Royce Lewis, Byron Buxton, and Baseball’s Bullying Ways

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Dennis Lee-Imagn Images

When Royce Lewis met with reporters over the weekend, following his second trip to the injured list this season, his frustration was impossible to miss. After re-injuring the same left hamstring that sidelined him for the first six weeks of the 2025 campaign, Lewis sounded emotional and exhausted. He voiced what many fans and teammates likely thought.

“I’m tired of being the one who’s being bullied and picked on by this game," Lewis said. "Whether it wants me to suffer on the offensive side or when I’m going hot, it just wants to kick me out with an injury. Seems like it’s picking on me at this moment, so I’m waiting for one of my friends to pick me up and stop this bully.”

It is rare for a player to be this open and vulnerable about the toll the game takes on both their mental and physical well-being. For Lewis, who has now been derailed just as he was swinging the hottest bat on the team, the frustration is understandable. In June, Lewis was hitting an incredible .367, after enduring a brutal slump in May while shaking off the rust from his previous hamstring injury. Just when the swing returned (and his confidence followed), baseball’s cruel side showed up once again.

A Frustrating, Familiar Pattern
Unfortunately, this is not the first time Lewis has lost a battle with baseball’s darker side. His entire professional career has been marked by breathtaking potential, interrupted by poorly timed injuries.

In 2021, Lewis tore his ACL just before reporting for spring training (it wasn't diagnosed until he got to camp, in fact), which resulted in him missing the entire minor-league season. This came after a 2020 campaign wiped away by the COVID-19 shutdown. After nearly two full years without competitive baseball, Lewis exploded back onto the scene in 2022 with the Twins, slashing .300/.317/.550 over 12 games and making a clear case for an everyday job.

However, just as excitement around him was building, another setback arrived. Lewis tore the same ACL again while making a catch in center field, ending his 2022 season and setting him back once more. When Lewis finally returned to the big leagues, he delivered a thrilling stretch of play that helped push the Twins toward the 2023 postseason. His grand slams, his energy, his poise, everything fans had dreamed of since Minnesota made him the first overall pick in 2017, came to life. Still, he was barely fending off the injury demons. He suffered an oblique strain that cost him most of July and the first half of August that year, and a hamstring strain in September that had him half-hobbled even during the playoffs. 

In 2024, it was a quad strain on Opening Day and an adductor strain suffered in early July. Then, he slumped badly (while ostensibly healthy) to finish the season, and came back this spring ready to avenge himself on the game—only to suffer that first hamstring strain less than two weeks before the season began, sidelining him for nearly two months.

Timing Couldn’t Be Worse
What makes this latest injury even more challenging to swallow is its timing. After returning from the IL in May, Lewis struggled through one of the roughest stretches of his young career, going 9-for-69 (.130 BA) and looking out of sync at the plate. But in June, everything clicked. He was hitting balls to all fields, driving key line drives, and lifting his OPS over 1.000. For the first time all season, Lewis looked like the middle-of-the-order threat the Twins needed.

Then came Friday night. While running out a could-be double to left field, Lewis felt the hamstring tighten again, the same one that robbed him of April and most of May. And what made this sting more was that he was actually holding back.

“I was trying to be a little bit smarter running the bases,” Lewis said. “These ground balls, 99 percent of the time you’re out, and if someone bobbles it, you’ve just got to run fast enough to be safe on those. So that’s what I’ve been doing."

That's well and good on the routine grounders, but Lewis smelled an infield hit on the ball that he got hurt on in March. He was accelerating to try to take an extra base on a slow-developing play when he hurt his quad last year. This time, he seemed to be trying to accelerate more smoothly, but it was still clear he was thinking about whether he could speed up enough to take second on a ball hit to the shallow left-field corner in Houston. Even while consciously protecting himself, the injury crept in anyway. That is the cruelest part.

The Long Memory of Fans
Unfortunately for Lewis, a segment of the Twins fan base will not forget these injuries, no matter how well he performs when healthy. This is the same shadow that has followed Byron Buxton for years. Even during stretches when Buxton has been one of the best players in baseball, some fans have dismissed his value due to the time he has missed due to injuries.

Lewis may already be heading down a similar path. For some, the perception of him being “injury-prone” will outweigh his production on the field. Even if he comes back later this season and rips off an MVP-level performance in August or September, there will still be those who see him as unreliable until he proves he can stay healthy for an entire season (or multiple seasons).

