Royce Lewis and the Fastball Problem the Twins Can No Longer Ignore

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Jim Rassol-Imagn Images

Royce Lewis was supposed to be one of the central figures of the Twins' season. Even after years of injuries and interrupted development, the organization still believed the former first overall pick was ready to take another step toward stardom. Throughout the winter, the Twins made that confidence public. Derek Shelton and multiple members of the front office openly discussed their expectations for Lewis entering 2026, presenting him as a foundational piece of the lineup and one of the players capable of carrying the offense.

Instead, the season has turned into something far more uncomfortable. Lewis opened the year hitting in the middle of the lineup, but the production disappeared almost immediately. The struggles became severe enough that the Twins dropped him to the ninth spot in the order, and more concerningly, he has regularly found himself losing playing time to Tristan Gray, a waiver claim who was never supposed to be part of this conversation.

Since returning from the injured list on April 21, Lewis is hitting .125/.173/.188 (.361) with 15 strikeouts in 48 at-bats. The numbers themselves are alarming, but the larger concern is how lost he has looked against velocity.

“It can be really hard when you feel like your career is going in a different direction,” Lewis said. “It’s been tougher because obviously we know there’s always someone on your tail. There’s always someone ready to take your next job. Every day I’m here fighting and working as hard as I can to show that I’m giving it my all to keep my job because I love what I do. I’ve been smiling. I feel fine leaving the game. But I think what scares me most is like, ‘Oh, they might try to get me out of here.’ When I leave the field, that thought does creep into my head.”

The Twins are attempting to slow things down for him. Derek Shelton recently described Lewis’ absence from the lineup similarly to the brief reset Matt Wallner received earlier this season. The organization wants Lewis to work on his swing mechanics without the pressure of immediate game results while also allowing him a chance to mentally regroup.

From the outside, the biggest issue is becoming impossible to ignore. Fastballs are beating Lewis consistently, especially in the upper part of the zone.

During his electric rookie season, Lewis demolished four seam fastballs to the tune of an .842 slugging percentage. Last season, that number cratered to .332, while his Whiff% against four-seamers climbed to 25.5%. The decline produced an -8 Run Value against fastballs and forced pitchers to attack him differently.

The problem has continued into 2026. Lewis currently owns just a .349 slugging percentage against four seamers with a 30.5% Whiff%. Perhaps even more concerning, his pulled air percentage has dropped from 31.4% during his rookie campaign to 24.1% this season. The explosive damage on pitches he once turned around with authority has largely vanished.

When Lewis first arrived, his combination of bat speed and aggressiveness allowed him to punish velocity before pitchers could exploit weaknesses. Now the timing looks inconsistent, the swing decisions appear hesitant, and pitchers know they can challenge him in ways they could not just a few years ago.

The Twins still believe the talent is there.

“His work every day has been really consistent,” New Twins hitting coach Keith Beauregard said. “He’s focused with everything that he does. From a swing standpoint, as an athlete, we’re always trying to focus on getting guys into athletic positions and to feel flowy as a hitter. That’s always been the work with him.”

The difficult reality is that patience becomes harder to maintain when the struggles continue for this long. Lewis has battled injuries throughout nearly every stage of his professional career, which have complicated his development timeline. At some point, though, the Twins need production instead of projection.

Lewis understands that pressure better than anyone.

“It feels like people around here sometimes are waiting for me to struggle so that they can write me off officially or get me out of here,” Lewis said. “It’s the first time in my career where it’s become a business instead of playing the game that I love.”

That quote probably says more about Lewis's current state than any statistic can. For years, he was viewed almost entirely through the lens of potential. The injuries created sympathy and patience because everyone could still picture the superstar version of Lewis waiting on the other side.

Now the conversation is changing. The Twins are trying to win games in the middle of a season that already feels fragile, and Lewis is no longer being judged on what he might become someday. He is being evaluated on whether he can help a major league lineup right now.

