Rebooting Royce Lewis

[Nick Nelson]

Image courtesy of Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Twins seem to be intent on trying to win in 2026 versus leaning further into a rebuild and kicking the competitive can down the road. There are good arguments against this course of action, but one of the best in its favor is the presence of Royce Lewis. The former #1 overall pick is 26 years old, in the heart of his prime window, and under team control for three more years. 

In the past he has looked like a worthy centerpiece for a championship-contending club. Not so much lately. But that ability is in there, and unlocking it again seems to be a guiding focus for the Twins. 

Making the managerial switch from Rocco Baldelli to his stylistically-similar former bench coach Derek Shelton was driven by a desire to bring in a fresh voice — for the team and, quite specifically I think, for Lewis. It's no coincidence that Shelton went out of his way to visit the third baseman in Texas shortly after being hired.

Here, Shelton is taking a page straight out of his predecessor's playbook. When he was first hired back in 2018, Baldelli made personal trips to visit Miguel Sanó in the Dominican Republic and Byron Buxton in Georgia, seeking to build initial rapport with players that he knew would be instrumental to the team's (and thus his) success.

At the time, circumstances were somewhat similar. The Twins were coming off a disappointing season, which was a nightmare for both of the ascending young stars and former top prospects. Buxton, 24, was besieged by injuries and played horribly when on the field (.383 OPS in 94 PA). Sanó, 25, struggled so much that he was demoted from the majors to Single-A in the middle of the season for a reset. Fans were questioning whether these highly-touted talents were the real deal.

Great examples of the nonlinear path that baseball development often takes. The 2018 seasons of Sanó and Buxton are stark reminders of why no one should be giving up on Lewis after a tumultuous run in his mid-20s. In 2019, Baldelli's first venture as manager, both rebounded as key contributors in a 101-win campaign, and while Sanó has since fallen off, Buxton channeled that breakthrough into becoming a true upper-echelon big-leaguer. 

The Twins are surely hoping for something similar to transpire in the coming year. Lewis has the talent to help spearhead a turnaround. We've seen what he's capable of on the biggest stage.

The front office seems to be doing everything in its power to placate him and rebuild his shattered confidence. Lewis complained in 2024 about highly-paid veterans being held to a different standard. One year later, Carlos Correa was gone. More recently Lewis has made comments about not feeling valued or important in the clubhouse. And now Baldelli is gone, replaced by a manager who made a point of immediately visiting Lewis with a message of support and belief.

There will be other fresh voices in Lewis's ear as well. A new hitting coach in Keith Beauregard who's helped other stalling top prospects (e.g. Spencer Torkelson) get over the hump in Detroit. A new bench coach in Mark Hallberg who brings unique perspective from his fascinating background. And a familiar face on the coaching staff in Toby Gardenhire, who managed Lewis in the minors.

If the Twins are serious about competing in 2026, rebooting Royce Lewis is priority number one. The roster, the coaching overhaul, and even the managerial hire all point to an organization betting that Lewis’s best version is still ahead of him, not behind. It's a bet they almost have to make, given his lack of trade value.

Development is rarely linear, and the Twins have already lived through what a well-timed reset can unlock. Whether this approach ultimately works will define the next phase of the franchise, but one thing is clear: everything the Twins are doing right now flows through Royce Lewis. If he reawakens, so do they

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[soyouresayingtheresachance]

I could be wrong, but I feel like this may be the 1st time Royce has ever had difficulty with baseball. He was always better than those around him. He was great when he came up. Then maybe the league figured him out? And now he's struggling to adjust? I hope the new coaching staff can unlock his greatness. We've seen it. He's the kind of player that can carry a team. 

[mikelink45]

I needed another option in the thumbs up, laughing, crying, heart, thumbs down list - fingers crossed was the only thing that seemed appropriate. 

[NYCTK]

He's just not good enough to be this big of a focal point, or diva. 

I simply can't believe the Twins organization is so bad they are now seemingly half assing a rebuild. They quite honestly deserve to lose 95 games. 

[Riverbrian]

Royce Lewis performing at the levels that everyone expected him to perform at is about as important as it gets.  

