Is Royce Lewis Going to be Here to Stay?

[Ted Schwerzler]

Royce Lewis has not played much baseball over the past handful of seasons, but watching him produce, you’d be pretty shocked by that revelation. He’s eligible to come off the injured list at the end of the month, and it’s worth wondering if he’ll ever head to the farm again.

 

Image courtesy of Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Last May, less than one year ago, Royce Lewis crashed into the centerfield wall at Target Field. He went down in a heap, and days later it was confirmed he had re-torn his ACL. After slipping on ice in Texas the year prior, it was another fluke that was going to cause him a significant amount of time on the shelf. As he has always done, Lewis attacked the circumstances with positivity and maturity, putting himself in position to play for Minnesota again at light speed.

Talking to Lewis in March during spring training, he felt ready to go at that point. He appreciated the Twins being cautious knowing the future was more important than rushing back into things, but it also seems he couldn’t have been more right.

Recently beginning a rehab assignment scheduled to end on May 31, Lewis has played in five games on the farm. He is 8-for-18 with four extra-base hits, of which three have been homers. He went yard twice in a game, played in back-to-back contests, and is pushing towards an activation that will have him in the Twins lineup.

Where he would be inserted was unclear earlier this season, but it seems like opportunity will continue to present itself. For now Jose Miranda is at Triple-A and looks like a shell of the player he flashed last season. Carlos Correa is the starting shortstop, but Jorge Polanco just went on the injured list with a hamstring issue leaving second base to Edouard Julien. Byron Buxton is again a consistent question mark from a health perspective, and the entirety of the roster always has a potential to be in flux.

Playing for Toby Gardenhire with St. Paul, Lewis has focused on shortstop and the hot corner. His big league role would appear to be third base, which could push Kyle Farmer back to second base or more into a utility role. Julien will need to show a bit more development to stick in the majors, but his lacking defensive abilities should continue to give Lewis a leg up.

It’s not as though Lewis has a lengthy track record of health or production, but he has done nothing to slow the hype train while in action since 2022. Lewis put on a show during his 12-game cameo with Minnesota last year, and it will undoubtedly bring out his beaming smile when he emerges from the Target Field dugout again this year.

Sometimes prospects need trips back to the minors in order to figure things out. Miranda is going through it, and Trevor Larnach was sent on that path as well. Nothing was straightforward about Byron Buxton’s development, and even Mike Trout wasn’t an all-time great from the start. That said, Lewis’ development even while shelved has been phenomenal. He has tweaked his approach, honed in his production, and succeeded through every opportunity.

Considering where Miranda is from a development perspective, that Polanco is in the final guaranteed year of his contract (though the Twins have two option years), and that Buxton remains as unlikely to play centerfield as he ever has, Lewis should find ample runway to stick. The Twins offense has been anemic at times this season, and inserting Lewis on a daily basis could be the boost this club needs for the rest of the year.

By 2024 there should be no reason why Lewis isn’t considered a regular, and how quickly he takes to that reality following his rehab assignment could go a long way for the 2023 team. It shouldn’t be counted as failure if Lewis goes through a dry spell at some point, but he’s now writing a story that may have him as among the best Twins development narratives in quite some time.

Fans will continue to hope that the promotion comes sooner rather than later, even if it isn’t possible until June 1. Once he gets the call this year though, it could be his last trip across town for the duration of his professional career.

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[Craig Arko]

I sure hope so.

[jkcarew]

Other than catastrophic offensive struggles and knee issues...

He's 1000% a regular in the lineup from day one...I can't think of a decent argument where he wouldn't be.

He's a right handed bat. He'll play practically any position on the field. He figures to be good on the bases. He's (practically) 24 years old and a former number 1 draft pick, the team is offensively challenged as is, I could go on.

There's no good reason not to be playing him (nearly) every day all around the field. Against righties, at a minimum, he should be taking at-bats from Solano and MAT, and against lefties from any left-handed bat Rocco want's to sit on a given day. And then resting Correa.

This is neither the quality of club, nor is Lewis in the typical situation...where the young guy needs to "prove himself" to crack the lineup. If he struggles, then you're failing with a 24 year old with a ton of potential, instead of the guys you're failing with now.

[chpettit19]

I'm pretty sure Lewis has been on the 60 day IL for 56 days. So he should only need to be on for 4 more days. Which should mean he should be playing for the Twins the day they open the Houston series on 5/29, not June 1.

[jkcarew]

8 minutes ago, chpettit19 said:

I'm pretty sure Lewis has been on the 60 day IL for 56 days. So he should only need to be on for 4 more days. Which should mean he should be playing for the Twins the day they open the Houston series on 5/29, not June 1.

How many innings is that? Asking for a depressed friend.

[ashbury]

Don't look now, but we've jinxed the young man, with all this hopeful talk.  A pair of 0-for-4s in his last two games, 4 strikeouts total.

We Can't Have Nice Things.™

[chpettit19]

34 minutes ago, jkcarew said:

How many innings is that? Asking for a depressed friend.

From the moment I'm typing this...34.5 and 1 out.

[Nine of twelve]

He has proven himself. As long as he is healthy enough to play regularly he should be on the major league roster. The thing is, the same thing was true about Miranda at the beginning of the season. So if he struggles there's always AAA for him to work out any issues.

[Fornasiere-ite]

Hey Rocco

[laloesch]

There gonna need him now with Correa likely out for a while with Plantar fasciitis in his left foot.  Ughhh. 

[weitz41]

3 hours ago, Fornasiere-ite said:

Hey Rocco

Rocco can ONLY read computer printed lineups.

On the subject of the article. You can argue for and against it, but I expect him to be on the team and in the lineup day one he's available and will be here to stay. I'm more curious about who they option or DFA to make it happen.

