Since being demoted to Triple-A St. Paul on May 19, third baseman Royce Lewis has been on an absolute tear at the plate, slashing .341/.413/.927 (225 wRC+) with seven home runs, three doubles and 14 RBI in 10 games. But while it's as good a stretch for Lewis as the Twins could've hoped for, it could also be an indicator that the former first-overall pick is a Quad-A player, someone who is too good for Triple-A but not good enough for MLB.
Royce Lewis has two homers at Triple-A tonight and seven homers in 10 games since being optioned to St. Paul.pic.twitter.com/jVy2iZ6Yi5
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 3, 2026
Don't get me wrong, Lewis deserves credit for his strong performance in Triple-A. However, Minnesota shouldn't get its hopes up too much regarding the third baseman, who hit .163/.261/.279 (54 wRC+) with a 31.1% strikeout rate in 31 games with Minnesota this season before being optioned. Pitching at the big-league level is a completely different animal than Triple-A.
Still, because Lewis is absolutely raking in the minors, the Twins will almost certainly want to call him up within the next month, unless he regresses out of nowhere. The hope is that with the confidence gained by dominating Triple-A pitching, Lewis will be able to return to form in the big leagues.
Lewis certainly has the potential to be a star in the majors, a version of the infielder we saw in 2023. However, he has been a below-average player since mid-August of 2024. Turning 27 in two days, Lewis likely needs to figure out MLB pitching immediately when he returns to the majors if he wants to remain a Minnesota Twin.
Lewis may return to majors at new position
With Brooks Lee as Minnesota's new primary third baseman, Lewis needs a new position. According to SKOR North's Declan Goff, Lewis got some work in at first base during batting practice with the Saints on Tuesday.
Royce Lewis got some work in at first base today during BP today with the @StPaulSaints. So that’s notable. #MNTwins
— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) June 2, 2026
Additionally, Luke Keaschall got some pre-game work in at first base with the Twins on Tuesday, according to Zone Coverage's Theodore Tollefson.
Luke Keaschall is getting pre-game work in at first base for the #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/P8pbpvdfHl
— Theodore Tollefson (@TheodoreTollef1) June 2, 2026
Kaelen Culpepper will presumably be Minnesota's starting shortstop soon, joining Lee on the left side of the infield. Meanwhile, the Twins appear to be making room for Lewis on the right side of the infield. Most likely, Keaschall will remain the team's starting second baseman, and Lewis will take over the first-base duties.
Kody Clemens, who appears to be the team's starting first baseman for now, deserves to be in the lineup regularly due to his recent hot stretch. Since Clemens can play various positions, manager Derek Shelton should still be able to work him in the lineup regularly even if Lewis becomes the starting first baseman. The one player who would likely see the most significant drop in playing time with Lewis at first is Josh Bell, who is slashing .228/.291/.349 (79 wRC+) this year.
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