 on the injured list with a lumbar strain, he hit his first career grand slam that August.
With 22 games remaining in the season, Brooks Lee now has 41 career home runs at age 25. A club that entered March questioning his permanent fit now has an established, middle-of-the-order third baseman locked under team control.
Writing By: Jodi Moyer | Editing by Gregory Moyer
EDITOR’S NOTE: Statistics from MLB.com through Sept. 3, including game logs and 30-day splits. August figures from MLB.com reporting by Cole Bradley, Aug. 23.
SOURCES
MLB.com Player Profile & Career Logs: Brooks Lee Stats, Bio, & Game Logs
MLB Trade Rumors: Astros Acquire Carlos Correa From Twins at 2025 Deadline
FOX Sports Coverage: Carlos Correa Traded to Astros: ‘There Was Only One Team’ For Him
Cal Poly Athletics: Brooks Lee Selected Eighth Overall in 2022 MLB Draft
Baseball Savant (Statcast): Brooks Lee Statcast Home Run Tracking & Batted Ball Data
FanGraphs Baseball: Brooks Lee Season Splits & Advanced Batting Metrics
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