Report: Twins' top trio assigned to Minors

Just before Major League Baseball begins a roster freeze amid the COVID-19 pandemic, the top three prospects in the Twins system were reshuffled.
Royce Lewis, MLB.com's ninth-ranked overall prospect, No. 32 Alex Kirilloff and No. 81 Trevor Larnach were assigned to Minor League camp, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported Friday. The pause in transactions went into effect Friday.

Whenever the 2020 season begins, Lewis, Kirilloff and Larnach will start the season at Double-A Pensacola or Triple-A Rochester, according to the newspaper.

Lewis posted the most modest numbers of the three during Grapefruit League play, going 5-for-25 (.200) with two home runs and a double in 10 games. The 20-year-old finished last season in Pensacola, where he hit .231/.291/.358 in 33 games. He went on to earn MVP honors in the Arizona Fall League after compiling a .353/.411/.565 slash line in 22 games.
Kirilloff, 22, went 9-for-21 (.429) with four extra-base hits this spring, picking up where he left off in 2019. The 22-year-old left the yeard in four of the Blue Wahoos' five playoff games last September to cap a season in which he batted .283/.343/.413 in 94 Southern League games.
Larnach had the best spring of the trio -- and possibly the best of any Twin. He led the team with six RBIs and tied Nelson Cruz for the lead with three homers, batting .333/.467/.708 in 24 games. The 23-year-old struck out only three times, a positive development after racking up 124 strikeouts in 127 games last season. Larnach split 2019 between Class A Advanced Fort Myers and Pensacola, combining for a .309/.384/.458 line. The 2018 first-rounder has 18 career dingers and will make power a point of emphasis whenever play resumes.