What Does Royce Lewis Need to Improve at Triple-A?

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Rob Thompson, St. Paul Saints

The Minnesota Twins spent a long time trying to avoid this moment. They gave Royce Lewis every opportunity to work through his struggles at the major-league level because, for years, he looked like the type of talent worth waiting on. But eventually, potential stops mattering if the production never returns.

Now the former No. 1 overall pick is headed to Triple-A. The move feels shocking on the surface because Lewis has long been viewed as one of the organization’s foundational players. Yet, when you look at the bigger picture, this decision has been in the works for quite some time.

Lewis’s offensive struggles have spiraled to the point where the Twins could no longer justify keeping him in the lineup every day. His batting average has cratered to .163 with a .540 OPS, and the overall at-bat quality has become increasingly concerning. Sunday may have been the clearest example yet. Lewis struck out three times in a 0-for-3 performance before eventually being lifted for a pinch-hitter. 

The Twins have already shown they're willing to send struggling veterans to Triple-A this season, with Matt Wallner’s demotion just a few days before Lewis. Lewis simply reached the point where his name and pedigree could no longer outweigh the results.

What makes the situation more troubling is that this is no longer just a rough few weeks. For much of 2024, Lewis still looked like an emerging superstar whenever he was healthy enough to stay on the field. Around mid-August, his OPS remained north of 1.000, and injuries appeared to be the only obstacle standing in his way. Instead of building on that success, however, his performance completely collapsed over the final stretch of last year and never recovered.

Since mid-August 2024, Lewis has slashed .214/.268/.339 with a 68 wRC+, while striking out 157 times compared to only 47 walks across 179 games. Those numbers are no longer small-sample noise. They represent nearly a full season of offensive dysfunction. Even the underlying metrics offer little optimism. While some poor luck has contributed to the ugly batting average, Lewis still owns an expected batting average of only .205. The quality of contact simply has not been there.

More concerning than the results themselves is how Lewis has looked while producing them. At the plate, he appears caught between mechanics and reaction. His strikeout rate has climbed to a career-high 31.1%, and he is whiffing on 37.3% of his swings. Pitch recognition has become a major issue, particularly against velocity. Far too often, Lewis looks like he is guessing instead of reacting.

Fastballs used to be the pitch he punished. During his first two major league seasons, Lewis demolished fastballs to the tune of a .355 average and .711 slugging percentage. That ability helped fuel the belief that he could become one of baseball’s next young stars. Since then, the numbers have completely flipped.

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 rate 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 .291 slugging percentage against four seamers, with a 34.1% whiff rate. Perhaps even more concerning, his pull 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.

That is a devastating development for any hitter, especially one whose game was built around elite bat speed and the ability to attack velocity. Part of the frustration for Minnesota is that Lewis spent the offseason attempting to fix these exact issues. One of the biggest storylines during spring training involved his work with new hitting coach Jeremy Isenhower, who came highly recommended by stars like Bobby Witt Jr. and former Twins infielder Jorge Polanco.

The goal of the mechanical changes centered around Lewis’s setup before the swing even began. The hope was that a more repeatable pre-swing position would improve his timing, pitch recognition, and overall swing decisions. Instead, the changes seem to have had the opposite effect. Lewis frequently looks uncomfortable in the box, late on velocity, and indecisive against secondary pitches.

That is why Triple-A matters right now. This demotion is not about punishment. It is about rebuilding a hitter who currently looks broken mechanically and mentally at the plate. The Twins need Lewis to simplify everything again.

At Triple-A, the focus has to start with attacking fastballs consistently. Lewis does not need to rediscover superstar production overnight, but he must prove he can get on time against velocity again. The swing decisions also need major improvement. Too often, Lewis expands the zone early in counts and then looks frozen once pitchers get ahead.

Minnesota will also likely want to see him establish a more consistent approach from game to game. Right now, every at-bat feels different. Sometimes he sells out for power. Other times, he appears purely defensive. The organization needs him to rediscover a stable offensive identity before bringing him back to the majors. That's why, as fun as his homer in his first game with the St. Paul Saints was, it's far from enough to get anyone actually dreaming of the player's return to Target Field.

