For Minnesota Twins to Sustain Their Hot Streak, Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee Must Step Up

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Benny Sieu-Imagn Images

The Twins have a sizable offensive void in the lineup, with the team’s two top players (Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa) on the concussion IL. With no assurances of either star returning quickly or being at their best when they do come back, Minnesota turns to its up-and-coming infield duo of Brooks Lee and Royce Lewis to shoulder the offensive burden. Concussions and the recuperation therefrom are unpredictable, so the Twins’ success over the next several games may hinge on whether Lee and Lewis can ignite the lineup in Correa and Buxton’s absence.

A $50-Million Collision
Last Thursday in Baltimore, Correa and Buxton collided while chasing a shallow pop-up, resulting in both players entering MLB’s concussion protocol. Unfortunately, Correa and Buxton were placed on the seven-day concussion injured list, a massive blow for a team on a hot streak.

Buxton had been arguably the Twins’ best player this season, leading the club with a 1.9 WAR through 173 plate appearances. His availability in center field has been one of the biggest bright spots after limited availability over the last two seasons. The Twins will need to turn to Harrison Bader or DaShawn Keirsey Jr. in center field, but Bader has also been dealing with an injury. 

Correa’s campaign has been muted by a nagging wrist issue that has impacted his offensive output. Still, there were beginning to be signs of life with his bat. In 10 May games, he has gone 12-for-40 (.300), including a mammoth homer and a whole bunch of singles. His defense continues to be strong, making replacing him on that side of the ball challenging. Yet, concussions defy timetables, and the Twins cannot bank on either star’s swift return.

Brooks Lee’s Emergence
In the vacuum created by Correa’s departure, Lee has seized shortstop duties and has looked markedly different at the plate, compared to his rookie campaign. Through the early weeks of 2025, Lee’s process-centric approach has translated into tangible improvements: his average exit velocity is up to 89.7 mph, his hard-hit rate has climbed to 40%, and his barrel rate sits at an impressive 10.5%. Under the hood, xwOBA has spiked to .321, suggesting better contact is now fueling better outcomes.

Lee’s swing is no longer one-dimensional. He’s spraying line drives to right-center and cutting balls into the opposite field—a stark contrast to his debut in 2024, when he struggled to drive the ball consistently. His xSLG in 2024 was .340, 65 points lower than average. However, in 2025, he has posted a .439 xSLG, which is 46 points lower than his actual slugging percentage. The underlying metrics hint at a breakout in the making.

Defensively, Lee will be given every opportunity to stick at shortstop, because the Twins have few other options. Last season, he posted -2 Outs Above Average at shortstop, over 80 attempts. Those poor totals might mask some of the injuries he tried to play through. In 2025, his totals are improved, with 1 OAA and 1 Defensive Run Saved (DRS). He’s putting in the work before games, even if he feels he has too much weight on his frame right now. 

“You have to do it repetitively to stay on top of it,” Lee said. “Just working the different angles of where you need to start the ball. … It’s different. If I lost five or 10 pounds, I’d be in better shape to play the position. I feel good, I just want to excel at it.”

Royce Lewis’s Resurgence
Lewis missed Minnesota’s first 35 games rehabbing a spring-training hamstring strain. Upon his May 5 activation, Lewis logged a week and a half of struggles, an expected hiccup for someone whose ramp-up began in earnest only weeks ago. Patience is necessary, especially for a player who has missed significant time throughout his professional career. 

In recent action, Lewis has begun to show positive signs. On Sunday, he launched his first homer of 2025, a 417-foot blast off Freddy Peralta that registered at 109.5 mph off the bat. He nearly had another home run later in the game that Jackson Chourio robbed in the eighth inning. Over his last four games, he has gone 6-for-16 (.375 BA) with two extra-base hits and a walk. 

“I feel great,” Lewis told reporters in Milwaukee. “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.”

Defensively, some thought the Twins would use Lewis more regularly at DH as he returned from injury. Unfortunately, the team’s extensive injury list has forced Lewis to be used regularly at the hot corner. Last season, some issues with his throwing at third base led to multiple errors. However, he has shown some improved mechanics this season and has been worth 1 OAA in limited attempts in 2025. 

