Royce Lewis injury update gets even worse as Twins reveal timetable for return
- Royce Lewis left Sunday's game in the 3rd inning
- He later diagnosed him with a Grade 2 oblique strain
- Minnesota placed Lewis on the IL on Sunday night
By Josh Hill
While the Minnesota Twins were able to win the weekend series against the Baltimore Orioles, they lost something far more valuable.
Royce Lewis was lost to an injury in the third inning of Saturday's win. He left the game with what the team later diagnosed as an oblique strain and the news has failed to get better with each new update.
After the game, Rocco Baldelli was pretty stoic in his delivery of the initial injury news. Baldelli noted that Lewis was headed straight to the IL, which right off the bat wasn't a great sign. More bad news came on Monday when it was revealed that the extent of Lewis' injury was a Grade 2 oblique strain that will require him to miss over a month of action.
Latest Royce Lewis injury update is bad news
Rocco Baldelli broke the bad news on Monday, saying a rough estimate for Lewis to return is six weeks. That means the Twins will be without their rookie sensation -- and a key part of the offense -- until at least the middle of August.
MRI showed Royce Lewis has a Grade 2 oblique strain, which likely means he’s out six weeks. #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) July 3, 2023
There's really no way to spin this other than it being a massive blow.
Lewis was absolutely on fire since returning to the Twins back in May, and had an electric June. He finished the month slashing .333/.364/.452 and an impressive .816 OPS.
That offensive output comes against the backdrop of what has been an otherwise embarassing year at the plate for the rest of the lineup. Carlos Correa is colder than an icicle in the North Pole, Byron Buxton fell into a 0-for-26 slump before mercifully breaking out -- only to fall back in -- and Max Kepler, Joey Gallo, and others are hardly anything to write home about.
It's been a disastrous season for Minnesota's offense, and Lewis was one of the line bright spots. He single handedly won games with his offense, and has helped keep the Twins far more competitive than they otherwise would be.
Minnesota has a pretty soft schedule coming up, but the lack of Lewis is a huge blow to a team that needs to start figuring things out before it's too late.
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