This is an unfair weight for a young player to carry, especially given how many of Lewis’s injuries have been freak occurrences rather than signs of chronic fragility. However, the modern baseball conversation, especially among certain parts of the fan base and media, can be harsh. Patience wears thin. Labels stick. And Lewis will have to battle not only his own body, but also that lingering doubt from the crowd.

Buxton’s story is a clear warning of how difficult this can be. Even after a Platinum Glove, an All-Star start, and highlight-reel plays for nearly a decade, there are still fans who write him off every time he hits the IL. Lewis is charismatic and talented, but unless his health finally improves, he could become the next target of this relentless skepticism.

What Comes Next
The Twins placed Lewis on the 10-day injured list, but no one following this team believes this will be a simple rest and return. Given his history and the recurrence of this injury, Minnesota will handle this situation as cautiously as possible. Another misstep could turn this into a long absence and potentially threaten the second half of the season.

For Lewis, the battle ahead is as much mental as physical. Few players in recent memory have had to restart their careers this many times before turning 27. ACL tears, oblique strains, and hamstrings, it is a brutal résumé of setbacks, always appearing just as things start to go right.

The Twins are aware of the vital role Lewis plays in their plans. When he is healthy, he changes the lineup, the clubhouse, and the team’s energy. He is a franchise cornerstone with a skill set few can match. But until the injuries stop, health remains the only thing missing from his superstar profile.

Minnesota’s best path forward is to think long-term. Even if the Twins stay close in the AL Central race, risking Lewis for short-term wins would be a mistake. His value comes (hopefully, eventually) from full, healthy seasons, not rushing back for early July games that might compromise his performance in August and September.

Beyond the numbers, Lewis’s comments reveal the human toll of all these injuries. His frustration extends beyond this past weekend. It is years of surgeries, rehabs, delayed dreams, and constant doubt packed into one exhausted quote.

Maybe the baseball gods are bullying Lewis right now. But his honesty, his joy for the game, and his fight are exactly why Twins fans remain firmly in his corner. They, like Lewis himself, are just waiting for the day when this game finally lets him run free.

 

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[mikelink45]

Quote

Unfortunately for Lewis, a segment of the Twins fan base will not forget these injuries, no matter how well he performs when healthy.

How do we know this - they have to be healthy for us to forget (not possible) or more important put it behind us.  Buxton is shining this year and we are all celebrating.  Royce has had so many injuries from minors on up we have no opportunity to celebrate his production and health.

[NYCTK]

4 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

How do we know this - they have to be healthy for us to forget (not possible) or more important put it behind us.  Buxton is shining this year and we are all celebrating.  Royce has had so many injuries from minors on up we have no opportunity to celebrate his production and health.

Royce has also just been a really bad player for an entire calendar year now, despite being healthy for 2/3 of that time. 

If he hit 300/360/550 the last year he'd still be championed and his injury would be lamented. Instead the Twins have a 200/260/350 player that's out and the team is not really worse for it. 

[Doctor Gast]

Lewis's positive, fiery presence helps to bring out the best from his teammates to win games, even when he's not hitting. We need his old self back as soon as possible on the field.

Buxton's health has gotten better; I expect Lewis's health will eventually get back to normal.

[Parfigliano]

I have said this before and some people down vote it consistently but here goes anyways ..... less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more.  

 

[Bodie]

5 minutes ago, Parfigliano said:

I have said this before and some people down vote it consistently but here goes anyways ..... less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more.  

 

Just run, baby!  

And before you run, STRETCH!  And to cool down after?  Stretch some more. 

150 years of players knew this... and didn't pull hamstrings running to 1B!

[stringer bell]

I am with Lewis where I was with Buxton two year ago--I doubt that he can sustain health for anything resembling a full season. Royce wasn't able to sprint after returning from the IL and reinjured the same hamstring running out a double. I don't know how he can become the player he looked like when he debuted. 

I was wrong on Buxton. I thought the knee and hip maladies would keep him from being close to maximum for the rest of his career, but he's shown elite speed and acceleration this year. I hope I'm wrong about Lewis, but each IL stint tells me he'll never be really free of lower body injuries. 