There is also value in allowing Lewis to play every day without the pressure of carrying a struggling big-league offense. Triple-A gives him room to fail, adjust, and rebuild confidence in a lower-stakes environment.

The Twins are not giving up on Lewis. Players with his talent are not easily discarded. But they are finally acknowledging a reality that has become impossible to deny. Lewis has not looked like a productive major league hitter for a long time now. This reset was necessary. The next step is up to Lewis.

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What does Lewis need to focus on at Triple-A? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Whitey333]

The Twins were right in sending him down to St. Paul.  He has looked totally lost at the plate for a long time.  He needs to stay there for an extended period not for just a couple of weeks.  He seems to worry about his mechanics on each pitch.  Nothing seems smooth and natural.  Maybe he's got information overload from so many people telling him so many things, sometimes conflicting things.  Maybe he should ignore them all for a time and just be himself.  

[Parfigliano]

He needs to re-learn the strike zone, make contact, and not try to pull every pitch.  Does he know that hits to the right of CF count too?

[tony&rodney]

The swing, from a stable base (no dancing and shifting his feet) to a firm waistline that rotates smoothly (not bailing out) to working his hands directly through the ball (not yanking at pitches). That's it. A repeatable swing that takes the ball where it is pitched. Lewis needs to show that firm swing hundreds of times before the Twins consider bringing him back up. That could take two weeks or maybe he is done.

[Linus]

MLB is brutal on young players. As we’ve seen they can have immediate success but when the league sees them a few times and the book is out they can struggle mightily. Hence TKs quote about not knowing what you have, good or bad, until they have 1000-1500 at bats. With Royce being hurt so frequently it took him a while to accumulate the at bats. Teams definitely know how to pitch to him now. It’s up to him to adjust. I think it’s time to stop referring to Royce as having a lot of “talent” - I don’t think it’s true rather it’s a byproduct of him being drafted 1/1. 

[MinnInPa]

could be as simple as a lighter bat?? the guy cant make contact w a simple fastball. i just dont see a career saving turnaround.. let him figure it out in AAA for entire year.. my vote would be get Culpepper up here and see what he can do.. it cannot be worse

[SteveLV]

Hitting and fielding.

[Old Twins Hat]

Kind of a side topic, but that war paint he puts on his face, what is that about?

I know that some eye black helps deflect the sun but, Royce has taken that in a direction I've never seen, with decorative streaking that makes him look like a warrior.

Has he ever said anything about it?  Is it actually functional somehow or why do it like that?

[David Maro]

Here we go again first words out of your mouth were he hit a homerun in his first at bat. Well I guess he's ready to come back to the team. After his IL earlier this year he hit a homerun and they brought him back right away. He should have stayed for a period of time then. He should stay now until he shows he can hit above 200 and is showing more than a homerun here and there. He is off balance in the box and swinging at pitches feet out of the zone. He may need until the AS break to fix all that's wrong with his approach.

[CRF]

He needs to work on more than just his hitting and fielding...he needs a bit of an attitude adjustment too. I'm just fine with him spending plenty of time in StP.  His quotes in the strib:   

“I think my talent speaks for itself, and I see it every day, honestly. It’s in the work that unfortunately you guys don’t get to see, so you think I suck, and whatever. That’s fine. You can judge me by [stats]. It’s real. It hasn’t happened yet. I hit balls hard that got caught. That’s all part of baseball.

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

 

“The Twins wanted to go in a different direction to find some things,” Lewis said. “I fully listened and bought in. I’ve tried five different stances or styles. I’d love for people to watch how many times I’ve tried to change. It’s so hard.

“People can say, ‘Oh, he didn’t try to change anything last year.’ OK, well, I tried stuff now, and it’s the same results. It’s hard no matter what you do, and even when you’re feeling at your best.”