The encouraging part is that fastball issues can sometimes be corrected quickly once timing and mechanics return. A small adjustment in posture, bat path, or swing decision-making can dramatically change how a hitter handles velocity. The discouraging part is that pitchers have clearly identified the weakness and will continue attacking it until Lewis proves he can beat it again.

The Twins have invested years of belief into Lewis because the upside remains undeniable. But belief alone eventually stops mattering. This season was supposed to be about Lewis cementing himself as one of the faces of the franchise. Instead, he is fighting to hold onto everyday playing time. For both Lewis and the Twins, the clock is starting to feel much louder.

Can the Twins fix Lewis’ swing? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

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[mikelink45]

As much as all of us hoped he would reach back to the initial success the time is passing and the results are dismal.  Not sure a few days off is sufficient.  If someone comes along who can produce the team has to move on.

[LambchoP]

The fact that he hasn't been sent down to find his swing is baffling....

[Nshore]

Lewis's paranoid statement about people waiting to "write him off" is very......weird.  On the contrary it seems like the organization has been more than patient and bent over backward for him.  The young man really needs to grow up.

[Heiny]

His confidence is waning.  The offensive results have been terrible.  But,  I don't think it's time to totally give up on him.  He has big talent and his defensive play has been very good IMO.  I think that maybe a reset at maybe AA would be good for him.  Go down, work it out and come back.  If he can't get it worked out there, it would be a shame, but he would not have a place in MLB.  Sounds drastic, but it may be the best for both him and the team.

[LA Vikes Fan]

Sending Lewis down to AAA to work on his swing makes sense. I think there is a legitimate concern on how he will adjust to a demotion. His confidence seems a bit fragile. I don't think the team can take that into account in the ultimate decision, but this does have to be handled well so the right message is sent - "we believe in you and are just trying to give you space to become all that you can be". I know some of you will just think the message should be, "grow up and deal with adversity" but as someone who manages Gen Z lawyers, I can tell you that approach is very unlikely to work. Blame us Boomers and Millennials for the way we raised our children perhaps, but the military style jsut send direct orders approach is the wrong way to deal with players in their 20s. He'll go down and the second he gets the chance he'll be gone to another organization AND he probably won't improve.  You've got to show him loyalty, support, and commitment or you won't get that back.  

By the way, all of the above also applies to Wallner. In spades. 

Don't get me wrong, Both Lewis and Wallner should go to AAA in the next 15-30 days absent major improvement, probably for Culpepper and Emma.  Still, the Twins have to handle this right if they expect these guys to improve and be in a position to come back. 

[Possumlad]

24 minutes ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

Sending Lewis down to AAA to work on his swing makes sense. I think there is a legitimate concern on how he will adjust to a demotion. His confidence seems a bit fragile. I don't think the team can take that into account in the ultimate decision, but this does have to be handled well so the right message is sent - "we believe in you and are just trying to give you space to become all that you can be". I know some of you will just think the message should be, "grow up and deal with adversity" but as someone who manages Gen Z lawyers, I can tell you that approach is very unlikely to work. Blame us Boomers and Millennials for the way we raised our children perhaps, but the military style jsut send direct orders approach is the wrong way to deal with players in their 20s. He'll go down and the second he gets the chance he'll be gone to another organization AND he probably won't improve.  You've got to show him loyalty, support, and commitment or you won't get that back.  

By the way, all of the above also applies to Wallner. In spades. 

Don't get me wrong, Both Lewis and Wallner should go to AAA in the next 15-30 days absent major improvement, probably for Culpepper and Emma.  Still, the Twins have to handle this right if they expect these guys to improve and be in a position to come back. 

I think it's probably counterproductive medium & long term to coddle MLB players to protect fragile egos or confidence. If you don't have the intrinsic confidence & resilience to deal with slumps, demotions, tough love, etc. you're unlikely to last long as a big leaguer. Major League Baseball's a humbling sport (a lot like golf) - confidence and resilience are a meaningful part of what separate long-time big leaguers from the guys who never stick or make it.

