The vibes were one day away from being completely ripped out from under Twins fans. On Thursday, Royce Lewis was a late scratch from the starting lineup after feeling tightness in his right side before the game started.
Panic started to set in for Twins fans. Pablo Lopez is already on the shelf for the year after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Joe Ryan offered a brief scare, too. And now, an All-Star level hitter who has yet to play a full season is potentially hurt.
Unfortunately, it's understandable for fans to be negative. Things just haven't gone their way recently. But Lewis' latest update should provide some immediate excitement. His MRI came back with good news. He has no major injury, and he was reportedly feeling much better by Friday morning with an expectation to play on Saturday.
Royce Lewis’s MRI came back clean. #MNTwins breathe a sigh of relief.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) February 27, 2026
Rejoice, Twins fans. Allow Lewis' health to be the start of a new mindset. Let's label it as a calling cry. It's time to get positive. It's time to start believing that the absolute worst is not Minnesota's fate for the 2026 season.
Staying on Lewis, he is 2-for-his-first-5 with a home run and a stolen base. He's off to a great start at the plate, but he isn't the only one producing in the opening week of spring training. Pleasant surprises like Alan Roden and Emmanuel Rodriguez, players who were not expected to make the Opening Day roster, are crushing baseballs.
Potential key bullpen pieces like Kody Funderburk and Eric Orze are looking sharp already. The battle between Mick Abel and Taj Bradley for a starting pitching role has gone off without a hitch, as they have combined for 10 strikeouts and one run allowed in six innings.
It's difficult to dig out of the negativity, especially after Lopez being done for the season, but there is hope here. Lewis is healthy. Others are contributing. Yes, it is only spring training, but we have to start somewhere, right? Any good news and any positive production needs to be taken as a win. Twins fans deserve that.