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

Then, with Doogie:

 

Lewis: “[The demotion conversation] was relatively quick. [Shelton] said, ‘We’re going to option you. Do you have anything to say?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, there are no words’. Obviously, you’re upset. Anyone’s gonna be upset when they get demoted in their job. That’s life. You just gotta keep working hard and figure it out.”

Wolfson: “Do you understand why they made the move they did?”

Lewis: “I don’t think it’s my job to understand. I think it’s my job to work hard and enjoy the process.”

 

 

[Vanimal46]

1 minute ago, CRF said:

He needs to work on more than just his hitting and fielding...he needs a bit of an attitude adjustment too. I'm just fine with him spending plenty of time in StP.  His quotes in the strib:   

“I think my talent speaks for itself, and I see it every day, honestly. It’s in the work that unfortunately you guys don’t get to see, so you think I suck, and whatever. That’s fine. You can judge me by [stats]. It’s real. It hasn’t happened yet. I hit balls hard that got caught. That’s all part of baseball.

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

 

“The Twins wanted to go in a different direction to find some things,” Lewis said. “I fully listened and bought in. I’ve tried five different stances or styles. I’d love for people to watch how many times I’ve tried to change. It’s so hard.

“People can say, ‘Oh, he didn’t try to change anything last year.’ OK, well, I tried stuff now, and it’s the same results. It’s hard no matter what you do, and even when you’re feeling at your best.”

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

 

 

Well Royce, your "hard hit balls" are being tracked and easily available to the general public. You're in the bottom third of the league in average exit velocity and below average on hard hit rate.

These quotes scream that the problem is between his ears. Frankly that's why I was hoping they would send him to Fort Myers so he can get out of the local media/fan spotlight and clear his head. 

[Coach Wheels]

26 minutes ago, CRF said:

He needs to work on more than just his hitting and fielding...he needs a bit of an attitude adjustment too. I'm just fine with him spending plenty of time in StP.  His quotes in the strib:   

“I think my talent speaks for itself, and I see it every day, honestly. It’s in the work that unfortunately you guys don’t get to see, so you think I suck, and whatever. That’s fine. You can judge me by [stats]. It’s real. It hasn’t happened yet. I hit balls hard that got caught. That’s all part of baseball.

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

 

“The Twins wanted to go in a different direction to find some things,” Lewis said. “I fully listened and bought in. I’ve tried five different stances or styles. I’d love for people to watch how many times I’ve tried to change. It’s so hard.

“People can say, ‘Oh, he didn’t try to change anything last year.’ OK, well, I tried stuff now, and it’s the same results. It’s hard no matter what you do, and even when you’re feeling at your best.”

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

Then, with Doogie:

 

Lewis: “[The demotion conversation] was relatively quick. [Shelton] said, ‘We’re going to option you. Do you have anything to say?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, there are no words’. Obviously, you’re upset. Anyone’s gonna be upset when they get demoted in their job. That’s life. You just gotta keep working hard and figure it out.”

Wolfson: “Do you understand why they made the move they did?”

Lewis: “I don’t think it’s my job to understand. I think it’s my job to work hard and enjoy the process.”

 

 

This, 💯

The 1st step in fixing a problem is admitting you have a problem. The ego on this kid needs to be flushed and he has to admit that his plan is not working. If he does that, he can become an All-star

[WarPath1211]

The two things I'll really be watching for Royce in AAA are the whiff rate, and the swing decisions. The whiff rate ballooned from an already below-average 26.7% in 2025 to an unconscionable 37.6% in the season-to-date in 2026. You can't swing and miss at that level in the big leagues unless you have absolute gargantuan power and outlier plate discipline, neither of which Lewis has.

The swing decisions are little more nuanced because Royce bottom-line wasn't chasing pitches out of the zone at a substantially higher rate than he has in the past - he was always a bit of free swinger, but it wasn't debilitating. But the bottom line number doesn't tell the full story in my opinion. This year Royce was being pitched way, way out of the zone and swinging at those pitches with alarming frequency. Pitchers were giving him 13.7% of pitches in the "waste" zone according to Statcast, where league average is around 10%; Royce was swinging at these non-competitive pitches a whopping 15.6% of the time, while league average is around 6-7%. He simply cannot chase garbage this much.