[LA Vikes Fan]

8 minutes ago, Possumlad said:

I think it's probably counterproductive medium & long term to coddle MLB players to protect fragile egos or confidence. If you don't have the intrinsic confidence & resilience to deal with slumps, demotions, tough love, etc. you're unlikely to last long as a big leaguer. Major League Baseball's a humbling sport (a lot like golf) - confidence and resilience are a meaningful part of what separate long-time big leaguers from the guys who never stick or make it.

I agree with that and think it's perfectly consistent with my earlier stated approach. It's all in how you approach people - the best approach is we have confidence in you so you have should confidence in yourself. I'm not talking about coddling Lewis and Wallner - I think they should both be sent to AAA - It's all about HOW you do that and the message you send. Telling them you're disappointed in their performance or kicking them in the ass on their way out the door is a mistake. It's much more likely to be successful if you tell them that you're giving them the tools to succeed, that you're invested in their success, and that you have confidence they will succeed. 

[Linus]

I was hopeful Royce would bounce back this year as he cleaned up his swing but alas….

I still wish he would lower his hands and he still looks off balance on a lot of swings but I still think his main problem is his swing decision making. He seems slow to recognize what the incoming pitch is so he ends up late on the fastball and lunging on outside breaking balls. Perhaps that’s another way of saying his confidence is shot. If that’s the case mashing some AAA pitching might be the answer. 

[wavedog]

From Lewis comments I am not sure he is mentally in the right state to succeed.  Somewhat paranoid that people are waiting for him to struggle and comments that he is looking over his shoulder that the Twins will send him down.    We all would love if he was more successful and there will always be competition for jobs at any level of baseball.    Based on these comments alone I would either send him down if that would allow him to take a breath and reset or trade him if you think a minor league stint would spiral him down further and give him a fresh start somewhere else.   

[bunsen82]

Look at that picture,  he is trying to pull and outside pitch and is missing. If he stepped into the plate instead of out and let the ball travel just a bit further, he is rocketing that ball up the first base line.   He can't hit the outside pitch so that is all he is getting.  This isn't that difficult of a concept.  Thats why he is missing more balls and pulling less balls and having more weak contact.   Its not that he is doing anything differently,  its that the pitchers have adjusted and he is seeing zero pitches on the inner half.  Nothing he can barrel, nothing he can pull.   You don't just magically fix this.  He has to totally revamp his approach but thats what he was supposed to do this offseason.  

[Richie the Rally Goat]

I think Royce’s comments from the Athletic speak well to his maturity, in understanding that minor leaguers don’t get called up solely because of their performance. The major leaguer they replace has to be struggling too.

i don’t think he’s speaking of fans, or management, but of Culpeper who is champing at the bit to take Royce’s spot.

[KirbyDome89]

1 hour ago, LA Vikes Fan said:

Sending Lewis down to AAA to work on his swing makes sense. I think there is a legitimate concern on how he will adjust to a demotion. His confidence seems a bit fragile. I don't think the team can take that into account in the ultimate decision, but this does have to be handled well so the right message is sent - "we believe in you and are just trying to give you space to become all that you can be". I know some of you will just think the message should be, "grow up and deal with adversity" but as someone who manages Gen Z lawyers, I can tell you that approach is very unlikely to work. Blame us Boomers and Millennials for the way we raised our children perhaps, but the military style jsut send direct orders approach is the wrong way to deal with players in their 20s. He'll go down and the second he gets the chance he'll be gone to another organization AND he probably won't improve.  You've got to show him loyalty, support, and commitment or you won't get that back.  

By the way, all of the above also applies to Wallner. In spades. 

Don't get me wrong, Both Lewis and Wallner should go to AAA in the next 15-30 days absent major improvement, probably for Culpepper and Emma.  Still, the Twins have to handle this right if they expect these guys to improve and be in a position to come back. 