Royce is critical to the future of this team. Royce Lewis should be a superstar on a team that needs superstars.

How big was his incredibly lengthy slump? Just imagine trading a player with a .850 or .900 OPS and replacing him a .671 OPS. 

Same every day playing time but you have a .671 OPS standing where a .900 OPS should or could be.

It's like trading Jose Ramirez for Ryan McMahon... that's how big this is. That's how damaging Royce Lewis was all by himself. 

 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

He's just not good enough to be this big of a focal point, or diva. 

I simply can't believe the Twins organization is so bad they are now seemingly half assing a rebuild. They quite honestly deserve to lose 95 games. 

Talk about "divas". How about those Mets? 

[NYCTK]

13 minutes ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

Talk about "divas". How about those Mets? 

Weird non sequitur. Kodai Senga is a diva I guess. Wonder if they trade him. 

[Woof Bronzer]

 

1 hour ago, Riverbrian said:

Royce Lewis performing at the levels that everyone expected him to perform at is about as important as it gets.  

Royce is critical to the future of this team. Royce Lewis should be a superstar on a team that needs superstars.

How big was his incredibly lengthy slump? Just imagine trading a player with a .850 or .900 OPS and replacing him a .671 OPS. 

Same every day playing time but you have a .671 OPS standing where a .900 OPS should or could be.

It's like trading Jose Ramirez for Ryan McMahon... that's how big this is. That's how damaging Royce Lewis was all by himself. 

 

At what point does "incredibly lengthy slump" just become "he is who he is?"  At this point it seems more likely, unfortunately, that the incredible start to his career was the anomaly, not the slump.  

[Major League Ready]

Lewis playing like he once did would be huge.  When a guy like that is down management should be propping him up anyway they can.  Apparently, Lewis really needs to feel important and management should know their personnel well enough to give them what they need.   However, without knowing exactly why Royce does not feel important in the clubhouse, it's very hard to tell if it's an organizational problem or a Royce problem.  He was the hero a lot early on.   Is he just missing the spotlight?   IDK but it sounds like Shelton understands what Royce needs and hopefully he can help him get back on track.  He may turn out to be no more than an average player but it costs nothing to treat him well.

[Nashvilletwin]

One of the things I’m most interested in watching this season is how many of our young players who could still develop to be part of the next core perform under new managerial/coaching leadership.  The list includes Lewis, Lee, Martin, Wallner, Julien and even Larnach - with Lewis at the top of the list.

I just hope Falvey doesn’t sign a bunch of retreads that take away that opportunity.

Oops, too late.  Falvey signed Bell.  Sorry Julien.  Sorry Clemens. Keaschall you’d better watch out too.  

[Riverbrian]

4 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

 

At what point does "incredibly lengthy slump" just become "he is who he is?"  At this point it seems more likely, unfortunately, that the incredible start to his career was the anomaly, not the slump.  

Who knows. The slump was lengthy enough to make his incredible start the distant past. 

We will find out who he is because the Twins are going to give him every day playing time.  

My guess is that it's not an either or so all of that middle is the most likely future landing spot. 

There is a ton of real estate in between his incredible start and his lengthy slump. He could land anywhere in the middle.

He may not be as good as he was

He may not be as bad as he was. 

 

[jmlease1]

2 hours ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

I could be wrong, but I feel like this may be the 1st time Royce has ever had difficulty with baseball. He was always better than those around him. He was great when he came up. Then maybe the league figured him out? And now he's struggling to adjust? I hope the new coaching staff can unlock his greatness. We've seen it. He's the kind of player that can carry a team. 

I think this is right, but some of "league figuring him out" might be more about injuries reducing his physical ability as a player.

There are reasons to think he can be a significant contributor in 2026, but he's got a lot of work to do. I liked the fact that he was running on the bases again and looked comfortable with his legs. I liked the fact that his struggles at the plate didn't follow him into the field, and he played a very solid 3B.