Consequently, Royce is only swinging at 70% of pitches in the heart of the zone, down from his typical high-70s rates of the past. IF you are a free swinger, you have to, HAVE TO, do damage on mistakes in the middle of the zone with high frequency, and Royce hasn't been doing that.

[Nshore]

I'm about 5% optimistic - he finds it, comes back and miraculously leads the Twins to the playoffs. 

The other 95% says he forces a trade, and this time next year he's telling everyone what a terrible organization the Twins have.

[thelanges5]

Accountability. 

[terrydactyls]

Jose Miranda was DFA'd yesterday and is available for the Twins to sign.  The Twins could have an All-Prospect Murderers Row of Miranda, Wallner, and Lewis.  They would have to be playing in Fort Meyers to fulfill this dream.

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, CRF said:

I think my talent speaks for itself

Oof

1 hour ago, CRF said:

You can judge me by [stats]

Yep that's how it works Royce

1 hour ago, CRF said:

I don’t think it’s my job to understand

Agree to disagree

[Colbeh]

1 hour ago, David Maro said:

Here we go again first words out of your mouth were he hit a homerun in his first at bat. Well I guess he's ready to come back to the team. After his IL earlier this year he hit a homerun and they brought him back right away. He should have stayed for a period of time then. 

Would you prefer he struck out?

Second part of that sentence asks what else the Twins need to see. Then a whole article about it.

[karcherd]

1 hour ago, CRF said:

“The Twins wanted to go in a different direction to find some things,” Lewis said. “I fully listened and bought in. I’ve tried five different stances or styles. I’d love for people to watch how many times I’ve tried to change. It’s so hard.

I am a believer in Royce and hope he can turn it around, but it is up to him.  This comment reminds me of when Buxton struggled, it seemed like there were a lot of voices in his ear and it may be happening to Lewis as well.  This is on the organization to get a unified approach that they want from him and he needs to shut other voices out if that is happening.  Shelton has mentioned he is putting the work in, so I think sometimes he is not being given credit for that.  .

He does become his worst enemy when he speaks but if he was going well and performing we would be applauding his transparency and not speaking in cliches.  I want him to talk less and let his performance stand on its merit.

It does appear that he is thinking too much at the plate and needs to get a stable base as mentioned in an earlier comment. I. would like to see him use the whole field, which he seemed to do when he first came up, hopefully they don't encourage him to pull the ball based on analytics,  Hopefully he can find himself in St. Paul and contribute up here.  But there should be no defined timeline and any success he finds needs to be sustainable for a period of time before consideration to being called back up.  But this team does need Lewis to find himself and be the player he has shown he can be to be successful.

[Jeff K]

I agree with many of the comments offered.  I will add that once upon a time Royce Lewis was a superior athlete.  He seems entirely caught up with mechanics.  Perhaps he should be more athlete and less thinking.

[NYCTK]

2 hours ago, CRF said:

He needs to work on more than just his hitting and fielding...he needs a bit of an attitude adjustment too. I'm just fine with him spending plenty of time in StP.  His quotes in the strib:   

“I think my talent speaks for itself, and I see it every day, honestly. It’s in the work that unfortunately you guys don’t get to see, so you think I suck, and whatever. That’s fine. You can judge me by [stats]. It’s real. It hasn’t happened yet. I hit balls hard that got caught. That’s all part of baseball.

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

 

“The Twins wanted to go in a different direction to find some things,” Lewis said. “I fully listened and bought in. I’ve tried five different stances or styles. I’d love for people to watch how many times I’ve tried to change. It’s so hard.

“People can say, ‘Oh, he didn’t try to change anything last year.’ OK, well, I tried stuff now, and it’s the same results. It’s hard no matter what you do, and even when you’re feeling at your best.”

