Royce Lewis has been on a tear lately. Over his first four games after being demoted to Triple-A St. Paul, the third baseman (and maybe future first baseman?) went 6-for-16 with four home runs and two walks against the Omaha Storm Chasers. He then collected just one hit, a single, in eight at-bats over the following two games against the Louisville Bats before going 2-for-4 with a homer, a double and a walk against the Bats on Thursday. Including two rehab games earlier in the year, Lewis has hit seven home runs in nine games with the Saints in 2026.
Royce Lewis has homered, doubled and walked at Triple A tonight. The exit velocities were 108.6 mph (homer) and 115.7 (double). #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 29, 2026
Of course he did it AGAIN. Royce Lewis with a 2-run homer to left, his seventh in a Saints uniform and 5th in 7 games since being optioned. It's the 89th home run of the year for us, most in baseball pic.twitter.com/f9Kr9Z0BFA
— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 28, 2026
Lewis' results since being optioned are encouraging. Before being demoted, the third baseman posted an awful .163/.261/.279 (55 wRC+) slash line with three homers across 119 plate appearances with Minnesota this season.
Twins fans shouldn't get too excited about Lewis' Triple-A hot streak
While Lewis deserves credit for his performance since being optioned, Twins fans need to keep their expectations in check. It's much easier to hit at the Triple-A level than in the majors. Lewis' double and homer on Thursday came off very hittable pitches. Still, Lewis had missed many hittable pitches before being optioned.
88-mph sinker in the zone. 87-mph slider in the zone. Of course that matters some. But he was missing cookies in the zone the past two weeks.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) May 29, 2026
While fans shouldn't be too optimistic about Lewis' future with the Twins, they can at least hold onto a glimmer of hope with his recent hot streak. If Lewis continues to dominate Triple-A pitching, it could give him the confidence he needs to return to form in the majors. If he can be a bit more patient at the plate while he keeps mashing "meatballs," the 2017 first-overall pick could find success again in the majors.
With Brooks Lee being the Twins' new primary third baseman, Lewis may return to the majors as a first baseman unless an injury allows him to keep his position. Minnesota may also be considering trading Lewis to a team that needs a third baseman, such as the Boston Red Sox. Trading Lewis now would be foolish. But if he continues to hit well in the minors, his value could increase a bit.
If you're unable to watch tonight's 5:45 p.m. CDT game between the Twins and the Pittsburgh Pirates at PNC Park in Pittsburgh because it's on Apple TV, or you enjoy consuming multiple baseball games at the same time, you can watch Lewis and the Saints take on the Bats at 6:15 p.m. on Bally Sports Live and MILB.com.
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