There's Only One Way the Royce Lewis Demotion Will Make Sense

[Ted Schwerzler]

It’s happening, and that's not a great thing. Carlos Correa is returning to the Minnesota Twins lineup this afternoon and star prospect Royce Lewis is being optioned to Triple-A. The hope is that this wouldn’t be the outcome, but it’s now what we’re faced with. The Twins only have one plausible way to save face on this. Make it short.

 

Royce Lewis made his debut for the Twins on May 6, and he went on to play a total of 11 Major League games. Lewis has slashed .308/.325/.564 while filling in for Carlos Correa, and he has contributed six extra-base hits, two of which have left the yard. Maybe most importantly in assessing how he’s looked offensively is that Lewis struck out just five times across 40 plate appearances.

It seemed pretty silly to bet against a player with this much talent after talking to him this offseason. Still, though, there was going to be a prove-it period for a guy who hadn’t played a game in two seasons. Lewis did that, tearing up Triple-A while playing in the cold. He earned this promotion with a .310/.430/.563 line across his first 24 games for the St. Paul Saints. When in the lineup for Minnesota, he looked the part of a regular in every sense of the word.

Unfortunately, this storyline appeared likely from the moment it was announced Correa’s injury wasn’t serious. While it’s great that the Twins get back their major offseason acquisition, it left a huge question mark as to how Lewis would find his way into the lineup. After all, a talent this good couldn’t sit on the bench.

That leads us to where we are now, and the only way Minnesota can save face. Lewis has played four innings at the hot corner in his professional career, and he’s never played a corner outfield position. I don’t think he’s an option at first base, and that’s probably for the best when considering how limiting the position would be for his abilities. What it all boils down to is a guy needing to get comfortable in new roles.

I can’t imagine a shift to third base would be anything monumental for Lewis. He hung in just fine as a Major League shortstop, and the throws would be less demanding from the hot corner. He’s played centerfield, and he provides a right-handed outfield bat if Minnesota wants to go that route. Left field at Target Field takes a bit of getting used to, but it would be more about reading the ball from that portion of the field that he’ll get an opportunity to see for the Saints.

The path forward is as straight as can be for Minnesota’s front office. Lewis must be given starts at multiple positions as quickly as possible. He’s already shown an ability to produce offensively at the Triple-A level, and the early Major League returns are more than promising. Once he’s acclimated to new roles around the diamond, and that shouldn’t take long, a recall has to be scheduled.

Correa was the get of the winter and Lewis plays the same position. It’s understandable to take a step back even after a great 11-game debut. If Lewis isn’t on the fast track to return to playing everywhere, or if this winds up being service time suppression, then there’s no denying the move was a poor one. The Twins aren’t running away with the division by any means, and the lineup needs to be infused with all the talent it can handle.

Ultimately, a positive takeaway here is that the Twins aren't afraid to act aggressively with a top talent that has missed so much time. Lewis was never going to factor into the shortstop plans this season with Correa here unless the opportunity arose and he'd earned it. Playing just 24 games after two years off, he became the obvious choice. As he goes back, he can be utilized at shortstop and elsewhere on the field, again allowing for aggressive action when an opportunity presents itself.

There are no grandiose declarations to be made from a sample size as small as 11 games. There’s also no excuse for a player to be held back from contribution while failing to exhaust every opportunity to find a workable path forward. Royce Lewis is here, the time is now, and getting him back across town can’t be more than a three-week process.

 

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[KFEY93]

Sending down Lewis and keeping Miranda up because he "can play first base" is asinine imo. Any MLB bench player should be able to play left field at a passable level, Lewis can do that. I see zero good reasons to sending him back down. Its moves like this, on top of not being able to manage the leash on pen arms properly that drive me nuts with this team, managing and all around operation. Its almost parody at this point. Think of the dumbest way they can manage players and games, and they will probably do it. 

[Craig Arko]

I’ll go with ‘keep winning most of the time’ until he comes back.

[PatPfund]

Couldn’t disagree more. Royce had a great taste, but with Correa likely gone after this year, the team MUST know if he is the solution at short or not. That means beating all the rust off him at SS by having him play there every day for another month or so. (Pretty sure he had two errors in his short run.) There are other options at the other spots in the short run, and polishing Royce is far more important for later this year and beyond.

