Royce Lewis hadn't played for the Minnesota Twins in almost 70 days, but he picked right up where he left off on Tuesday night in the Bronx.
Lewis returned to the lineup after missing the last two months with a right quad strain he suffered on Opening Day. It was an injury that paused his season after just three innings and two at-bats, something that was made even more frustrating than it already was based on how he started the year.
In his first two at-bats of the season Lewis launched a home run and reached base on a single, and after making his return on Tuesday he still hasn't recorded an offensive out. Lewis walked twice against the Yankees before stepping into the batter's box in the seventh inning and hitting his second home run of the season.
Cory Provus made Royce Lewis homering against Yankees even cooler than it already was
On the call for Bally Sports North was the legendary Cory Provus, who unleashed another gem as Lewis watched the ball sail over the outfield wall.
Cory said it best... WHY ARE WE NOT SURPRISED!!! pic.twitter.com/zUOgLyuPwA
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 5, 2024
The game was also being nationally broadcast on TBS, which means not only did we get an awesome call from Provus locally but Brian Anderson turned in a epic one as well.
I love Royce Lewis so much pic.twitter.com/A69jTwqT1a
— CJ Fogler account may or may not be notable (@cjzero) June 5, 2024
There's a pretty sizable gap between games for Lewis, but the fact that he's reached base in every at-bat he's had this season is still impressive. In fact, it's even more impressive that he missed so much time and was able to come back without missing a single step.
It wasn't just his bat that made noise against the Yankees. Lewis turned in a Web Gem in the fourth inning that was so clutch it needed to be reviewed to confirm its greatness.
Lewis hitting a home run in his first game back is the flashy highlight, but the two walks he drew are almost as good. Luis Gil was a menace on the mound for the Yankees, holding the Twins to just a single hit for six innings while forcing Carlos Correa into his worst game of the season so far.
The lone standout was Lewis, who wasn't at all fazed by Gil and displayed insane plate discipline while drawing back-to-back walks. The homer was an exclamation point on the night, but everything Lewis did should make Twins fans feel euphoric that he's back.