Unfortunately, the Twins might need to move on from Royce Lewis this offseason. Lewis was the 2017 first-overall pick and put up MVP-caliber numbers in his short 2023 season, but he has been a below-average player over the past three seasons.
Lewis, 27, made his MLB debut in 2022 after battling various injuries in the minors. Just 12 games into his MLB career, Lewis suffered a season-ending ACL tear.
Lewis returned in May 2023 and appeared in just 58 games that season due to an oblique strain and later a hamstring strain. But when he was on the field in 2023, Lewis was arguably the best hitter in baseball, slashing .309/.372/.548 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. He put up big postseason numbers as well, posting a 1.119 OPS with four home runs over six games.
Since then, Lewis has not been able to shake the injury bug. He appeared in 82 games in 2024 and 106 in 2025. He has mostly been healthy this year, missing less than two weeks due to a knee sprain in April. However, he spent a few weeks in Triple-A St. Paul because of immense early-season struggles, which is why he has appeared in just 118 games with Minnesota this season.
It'd be a completely different story if Lewis performed well amid his injuries. Byron Buxton is often injured, but when he has been on the field, he has typically been an elite player. That's not the case for Lewis.
Royce Lewis has failed to live up to expectations after fantastic 2023 season
Since the start of the 2024 season, Lewis has hit just .231/.289/.402 (91 wRC+) over 306 games before last night's game against the Angels. This year, he has slashed an abysmal .226/.290/.380 in 480 plate appearances.
It would be tough for the Twins to move on from Lewis, considering what he did in 2023. Also, his value is at an all-time low, so Minnesota probably wouldn't get much in a trade for Lewis. Unfortunately, it may be time for the Twins to cut their losses on Lewis and hope to get a decent pitcher or prospect in return for the infielder this offseason.
If Minnesota had a weak farm system and lacked young, promising stars, the team would likely keep Lewis. However, the Twins have a very strong farm system and plenty of talented youngsters in the majors. With Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper in the big leagues, plus top prospects Marek Houston, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hendry Mendez and others in the minors, moving on from Lewis to give younger players playing time might be the best course of action for the Twins.
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