[chpettit19]

21 minutes ago, PatPfund said:

Couldn’t disagree more. Royce had a great taste, but with Correa likely gone after this year, the team MUST know if he is the solution at short or not. That means beating all the rust off him at SS by having him play there every day for another month or so. (Pretty sure he had two errors in his short run.) There are other options at the other spots in the short run, and polishing Royce is far more important for later this year and beyond.

Except they've openly stated that the plan isn't to have him play SS everyday, it's to move him around the field so he's comfortable playing other positions when he's needed again. 

He played a more than serviceable SS in his short stint and was doing quite well at it in St Paul. Plus they watched him take an insane amount of grounders during the 2020 season and have been watching him in Florida for months as he's rehabbed. If they aren't sure if he can play SS or not by now they have their answer and it's that he can't play SS.

[rwilfong86]

2 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

Except they've openly stated that the plan isn't to have him play SS everyday, it's to move him around the field so he's comfortable playing other positions when he's needed again. 

He played a more than serviceable SS in his short stint and was doing quite well at it in St Paul. Plus they watched him take an insane amount of grounders during the 2020 season and have been watching him in Florida for months as he's rehabbed. If they aren't sure if he can play SS or not by now they have their answer and it's that he can't play SS.

And that's what they mentioned on the broadcast today, letting him learn another position(s) at the AAA level. 

[Tim]

I have a really tough time finding any reason that justifies sending him down. 

look at what the Padres did with CJ Abrams, a SS by trade, to start the season. He was hitting so well in spring training they decided that getting his bat in the lineup, regardless of position, gave them the best opportunity to win. 

He played SS, LF, RF, and 2nd.

Tatis comes back, clearly short isn't an option. Oh same problem with the Twins .. Correa comes back, short isn't an option.

This situation is no different. Abrams was coming off a major knee injury as well and if he was able to prove he could hit at the MLB level he'd still be up in San Diego because that helped the team.

Royce Lewis on the other did prove he can hit MLB level pitching.

I really do not understand this whole argument for getting him reps at SS just for defensive development. If that's the logic we want go by, then don't even bother bringing up the rest of the season.

He clearly is athletic enough to play any of the 3 outfield positions. He has and can slide 15 feet over to 3rd, especially for a SS with his arm and the range + ability to make throws charging in (we saw it plenty in the 11 games he played) .. It's not like were throwing a fielder of Luis Arraez's caliber over there. (arod, hanley ramirez, machado, etc all did it midseason).

Nick Gordon - 259 / 292 / 309

Gio Urshela - 226 / 280 / 330

Royce Lewis - 308 / 325 / 564 ... (top prospect, future cornerstone)

Worried defensively?

Arraez played 1st, 3rd, and LF in MLB with less than 10 games played in minors at any.

Gordon played ZERO in the OF before being thrown out there.

What in the world are we doing .. Your in 1st place, if he gives you the best opportunity to win, there's no reason to have him play in AAA getting reps shagging balls in left or taking grounders at 3rd. 

 

[mikelink45]

Good speculation and really bad PR for the Twins.  

[Monkeypaws]

I like the move in the short term because Lewis continues to play SS, which is clearly his long-term place on the field after watching his debut.

Gee whiz, the Twins somehow signed one of the best SS on the planet in the off-season for record money, gotta give him priority.

There are underwhelming guys still on the roster, but none of them play SS. Gordon can give Correa the day off once in a while, and Buxton too. Gordon is the 21st-Century Denny Hocking

 

[Doctor Gast]

2 hours ago, KFEY93 said:

Sending down Lewis and keeping Miranda up because he "can play first base" is asinine imo. Any MLB bench player should be able to play left field at a passable level, Lewis can do that. I see zero good reasons to sending him back down. Its moves like this, on top of not being able to manage the leash on pen arms properly that drive me nuts with this team, managing and all around operation. Its almost parody at this point. Think of the dumbest way they can manage players and games, and they will probably do it. 

