If the Twins Keep Royce Lewis, Where Should He Play?

[High heat]

Time to cut bait. Lewis, Larnach, Wallner, Ober can just be non tendered.  Opening you a spot at 1B and DH along with a Utility player and a starting pitcher.  
 

Also cutting 20 million off the books that can be reinvested in those open spots.  
 

(bullpen also needs multiple arms but that’s for a different discussion)

[MileHighTwinsFan]

36 minutes ago, DJL44 said:

You’re arranging the defenders by their OPS, not by their defensive ability. If you have both players in the lineup, you want Clemens at 2B and Royce at 1B.
 

You can’t stick Royce at SS or C just because he hits like one.

Lewis has a positive OAA at second base and a negative one at first.  Clemens was playing stellar defense and hitting when at first.  Of course, Clemens will be playing all over the field and Lewis will get time at first.  I am simply saying that we need to remain committed to Lewis into next year and the article seems to be proposing a reasonable approach. 

I will say that I am a little surprised that there is no talk about Lewis getting playing time in the outfield. A right-handed outfielder with power remains a need and having him get the occasional start in left field vs. a nasty left hander seems like another opportunity. 

[HarmonK03]

I am a Lewis believer but have been disappointed with his finish to this season.  I still believe there is something to unlock.  If he is on the team, I think it should be first base, he has showed better defense there and with more time I think he will improve even more.  He has done a good job of scooping the ball which is something Clemens struggled with.

I personally believe we should give him another year and keep him at one position, not moving around.  If they can get a clear upgrade at first then maybe move on but I don't believe Clemens is the answer.  Or would I be in favor of another one year stopgap especially a league average or worse type.  

This team needs to improve the talent but make some decisions and stop playing musical chairs on defense.

[LA Vikes Fan]

I was a big fan of Lewis but I think he's reached the end with the Twins. I think he has enough talent; I just think he's slow to adjust and still sees himself as a face of the team. I would see if he could be traded for another change of scenery candidate where both teams could benefit from upside realized in a new environment.  

I would see if the Angels would take him in return for a guy like Grayson Rodriguez. I would be looking for a younger guy who has talent but can't seem to get there or is blocked somewhere else. 

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, DJL44 said:

I think he’s just a privileged dumb jock with a high school education and no life experiences outside of baseball.

Yep, and someone whose entire baseball childhood was likely filled by tearing up every level, winning every trophy imaginable, awards, championships, all-star selections, etc not to mention people telling him how great he was non stop.  

The ACL injuries, in addition to the physical challenges, also I think robbed him of the opportunity to fail in the minors.  Part of being a professional athlete is keeping an even keel and understanding that you are going to fail more and lose more than you ever have in your life.  You have to learn to deal with new things like slumps, ups and downs, better analytics, adjusting your approach, etc.  There's a mental aspect to being a pro athlete that some players never master and I feel like Lewis might fall in that category. 

 

[Galen]

Why does it matter where Clemens or Lewis play on defense if they're both in the lineup? Maximize their best defense and forget about it. 

[Rosterman]

Listen to offers from other teams. COmbine him with another player to get one good player need.

If anyone should be getting a position change it should be Keaschall going to first base, unless you totally want to write-off the future potentials of Gonzalez, Mendez, Rosario, Kendle as prospects with a chance to make the majors (not to mention a home for Roden).

Lewis is becoming our Michael Cuddyer who played all over the place before cememnting himself in right field. Or Sano, who played himself off the team by chasing too many balls low and outside.

Okay, put him at second. Keep Clemens as the roving bench guy. Chances are Houston will come up in 2027 and the Twins will move Culpepper to second. Maybe Lewis will have more trade value, just like Larnach, Wallner, Jeffers, Ryan did as the 2026 season progressed.

The Twins have to start thinking like Tampa Bay and the Guardians. When do you long-term sign the few key players, and when do you start pulling he plug. Lee has another season, but could tank. No, I wouldn't give him a big contract yet. Bradley needs to be tied up sometime next season, good or bad.