[Guest]

IOW, if there's no solution, then maybe there's no problem to solve, the null hypothesis.  From the moment he was drafted Lewis was destined to be another half-season player, like Buxton, for the foreseeable future until and unless the injuries stop.  Love you, RL, can see you're upset, but what's your plan?

[tony&rodney]

Injuries happen in sports. Baseball has a long season which can be unfriendly to some body types. Teams have always lost valued prospects and players. Look back at the lost of John Castino, a brilliant defensive player who was a very good base-runner, and had an excellent bat to boot. It's part of the game.

Byron Buxton has shown, for now, that a player can heal and retain most of their skills to play baseball and succeed. Lewis has a long road back to full health, but it is possible at times.

[Fire Dan Gladden]

Does the peanut gallery here really believe that Lewis is lazy or unknowledgeable and that is what is causing his injuries?

"less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more."

"before you run, STRETCH!  And to cool down after?  Stretch some more."

These comments speak more to the ignorance of the fan than anything. There are multiple doctors and trainers working with Lewis 6-8 hours a day. They have access to recouperation machines and efforts that the general public knows nothing about. You don't think he is trying everything possible to stay healthy? I GUARANTEE you nobody is more frustrated than Lewis.

Some people are genetically predispositioned to injuries: loose joints, flat feet, tight or loose tendons are just a few that things you can't fix with any amount of work. To think that a change in his workout routine will magically fix everything is insanely ludicrous.

There are athletes on the other side of the coin that seem to magically avoid injuries (Pete Rose, Cal Ripken, Craig Biggio, Derek Jeter... LeBron James is a genetic god).

What makes it hard for Twins fans is the seemingly never-ending list of great players that have had career altering, relatively unavoidable injuries (Koskie, Mauer, Morneau, Liriano, Kubel, Buxton, Lewis to name a few)

[Eris]

It is natural that players are frustrated and fans are disappointed with career altering injuries. Royce went from possibly perennial all-star / future hall of famer to someone who might be struggling to get their next contract. The emotionally side of sports injuries can be very devastating.

Edited to add:  And fans can be very insensitive. As an example look back at all the negative comments on TD about Joe Mauer’s contract following his career altering concussion. 
 

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, Parfigliano said:

I have said this before and some people down vote it consistently but here goes anyways ..... less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more.  

 

Clearly he is doing something wrong. The Twins training philosophy isn't working, at least for Lewis. A more holistic approach may be called for.

---------------------------------------------------------------------------

"This is an unfair weight for a young player to carry, especially given how many of Lewis’s injuries have been freak occurrences rather than signs of chronic fragility. "

I completely disagree with the "Freak occurrences". He either is built unstable or he is doing something drastically wrong.

  

[T.O.]

2 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Lewis's positive, fiery presence helps to bring out the best from his teammates to win games, even when he's not hitting. 

The Twins have been far from their "best" most of the year, with him or without him.

[T.O.]

"Unfortunately for Lewis, a segment of the Twins fan base will not forget these injuries, no matter how well he performs when healthy."

It works the other way too. A lot of us fixate on the good performance times and can't forget that. I did that with Miranda. Going back to 22 he has some great stretches of performance. I held on to that and overlooked the greater periods of time he performed poorly. A lot of people do that with Lewis. I see Lewis as an undependable, injury prone player who occasionally was a monster home run hitter. Hard to say how we all come up with our bias for and against a player. But we do change eventually.

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Does the peanut gallery here really believe that Lewis is lazy or unknowledgeable and that is what is causing his injuries?

"less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more."

"before you run, STRETCH!  And to cool down after?  Stretch some more."

These comments speak more to the ignorance of the fan than anything. There are multiple doctors and trainers working with Lewis 6-8 hours a day. They have access to recouperation machines and efforts that the general public knows nothing about. You don't think he is trying everything possible to stay healthy? I GUARANTEE you nobody is more frustrated than Lewis.

Some people are genetically predispositioned to injuries: loose joints, flat feet, tight or loose tendons are just a few that things you can't fix with any amount of work. To think that a change in his workout routine will magically fix everything is insanely ludicrous.

There are athletes on the other side of the coin that seem to magically avoid injuries (Pete Rose, Cal Ripken, Craig Biggio, Derek Jeter... LeBron James is a genetic god).

