Lee joins Royce Lewis on the IL as the Twins begin the season short of a couple of starting players. The good news is, they still have options to play third base and second, with José Miranda, Willi Castro and Edouard Julien among them.

Brooks Lee’s backstory is great, not unlike a lot of young ballplayers. Good athlete, great hit tool, effervescent personality.

Played for his dad in college, was named after Hall of Famer Brooks Robinson. (The story goes that they wanted to name him after Lou Brock, but then he would have been called Brock Lee, so his parents thought twice.) Fun stuff.

Brooks Lee’s back story, nobody wants to talk about.

But we have to.

The Twins say that Lee will start the regular season on the injured list because of a lower back strain. Lee says the injury has improved since he was scratched from a Grapefruit League game Thursday, but the timing is bad because Opening Day in St. Louis is just four days away.

There’s just not enough time to rest, heal, be pain-free, and ramp up in order to be ready to play.

It’s disappointing, not just for Lee and about Lee, but also because Royce Lewis also is starting the regular season on the injured list because of a strained hamstring.

Is “Twinjuries” a phrase yet?

Lee had been a leading candidate to start at either third base or second. He had been hitting the ball well in Spring Training, getting lots of exit velocity on fastballs, a pitch that unexpectedly had plagued him as a rookie in 2024.

He also looked good on defense playing shortstop, which would have been a nice contingency to have in reserve.

Instead of Lewis or Lee, expect José Miranda or Willi Castro to play third, and Edouard Julien or Castro to play second base.

Lee’s injury not only increases Julien’s chances to go north with the team, but also those of Austin Martin, who is also is a better bet to be on the roster as an outfielder in St. Louis on Thursday.

It also improved the chances of Mickey Gasper, who has some big-league experience with the Red Sox last year and had played well this spring.

However, he took a Brandon Winokur cleat to the ankle and was carted off on Sunday, leaving his availability in question after getting six stitches and departing the field on crutches.

Lee’s situation echoes that of right-hander Brock Stewart, who also is starting the season on the injured list. Lee’s history of back problems makes it prudent to not rush him, uhh, back, simply because everyone would prefer to have the ideal lineup Opening Day.

The Twins have an entire season to consider, and Lee, who is just 24 years old, can’t be reckless with his career.

The Twins are doing the right thing by being cautious. Still, it’s ominous to be reminded that Lee is always going to have a back problem lurking, even when he feels good. Just a year ago, a sore back delayed the start of his season for two months. Early indications are it’s not that serious this time, but backs are notorious for being unpredictable.

It’s also a bummer for Twins fans, who no doubt have been disappointed in recent seasons to not have shortstop Carlos Correa, center fielder Byron Buxton and others unavailable because of recurring injuries.

Good news there: Correa and Buxton are healthy right now. Somebody knock on wood. Not too hard, though