Twins Video
Seven years ago this month – on June 18th, 2018 – the Minnesota Twins optioned Miguel Sanó from the major leagues to Single-A Fort Myers. It was a stunning turn of events for the 25-year-old, who was less than one year removed from featuring in the All-Star Game and Home Run Derby. But Sanó's performance forced the issue; through 37 games and 163 plate appearances, he was batting .203 with a .675 OPS and 41% strikeout rate.
Beyond the performance was the observable reality: Sanó wasn't in playing shape. He'd suffered a major leg injury near the end of the previous season, resulting in surgery to insert a titanium rod, and it set him behind greatly in terms of offseason conditioning and preparation. This all contributed to a decision that was drastic and exceedingly rare: sending a 25-year-old with 1,500 MLB plate appearances – and very good overall career numbers – back to the land of teenagers and college draftees in southwest Florida.
Sending Sanó all the way down to Single-A wasn't an act of punishment or belittlement. It was strategic. Fort Myers, where the Mighty Mussels (then Miracle) play, is home to the Twins' spring training complex and organizational development hub. Sending Sanó there gave him a chance to take in-game swings against low-caliber competition, sure, but it also gave him an opportunity to do the more important behind-the-scenes work alongside coaches and trainers who could focus on him intently.
"He needs to be the guy we think he can be," said manager Paul Molitor at the time. "He's not there right now. We have to take a step backwards here and determine the steps moving forward. But we like our coaches and facility there with a lot of things we can control more there."
I bring up this precedent as we ponder the quandary that is Royce Lewis. In some ways his path up to now has been very similar to that of Sanó: a heralded amateur shortstop turned top prospect turned formidable slugging third baseman in the majors. Much like Sanó did, Lewis is experiencing a sudden and profound spiral in his age-25 season. Actually, his performance has been far worse than Sanó's was, especially when you factor in last six weeks of 2024.
The team's dwindling faith in Lewis was made evident on Sunday when he batted ninth in the starting lineup, and was replaced as a pinch-hitter midway through by Brooks Lee and his 71 OPS+. That's the clearest indictment we've seen yet of Royce, whose quotes to media inspire little confidence that he's got a plan to fight his way out of this.
Like Sanó back in 2018, it's evident from watching Lewis play that he's not right physically. His issue is not one of conditioning but of strength and stability – his legs just plainly aren't underneath him. Commentator Trevor Plouffe was calling this out quite openly during the Twins TV broadcast from Seattle on Friday night, seemingly in disbelief that Lewis is being allowed to work through this on a major-league field. (A feeling I've shared on many occasions while watching his at-bats.)
Is Lewis still hurt? Does he need more time to build up his lower body and regain his explosiveness? Does he need to completely reset his mechanics in a lower-pressure environment? It's beginning to feel like one of these things has to be true. Right now Lewis doesn't look like a player who would even have much chance of succeeding against Triple-A pitching (and didn't – he was terrible on his rehab stint).
You might be wondering, as we mull this comparative course of action: how did it work out with Sanó? Well, he unsurprisingly dominated Single-A pitching, returned to the Twins in late July, and played ... not well the rest of the way, slashing .195/.294/.390 in 136 plate appearances. But the following season, in 2019, a 26-year-old Sanó rebounded with career-best production, posting a .932 OPS with 34 homers for a 101-win team.
Which is to say: don't give up on Royce Lewis, as ugly as it looks right now. But it's time to acknowledge that he may need a step backward to figure out the best step forward.
Recommended Comments
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now