The injuries to their starting rotation notwithstanding, the biggest concern facing the Minnesota Twins as the season developed was Royce Lewis' inability to return to form. Since the second half of the 2024 season, Lewis' offensive slump has been a topic of conversation. It also seemed that the' struggles of Lewis were beginning to reach a boiling point, as Brooks Lee was starting to get an extended run at third base. While the Twins are still looking for stability in their rotation, Lewis is finally showing signs of life offensively.
While originally not in the Twins' starting lineup for their 6-3 victory over the Toronto Blue Jays on Sunday, Lewis was excellent after coming into the game as a pinch hitter for Kody Clemens. Lewis went 2-for-2 with a walk and a run scored.
Lewis' success on Sunday afternoon spoke to an offensive turnaround he has seen since the calendar flipped to June. In 23 plate appearances this month, Lewis is slashing .389/.522/.500/200wRC+ with two doubles. A small sample size, sure, but Lewis' hot start to the month can be a building block for him to turn his season around.
Twins' Royce Lewis appears to be breaking out devastating offensive slump
Even after his hot start to June, Lewis still has a way to go before his output on the season garners much respect. Entering play on Monday, Lewis is slashing .184/.276/.264/58wRC+ with one home run. Still, there is reason to believe something has clicked for the former Twins' top prospect. That something appears to be his selectiveness, as Lewis has demonstrated a level of pitcher awareness over the past week that he hasn't shown previously this season. The awareness from Lewis has led to his swing mechanics improving, as Twins' hitting coach Matt Borgschulte highlighted last week while speaking with Matthew Leach of MLB.com.
"Staying grounded in his legs. Getting back to the step where he’s kind of in rhythm with it. I’m excited to see how things progress. All we can do is continue to put in good work and hope that the results will continue to get better. With a guy with that much talent, it’s just a matter of time before things start going his way," Borgschulte told Leach.
The better results are beginning to appear for Lewis, and that is an encouraging sign for what the rest of the season may hold for the Twins' third baseman. The Twins' rotation has been decimated with injuries over the last week, and if they want to remain in contention, Lewis will be a big reason why. Hopefully, he can hopefully provide stability to their offense.