I mean they've already shown plenty of loyalty, support, and commitment. We're coming up on 2 years since Royce was even decent at the plate, but he's been a fixture (when healthy) despite the lack of production. Sure, don't kick him in the ass on the way to AAA but is anybody really asking for that? At a certain point this org has to be direct with Lewis (maybe they are, Idk) about where he stands, and Lewis needs to accept that his current level of play doesn't belong on a MLB roster. 

[AceWrigley]

Royce Lewis' minor league stats are very pedestrian; nothing stands out to say this player is going to be a star. He got bulked up coming back from ACL Tear II, fell in love with being a pull-heavy power hitter and has never been the same. He's a superstar wanna be with good physical tools, but I'm not sure he can handle a "demotion" and accomplish meaningful work on his hitting approach and swing. I hope he proves me wrong.

[tony&rodney]

Can anyone think of another player who has been given so much time and opportunity to figure things out?

Perhaps a trip to AAA isn't the best idea. Maybe Royce needs a month in Ft. Myers to completely work on his feet and legs at the plate and he can work on ground balls too to keep him limber. I'm afraid a reset at AAA doesn't address the collapsing from leg or the dancing back foot.

Whatever, I will wish him luck.

[#3Killer]

Please use an option and get him down to AAA/AA for a reset.His production at ML level is unsustainable but it is too soon to completely give up. Send him down and see if he can get his mojo working again!!!

[jmlease1]

3 minutes ago, tony&rodney said:

Can anyone think of another player who has been given so much time and opportunity to figure things out?

Perhaps a trip to AAA isn't the best idea. Maybe Royce needs a month in Ft. Myers to completely work on his feet and legs at the plate and he can work on ground balls too to keep him limber. I'm afraid a reset at AAA doesn't address the collapsing from leg or the dancing back foot.

Whatever, I will wish him luck.

well, do you count all the time he spent on the IL as opportunity to figure it out? Because dude has missed epic amounts of time. I'm sure there's more than a few other guys who have gotten 2 seasons worth of time over 3 seasons to try and figure it out.

What's disheartening is how much he's struggling and how lost he often looks up there. When you can't hit fastballs in MLB it gets really really hard, because almost everyone can throw the fastball.

Rooting for him. But finding a way to send him down to AAA without a) messing up his confidence even more, and 2) turning him against the franchise might have to be on the table. They're trying some stuff for sure. It's also starting to sound like he's hearing footsteps and it's not helping him.

[Major League Ready]

They passed on Greene and Gore.  Hindsight is 20/20 but my recollection is a lot of people in the industry questioned the wisdom of passing on Greene.  Is my memory faulty on this one?

[djvang]

Those early grand slams were the worst thing that could have happened to him. He started thinking of himself as a superstar and got cocky.. The pitching quickly adjusted to him and he's been lost ever since. One thing he should do is get rid of the face paint. It looks ridiculous on someone batting .167. 

[djvang]

3 hours ago, Heiny said:

His confidence is waning.  The offensive results have been terrible.  But,  I don't think it's time to totally give up on him.  He has big talent and his defensive play has been very good IMO.  I think that maybe a reset at maybe AA would be good for him.  Go down, work it out and come back.  If he can't get it worked out there, it would be a shame, but he would not have a place in MLB.  Sounds drastic, but it may be the best for both him and the team.

They probably won't send him down until after June 6 - Royce Lewis Jersey Day.

[KirbyDome89]

1 hour ago, jmlease1 said:

well, do you count all the time he spent on the IL as opportunity to figure it out? Because dude has missed epic amounts of time. I'm sure there's more than a few other guys who have gotten 2 seasons worth of time over 3 seasons to try and figure it out.

What's disheartening is how much he's struggling and how lost he often looks up there. When you can't hit fastballs in MLB it gets really really hard, because almost everyone can throw the fastball.