Concussion recoveries are notoriously fickle, and the return dates for Correa and Buxton remain murky. In the interim, the burden falls squarely on Lee’s ascendant bat and Lewis’s burgeoning power. If either (or preferably both) can deliver above-average offensive value, the Twins can weather this storm and extend their recent hot streak. Lewis and Lee are part of the team’s long-term plans, and the next few weeks will be an opportunity to prove they can carry the lineup.

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Is Lee or Lewis more important to the team in Correa and Buxton’s absence? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[mikelink45]

Those two are important not only this season but for the future and health is the one big issue that concerns me with Lewis. If I might add this rainy delay is probably good for our bullpen arms but I feel bad for Carson because this would have been his opportunity to show what he has.  

[dxpavelka]

4 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Those two are important not only this season but for the future and health is the one big issue that concerns me with Lewis. If I might add this rainy delay is probably good for our bullpen arms but I feel bad for Carson because this would have been his opportunity to show what he has.  

If McKusker is something more than a AAAA guy he'll get enough opportunity to show it.  But, yes, he'll have to take advantage of that opportunity.  This is a team that gave Dobnak, a fellow undrafted college graduate lots of leash so I'm sure they'll do the same with a guy with a good power tool.  But 27 year old rookies have to shine early.  That's just the nature of the game.

 

[thelanges5]

Good call out. This lineup has changed a ton in the past 2 1/2 weeks. I updated my wheel o’ lineup.

[tony&rodney]

55 minutes ago, dxpavelka said:

But 27 year old rookies have to shine early.  That's just the nature of the game.

Hey now, let the young pup live in the present. He is 26 years old for another day.

[Patzky]

13 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Good call out. This lineup has changed a ton in the past 2 1/2 weeks. I updated my wheel o’ lineup.

Honestly before the collision Rocco had been remarkably consistent in lineup construction. The C- Vazquez and DH- Jeffers paid off often 

[Trov]

1 hour ago, dxpavelka said:

If McKusker is something more than a AAAA guy he'll get enough opportunity to show it.  But, yes, he'll have to take advantage of that opportunity.  This is a team that gave Dobnak, a fellow undrafted college graduate lots of leash so I'm sure they'll do the same with a guy with a good power tool.  But 27 year old rookies have to shine early.  That's just the nature of the game.

 

I actually feel McKusker will get very little chance to show he can stick at MLB level. He will play against lefties, but outside of that, Keirsay will play against righties, Larnach and Bader will have the other 2 OF spots.  Could McKusker get a chance at DH maybe, but we have seen Rocco not play a guy just because he is up and we want to see him, Rocco plays who he thinks will give him best chance to win.  There has been many times we wanted to see someone get a shot only to ride the bench for a few games and then back down when someone comes of IL. 

[Riverbrian]

It's a still a team with 13 position players on the roster.

Choosing two players as "Must Step Ups" is a little narrow.  

Who is Rocco giving the playing time to? That's who must step up.

Could be anybody but it has to be somebody... somebodies actually.  

 

[Major League Ready]

Lee and Lewis performing could be key for the next few games but the 26-man roster is going to change quite a bit next week when Buxton and Correa come back.  Wallner will also be following close behind.  Adding Wallner and Correa getting back in normal form has the potential to be very impactful.   

Think of it these terms.  To this point, they have gotten almost nothing from two of their top offensive players from last year (Lewis/Correa) and their top offensive player (Wallner) will be back by the end of next week.  This offense should get quite a bit better.

[Patzky]

10 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

Lee and Lewis performing could be key for the next few games but the 26-man roster is going to change quite a bit next week when Buxton and Correa come back.  Wallner will also be following close behind.  Adding Wallner and Correa getting back in normal form has the potential to be very impactful.   

Think of it these terms.  To this point, they have gotten almost nothing from two of their top offensive players from last year (Lewis/Correa) and their top offensive player (Wallner) will be back by the end of next week.  This offense should get quite a bit better.

Hopefully all this is true. The last time they said "Now our team is whole" we know what happened.  Buxton for McCusker, Correa for Fitzgerald. Wallner for Keirsey.

[bean5302]

Royce Lewis' dirt slow 25.6 ft/sec sprint speed, and the frequent clutching at his hamstring after swinging at pitches tells a very different story about how he's been feeling.

As far as Brooks Lee, if people are hanging their hopes on him to carry the team, that's going to be tough. I just don't see much signal he's a better than average MLB bat.