Or you don't ever resign your own pending free agents (which was part of the reasoning behind giving the Twins a fantastic home, to sign, at the very least, their own free agents).

Would you give Lewis a 3-year $60-75m deal. A $100m contract longer term? No, not without a solid position toi play. But the saddest part is that no other team would jump at the chance, right now, to do the same, even if they had a position for him to play.

[DannySD]

St. Paul on a minor league deal

[NYCTK]

2 hours ago, Woof Bronzer said:

I mean he's been given every chance in the world, it's odd to suggest that somehow he got ran out of town by bad actors.  He played his way out of a starting job.  Absolutely no one to blame but himself.

I'm clowning him. Not defending him. That's what he said last season. 

[rv78]

AAA

[Ruven]

Left out

[Sampson5]

It's cool in theory until you remember Clemens is the everyday 2nd basemen I don't think Royce plays good enough to bench a significantly better player . I'm not sure Royce even gets tendered a contract since that Toronto playoff series he's been a average or worse hitter so personally think IF he's here next year can't be anything more then a utility bat that platoons with either Clemens or whoever plays 1st . Sad for a #1 pick but if he was gonna turn it around would of happened facts are he's a bust of a #1 pick . Maybe a fresh start elsewhere is best for both sides since really no good spot for him because sometime next year when Houston comes up 2nd base will be going to him or culpepper. Whoever plays 2nd is only a fill in until then 

[Patzky]

He could be third base coach because he looks like a windmill up there.

[wesnewy]

designated pine rider 

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, High heat said:

Time to cut bait. Lewis, Larnach, Wallner, Ober can just be non tendered.  Opening you a spot at 1B and DH along with a Utility player and a starting pitcher.  
 

Also cutting 20 million off the books that can be reinvested in those open spots.  
 

(bullpen also needs multiple arms but that’s for a different discussion)

I voted this down, because two of those guys have some trade value. You don't just cut them. 

If they keep Lewis, he's utility guy for me. Heck, if he's willing to move to the OF sometimes maybe he also replaces Martin as platoon, pH, guy. 

[Linus]

Where he plays isn’t the issue for me. He has to hit first. If he doesn’t hit there is no place to play him except possibly a bench role. 

[Cris E]

iI'm not buying the recent shoulder thing as a cause for this decline. His OPS crested at .746 on Aug 16 and he left the game on Sept 13 with the shoulder injury, and between those dates his OPS was .493. Between Aug 16 and today it's .472, which is even worse.  Was he hurt a month earlier and no one talked about it? It's certainly possible, as the season is long, these guys don't want to be whiners, they want to stay on the field, and everyone gets nicked up at times. But he's been bad at baseball for a month and no one has said a word. 

I defend Shelton a lot around here, as his influence doesn't extend that far outside the clubhouse or the field and the roster is not really his creation.  But not sitting Lewis at all for six weeks of a 1B hitting an empty .188 is way beyond protecting his guys. You know who else had an almost identical OPS since the high water mark of his season? Buxton hit .189 and had an OPS of .573 between June 22 and the end of his season in August, (He drew more walks in fewer PA so his numbers are better.)  If your guys are hurt then sit them. If you're not allowed to by the front office then this is more than simple player pride being indulged. But the real question is how often must the team learn this lesson?

 

EDIT I guess in this case the difference between Byron and Royce is that Buxton had an OPS over .900 when he got hurt and genuinely thought that his HR power could play, whereas Lewis was slugging .428 and not drawing walks. But still, Lewis offered nothing so you have to sit him.

[Woof Bronzer]

1 hour ago, NYCTK said:

I'm clowning him. Not defending him. That's what he said last season. 

Little slow on the uptake over here.  I was wondering if your account had been hacked!  Carry on.

[Czelgert]

Lewis is a utility player at this point in his career.  In my book, he’s not even the best utility player on the Twins, which is Clemens.  Do the Twins even need another utility infielder or are they better off with someone like Kreidler filling that role?  The Twins should concentrate on upgrading the 1B position instead of the weak revolving door they’ve been running since Mauer retired.

