The Minnesota Twins had planned to give away Royce Lewis replica jerseys to the first 10,000 fans at the June 6 game against the Kansas City Royals. Because Lewis was optioned to Triple-A St. Paul one week ago, the Twins are now giving away Byron Buxton t-shirts instead.
The @Twins quietly disappeared the Royce Lewis Replica Jersey giveaway courtesy of Sheboygan Sausage Company scheduled for June 6 and replaced it with a Byron Buxton t-shirt. pic.twitter.com/Tsn23mRkX5
— Mostly MN ⚾️ Ph.D., CPA, CFP, RN, DC (@mostlyminnesota) May 25, 2026
Obviously, the promotional change isn't surprising. It'd be pretty awkward to give away replica jerseys of a player who was recently demoted to the minors. The Twins optioned Lewis to Triple-A after the third baseman posted a poor .163/.261/.279 (55 wRC+) slash line across 119 plate appearances and -2 Outs Above Average across 270 innings this season.
Minnesota did a good job with its replacement for the Lewis replica jersey giveaway. You can never go wrong with a Buxton shirt, and this one in particular looks pretty sweet.
Let's hope Twins will give away Lewis jerseys in future
Hopefully, there will be a Lewis giveaway at Target Field in the future. The 2017 first overall pick has had a strong start to his Triple-A stint, going 6-for-16 with four homers, two walks and five RBI. The level of pitching is much different in the minors than the majors, but it's a good sign to see Lewis start his Triple-A stint strong nonetheless.
For there to be a Lewis replica jersey giveaway at Target Field in the future, Lewis will need to return to the big leagues and live up to his potential. That possibility seems pretty low at the moment, but it could certainly occur. While Lewis has slashed just .225/.285/.398 (89 wRC+) over 847 MLB plate appearances and has recorded -5 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) since 2024, the third baseman showed he can be a star in the majors in 2023. During his rookie season (2023), Lewis hit .309/.372/.548 (152 wRC+) with 15 homers, 52 RBI and 2 DRS.
Lewis will have to do a lot to prove he can be the star we all thought he would become after his outstanding 2023 season. His recent strong stretch in the minors is a good start, but he'll have to keep hitting well with the Saints, then carry that success into the majors if he wants his name on replica jersey giveaways in the future.
Fans can watch Lewis play in his next game with St. Paul on the road against the Louisville Bats at 5:35 p.m. CDT on Tuesday. The game will be available to stream on Bally Sports Live and MiLB.TV.
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