Twins receive another brutal blow as Royce Lewis leaves with injury in loss to Astros

Minnesota Twins v Athletics
Minnesota Twins v Athletics | Justine Willard/Athletics/GettyImages

Royce Lewis leaves with injury in loss to Astros

The Twins were blown out again in their series opener against the Houston Astros on Friday, but perhaps the bigger news coming out of the game is that Royce Lewis left with a hamstring injury in the ninth inning. After homering earlier in the game, Lewis singled to left field in the ninth inning but pulled up to first base limping and was promptly removed from the game for a pinch runner before heading straight to the clubhouse.

Rocco Baldelli said after the game that Lewis suffered "a left hamstring strain of some kind," which, of course, is the same hamstring that he missed the first 35 games of the season with an injury to. Rocco also said that Royce "tested relatively well after the game upon examination in the training room," which seems like a positive takeaway from an unfortunate situation. It remains to be seen whether or not an IL stint will be necessary.

Lewis has seen an offensive uptick recently after struggling to start his season, slashing .429/.500/.619 in his last seven games with three walks and just two strikeouts. For the majority of his career to this point, though, staying healthy has been more of a challenge than seeing good offensive results.

If Lewis is placed on the injured list, there are a number of options on the 40-man roster to replace him on the active roster. These options include Mickey Gasper, Edouard Julien, Jose Miranda, Ryan Fitzgerald, DaShawn Keirsey Jr. and Carson McCusker. We can expect an update on the status of Lewis' injury in the coming days and can only hope for the best.