Royce

Lewis

Just a week after optioning Matt Wallner to the minors, the Twins will do the same with Lewis. The 26-year-old is hitting .163/.261/.279 in 119 plate appearances with three home runs, 13 RBI, and three steals. That also comes with a 31 percent strikeout rate. Lewis has plenty of promise, but the 26-year-old has failed to produce consistently or stay healthy at the MLB level. Tristan Gray started at third base on Monday and could get a chance to fill that role regularly.

His last at-bat saw him foul off two attempts to bunt for a hit with none on and then swing and miss at a shoulder-level pitch. None of the pitches were in the strike zone. Lewis has two option years remaining, so it’s time for him to head to Triple-A for a spell. Tristan Gray and Ryan Kreidler can play third base if the team isn’t ready to give Kaelen Culpepper a look.

At some point, the Twins are going to have to give intriguing infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who is tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A St. Paul recently, a look at the highest level. The obvious move would be to jettison Royce Lewis from third base, especially since he’s hitting .165 overall this season. However, it’s worth noting that Keaschall is hitting just .224/.306/.292 with one homer and 10 steals through 44 games. The 23-year-old former top prospect hit at every rung of the minor-league ladder and looked impressive during last year’s injury-shortened rookie campaign.

Lewis drove home Luke Keaschall in the bottom of the seventh inning for his 13th RBI on the season. The veteran third baseman continues to struggle at the dish this month, going 3-for-31 on the month while slashing .097/.194/.129. Lewis can continue to be left on waiver wires until he turns a corner.

Lewis is hitting .169/.270/.312 with a 30 percent strikeout rate that’s much higher than usual. He’ll probably be back in the lineup Friday, but if this lasts much longer, a Triple-A stint could be in order. Tristan Gray is playing third base today.

Lewis started each of the first two games of the week following a return from the injured list, so he’ll get a breather on Thursday as the Twins attempt to ease him back into action. Tristan Gray will start in his place at the hot corner and will bat ninth for the Twins against Mets’ rookie right-hander Christian Scott.

It was a short stint on the IL for Lewis after dealing with a right knee sprain. The 26-year-old is back and will assuredly be in the lineup on a consistent basis, although Minnesota may give him some maintenance days to (hopefully) prevent further issue.

He’ll play in his second minor league rehab game at Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday. Both teams are off on Monday, so as long as he checks out alright after Sunday’s game, the expectation is that the oft-injured third baseman will be cleared to rejoin the Twins on Tuesday.

It’ll likely be a brief rehab stint for Lewis as he’s aiming to return when first eligible to be activated for Tuesday’s series opener against the Mets. The oft-injured 26-year-old third baseman suffered a sprained left knee on an awkward swing earlier this month, but hasn’t experienced any issues during his recovery. Fantasy managers should expect to have him back in their lineups early next week.

Lewis has been unable to shake the injury bug throughout his professional career and heads back to the shelf after suffering a knee sprain during his final at-bat of Thursday’s series opener against the Tigers. The 26-year-old third baseman is hitting .222 (8-for-36) with two homers, eight RBI and two steals through 12 games. There’s no timetable for his return but the Twins are likely to handle the situation with an abundance of caution since Lewis underwent left knee surgery back in 2024.