There is nothing that Minnesota Twins fans want to see more than Royce Lewis thriving. The 26-year-old infielder has won over the hearts of thousands of Twins fans, but that does not necessarily mean that they all trust him.
Lewis is beloved in Minnesota, but injuries have plagued him since he became a big leaguer. He's already dealt with some right side tightness this spring, but that was only a temporary worry. For now, at least. Regardless of the severity of that injury, there is a building pressure surrounding Lewis in 2026. The Twins need to not only see him play well, but for him to remain healthy for the entirety of a season. He's never done that at this level, but it's imperative that he plays in almost every game this year.
Twins' Royce Lewis needs to prove he has durability in 2026
Here are Lewis' game logs since being promoted to the Twins.
- 2022: 12 games
- 2023: 58 games
- 2024: 82 games
- 2025: 106 games
That's not all that impressive. And Lewis knows it, too. On top of this pressure to remain healthy, Lewis has not played all that great this spring, either. After hitting a home run in his first spring training game, Lewis went on a 1-for-28 skid, which dipped his spring batting average to .091.
Royce Lewis rockets one to left off of Payton Tolle! pic.twitter.com/Bh0WdYcXDW
— Talkin' Baseball (@TalkinBaseball_) February 21, 2026
In his last three appearances, though, he's dug himself out of that slump with Opening Day looming. Lewis has a hit in each of the last three games, including a double. On Monday, he also ended his eight-game streak without an RBI. With a new swing and a private hitting coach, Lewis is starting to turn things around. It's critical that he does.
Lewis should be anchoring the middle of the Twins' lineup this season. But the last thing we want to see is him go down with another injury this year. There's only so many punches that the fans can take before they completely lose all faith in a player.