Royce Lewis is returning to the Twins lineup at the exact right time

Twice this season Minnesota Twins fans have been forced to watch Royce Lewis miss time on the IL. It might be that the third time is the charm as Lewis is not only back already from his most recent injury but is returning to the lineup at the exact right time.

It’s not quite the scene in Avengers: Endgame when all the heroes portal into the final battle, but the Twins are getting key players back as they close in on the AL Central lead. Lewis is just the first of Minnesota’s trio of key players to return to the lineup, with Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda both currently working their way back. 

Lewis is arguably the most important of the bunch, though, as the Twins are infinitely better when he’s heathy. The jolt that has been provided offensively when Lewis is in the lineup is almost impossible the comprehend and it’s even harder to accurately articulate his importance.

The key for him will be staying healthy — perhaps the only thing he’s incapable of doing — but if he does the division race just got a lot more interesting and a lot more stressful for Cleveland. 

Royce Lewis returns to the Twins lineup after a second stint on the IL

Minnesota limped into the All-Star Break and stumbled out on even worse footing. That all changed with a signature series win over the Philadelphia Phillies, as the Twins finally proved they can hang with the big dogs atop the standings. 

It wasn’t just that the Twins were able to win a series over the best team in the league, it’s the fact that they did it shorthanded. That’s a confidence booster not many saw coming, and it now comes on the heels of the team getting its best players back. Without the trio of Lewis, Correa, and Miranda the Twins outscored Philly 12-9, including a five run series opening victory. 

Meanwhile, Cleveland’s lead in the AL Central is dwindling. The Guardians have lost four of their last six games and now have a series against what will surely be an angry Phillies team looking to rectify what happened in Minnesota this week. The Twins head to Detroit and do so with Lewis back in the lineup, which means there’s a very real chance that Minnesota takes over the division by next week. 

There’s still a lot of season left, but the Guardians are trending hard in the wrong direction while the Twins are finally figuring things out.

Even if Minnesota remains uneven — something that could be helped with some trade deadline moves — the fact of the matter is the Twins lineup is getting significantly better at the exact right time to over take the AL Central.

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