Concur with you, playing 1B is a waste of Lewis talent but if that was the difference of them keeping Miranda and sending down Lewis that is asinine, If Arraez can learn 1B on the fly, so can Lewis and he'd excel. If you can play at SS, switching to 3B & 2B is easy, if you can play CF switching to LF or RF is easy (yet they think that a corner OF can play CF with NPs, really!), They have asked a few players, who weren't as athletic or didn't have the make up of Lewis, to make more of an transition on the fly,

Lewis can learn much more being near Correa than what he can in AAA. He doesn't need to get his feet wet, they've been wet. He's the type of guy that if you throw him in the middle of the lake he'll swim (almost all rookies I would not say that). We need our best players on the 26 man, Lewis belong there. There is no excuse. 

[The Mad King]

One of the crazier thoughts I've had about the move: this will test his how he handles adversity. As if the past two seasons weren't enough. Told you it was one of my crazier thoughts...

[twinstalker]

2 hours ago, KFEY93 said:

Sending down Lewis and keeping Miranda up because he "can play first base" is asinine imo. Any MLB bench player should be able to play left field at a passable level, Lewis can do that. I see zero good reasons to sending him back down. Its moves like this, on top of not being able to manage the leash on pen arms properly that drive me nuts with this team, managing and all around operation. Its almost parody at this point. Think of the dumbest way they can manage players and games, and they will probably do it. 

Probably late to a party here, but they're not keeping Miranda up because he can play 1B.  Well, they are, because they need someone while Lewis learns all the positions he might play, which is not going to happen in the majors.  Guessing Urshela might be taking reps for 1B at the major league level.

Nothing worse than throwing a guy out there in MLB who's never gotten any experience at the position.  It's as simple as that.  He'll be down for a few games at each position, and they'll get him back up here.  You think the Twins don't know who's more major league ready?  Think they're confused?  Or is it a conspiracy?

[PatPfund]

Huh. The poor helpless-without-Royce  Twins hung 14 on the board today. And won (which seems to be what terrifies a lot of people here). Won games before he came up, will win games (and lose some) with him getting better in AAA. Can call up a more polished/better player when need strikes again, or late in the season for a home stretch push. I can live with that.

[TeJayDubz]

The way I'm rationalizing this move is this:

Baseball is a confidence sport, above almost everything else. If you don't think you can do it, you won't do it. It doesn't matter how skilled or successful you may be. He may be willing to play wherever we throw him on the diamond, but if he's not confident it won't play out how we want it to, on either side of the ball.

With his age, and where we're at in the season it doesn't hurt to give him a couple reps at AAA at different spots, to build up that confidence. What makes this viable is other people in the lineup are heating up and playing well, including Correa. If the FO felt that we absolutely needed him to win games right now, he'd probably still be up. 

I agree that this stint can not be long. Couple of weeks MAX. Get him confident around the diamond and call him back up when pitchers go from 14 to 13. Earlier if Miranda keeps trending towards La Tortuga 2.0.

[yeahyabetcha]

Weird how things work out.  A few short months ago there were many opinions demanding Miranda to be playing in the majors and some suggesting Lewis was a wash out.  Now, many are ready to give up on Miranda and believe Lewis is a sure bet.

[ashbury]

How I think my measured and thoughtful response on this topic will look:

What it will really look like to others:

[Dave The Dastardly]

FO: "We're going to hire a manager that uses data and analytics. The data says Lewis is the 4th best player on the team; therefore we're going to return him to the AAA team."

Illogical.

[baul0010]

3 hours ago, chpettit19 said:

Except they've openly stated that the plan isn't to have him play SS everyday, it's to move him around the field so he's comfortable playing other positions when he's needed again. 

He played a more than serviceable SS in his short stint and was doing quite well at it in St Paul. Plus they watched him take an insane amount of grounders during the 2020 season and have been watching him in Florida for months as he's rehabbed. If they aren't sure if he can play SS or not by now they have their answer and it's that he can't play SS.

Royce can help us with now at 3rd.  Who gives a damn about next year.  I can almost guarantee the F.O. already knows if Royce can play short at the major league level.  You play for this year, and he can help us those year.  