Rooting for him. But finding a way to send him down to AAA without a) messing up his confidence even more, and 2) turning him against the franchise might have to be on the table. They're trying some stuff for sure. It's also starting to sound like he's hearing footsteps and it's not helping him.

We're talking about 200ish games of him being a pretty poor contributor at this point. Sure, he's missed time, but how large does the sample size need to be before we can start making determinations? 

If Lewis can't handle a demotion without further falling apart or blaming the organization then there probably isn't much left to salvage. 

[gil4]

5 hours ago, Linus said:

... he still looks off balance on a lot of swings but I still think his main problem is his swing decision making. He seems slow to recognize what the incoming pitch is so he ends up late on the fastball and lunging on outside breaking balls. 

Even the double he hit on Sunday was an ugly, lunging swing.   The pitch got way too much of the plate and he was still lucky to get the bat on it.

[Riverbrian]

3 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

They passed on Greene and Gore.  Hindsight is 20/20 but my recollection is a lot of people in the industry questioned the wisdom of passing on Greene.  Is my memory faulty on this one?

My memory could be faulty. I remember Lewis was a little bit of surprise. Little Bit.  

Hunter Greene was the name that year. 

 

[Mike Sixel]

4 hours ago, Major League Ready said:

They passed on Greene and Gore.  Hindsight is 20/20 but my recollection is a lot of people in the industry questioned the wisdom of passing on Greene.  Is my memory faulty on this one?

Greene was the name for sure. I think I talked myself into the guy Tampa took out of conservativism, and he bombed. 

[USAFChief]

7 hours ago, Linus said:

...Royce...looks off balance on a lot of swings 

Yup.

Back foot flying all over the place. It's ridiculous.

Look at the picture above. Back foot off the ground. Backside halfway to third. Lunging, all arms swing. 

That's the problem. Not "fastballs." Nobody can hit much with a swing like that happening way too often. 

Edited yesterday at 04:02 AM by USAFChief

[DocBauer]

Please understand I have been one of the most devoted fans of Royce. He's had 2 massive injuries to his knee. His body is different. He's worked with trusted therapists to avoid the soft tissue injuries. He worked with reputed hitting coaches to rework his swing with his different body. And I'm still struggling with belief that an athletic player that he still IS that there's not SOMETHING still uncapped to make him a legitimate ML ballplayer that can HIT to a decent AVG and POP 20-30 HR and be a difference maker.

But despite his athletic talent and hopefull projection at such a young age, I'm really concerned that his body has just betrayed him. And it pains me to say this beyond measure.

I just can't believe a 27yo athletic ballplayer with his talent and love for the game could just be DONE. But we have all seen it happen before, unfortunately. It doesn't make sense, and I don't like it.

But we've also all seen baseball miracles, and I don't mean movies, where a ballplayer SUDDENLY figures it somehow. NOT saying Lewis is Nelson Cruz, but Cruz is an example of someone who didn't figure it out until he was about 28yo.

Is there hope for Lewis? Yes. Again, he's still only 27yo and very athletic. But where is the magic formula to get in to his head and body to make an adjustment? How much time does he get?

This is killing me to say this, but he needs to be sent down with one of his remaining options to get his head and his swing right. It's the right decision for him, and his future, and for the future of the Twins.

I hope for the best for Royce, but the reality is he's been really bad at the plate for over a year now.

IF we want the BEST Twins team, and a BETTER INF going forward, we have to consider some options we didn't think about before 2026 began. I KNOW I will get crazy pushback, but maybe it's time to take chances for the future.  MAYBE Lewis isn't part of the future? Maybe he's a 1B option? 

MAYBE Culpepper at 2B, Lee at 3B, and Ross or Kreidler at SS. Kreidler is just a journeyman utility player. But from everything I've ever heard and read, Ross is a quality glove wherever he plays, and is supposedly a quality ML caliber SS. And he's on a HOT STEEK for getting his BAT RIGHT. 

