Twins, Royce Lewis Preparing for Another Position Change

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Royce Lewis, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

Last season Royce Lewis wasn’t a fan of being shuffled around the diamond. Still, he begrudgingly made the move, at least a couple times, during the Minnesota Twins’ failed attempt to stay afloat in the 2024 American League playoff race.

But at least for now, given how the Twins’ roster is currently constructed, the Twins and Lewis are both preparing yet another position change for 2025, manager Rocco Baldelli revealed on Tuesday.

Last summer, when the Minnesota Twins toyed with the idea of moving Royce Lewis to second base, the timing was weird, and he wasn’t allowed requisite time to learn the position. A move this offseason, however, would allow the 25-year-old blossoming young star part of the offseason, and an entire spring training to prepare.

Remember, this isn’t the first position change of Lewis’ early MLB career. He has played a shortstop for almost his entire life, until just a couple of years ago when he shifted to third base, after Correa re-signed as the team’s long-term answer at shortstop.

Rocco Baldelli discusses possible Royce Lewis position change

Prior to that, he had a disaster experiment trying to fill a void for the Minnesota Twins in center field. Without a doubt, Royce Lewis has the talent to play just about anywhere, which Baldelli addressed on Tuesday, while discussing the likelihood that he’ll swap defensive infield spots with media at the MLB Winter Meetings, in Dallas.

“I’ve said before, I think he can handle it. If he has time to prepare and has time to get ready for this, if he has a second-half of an offseason and spring training to get ready, he has the skillset and ability to handle that. I have very little doubt that he could do that.”

“Royce actually said he’s been taking balls on both sides of second base. That tells you a little bit about where his head is. He’s like, ‘yeah, I’ve been getting a little work done at second just in case.’ We’ll make that decision when we see what our roster overall is going to look like. It’s hard to say anything about where Royce will ultimately fall. I’d like to figure that out sooner than later and I’m sure he would too. At this point in the offseason, we probably can’t answer that question quite yet.”

Rocco Baldelli on Royce Lewis playing second base (KSTP)

Last season Royce Lewis came out like a fireball for the Twins. He homered in his first at bat of the season, but then hit the injured list rounding second base during his next at bat. He finished with just a 107 OPS+ and played in only 82 games.

Move to 2nd base makes sense for Lewis and the Minnesota Twins

Minnesota would love to see Lewis on the field more. Of course it was the starts and stops that kept him from a level of continuity. His .233/.295/.452 slash line left plenty to be desired, and even the 16 home runs weren’t enough to prop it up.

There’s a possibility that second base offers a greater level of stability on his feet. Lewis was worth -2 DRS (defensive runs saved) at the hot corner last year, and while he posted a 2 OAA (outs above average), second base is substantially less demanding.

Lewis will turn 26 in 2025. Minnesota needs to find a way to keep him on the field, productive, and healthy in all facets. A move to second base could facilitate that, and it would also provide a level of roster flexibility that a team strapped for cash could use. Brooks Lee and Jose Miranda are both better fits at 3B.

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It’s a good sign that Lewis is already presumably open to the idea. Knowing the talented infielder, he wants to play and produce. It doesn’t matter where that comes from, and the Twins will be better for it.

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