Twins third baseman Royce Lewis had a strong start to the season, slashing .222/.378/.444 (133 wRC+) with two homers, two doubles, eight RBI and two stolen bases in 45 plate appearances over his first 12 games before being placed on the injured list with a left knee sprain on April 11. Unfortunately, Lewis has cooled down significantly upon being activated from the IL on April 21. In five games after returning from the IL, Lewis has collected just three hits and no walks in 20 plate appearances with an awful 40% strikeout rate. Because of the third baseman's struggles, manager Derek Shelton left Lewis, who is hitting .196/.308/.393 with a 96 wRC+ this year, out of the lineup for the Twins' 11-4 win against the Seattle Mariners on Monday.
It's become a pattern where Lewis gets hot, suffers an injury and then struggles after being reinstated from the injured list. The third baseman missed Minnesota's first 35 games last season after suffering a left hamstring strain in spring training. Upon returning from his spring injury last year, Lewis posted an awful .130/.200/.203 slash line in 75 plate appearances during May. He heated up in June, hitting .367/.457/.533 in 35 plate appearances over 10 games before suffering another left hamstring strain. Lewis returned on July 1 and hit .249/.283/.419 with a 92 wRC+ in 293 plate appearances throughout the rest of the year.
Twins 3B Royce Lewis needs to turn things around fast
Lewis, 26, has plenty of time to turn things around this season, but his pattern of struggling after returning from injuries is becoming worrisome. Additionally, Lewis has arguably been the worst defensive third baseman in MLB this season, ranking last among third basemen in Outs Above Average (-6) while being tied for fifth-worst at the position in Defensive Runs Saved (-3).
The Twins' brass and fans shouldn't be ready to give up on Lewis just yet. We all know how good he can be when he's at his best. In 2023, the 2017 first overall pick slashed .309/.372/.548 with a 152 wRC+ over 58 games. But since then, he's hit just .234/.288/.421 with a 95 wRC+ in 742 plate appearances amid multiple IL stints. While Lewis has time to prove he can be as good as he was in 2023, he needs to improve quickly. If Lewis has another below-average season this year, Minnesota may consider having someone else play third base for the team in 2027.
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