Royce Lewis (via Star Tribune)

Then, with Doogie:

 

Lewis: “[The demotion conversation] was relatively quick. [Shelton] said, ‘We’re going to option you. Do you have anything to say?’ And I was like, ‘Uh, there are no words’. Obviously, you’re upset. Anyone’s gonna be upset when they get demoted in their job. That’s life. You just gotta keep working hard and figure it out.”

Wolfson: “Do you understand why they made the move they did?”

Lewis: “I don’t think it’s my job to understand. I think it’s my job to work hard and enjoy the process.”

 

 

It's actually wild how even more than his playing, his mouth turned him into one of the least likable players in the league. Not true bad guys like the many wife beaters or psychopaths we see in baseball, as we do all sports, but just unlikable in a normie way. 

2024 alone, with his "slump" comments, complaints about being asked to play second base, and pushback aimed at Correa after he called out no one in particular. It was clear this was a man with either severe attitude issues or a Trump like uncontrollable mouth. But most here continued to defend him. The most egregious headline in this website's history was posted nearly a year ago: 

Quote

Royce Lewis Isn’t Going 100 Percent, and That’s a Good Thing

I don't know if I was among the first here to do so, but I feel vindicated calling to trade him back on August 15th, 2024. If you try to pinpoint the inflection point of when he went from a formidable hitter to replacement level I'd throw out August 13th, 2024. Since that date he's been worth EXACTLY 0.0 fWAR. 

And that stupid face paint. Much like a professional wrestler, if we ever see him again, I hope it's with a new Gimmick. 

[mluebker]

He needs a clean reboot. Maybe get some video of how he hit in college and nudge him back toward that—too much of what hitting coaches seem do to "maximize" a hitter's swing clearly are not helping and probably are hurting. Let the guy hit the way that got him on everyone's radar in the first place, stop filling his head with advice that's distracting him, and settle for whatever his approach to hitting was on his way up. It used to look pretty good

And while he's in St. Paul, start him at first base so he gets comfortable there. That's where he's going to end up eventually, at least if he's able to start hitting again. Then we can be done with all of the "How do the Twins solve their problem at first base?" articles and discussions.

[JD-TWINS]

4 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

The swing, from a stable base (no dancing and shifting his feet) to a firm waistline that rotates smoothly (not bailing out) to working his hands directly through the ball (not yanking at pitches). That's it. A repeatable swing that takes the ball where it is pitched. Lewis needs to show that firm swing hundreds of times before the Twins consider bringing him back up. That could take two weeks or maybe he is done.

Completely agree but I don’t see anything substantial happening unless he’s working on it for at least 6 weeks …….. may take a month just to find a groove……. then it needs to be repeated v. live/competitive pitching. 

He may not be his 2023 self again, but he sure has enough ability to be a 115 OPS+ guy at 3B with 15-20 steals per year……that’s not great but it’s a hell of a lot better than where he’s been…… and considered a “good” player.

[ashbury]

8 minutes ago, mluebker said:

He needs a clean reboot. Maybe get some video of how he hit in college 

Those would be interesting to see.

[JD-TWINS]

42 minutes ago, NYCTK said:

It's actually wild how even more than his playing, his mouth turned him into one of the least likable players in the league. Not true bad guys like the many wife beaters or psychopaths we see in baseball, as we do all sports, but just unlikable in a normie way. 

2024 alone, with his "slump" comments, complaints about being asked to play second base, and pushback aimed at Correa after he called out no one in particular. It was clear this was a man with either severe attitude issues or a Trump like uncontrollable mouth. But most here continued to defend him. The most egregious headline in this website's history was posted nearly a year ago: 

I don't know if I was among the first here to do so, but I feel vindicated calling to trade him back on August 15th, 2024. If you try to pinpoint the inflection point of when he went from a formidable hitter to replacement level I'd throw out August 13th, 2024. Since that date he's been worth EXACTLY 0.0 fWAR. 

And that stupid face paint. Much like a professional wrestler, if we ever see him again, I hope it's with a new Gimmick. 