[tony&rodney]

The players know the score. Buxton got the treatment too. Lewis needs to take care of himself first at all times, which also includes continuing to prove his worth as a baseball player.

[Major League Ready]

9 minutes ago, baul0010 said:

Royce can help us with now at 3rd.  Who gives a damn about next year.  I can almost guarantee the F.O. already knows if Royce can play short at the major league level.  You play for this year, and he can help us those year.  

Fans have the luxury of complete focus on the present.  However, this complete focus on the right now is why many fans would be absolutely horrible GMs.  

[D.C Twins]

I was going to write a nuanced and thoughtful explanation for why this was a poor decision but opted against wasting my time because it is so obviously Bat #@$% crazy. 

The Twins are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overthinking this. 

When a #1 overall draft pick shows he belongs in the MLB, you keep him there and figure it out (with regular playing time).... period. Would love to hear an example of a previous #1 overall doing this well in the MLB and being demoted.

(and this is coming from someone who was skeptical about his performance this year because of his previous K:BB ratios and time off....)

 

[DocBauer]

I have been vasillating on the 2022 "fate" of Lewis since his promotion after his hot start with the Saints. I've moved from "great, but send him back to continue his development" to "the kid is just so ready that you have to keep him". 

And while I'm a bit confused and flummoxed by his demotion, I believe I can at least understand the FO perspective on this one. Their thinking, IMO, is that he's absolutely part of the future of this franchise. And after a pair of weird/lost seasons, despite a tremendous start to 2022, they will be damned if they do ANYTHING that could compromise his development and his future. He has already surpassed almost anyone's expectation for 2022 and his readiness. The FO isn't stupid, and they are as giddy as a Leprechaun in a gold mint right now with how he looks. (Weird analogy that made sense in my crazy brain, lol). But again, not going to do anything to disrupt "the plan" to ensure his future. 

So now that they know he's ready, they WANT him to with the Twins. BUT, there is "the plan" in place. Not too much too soon for the Golden Goose prospect. And so we're going to send him down for a few weeks and let him play SS as well as other positions with less pressure, get acclimated, and then bring him back up soon.

Are they wrong? Not exactly. Are they being overly cautious? ABSOLUTELY!

Dismissing a bit of hyperbole on my part, I think what I've stated is pretty accurate. 

It's really easy to point out Arraez and Gordon have learned new positions on the fly, which I did in a previous post today. Weirdly, Arraez has done so on winning teams and Gordon did so in a lost season. Is there a correlation? I'm not sure. But I will say Urshela is a tremendous defensive 3B who hasn't yet matched his production in NY. But he's also got a limited track record that makes you think there's more coming. Hopefully, he's being worked out at 1B, as rumors suggest. We know he can play a passable SS here and there. Gordon has an interesting role on the team, and seems to be still developing. So the Twins might be a little unsure exactly where they want Lewis to concentrate on playing. A couple more weeks might give better clarity at the ML level how Urshela's bat does, as well as his ability to play 1B.

Back to Lewis, he played 3B until his senior year of HS. He played it a few games in the AFL, if I'm not mistaken. It's not foreign to him and he has the ability to handle the spot. He showed natural instincts at CF in the AFL. With Celestino and Gordon and even Kepler available for CF, Lewis doesn't HAVE to play CF in 2022, though he obviously could if needed. But "could" is different than how well. (Not that I think he couldn't do at least OK). And while I am no expert, it is my understanding that playing LF/RF is different than CF, not only due to the ballpark you are playing in, but reading the ball off of the bat is different.

Do I have any doubts Lewis can adapt and learn? Absolutely not! Do I think he could adapt and learn on the fly the way Arraez and Gordon have? Without a doubt. Do I think they made a mistake by being too cautious? A resounding yes!

But I believe, right or wrong, this is the perspective the FO is taking right now. But I'd be really surprised if Lewis isn't back up in just a few weeks, and up to stay for good.

[Dman]

2 hours ago, PatPfund said:

Huh. The poor helpless-without-Royce  Twins hung 14 on the board today. And won (which seems to be what terrifies a lot of people here). Won games before he came up, will win games (and lose some) with him getting better in AAA. Can call up a more polished/better player when need strikes again, or late in the season for a home stretch push. I can live with that.