If they can get him to a point where he doesn't need to swing at everything to get hits and can find it in him to not chase those low and away pitches, the rebound at the plate will be there. It's a pretty critical season for him: can he be a core player again, or is he a guy whose talent was overcome by too many injuries?

If Shelton's team gets him going quickly, this could look like a very different team in a hurry. Would love to see him hitting 5th behind Wallner and looking dangerous. Let's get Mr. Grand Slam firing on all cylinders.

[saviking]

I think Lewis just needs to have a healthy season the way Buxton did last year and he will be fine ..

[bean5302]

Lewis essentially missed 3 of 4 years with lower body injuries and the erosion of strength which came out of that is real. People are seriously overlooking the toll that takes on a hitter's power. Power comes from the legs and core, not from beefcake biceps. He'll rebound just fine this year if he committed to building back up.

Lewis made sacrifices to stay on the field and play hurt. Correa and his $36MM salary made comments about how the young guys weren't working hard enough while he missed months with a sore foot and young guys were literally playing hurt. On top of that, Correa demonstrated a lack of effort on the field failing to run out an infield grounder which was misplayed. You bet it pissed Lewis off. I'm sure it pissed a LOT of players off.

I don't think Lewis is a diva, he's just exuberant, and the kind of guy who could lift the entire sport up. He could learn to reign some comments in a bit (like the comments downplaying Schwarber's value), but he's honestly a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned. Lewis avoided arbitration with a salary well below projected multiple years in a row. He's been horribly mishandled by a laughably egotistical front office from not hiring competent coaches for defense, playing musical chairs with positions, breaking commitments, beating down players in arbitration (winning another coveted beat-down your players trophy belt, I'm sure) and having a manager who is trying to re-live his career vicariously through his players.

[Heiny]

31 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

I think this is right, but some of "league figuring him out" might be more about injuries reducing his physical ability as a player.

There are reasons to think he can be a significant contributor in 2026, but he's got a lot of work to do. I liked the fact that he was running on the bases again and looked comfortable with his legs. I liked the fact that his struggles at the plate didn't follow him into the field, and he played a very solid 3B.

If they can get him to a point where he doesn't need to swing at everything to get hits and can find it in him to not chase those low and away pitches, the rebound at the plate will be there. It's a pretty critical season for him: can he be a core player again, or is he a guy whose talent was overcome by too many injuries?

If Shelton's team gets him going quickly, this could look like a very different team in a hurry. Would love to see him hitting 5th behind Wallner and looking dangerous. Let's get Mr. Grand Slam firing on all cylinders.

Agreed, especially with the chasing the low and away pitches.  Batting coach needs to help him work on recognizing the pitches that he gets fooled by.  When he swings at the pitches in the zone he looks like a star.  

[tony&rodney]

Royce Lewis has suffered numerous injuries which paused his development and young career. When healthy he has seen his name in the lineup, every single day no matter how he played. It seems a little disingenuous to mention that Lewis has been restricted in any fashion outside of his injuries. 

Yes, Royce Lewis was picked #1-1 in 2017 and there is still some hope that he can earn his place on the team. We will all be pleased if Lewis can OPS .900, but if he can reach his career number of .762 OPS in a full season (150 games played) the Twins would be delighted. Can Lewis reach that level?

When I read the numerous posts concerning  Royce Lewis on Twins Daily and the overwhelmingly positive comments regarding Lewis, I cannot help but wonder how other teams evaluate or see the worth of Lewis. Does he hold high value to teams that are looking for a third baseman? We know that Falvey would never trade Lewis even if offered a spectacular return. I just wonder how other teams see Lewis.

[NYCTK]

20 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Lewis made sacrifices to stay on the field and play hurt.

Good for him, but even if that's true he really sucked, so how does that help the team? 

21 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

I don't think Lewis is a diva, he's just exuberant...but he's honestly a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned.

I for one don't find it refreshing to hear a player complain about playing baseball. 

22 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

He's been horribly mishandled by a laughably egotistical front office from not hiring competent coaches for defense, playing musical chairs with positions, breaking commitments, beating down players in arbitration (winning another coveted beat-down your players trophy belt, I'm sure) and having a manager who is trying to re-live his career vicariously through his players.