What makes it hard for Twins fans is the seemingly never-ending list of great players that have had career altering, relatively unavoidable injuries (Koskie, Mauer, Morneau, Liriano, Kubel, Buxton, Lewis to name a few)

Reading comments on Twins Daily it is clear that a majority of fans have very strong opinions about what's wrong and what should be done about it. I doubt many of us can say we agree with half of what we read here. Using words like "the ignorance of the fan", "insanely ludicrous", and "peanut gallery" cross a line for me into personal insult. 

Unless you have insider access to the training process of the Twins do you really know any more than anyone else about this?

The comments you refer to are just a valid as yours. The difference is they are less insulting,

[Edmond Dantes]

2 hours ago, Parfigliano said:

I have said this before and some people down vote it consistently but here goes anyways ..... less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more.  

 

I completely agree. As someone who grew up in the 80s, it is hard to comprehend all the injuries in today's game. I miss the days when position players played the majority of the season, the majority of their careers; and pitchers could average 6+ innings over 30+ starts per year without their arm falling off. 

[Fire Dan Gladden]

1 hour ago, T.O. said:

Reading comments on Twins Daily it is clear that a majority of fans have very strong opinions about what's wrong and what should be done about it. I doubt many of us can say we agree with half of what we read here. Using words like "the ignorance of the fan", "insanely ludicrous", and "peanut gallery" cross a line for me into personal insult. 

Unless you have insider access to the training process of the Twins do you really know any more than anyone else about this?

The comments you refer to are just a valid as yours. The difference is they are less insulting,

The wonders of the internet... just because someone has an opinion doesn't make it an informed opinion. It takes two minutes to see how many medical staff the Twins directly employ, with an understanding that most players have their own PT, massage therapists, and nutrition support. As decade's-long athletic coach and trainer, I probably do have more information than most.

99+% of fans are ignorant of the majority of ongoings within a sports organization, a fact that is proven time and time again in the TD comment section. This is why the TD writers continually write articles explaining what is happening.

A comment section for any internet site is basically the dictionary definition of "peanut gallery"

Comments stating things that obviously insinuate Lewis and the Twins staff as being so stupid they don't know stretching is important are borderline troll comments. If me addressing those things insult you as a non-interested 3rd party, nothing else I say will matter.

[T.O.]

1 hour ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

... just because someone has an opinion doesn't make it an informed opinion. It takes two minutes to see how many medical staff the Twins directly employ, with an understanding that most players have their own PT, massage therapists, and nutrition support. As decade's-long athletic coach and trainer, I probably do have more information than most.

99+% of fans are ignorant of the majority of ongoings within a sports organization, a fact that is proven time and time again in the TD comment section. This is why the TD writers continually write articles explaining what is happening.

A comment section for any internet site is basically the dictionary definition of "peanut gallery"

Comments stating things that obviously insinuate Lewis and the Twins staff as being so stupid they don't know stretching is important are borderline troll comments. If me addressing those things insult you as a non-interested 3rd party, nothing else I say will matter.

if all the people making uninformed opinions left this forum it would be a lonely place.

"As decade's-long athletic coach and trainer, I probably do have more information than most."
I yield to your superior knowledge. It doesn't make me any less of a fan though.

Since "99+% of fans are ignorant of the majority of ongoings within a sports organization" perhaps it is you that is in the wrong forum.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Langston Hughes wrote: "What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?....Or does it explode?" Jim Valvano famously said: "Never give up". We're all pulling for Royce Lewis, not for ourselves, not even for the Twins, but because his is a young friend who is struggling with some unfortunate things in his life, which are beyond his control and he is doing he best he can. Keep fighting "Bulldog", keep fighting and never give up.  Explode !

[tarheeltwinsfan]

30 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Langston Hughes wrote: "What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?....Or does it explode?" Jim Valvano famously said: "Never give up". We're all pulling for Royce Lewis, not for ourselves, not even for the Twins, but because his is a young friend who is struggling with some unfortunate things in his life, which are beyond his control and he is doing he best he can. Keep fighting "Bulldog", keep fighting and never give up.  Explode !

RpR, I don't understand why you think this post is funny. It is really a post about a sad situation where a young player on our favorite team  needs encouragement. I admit my encouragement might be a feeble attempt, but my intent was to personalize Royce Lewis's feelings and to sympathize with him and to encourage him. In our lives we all face times like this and encouragement helps.