And they have won without Buxton and Correa and Polanco and Arraez.  This isn't about whether you can win a game without a player it is about putting your best players on the field.  Why not send Correa to AAA to learn how not to get in the hands by pitches or Buxton to learn not to have hip injuries?  You don't take a player who is better than half the team and hide him at AAA.  Who does that?  What great FO would do that? Would you have taken Cruz out to learn how to play left field when he was the top bat on your team?  No you play your best players.  You find places to play your best players.  I don't see how that doesn't make sense to people.  I mean fine send all the players we have that are hitting 300 to AAA that should make the Twins better?  Personally, I don't see how it is defensible.

[baul0010]

21 minutes ago, D.C Twins said:

I was going to write a nuanced and thoughtful explanation for why this was a poor decision but opted against wasting my time because it is so obviously Bat #@$% crazy. 

The Twins are waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overthinking this. 

When a #1 overall draft pick shows he belongs in the MLB, you keep him there and figure it out (with regular playing time).... period. Would love to hear an example of a previous #1 overall doing this well in the MLB and being demoted.

(and this is coming from someone who was skeptical about his performance this year because of his previous K:BB ratios and time off....)

 

can't be said any better!  When he deserves to be sent down, send him down.

[Wizard11]

Tangential thought in Miranda.  Either Kiriloff or Larnach will be taking that roster spot very soon.  Lewis will likely be back in the next couple of weeks 

[Major League Ready]

4 hours ago, Wizard11 said:

Tangential thought in Miranda.  Either Kiriloff or Larnach will be taking that roster spot very soon.  Lewis will likely be back in the next couple of weeks 

I have been wondering about these possibilities as well.  Kirilloff was 4 for 6 last night with a HR and a double.  Alternatively, if you are going to teach someone to play 1st base why not Larnach.  That would have long-term benefit.  Larnach's length at 1B is ideal and him being able to play both positions going forward would be great.  By far the best thing for this team would be if Lewis played 95% of his games at SS and perhaps occasionally cover CF.   He's not going to be a utility player. 

There are two guys  (Buxton & Lewis) where positional flexibility has no value.  Their value is diminished if the play anywhere else.  Becoming our SS for the next 6 years has waaaaaaay more value than playing part-time out of position.   The response from fans was very predictable.  Do fanatics want to wait for whatever it is they are fanatical about?  Do we know their plan.  Does it matter if they take three weeks to prepare him or make other roster changes to facilitate his return?  There is nothing bewildering about this scenario when approached with a macro / long-term view but that's often not how fans view things.

 

[dxpavelka]

If only there were a way to keep his bat in the big league lineup without having to worry about him learning a new position in the middle of the season at the big league level.  Difficult I suppose with Nelson Cruz entrenched in the DH spot.

[Dman]

1 hour ago, Major League Ready said:

I have been wondering about these possibilities as well.  Kirilloff was 4 for 6 last night with a HR and a double.  Alternatively, if you are going to teach someone to play 1st base why not Larnach.  That would have long-term benefit.  Larnach's length at 1B is ideal and him being able to play both positions going forward would be great.  By far the best thing for this team would be if Lewis played 95% of his games at SS and perhaps occasionally cover CF.   He's not going to be a utility player. 

There are two guys  (Buxton & Lewis) where positional flexibility has no value.  Their value is diminished if the play anywhere else.  Becoming our SS for the next 6 years has waaaaaaay more value than playing part-time out of position.   The response from fans was very predictable.  Do fanatics want to wait for whatever it is they are fanatical about?  Do we know their plan.  Does it matter if they take three weeks to prepare him or make other roster changes to facilitate his return?  There is nothing bewildering about this scenario when approached with a macro / long-term view but that's often not how fans view things.