How? 

A lot of fans get all behind their favorite players, which is nice I guess, but has them then saying stuff like this. How has he been horribly mishandled?

Positional musical chairs? He's played a total of 8 innings away from 3B the last two seasons. He was called up and played at different positions, sure, but that's how nearly every team will get their young players playing time to start their careers. We're now complaining that the Twins made room for Royce Lewis to play even though there wasn't a positional hole for him to fill? 

Beating him down in arbitration? He avoided arbitration. That makes no sense and tells me you're just making excuses for him. 

Having a manager relive his career? Huh?! 

The front office sucks, one of the worst in all of baseball, but Royce Lewis has hit .223 / .273 / .372 in his last 666 plate appearances. That's not because of Derek Falvey or Rocco Baldelli. That's entirely on Royce Lewis. 

[jmlease1]

12 minutes ago, bean5302 said:

Lewis essentially missed 3 of 4 years with lower body injuries and the erosion of strength which came out of that is real. People are seriously overlooking the toll that takes on a hitter's power. Power comes from the legs and core, not from beefcake biceps. He'll rebound just fine this year if he committed to building back up.

Lewis made sacrifices to stay on the field and play hurt. Correa and his $36MM salary made comments about how the young guys weren't working hard enough while he missed months with a sore foot and young guys were literally playing hurt. On top of that, Correa demonstrated a lack of effort on the field failing to run out an infield grounder which was misplayed. You bet it pissed Lewis off. I'm sure it pissed a LOT of players off.

I don't think Lewis is a diva, he's just exuberant, and the kind of guy who could lift the entire sport up. He could learn to reign some comments in a bit (like the comments downplaying Schwarber's value), but he's honestly a breath of fresh air as far as I'm concerned. Lewis avoided arbitration with a salary well below projected multiple years in a row. He's been horribly mishandled by a laughably egotistical front office from not hiring competent coaches for defense, playing musical chairs with positions, breaking commitments, beating down players in arbitration (winning another coveted beat-down your players trophy belt, I'm sure) and having a manager who is trying to re-live his career vicariously through his players.

This is amazingly one-sided.

Lewis made sacrifices to stay on the field and play hurt? Really? Compared to Correa who played through plantar fasciitis in 2023? In the 3 seasons Correa played for the Twins, he played more games than Royce did in every single one of them. Hell, even in 2025, Correa played in almost as many games as a TWIN as Royce did, and Correa got traded. It's fun to make Correa the bad guy, but Royce got no leg to stand on for being mad at Correa, not really.

Lewis did not "avoid arbitration" with a salary below projections for multiple years in a row: this is his first year that's he's been arbitration eligible.

Maybe the Twins needed better defensive coaching, but it's not like Lewis hasn't improved at 3B, and certainly looked competent there in 2025.

Musical chairs for positions? You'd have to put a lot of weight on him being asked to maybe play some 2B and objecting to it to sell this one; he's played 214 games in the field, 199 have been at 3B. Of the remaining 15 12 were at SS, 2 at 2B, and 1 was the unlucky adventure in CF. They've hardly played musical chairs with him.

Beating down players in arbitration? We've already established that the Twins didn't do it with Royce (yet), and they generally settle before a hearing with almost everyone. They're pretty bog-standard with how they handle the weird and semi-busted arbitration process.

The last shot at Baldelli is gratuitous and cheap. There's literally no evidence that Baldelli was trying to re-live his playing career through his players. Why not just put a big sign up that says "I Hate Rocco Baldelli" instead? There's enough reasons why Rocco needed to go as manager without making crap up.

I don't particularly have a problem with Royce's attitude, but things that are charming or funny when you're kicking butt can come off as out of touch or stupid when you're struggling. It sure looks like Royce has experienced some of the blowback in the past season and a half where he has struggled as a hitter and still hasn't managed to play a full season.

