Twins, Royce Lewis Avoid Arbitration

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins and Royce Lewis avoided arbitration on Thursday, agreeing to a one-year contract for the 2026 season. According to KSTP’s Darren Wolfson, Lewis will earn $2.85 million, slightly below the $3 million projection from MLB Trade Rumors. For a player whose recent seasons have been defined by both brilliance and frustration, the Twins have been hyping him up this winter.

No one needs to be reminded what Lewis is capable of. He remembers it. Twins fans certainly remember it. Even his new manager remembers it.

At his healthiest, Lewis has been one of the most dynamic, most dangerous, and best players in baseball. He keyed the Twins' run to the postseason with a tremendous second-half surge in 2023, and before a late slump in 2024, he was driving them toward another apparent playoff berth. Few players in the organization have shown that kind of ability to change the direction of a season.

Since late 2024, Lewis has searched not only for health but for consistent form at the plate. If he can recapture the magic of his first 100 or so big league games, the entire outlook for the 2026 Twins would change. He slashed .309/.372/.548 (.920) in 58 games in 2023 and was slugging .685 in 23 games before the All-Star break in 2024. When Lewis is right, the lineup looks different. Pitchers approach him differently. Games feel shorter.

“I truly believe if I play at the level that I’ve shown before, that I can be one of the best hitters in the league, on any team,” Lewis said.

The Twins are likely to run back much of the same roster in 2026. Any real optimism for a rebound rests on the young core producing closer to its ceiling. That group includes Brooks Lee and Matt Wallner, but it starts with Lewis.

“This guy has a chance to be a superstar,” said Twins manager Derek Shelton.

Lewis’ struggles have come from a complicated mix of factors, with health chief among them. He suffered a hamstring injury in Spring Training in 2025 and now believes he returned too quickly. That decision led to a slow start at the plate, and just as he appeared to be finding his timing again, he aggravated the injury and missed more time. When Lewis finally had an extended stretch of health in the second half of 2025, the consistency still did not fully return.

Soon after being hired, Shelton traveled to Texas to visit Lewis. The gesture resonated.

“We definitely vibed really well,” Lewis said. “He came out to Texas to see me, and honestly I told him that meant my whole year. I was blown away that he came out to see me. I didn’t realize that I was that important to him and to the organization. I felt like I was starting to lose that kind of feeling, and I just felt like a different vibe at the end of last year, parts of last year, but he definitely corrected that. And we’re still keeping in touch.”

Even during an uneven 2025, Lewis showed signs that matter. Defensively, he looked smooth and athletic down the stretch. He began running again, stealing bases and trusting his body. From a physical standpoint, he finally started to resemble the player the Twins envisioned when they drafted him first overall.

Now comes the hard part. Staying healthy. Finding rhythm. Letting confidence snowball instead of doubt. None of that is guaranteed. The Twins still believe in Lewis, and 2026 is the most critical season in his young career.

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[Blyleven2011]

Wow , how often does a salary go down  , even players that are injured and don't play a season usually re-sign in arbitration for the same salary ...

I believe shelton could be an inspiration for Lewis , Lewis just didn't seem too like playing for Rocco  , I still believe Lewis will be a fine player,  hopefully with the Twins  ...

[old nurse]

16 minutes ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Wow , how often does a salary go down  , even players that are injured and don't play a season usually re-sign in arbitration for the same salary ...

I believe shelton could be an inspiration for Lewis , Lewis just didn't seem too like playing for Rocco  , I still believe Lewis will be a fine player,  hopefully with the Twins  ...

Lewis was at 1.6 million last year. 2.85 is ore than that

[Blyleven2011]

1 hour ago, old nurse said:

Lewis was at 1.6 million last year. 2.85 is ore than that

My mistake  ,I thought he was 3 million  , is this his second arb of 4 ? ...

[jmlease1]

19 hours ago, Blyleven2011 said:

Wow , how often does a salary go down  , even players that are injured and don't play a season usually re-sign in arbitration for the same salary ...

I believe shelton could be an inspiration for Lewis , Lewis just didn't seem too like playing for Rocco  , I still believe Lewis will be a fine player,  hopefully with the Twins  ...

It basically never goes down. The MLB arbitration system essentially guarantees raises, regardless of health or performance.