 

While Lewis's greatest value might be shortstop he has value every time he is the game no matter the position.  You don't think an outfield of Buxton, Celestino, and Lewis wouldn't be nice against left handed pitching?  Would you rather have Urshela on first when you need a stolen base or Lewis?  Heck out of Larnach, Urshela, Arraez, I would rather have Lewis on 1st base turning a walk into a double.  With the skills he possesses he can easily impact games outside of shortstop and he can spell Correa at short since the team seems determined to rest him.  If the team just thinks outside the box a little they have a swiss army knife of possibilities. 

I don't understand how sending Lewis back is best for the team long term or is some great long term plan.  We have seen him make the long deep throws at short and look good doing it.  We have seen him bare hand the ball and make the quick throw to first.  Honestly what more is there?  A bit more consistency? Sure he has made errors this year but so has the great platinum glove Correa.  Are we going to send Correa down to work on defense because he misses a few throws?

Lewis to this point was handling MLB with little to no issues.  He is a high character individual with an incredible work ethic and we are predicting failure if he doesn't work on things in AAA?  The Angels didn't send Trout back down when they broke him in his rookie year. Washington didn't send Jaun Soto down and I think he was 20 years old when he got the call.  Far too unseasoned they should have left him at AAA at least a few more years so that a long term plan could come together?

The Twins use players in multiple positions all the time.  It is supposed to strengthen the team and Royce Lewis would strengthen this team in multiple ways.  I think the only reason the FO sent him back is they had no plan.  At least no plan to keep him on the team once Correa came back.  I think their collective lack of vision didn't allow them to see he would be ready for MLB this soon.  And the FO could be right.  They could bring him back and maybe he scuffles like Kirilloff and Larnach at the plate but if that is your great fear and you hold him back then he can't possibly help the team in the many ways he can because you will have stomped on that possibility.  You are not even going to try and to be honest that is just a sad position to take IMO.

[KFEY93]

14 hours ago, twinstalker said:

Probably late to a party here, but they're not keeping Miranda up because he can play 1B.  Well, they are, because they need someone while Lewis learns all the positions he might play, which is not going to happen in the majors.  Guessing Urshela might be taking reps for 1B at the major league level.

Nothing worse than throwing a guy out there in MLB who's never gotten any experience at the position.  It's as simple as that.  He'll be down for a few games at each position, and they'll get him back up here.  You think the Twins don't know who's more major league ready?  Think they're confused?  Or is it a conspiracy?

Yes, I think they are very confused, and have been since  91. 

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

 

There are two guys  (Buxton & Lewis) where positional flexibility has no value.  Their value is diminished if the play anywhere else.  Becoming our SS for the next 6 years has waaaaaaay more value than playing part-time out of position.   The response from fans was very predictable.  Do fanatics want to wait for whatever it is they are fanatical about?  Do we know their plan.  Does it matter if they take three weeks to prepare him or make other roster changes to facilitate his return?  There is nothing bewildering about this scenario when approached with a macro / long-term view but that's often not how fans view things.

 

I often agree with the majority of things you post. 

Gotta disagree here. 

1. I don't know if Lewis is comparable to Buxton on the flexibility value scale. Buxton when healthy is the best defensive CF in the business so you are correct that you shouldn't move him around. However, his knee could change that on a dime. I don't know if Lewis is at that level (or close to) or even projected to be at that level (or close to) defensively. That's not saying he's a bad defender. 

2. I agree that front offices have to be forward thinking and I agree that becoming our SS for the next 6 years has extreme value. However, if you are truly forward thinking, locking a guy into a spot for 6 years isn't forward thinking at all. There are many things from a permanent nagging injury to a better defensive SS coming though the system that could happen in the next 2 years (let alone 6 years) that will cause (or should cause) a change of course.   

3. Sending Lewis down to the minors isn't a permanent move. But neither is playing 3B or LF for a period of time while Correa mans SS and then returning to SS when the coast is clear. If something happens to Wander Franco... the Rays will put Taylor Walls back at SS.. it's not like he was ruined playing other positions. Trea Turner started in CF with Washington... Moved to SS. Was traded to the Dodgers and he played 2B and now he's back at SS.  

4. No front office in baseball has the shelf life to ignore now completely. Yes, please... think about the future, but if you ignore now... you won't be in place when the future gets here.  

5. If a player is performing... let him. ?