His injuries are almost certainly a huge part of why he's struggled over the past season and a half, but at a certain point he has to play and perform. I don't consider injuries a personal failing on the part of a player, and I'm not going to get mad at him for getting hurt; I'm quite certain he wouldn't choose to miss any time and no one is more frustrated with his inability to stay on the field than him. But it hasn't happened for him...yet. And it's why this season is something of a crossroads for him, because if he struggles to hit and stay on the field again, now that he's getting into his arbitration years, he'll eventually get too expensive to roll the dice on.

[NYCTK]

3 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

When I read the numerous posts concerning  Royce Lewis on Twins Daily and the overwhelmingly positive comments regarding Lewis, I cannot help but wonder how other teams evaluate or see the worth of Lewis. Does he hold high value to teams that are looking for a third baseman?

I can tell you that no one looks at him especially fondly. His comments to the press have made him a bit of a joke league wide. Someone that fans of other teams actually enjoy watching "slump". He's viewed at like all the other once promising highly touted young players that couldn't quite cut it. 

If trading him for a prospects, I would anticipate he's worth about as much as we saw for Ryan McMahon; one 35+ and one 40 FV propsect. He's actually someone that might be a DFA candidate next offseason. Similar to Larnach he'll be due $5+ million in the next season. So, he has 3 years of control, but is due increasingly more money in each subsequent season. 

[LastOnePicked]

Just like Buxton, I want Lewis to be healthy, to be productive and to love playing the game of baseball again. I think he's a special talent, and my heart breaks for what he's experienced so far.

I don't think trying to compete is wise or realistic for 2026, but it seems to be the path that most folks here want. So good luck. I think it only pushes contention further and further away, but we'll check back in on this next October and beyond.

Regardless, I hope Royce rakes.

[LastOnePicked]

36 minutes ago, Bigfork Twins Guy said:

he seems rather fragile

Not to me, no.

[tony&rodney]

48 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

I can tell you that no one looks at him especially fondly. His comments to the press have made him a bit of a joke league wide. Someone that fans of other teams actually enjoy watching "slump". He's viewed at like all the other once promising highly touted young players that couldn't quite cut it. 

If trading him for a prospects, I would anticipate he's worth about as much as we saw for Ryan McMahon; one 35+ and one 40 FV propsect. He's actually someone that might be a DFA candidate next offseason. Similar to Larnach he'll be due $5+ million in the next season. So, he has 3 years of control, but is due increasingly more money in each subsequent season. 

Ok. This is an interesting take. Thank you for the opinion. 

While I hope Royce Lewis becomes a superstar I don't expect it. 

FWIW, I did suggest the Twins should trade both Lewis and Julien after the 2023 season. I was crushed by the thumb downs. I didn't see big projections from either player but then again I'm wrong often.

[Major League Ready]

4 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Royce Lewis has suffered numerous injuries which paused his development and young career. When healthy he has seen his name in the lineup, every single day no matter how he played. It seems a little disingenuous to mention that Lewis has been restricted in any fashion outside of his injuries. 

Yes, Royce Lewis was picked #1-1 in 2017 and there is still some hope that he can earn his place on the team. We will all be pleased if Lewis can OPS .900, but if he can reach his career number of .762 OPS in a full season (150 games played) the Twins would be delighted. Can Lewis reach that level?

When I read the numerous posts concerning  Royce Lewis on Twins Daily and the overwhelmingly positive comments regarding Lewis, I cannot help but wonder how other teams evaluate or see the worth of Lewis. Does he hold high value to teams that are looking for a third baseman? We know that Falvey would never trade Lewis even if offered a spectacular return. I just wonder how other teams see Lewis.

IDK what other teams make of him and IDK what to think myself.  I want to believe but it's been a while since he has been good.  I do know I will be cheering hard for him to regain his old form.

[Cris E]

Lewis is in that uncomfortable space between having shown us some great MLB potential and having proven who he is.  He was slowed in his step forward by a lot of injuries, similar to Buxton when he was trying to cement his place in the game. And like Buxton I think the next step has to him figuring out how to stay on the field.  I think the team has done well by him, giving him a set role and as much rope and he could handle to prove himself. It's time for Royce to not comment on the guys around him and just focus on his health, his hitting, his availability and the rest will work itself out.

