Having only played in 152 games across three seasons with the Twins because of injury woes, third baseman Royce Lewis said he is tired of being on the Injured List.
Depressing Royce Lewis quote perfectly describes his injury frustration
“Seems like these injury bugs, they just stick on one guy for awhile,” Lewis said. “Hopefully I got mine off."
After missing the first 35 games of the season with a moderate left hamstring strain he suffered while running out a ground ball in spring training, Lewis returned to the Twins lineup batting fifth as the designated hitter against the Baltimore Orioles on Tuesday. He went 0-for-4 as the Twins defeated the Orioles 9-1 due to an incredible start from ace Pablo Lopez and a 3-for-4 showing with a mammoth homer from shortstop Carlos Correa.
Lewis, 25, only played in 82 games last year due to a severe quadriceps strain he endured running the bases on opening day and later a groin injury. He dealt with consecutive ACL repair surgeries in the previous two years.
The Twins need a healthy Royce Lewis, who has a career .266/.325/.494 batting line with 33 home runs and 104 RBI in 609 plate appearances, if they want to make a postseason run this year.
There's no need to worry about Royce Lewis' lackluster performance in his rehab assignment
Lewis’ 4-for-23 performance in his rehab assignment with the Saints might be cause for concern, especially given his struggles after returning from his second IL stint late last season, where he hit .207/.270/.350 with 56 strikeouts in 203 at-bats. However, it’s hard not to imagine being sidelined for an extended period is a leading cause for his drop-off in performance since he provided MVP-caliber numbers before his groin injury last year. As long as he is healthy, Lewis should be productive.
Twins set to face Orioles in Game 2 of three-game series
Game 2 of the three-game set between the Twins and Orioles is scheduled for 6:40 p.m. on Wednesday at Target Field. 24-year-old Simeon Woods Richardson is slated to make the start on the mound for Minnesota, while 41-year-old Charlie Morton is scheduled to take the mound for Baltimore.