The Minnesota Star Tribune's Bobby Nightengale recently interviewed Royce Lewis for an article after the third baseman was demoted to Triple-A St. Paul. While Lewis said many of the right things to Nightengale, one particular quote from the piece upset much of Twins Territory.
“I think my talent speaks for itself, and I see it every day, honestly. It’s in the work that unfortunately you guys don’t get to see, so you think I suck, and whatever,” Lewis said to Nightengale. “That’s fine. You can judge me by [stats]. It’s real. It hasn’t happened yet. I hit balls hard that got caught. That’s all part of baseball.
does this seem like someone who “gets it”
— Grant (@GrantMN3) May 22, 2026
You could write “accountability” on an 86 mph fastball and Royce would still swing through it. Get this dude out of here
— Rich Starr (@richstarr42) May 22, 2026
Royce seems like a nice guy. But he sure seems to have a pattern of upsetting fans with many of his quotes.
I don't doubt that Lewis works hard. Also, his 2023 campaign proved he has the talent to be among the game's greatest players. However, whatever he's doing clearly isn't working. Before being optioned to Triple-A on Tuesday, Lewis had slashed .163/.261/.279 (55 wRC+) over 119 plate appearances with Minnesota in 2026. He said he "hit hard balls that got caught." While it's true that he had some hard-hit outs, Lewis has a low 87.9 mph average exit velocity (27th percentile) and a 41.2% hard-hit rate (47th percentile) with the Twins this season.
Lewis' performance in the last two seasons was also disappointing. After hitting .309/.372/.548 (152 wRC+) across 58 games in 2023, the third baseman slashed just .235/.288/.416 (92 wRC+) in 188 games between the 2024 and 2025 seasons.
Lewis made a statement in his first plate appearance with the Saints after being optioned, hitting a solo home run to left field on the first pitch of the at-bat. While it was nice to see Lewis go deep, he has a long way to go in his quest to prove he can still be a star.
Royce Lewis. First pitch. BUH-BYE. Including his Major League rehab time, he has three hits at Triple-A, all have left the ballpark. pic.twitter.com/2WdGGqMAQN
— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 21, 2026
Lewis needs to return to form fast
At 26 years old, Lewis still has time to return to form. However, he must do so quickly. With many promising prospects in the Twins organization, including infielder Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota will likely plan for a future without Lewis soon if the third baseman's struggles continue.
Lewis has also been a below-average defender this year, recording -2 Outs Above Average (14th percentile) and -1 Defensive Runs Saved. His average sprint speed of 27.3 feet per second isn't amazing either, ranking in the 51st percentile.
Hopefully, Lewis will regain his confidence by dominating Triple-A pitching for a couple of months and return to the 2023 version of himself. While he certainly can, fans shouldn't get their hopes up.
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