Alas I said the same things in the past with very mixed results.  Buxton could always hit but has only managed 50% attendance in his career, and Miranda's road back was crushed by his beaning last year, so the precedence for these guys seems to remain more tantalizing than complete. 

 

[RpR]

6 hours ago, NYCTK said:

I can tell you that no one looks at him especially fondly. His comments to the press have made him a bit of a joke league wide. Someone that fans of other teams actually enjoy watching "slump". He's viewed at like all the other once promising highly touted young players that couldn't quite cut it. 

If trading him for a prospects, I would anticipate he's worth about as much as we saw for Ryan McMahon; one 35+ and one 40 FV propsect. He's actually someone that might be a DFA candidate next offseason. Similar to Larnach he'll be due $5+ million in the next season. So, he has 3 years of control, but is due increasingly more money in each subsequent season. 

I feel IF he can not have negative defense numbers and at least league average offense numbers, he will be fine and maybe stick around.

[Major League Ready]

9 hours ago, Nashvilletwin said:

One of the things I’m most interested in watching this season is how many of our young players who could still develop to be part of the next core perform under new managerial/coaching leadership.  The list includes Lewis, Lee, Martin, Wallner, Julien and even Larnach - with Lewis at the top of the list.

I just hope Falvey doesn’t sign a bunch of retreads that take away that opportunity.

Oops, too late.  Falvey signed Bell.  Sorry Julien.  Sorry Clemens. Keaschall you’d better watch out too.  

No doubt it would help a bunch if they could get more out of the young guys you mentioned but I would prefer they trade Larnach.  He would take playing time away from the numerous guys that have the potential to be part of the long-term solution. 

Where Bell is concerned.  Signing anyone to a one year at this juncture needs to contribute significantly to contention.  If you are going to forego the return on Ryan/Lopez, you better put together a team with a real shot at the playoffs.  It's really hard to see Bell as that kind of move.  I really don't understand what it is they are trying to accomplish.  

[Mike Sixel]

5 minutes ago, Major League Ready said:

No doubt it would help a bunch if they could get more out of the young guys you mentioned but I would prefer they trade Larnach.  He would take playing time away from the numerous guys that have the potential to be part of the long-term solution. 

Where Bell is concerned.  Signing anyone to a one year at this juncture needs to contribute significantly to contention.  If you are going to forego the return on Ryan/Lopez, you better put together a team with a real shot at the playoffs.  It's really hard to see Bell as that kind of move.  I really don't understand what it is they are trying to accomplish.  

This. If you aren't rebuilding, you should be trying to win. 

As for Lewis, he's supposed to be a great leader. He's been sold that way since he signed. Let's see what happens this year. 

[Fatbat]

13 hours ago, soyouresayingtheresachance said:

I could be wrong, but I feel like this may be the 1st time Royce has ever had difficulty with baseball. He was always better than those around him. He was great when he came up. Then maybe the league figured him out? And now he's struggling to adjust? I hope the new coaching staff can unlock his greatness. We've seen it. He's the kind of player that can carry a team. 

Its tough when a young man fails for the first time.  His response and growth will lead him to true greatness. We should expect a monster season from Royce!

[Eris]

9 hours ago, Cris E said:

Lewis is in that uncomfortable space between having shown us some great MLB potential and having proven who he is. 

This could be said for a number of Twins. Outman, Julien, Wallner and Lewis. Maybe each of their challenges are different.  Opposing teams try very hard to find a hitting weakness and when someone figures this out, the whole world knows and it is up to the hitter to adjust. In the end baseball is a results oriented business.   Contribute to winning or look for a job elsewhere. 

[twinssporto]

20 hours ago, Riverbrian said:

Who knows. The slump was lengthy enough to make his incredible start the distant past. 

We will find out who he is because the Twins are going to give him every day playing time.  

My guess is that it's not an either or so all of that middle is the most likely future landing spot. 

There is a ton of real estate in between his incredible start and his lengthy slump. He could land anywhere in the middle.

He may not be as good as he was

He may not be as bad as he was.