Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff hit his third home run of the season in Friday's 3-2 loss to the Guardians. The solo shot was his only hit in the contest and he also walked once. After a strong start to the season, it seemed Kirilloff might finally live up to his first-round draft pick pedigree, however, since April 29 the left-handed hitter is 3-for-37 (.081) which has resulted in a drop in batting average from .266 to .207. His Contact% is not good at 69.9%, but he does have a decent Barrel% of 8.0% and HardHit% of 42.0%, so maybe there's a chance he can still salvage his season.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff is not in Saturday's lineup as the Twins are slated to face Boston southpaw Brennan Bernardino. Kirilloff has yet to make a start this season against a left-handed pitcher, and Saturday will be no different. As a result, Willi Castro will play left field, which opens the hot corner for Jose Miranda. Kirilloff has put up a solid .247/.310/.449 slash line with three home runs this season. The 26-year-old should be expected to return to the Twins lineup on Sunday, as they are scheduled to face right-hander Cooper Criswell. Both Castro and Miranda are sneaky plays in DFS on Saturday, as they are batting in the two- and three-holes, respectively, and should see plenty of RBI and scoring opportunities.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff is leading off in Monday's game against the Chicago White Sox. With Edouard Julien struggling in the top spot, Kirilloff will move up in the order and lead off for the first time this season. The 26-year-old has been one of the team's better hitters this season, coming into Monday's contest with a .279 average and nine extra-base hits through 19 games. He also has a hit in four of the past five games and should give a Minnesota offense that has struggled on offense some boost atop the order. He is worth a look in most formats, especially if he continues to hit toward the top of the Twins' order.
Minnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff will be on the bench in Friday's series opener against the Detroit Tigers. Kirilloff has yet to make a start against a southpaw, and tonight is no different, as the Twins face left-handed pitcher Tarik Skubal. Kirilloff has had an excellent start to the season, currently batting to the tune of a .324/.385/.647 stat line. Instead, Jose Miranda will be slotted in the designated hitter spot and will bat in the five-hole. Miranda might not be a popular play in DFS as he has a tall task against the hard-throwing lefty.
Edouard Julien, Alex Kirilloff, Max Kepler Sitting Monday
Minnesota Twins second baseman Edouard Julien, first baseman Alex Kirilloff and outfielder Max Kepler are all sitting on Monday against the visiting Los Angeles Dodgers and left-hander James Paxton. Kyle Farmer is starting at second base and batting sixth, Ryan Jeffers is the designated hitter and batting third, and Manuel Margot is in right field and hitting leadoff against Paxton. Farmer, Jeffers and Margot have a combined four career at-bats against Paxton. Both Margot and Jeffers will be DFS sleeper options against Paxton on this one. The 26-year-old Kirilloff has been on the bench in both of the games that the Twins have faced a left-handed hurler this year.
Minnesota Twins outfielder Alex Kirilloff went a perfect 4-for-4 at the plate on Wednesday in a 7-3 win over the Brewers. Hitting out of the second spot in the order, Kirilloff had two singles, a double, and a triple. The 26-year-old also reached base once via a walk and scored twice. The lefty is now 8-for-18 (.444) through five games, collecting at least one hit in each of them, with one RBI and four runs scored. After missing time over the last few seasons due to injury, the former first-round MLB draft pick is finally healthy and is showing what he can do. Fantasy managers who took a chance on him have to be delighted so far, as expectations couldn't have been high (and neither was the price tag) with an ADP in the 300s.
Minnesota Twins first baseman Alex Kirilloff (shoulder) was scheduled to face live pitching at spring training on Monday at Hammond Stadium. It's a notable development for Kirilloff after he had surgery last October to fix the labrum in his right shoulder. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger doesn't appear to be limited at all at camp and should be good to go for Opening Day in 2024. In an effort to keep him healthy, the Twins figure to use Kirilloff mostly at designated hitter this year, although he can play both first base and the outfield. The former first-rounder has shown plenty of offensive ability in the minors, but he's only appeared in 192 games in three seasons with the Twins, mainly due to wrist injuries. Despite the injury risk, Kirilloff is worth a late-round flier in deep-mixed leagues for his power at a corner-infield spot.
Alex Kirilloff Hopes To Be Ready For Spring Training
Minnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff (shoulder) said he's starting to ramp up after beginning to hit earlier in January, and his goal is to be ready for live at-bats next month and to play when spring training games kick off on Feb. 23. The labrum surgery he had in October to his right shoulder was far less invasive than he and the Twins expected. If Kirilloff or Jose Miranda (shoulder) are behind schedule, the Twins could look to Kyle Farmer and Edouard Julien to play first base. But if Kirilloff can finally stay healthy, he projects to be Minnesota's starting first baseman in 2024. The 26-year-old left-handed slugger didn't debut until May in 2023 due to a wrist injury that required surgery. He's shown enough power in the minors to be worth a late-round flier in fantasy drafts in hopes that he can finally stay healthy and put it all together in the majors.
Alex Kirilloff To See More Time At First Base In 2024
Minnesota Twins first baseman/outfielder Alex Kirilloff will likely see more time at first base in 2024 in an effort to limit injuries. Of course, he is also an option at designated hitter and could still see some time in the outfield depending on how the club's roster takes shape. The 26-year-old has a history of shoulder and wrist injuries and has appeared in just 192 games across three big-league seasons, including 88 in the 2023 campaign. That said, he was productive when healthy as Kirilloff hit .270 with 11 home runs and a .793 OPS across 319 plate appearances a season ago, production that graded out 20% superior to the league average, as per his 120 wRC+. Given his positional versatility and production in 2024, Kirilloff could be a sneaky late-round fantasy option despite a history of injury troubles.
Jose Miranda, Alex Kirilloff Could Be Eased Into Spring Training
Minnesota Twins third baseman Jose Miranda and Alex Kirilloff both had offseason shoulder surgeries and could be eased into spring training. Miranda will likely see more time at first base next year. He started hitting in the last week but isn't expected to start throwing until January after requiring a cleanup on his shoulder. Kirilloff is building strength in his shoulder but hasn't advanced to full baseball activities. Miranda's season ended in July and he hit just .211/.263/.303 in 40 games for the Twins. The 25-year-old could be an option at both third and first base in 2024, but he'll have to prove himself again next spring. Kirilloff continues to battle injuries, but when healthy, he's an intriguing left-handed power bat and he's only 26 years old.