[Rod Carews Birthday]

Lee and Lewis are probably the two guys who we imagine are the most realistic possibilities for stepped up offensive performance because of their perceived struggles so far, but that offensive production coming from anyone on the team is likely to have the same effect.  Bader or France could get hot.  Larnach or Jeffers could get really hot.  Even some of the non-obvious candidates could do it — Castro, or even McCusker (!?!) or Clemons.  You just never know, and that’s kind of the beauty of it.

[LambchoP]

If we can get Wallner, Buck and Correa back in a week or two, then add Keaschal next month, this lineup actually starts to look pretty legit. As always, health is the key to a Twins winning season. It's crazy that we've done so well lately with the "B squad lineup".

[JD-TWINS]

Buxton - Bader - Larnach - Wallner

Lewis - CC - Lee - France …. Vazquez - Jeffers

Castro - Clemens - Kiersey (ultimately Keaschall)

My assumption of roster evolution with guys coming back from injuries.

[RpR]

46 minutes ago, LambchoP said:

If we can get Wallner, Buck and Correa back in a week or two, then add Keaschal next month, this lineup actually starts to look pretty legit. As always, health is the key to a Twins winning season. It's crazy that we've done so well lately with the "B squad lineup".

The line-up is fine as is; Lewis adds/ed nothing, and is a defensive handicap.  Lee should stay at third, as the regular 3rd baseman.

[DocBauer]

I do think Lewis and Lee are both important for now, and the future. I think that's a given. Lewis has looked better as of late, and that's both positive and important. And I feel Lee is looking a lot more like the player/bat we've been expecting. I don't think Lee is anything close to a finished product yet though. I'd say he's looking about 75-80% of what's expected, or at least hoped for.

I don't like to make fanciful predictions for young players as there's just so much that can lead to the final outcome. I do think he's a .270-.280 hitter with solid contact and a decent BB rate. I see 30+ Dbls every year and mid teens HR numbers eventually. Right now it's about playing every day and letting him continue to develop.

With a little luck...and we don't have a lot of it injury wise...CC, Buck, and Wallner will all be good to go over the next 7 to 14 days, and there will be no lingering affects from the pair of concussions. 

But it's a little disingenuous to put too much importance on Lewis and Lee. You still have to put 9 names on that lineup card. And even with Correa, Buxton, and Wallner back, we still need Larnach and Jeffers to keep producing. We still need France to about the league average hitter he's been so far. (Though he gets bonus points for being fairly clutch so far this season). I doubt Bader keeps up his current numbers, but it doesn't mean he can't be a contributor. 

I do think it's important to play hot hands while you've got them. I have serious doubts that Clemens has suddenly "figured something out" to make him a viable part of the team for the future, but he's been really good since he came on board. Keep playing while he's hot! But considering McCusker has hit pitchers from BOTH sides at AAA, and the dearth of power in the lineup currently, I'd put him in the lineup daily at OF/DH and just see if you might get lucky a 2nd time. Opportunity sometimes breads success. Lack of opportunity leads to nothing but splinters from the bench. 

[dxpavelka]

22 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Hey now, let the young pup live in the present. He is 26 years old for another day.

Even guys who debut at 26 don't tend to have long illustrious careers.

[dxpavelka]

22 hours ago, Trov said:

I actually feel McKusker will get very little chance to show he can stick at MLB level. He will play against lefties, but outside of that, Keirsay will play against righties, Larnach and Bader will have the other 2 OF spots.  Could McKusker get a chance at DH maybe, but we have seen Rocco not play a guy just because he is up and we want to see him, Rocco plays who he thinks will give him best chance to win.  There has been many times we wanted to see someone get a shot only to ride the bench for a few games and then back down when someone comes of IL. 

You're probably right.  It's not like his resume or career body of work is screaming can't miss.  But he MIGHT be a fun story for a bit.

[tony&rodney]

4 hours ago, dxpavelka said:

Even guys who debut at 26 don't tend to have long illustrious careers.

I think what you meant to say was Happy Birthday Carson.

McCusker is 27 years old today, finally, after being called a 27 year old for the last half year. I tell my mid 30s daughter that she is nearly 40 so it's all good.

[dxpavelka]

12 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

I think what you meant to say was Happy Birthday Carson.

McCusker is 27 years old today, finally, after being called a 27 year old for the last half year. I tell my mid 30s daughter that she is nearly 40 so it's all good.

How does THAT work out for you