Twins third baseman Royce Lewis heating up offensively after slow start

Royce Lewis played his 162nd career game last Friday, the equivalent of one full major league season, and his stats were a reminder of the type of hitter the Twins expect in the middle of their lineup:

A .262 batting average with 33 homers, 106 RBI and an .801 OPS.

Lewis badly slumped in the final six weeks of the 2024 season, and he went hitless in his first 15 at-bats this year after missing the first 34 games with a moderate left hamstring strain. In the past few days, particularly Sunday when he hit his first home run of the season, there are glimpses of the hitter who can carry a lineup by himself.

“I feel great,” said Lewis, who has six hits over his last 16 at-bats, including his first two extra-base hits this year. “I feel like I just had my spring training. Those first 40 at-bats, I was just trying to get back and I still have a long way to go. There is a lot of season, thank goodness for that.”

Lewis is batting .205 through 12 games with three RBI and four runs, but his return coincided with the Twins’ 13-game winning streak. He nearly extended it Sunday when his potential game-tying homer was robbed on a leaping catch by Brewers outfielder Jackson Chourio.

The Twins’ games against Cleveland on Tuesday — one was the completion of Monday’s suspended game — were rained out, and will be played Wednesday starting at 12:10 p.m. at Target Field.

For a Twins offense operating without Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa, Matt Wallner and Luke Keaschall because of injuries, well, the Twins need Lewis to look like the guy who awed baseball with a tremendous start to his career.

Lewis, who will turn 26 on June 5, is mindful of his injury history, which includes major knee surgeries. The No. 1 choice in the 2017 MLB draft picks his spots when to run at full speed after multiple stints on the injured list with quad and hamstring strains. He hasn’t stolen a base since the 2023 season.

An encouraging sign, though, is he looks more athletic at third base. He made a sliding stop to his left with a strong throw against Milwaukee’s Rhys Hoskins on Friday. He made an excellent barehanded throw while charging forward to throw out speedy Brice Turang on Sunday.

“We’ve all been really impressed,” Baldelli said. “All of us in the dugout, seeing the way that he’s making his initial decisions and his reads — that’s where a lot of those plays are made. In the moment after the ball’s hit, in the first split-second which direction you’re going to go in and how you’re going to attack the ball, he’s been making a lot of really good decisions.”

Before Lewis sustained his hamstring injury during spring training, he spent a lot of time in camp focused on his defense. When recovering from lower-body injuries, he could take swings off a tee in the batting cages and hit off pitching machines for most of the rehab process. The bigger issue, he said, is he couldn’t practice moving defensively until he was essentially cleared to play in games.

Despite an initial slump coming off the injured list, Lewis felt like he could make an immediate impact defensively, crediting infield coach Ramon Borrego and St. Paul Saints manager Toby Gardenhire for working with him.

The Twins are hopeful they will add some reinforcements to their lineup soon. Wallner is nearing the start of a Class AAA rehab assignment. Buxton and Correa are eligible to return as early as Friday if they can clear concussion protocols.

A resurgent Lewis, though, could provide as much of a spark as anyone.

“Even though he was healthy when he returned, there’s still a confidence factor always that might take a little time,” Baldelli said. “You see it in different ways in our game a lot.