[Craig Arko]

3 hours ago, Fornasiere-ite said:

Hey Rocco

Just an fyi; Johnny Bench is retired.

[DocBauer]

4 hours ago, laloesch said:

There gonna need him now with Correa likely out for a while with Plantar fasciitis in his left foot.  Ughhh. 

Let's hope it's mils and they caught it quickly. Reat can help, and there are therapies to "loosen" the plantar ligament on the underside of the foot. There is also a rather painful shot than can speed up the process.

I've had it. A bad case of it. I never got the shot. And I had it for over a year. Mark Maguire had a bad case several years ago, I believe with the Cardinals. 

Crossing my fingers!

[DocBauer]

While I think Lewis's full time position is yet to be determined, only injury rehab sends him back down, IMO. I just "trust" in his natural ability that he's not going to go through any massive, prolonged slumps that need a re-set of any sort.

That being said, he will have bad days and bad stretches, like everyone does, and I hope we all give him some slack when he does. 

[Blyleven2011]

If he stays healthy he will stay ..

We need his positive attitude  to give this team its spark 

[twinstalker]

He cannot possibly hurt this lineup.

[Fatbat]

You might need a follow up article that has the subject, what did we ever do without Lewis and “ welcome Brookes Lee to MPLS.”

[Doctor Wu]

Could end being a "perfect storm" of events that get Lewis into the lineup and keep him there, especially if Correa ends up having to go on the IL for any length of time. But at this point, put him anywhere you can get his bat into this underperforming lineup. 

[miracleb]

14 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

Just an fyi; Johnny Bench is retired.

And he should be starting in front of Jeffers and Vasquez anyhow!

[chinmusic]

14 hours ago, DocBauer said:

Mark Maguire had a bad case several years ago,

So did Shannon Stewart. 

It can become very painful and frustrating, as it can easily reoccur.

Let's hope for the best.

 

[Fornasiere-ite]

16 hours ago, Craig Arko said:

Just an fyi; Johnny Bench is retired.

Truth be told, a 75 year old Johnny Bench might be a more dangerous bat than our current catcher duo. 

[Fornasiere-ite]

16 hours ago, weitz41 said:

Rocco can ONLY read computer printed lineups.

On the subject of the article. You can argue for and against it, but I expect him to be on the team and in the lineup day one he's available and will be here to stay. I'm more curious about who they option or DFA to make it happen.

Alas, I don't think dear Rocco will take my advice. I think it would be natural to DFA Solano, even though he is one of only a handful of twins consistently getting hits. The more I see Castro, the more I think he could be a better option than Gordon, and he hits from both sides (although his left handed swing is not my favorite, but it doesnt matter because we have enough left handed bats). Going forward, it's hard to imagine Kepler getting back in the lineup, but Rocco seems to love him. Most of it is mute if Buxton doesnt start getting at least semi-regular time in CF. 

[dex8425]

20 hours ago, Fornasiere-ite said:

Hey Rocco

Agreed, unfortunately Correa, Polanco, Larnach, Gordon, Buxton, Lewis all have injury issues at the moment. Have to think Royce will be playing third/SS for the Twins in a few days. If Correa has an IL stay, he plays short and Farmer is the primary 3b. If Correa is able to play, Royce plays third and Farmer is back to infield utility role. 

[Cris E]

Correa will go on the IL to make room for him.  Longer term it'll depend on which order the injured guys return, but unless Julien starts hitting the cover off the ball he'll be the one on the train back to St Paul. He's youngest, he needs to keep playing somewhere every day, and he's not forcing them to keep him right now.

[stringer bell]

Lewis should be staying with the Twins, full stop. The vacancy this year is third base. Kyle Farmer is a nice lefty killer/infield backup, but he shouldn't stand in the way of Lewis.

I hope Lewis (and Julien) add some base stealing, as well. Both have had success in the minors (in his limited play this year, I believe Lewis has stolen four bases already). Added to Buxton's increasing attempts and there may be more generation of runs without homers.

[SteveLV]

I would put Lewis at SS and keep Farmer at 3B. When Carlos returns, move Lewis to 3B and move Farmer to 2B until Polanco returns.  Lots of mix and match combos depending on who is healthy.  This is the Dodger way, with multiple position flexibility.

[tony&rodney]

On 5/24/2023 at 2:37 PM, Fornasiere-ite said:

Hey Rocco

I like it. A few small tweeks: Julien, Buxton, Kirilloff, Polanco, Correa, Larnach, Lewis, Kepler, Vasquez with Farmer, Taylor, Castro, and Jeffers as the reserves. If Buck cannot play centerfield, things change.

[stringer bell]

I wonder if Lewis will be ready on 5/29. He's not in the lineup for the Saints tonight and hasn't yet played on back-to-back days and I believe he's topped out at seven innings per game. Maybe June 1 is the more likely date for his recall.

[Craig Arko]

7 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I wonder if Lewis will be ready on 5/29. He's not in the lineup for the Saints tonight and hasn't yet played on back-to-back days and I believe he's topped out at seven innings per game. Maybe June 1 is the more likely date for his recall.

If he doesn’t get recalled on the 29th, won’t he then have to be optioned and down for 10 days? Barring the inevitable injury, of course.

[Hosken Bombo Disco]

11 minutes ago, stringer bell said:

I wonder if Lewis will be ready on 5/29. He's not in the lineup for the Saints tonight and hasn't yet played on back-to-back days and I believe he's topped out at seven innings per game. Maybe June 1 is the more likely date for his recall.

I think they are just being cautious with Lewis. You might see him held back a couple games, play 7 innings, told not take risks, stuff like that. He will be or should be up at 12:01 A.M. the day he is eligible.