Ross might be a temporary fit until Houston is ready. and then becomes a potential UTILITY  player of value, or not.

But Lewis suddenly figures **** out and starts to HIT and produce, or I can see an avenue where we can just go with younger players that might be unproven, but offer potential that Lewis, unfortunately, hasn't done.

[Greglw3]

8 hours ago, bunsen82 said:

Look at that picture,  he is trying to pull and outside pitch and is missing. If he stepped into the plate instead of out and let the ball travel just a bit further, he is rocketing that ball up the first base line.   He can't hit the outside pitch so that is all he is getting.  This isn't that difficult of a concept.  Thats why he is missing more balls and pulling less balls and having more weak contact.   Its not that he is doing anything differently,  its that the pitchers have adjusted and he is seeing zero pitches on the inner half.  Nothing he can barrel, nothing he can pull.   You don't just magically fix this.  He has to totally revamp his approach but thats what he was supposed to do this offseason.  

You, my friend have stated the problem exactly.

Both Lewis and Wallner are swinging from the heels for home runs that they can’t hit because pitchers are picking on their weaknesses. Both players could take a cue from Austin Martin or Brooks Lee and try to start making contact, hit up the middle and the opposite way. Make a contribution and start having some success. Two key players striking out at such prolific rates and hitting .160 or .170 is the offensive equivalent drag to what Sim is giving the team with his pitching.

They both need to completely overhaul their approach to hitting. I’d be in favor of bringing up Culpepper and Rodriguez, or don’t look now, Hendry Mendez is putting up Austin Martin type numbers in AAA.

[jmlease1]

8 hours ago, Mike Sixel said:

Greene was the name for sure. I think I talked myself into the guy Tampa took out of conservativism, and he bombed. 

Greene has been great...when healthy. Notably, he hasn't pitched in 2026. But he was seen as the favorite for 1-1. Gore who got picked at 3 has been good, but somehow traded twice already. McKay was seen as being a sure thing to hit and was going to do an Ohtani thing before Ohtani...and bombed so badly he's out of baseball.

But no one could have predicted 2 ACL tears for Lewis, which is why the draft remains a crapshoot.

 

[Major League Ready]

 

1st round picks fail at a significant rate but this organization has produced very little from their first-round picks since Buxton.  I particularly hated the Jay, Cavaco, and Sabato picks.   To be fair, the players drafted the past 4 years look fairly promising if we can believe Brooks Lee can sustained his improved play.   I would like to compare teams with A/I but we would have to wait another 10 years to have the comprehensive data to accurately compare team results across the league for the last 10 years.    

Year	Player	Overall Pick
2012	Byron Buxton	2
2012	José Berríos	32
2013	Kohl Stewart	4
2014	Nick Gordon	5
2015	Tyler Jay	6
2016	Alex Kirilloff	15
2017	Royce Lewis	1
2017	Brent Rooker	35
2018	Trevor Larnach	20
2019	Keoni Cavaco	13
2019	Matt Wallner	39
2020	Aaron Sabato	27
2021	Chase Petty	26
2021	Noah Miller	36
2022	Brooks Lee	8
2023	Walker Jenkins	5
2023	Charlee Soto	34
2024	Kaelen Culpepper	21
2024	Kyle DeBarge	33
2025	Marek Houston	16
2025	Riley Quick	36

[Riverbrian]

7 hours ago, USAFChief said:

Yup.

Back foot flying all over the place. It's ridiculous.

Look at the picture above. Back foot off the ground. Backside halfway to third. Lunging, all arms swing. 

That's the problem. Not "fastballs." Nobody can hit much with a swing like that happening way too often. 

It really makes no sense to me. It's like he's jumping while swinging. It's like he has rotational issues. 

It clearly looks like a problem to me... However... this isn't a new development. His back foot was moving in 2022 and 2023 when we was looking like a monster.