30 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Langston Hughes wrote: "What happens to a dream deferred?  Does it dry up like a raisin in the sun?....Or does it explode?" Jim Valvano famously said: "Never give up". We're all pulling for Royce Lewis, not for ourselves, not even for the Twins, but because his is a young friend who is struggling with some unfortunate things in his life, which are beyond his control and he is doing he best he can. Keep fighting "Bulldog", keep fighting and never give up.  Explode !

I just don't want Lewis to stop trying, when he is feeling like he can't keep doing this. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

14 hours ago, Fire Dan Gladden said:

Does the peanut gallery here really believe that Lewis is lazy or unknowledgeable and that is what is causing his injuries?

"less weight room more yoga type stretching/flexibility activity.  Not saying he doesn't do stretching/flexibility just saying do more."

"before you run, STRETCH!  And to cool down after?  Stretch some more."

These comments speak more to the ignorance of the fan than anything. There are multiple doctors and trainers working with Lewis 6-8 hours a day. They have access to recouperation machines and efforts that the general public knows nothing about. You don't think he is trying everything possible to stay healthy? I GUARANTEE you nobody is more frustrated than Lewis.

Some people are genetically predispositioned to injuries: loose joints, flat feet, tight or loose tendons are just a few that things you can't fix with any amount of work. To think that a change in his workout routine will magically fix everything is insanely ludicrous.

There are athletes on the other side of the coin that seem to magically avoid injuries (Pete Rose, Cal Ripken, Craig Biggio, Derek Jeter... LeBron James is a genetic god).

What makes it hard for Twins fans is the seemingly never-ending list of great players that have had career altering, relatively unavoidable injuries (Koskie, Mauer, Morneau, Liriano, Kubel, Buxton, Lewis to name a few)

Tell us how you really feel, Dan.

[RpR]

51 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

RpR, I don't understand why you think this post is funny. It is really a post about a sad situation where a young player on our favorite team  needs encouragement. I admit my encouragement might be a feeble attempt, but my intent was to personalize Royce Lewis's feelings and to sympathize with him and to encourage him. In our lives we all face times like this and encouragement helps.

I just don't want Lewis to stop trying, when he is feeling like he can't keep doing this. 

He is a well paid baseball player, nothing more, not some one in an industry whose success or failure could have an effect on other persons.

Life is a bitch, no matter if he fails , for any reason, he is well off, not a soldier on the street suffering from the misery of war.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

6 hours ago, RpR said:

He is a well paid baseball player, nothing more, not some one in an industry whose success or failure could have an effect on other persons.

Life is a bitch, no matter if he fails , for any reason, he is well off, not a soldier on the street suffering from the misery of war.

Being an army combat veteran, myself, I do understand your point about his not being a soldier, which I feel is a calling that some have and some don't. And that's OK. And we do carry memories with us as veterans. That's part of the deal. And sometimes we are vilified, like the Vietnam vets were when coming home from Vietnam. That was not fair to them.  Sometimes we are just ignored. That's not OK either.   That's not part of the deal. Even though Royce Lewis has been paid well, and probably is set for life financially, it doesn't mean we should vilify him when he can't produce the results we fans desire. No one is more frustrated about Lewis's injuries than Royce Lewis. He is trying hard to please us fans and his brother teammates, and to live up to his exceptional potential, which why I quoted from the great African American poet, Langston Hughes, who knew a lot about frustration and deferred dreams. But then I thought about soldiers. My buddies Michael Rymarczuk from Philadelphia and Pvt. Kwan, a South Korean assigned to our company, and Joseph Cayer, from I don't know where, and Mike Reynolds from New York, all had their dreams deferred permanently July 30th, August 5th and September 27th, in 1968 in the Korean DMZ while I was there. That's part of their deal with America. Now I carry them with me everywhere. During my life, I did the best that I could to honor them, by being a good citizen, to help other vets, to remember them, to find their families to tell them their sons were good soldiers and good men, and to tell others about them. And that is why I have posted this non-baseball message. To tell you about them. Remember them. 

[AKTwinsFan]

Lewis has some of the most electric talent in the league when on, I feel bad for him as a fan since I want him to succeed. Get well soon bro and take it easy!