[Mike Sixel]

6 minutes ago, Czelgert said:

Lewis is a utility player at this point in his career.  In my book, he’s not even the best utility player on the Twins, which is Clemens.  Do the Twins even need another utility infielder or are they better off with someone like Kreidler filling that role?  The Twins should concentrate on upgrading the 1B position instead of the weak revolving door they’ve been running since Mauer retired.

tough to do (upgrade first) given their unwillingness to trade veterans for prospects that last 12 months, and the FA class sucks. 

[Coach]

4 hours ago, DJL44 said:

I don’t understand complaints about his attitude. He is an optimistic hard worker who supports his teammates and loves playing baseball. 

His problem is how slow he is to adjust. The entire league has the same pitching approach against him. He needs to be able to adjust faster.

If you play video games, you figure out that there are certain holes in the game where you can spam the computer opponent with the same move over and over and win every time. That’s what is happening right now to Royce. The league is spamming him with low and away sliders. Like a computer bot, Royce keeps getting himself out. That doesn’t make him a bad person.

If I was Royce, I would try to get really good at hitting LHP over the offseason. That would give him a role to build on.

I just hope for his sake, he gets rid of all his demons. The talent is in there. I hope he can unlock it while he's still a Twin.  If he does after the Twins let him go, I will root for him. 

[Coach]

3 hours ago, MileHighTwinsFan said:

Lewis has a positive OAA at second base and a negative one at first.  Clemens was playing stellar defense and hitting when at first.  Of course, Clemens will be playing all over the field and Lewis will get time at first.  I am simply saying that we need to remain committed to Lewis into next year and the article seems to be proposing a reasonable approach. 

I will say that I am a little surprised that there is no talk about Lewis getting playing time in the outfield. A right-handed outfielder with power remains a need and having him get the occasional start in left field vs. a nasty left hander seems like another opportunity. 

Clemens was playing stellar defense and hitting when at first. 

[Czelgert]

Ty France would be a reasonable upgrade at 1B and would look like Mark McGwire compared to the guys they’ve been rolling out.  He’s a UFA in the upcoming class.  

[Greglw3]

IU don’t think there’s any position for Royce Lewis because he’s not a serviceable and certainly not championship level player at his poor offensive output for much of the season. He needs to change his approach to hitting and not even being sent to the minors convinced him to abandon his "hitting for power (unsuccessfully)" oriented approach to hitting. So, a good hitting 1st baseman via trade or free agency would be a better option. The players they should be focusing on are Lee, Culpepper, Houston, I would advocate a reunion with Arraez, Bell, Jenkins, Roden, Rodriguez, Buxton, maybe Gabby Gonzalez and maybe Hendry Mendez.

Lewis and Wallner are too big of a risk to even pencil in a spot for them

[Coach]

2 hours ago, rv78 said:

AAA

Senior discount!

[jmlease1]

Twins should probably move on from Royce, and certainly shouldn't be promising him anything in terms of a position for next year. 

But if he stays on the roster, whether he plays 2B or 1B depends on the twins ability to find a higher ceiling player to slot in at 2B or 1B. If they ended up with Ty France (which is a high-risk move, but if this season is for real then he's worth the pile that he's going to get), then Royce can compete for 2B, especially since Clemens should never hit against a LHP, ever. If they can get a significant upgrade at 2B, then Royce plays 1B. If Royce stays with the Twins, he's a fallback, not a building block.

3B should be out of the question, for sure. Lee did well defensively after moving there and has shown enough improvement with the bat to get another chance.

But there's little show that Royce can be a starting quality player at this point. Time for a change of scenery. He's going to end up getting $5M in arbitration, and I'm tired enough of the Royce Rollercoaster that I'd rather not pay it.

He's been at his healthiest this season; the last time he was close to playing in this many games was before he blew out his knee the first time. I've been rooting for him for a long time, I've told people we needed to be patient. But he's too streaky at the plate and it seems increasingly clear that without superior athleticism, he simply can't sustain his play for more than a short stretch.