He couldn’t stay on the field … the “egregious headline” was a statement about him being smart with his health …., not a terrible thought.

Talent & potential production typically outweighs a guy’s stupid or arrogant comments, from a fan base point of view.  See, Barry Bonds & dozens of others across pro sports……….Royce has not been able to utilize his talent so “the mouth/attitude” have become the central view of him as an individual. His fault.

If he had 9-10 HR’s and was hitting .275 while playing 90% of the time fans would mimic his eye black in the stands……..press wouldn’t ever mention the “face paint”.

[karcherd]

30 minutes ago, mluebker said:

He needs a clean reboot. Maybe get some video of how he hit in college and nudge him back toward that—too much of what hitting coaches seem do to "maximize" a hitter's swing clearly are not helping and probably are hurting. Let the guy hit the way that got him on everyone's radar in the first place, stop filling his head with advice that's distracting him, and settle for whatever his approach to hitting was on his way up. It used to look pretty good

And while he's in St. Paul, start him at first base so he gets comfortable there. That's where he's going to end up eventually, at least if he's able to start hitting again. Then we can be done with all of the "How do the Twins solve their problem at first base?" articles and discussions.

Moving Royce to another position now would be management malpractice.  His hitting mechanics are completely out of whack, who knows truly where his head is at and than you want to throw more on his plate.  Let him figure out his hitting and stay where he is comfortable.  If you want to look at a position change, do it in the offseason.

And no I don't believe Royce ever refused to play second, his comments were that he did not want to make a mistake when they were still in a pennant race that cost the team at a position he was not familiar with.  He has changed positions for the team, so I think the whole not moving to 2B narrative is overblown.  These are human beings and having them comfortable where they play is beneficial.  Now some players get more preference than others due to different factors.  And at the time Royce had earned the right to stay at third.  Remember Dozier resisted moving off of hitting leadoff near the end of his time even when he was struggling.  But he had earned the respect of his manager to keep him there similar to Buxton this year.  But this has been going on throughout the history of baseball.

[Woof Bronzer]

3 hours ago, NYCTK said:

It's actually wild how even more than his playing, his mouth turned him into one of the least likable players in the league. Not true bad guys like the many wife beaters or psychopaths we see in baseball, as we do all sports, but just unlikable in a normie way. 

2024 alone, with his "slump" comments, complaints about being asked to play second base, and pushback aimed at Correa after he called out no one in particular. It was clear this was a man with either severe attitude issues or a Trump like uncontrollable mouth. But most here continued to defend him. The most egregious headline in this website's history was posted nearly a year ago: 

I don't know if I was among the first here to do so, but I feel vindicated calling to trade him back on August 15th, 2024. If you try to pinpoint the inflection point of when he went from a formidable hitter to replacement level I'd throw out August 13th, 2024. Since that date he's been worth EXACTLY 0.0 fWAR. 

And that stupid face paint. Much like a professional wrestler, if we ever see him again, I hope it's with a new Gimmick. 

I actually respect and appreciate that he wears his emotions on his sleeve and actually lets some personality through.  So tired of the Rocco-like corporate speak from athletes.  Unfortunately I am generally unimpressed with what actually comes out of his mouth.    

I'll throw out the day he tossed out the "I don't do the slump thing" comment as the inflection point.  In fact you could say his entire career since uttering those words has been one giant ever-deepening slump. 

Perhaps the most on the nose "don't taunt the baseball gods" lesson ever imparted on a player.

[Blyleven2011]

Really  not much to discuss here other than Royce Lewis needs help and only he can help himself  ...

I dont have the answers , i wish i did cause i enjoyed all those grand slams he hit , that was then , this is now ...

Clear those cobwebs ( mental phase of the game ) , review past videos of his professional career and see what might improve his hitting , something in those videos might trigger the adjustments he needs to make ...

...

Defense was looking better to start the season but it slumped right with his hitting  ...

Royce Lewis was a number 1 draft choice in 2017 , he was not a college player , he was drafted out of California high-school  ...