It appears that third baseman Royce Lewis is getting closer to returning to the Twins lineup.

After running the bases on Thursday morning at Target Field before the Twins were set to take on the Seattle Mariners, Lewis is expected to serve as the designated hitter for the St. Paul Saints on Friday night against Louisville at CHS Field.

The rehab assignment is a step in the right direction as Lewis continues to recover from a left hamstring strain. He suffered the injury a couple of weeks ago late in a game against the Houston Astros, and while he’s technically eligible to come off the injured list at any time, the Twins want to make sure he’s back at full strength before activating him.

Asked about how Lewis has handled everything, manager Rocco Baldelli seemed encouraged by his progress.

“He’s in a good spot right now,” Baldelli said. “This is what we were probably hoping for when it first happened. This was pretty close to an ideal situation to this point. We still treat it as a guy recovering and that’s why he’s going on a rehab assignment.”

Buxton’s availability

At the official midway point of this season, centerfield Byron Buxton has played 63 of 81 games at his natural position.

Not bad considering there was a time not too long ago that his body limited him to serving exclusively as the designated hitter for the Twins.

“It means everything to our team,” Baldelli said. “We’re always going to be a significantly better club when he’s out there and he’s playing in the middle of the field for us.”

All of the hard work that Buxton has put in to getting his body back to full strength isn’t lost on Baldelli.

“It honestly gets me going every time I think about it,” Baldelli said. “Look what he’s doing. He’s one of the best players in the game. We’re seeing it on a daily basis right now.”

When it rains it pours

After the weather cleared up in time for first pitch on Wednesday night, well, Mother Nature wasn’t nearly as kind on Thursday afternoon.

The skies opened up in downtown Minneapolis after the gates opened, paving the way for a rain delay that spanned 4 hours, 22 minutes. It was the second longest rain delay in Target Field history, finishing 28 minutes shy of tying the record.

Though he acknowledged the challenges of navigating a rain delay, Baldelli wouldn’t entertain any questions about how he’s dealt with it on a personal level.

“I don’t have feelings about the weather,” Baldelli said. “The weather and I are always the same.”