Royce Lewis Begins Road Back to Twins Lineup
The Minnesota Twins have raced out to a surprising 11-9 start this season. While there was plenty of reason for pessimism, they have played competent baseball through 20 games this season, which is a much better start than anyone expected..
One key piece of their early season success has been the bat of Royce Lewis. The Twins needed the 2023 version (149 OPS+) to return, and early indications were positive. Unfortunately, a knee injury put him on the shelf just 12 games in, but after a week out, it appears Lewis is on his way back to the big league lineup.
Rehab assignment moves Royce Lewis closer to MN Twins return
Royce Lewis was placed on the 10-day injured list with a grade one lateral collateral ligament strain back on April 10, and the Minnesota Twins suggested at the time that his downtime would be brief.
Lewis put in a full workout before the Twins played the Reds on Friday. And now, he’s due to be assessed again Saturday morning, before starting a rehab assignment in St. Paul later the same day.
Royce Lewis is scheduled to begin a rehab assignment tomorrow with the Saints. Lewis is expected to DH #MNTwins
— Pierre Noujaim (@TheNoujFOX9) April 18, 2026
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Entering Friday’s game, the Twins have gone 4-2 without Lewis in the lineup. He will be welcomed back with open arms when first eligible however, as he is a sizable upgrade over either Ryan Kreidler or Tristan Gray.
The expectation should be that Lewis will play in back-to-back contests for the Saints on Saturday and Sunday. That would give both the player and team some peace of mind prior to bringing him on the Twins road trip that starts in New York on Tuesday.
Was Lewis any good before his injury?
Through his first 12 games this season, Lewis has batted .222 with a .822 OPS, homering twice, with just 12 strikeouts and 8 walks. Lewis owns a career 7.8% walk rate, and carried just a 6.2% tall last season. This year he’s rocking a 17.8% number.
If Lewis can keep up this plate approach, there should be no reason why he can’t return to the high levels of production we saw from him while launching grand slams in droves. The defense remains a work in progress, and more lower body injuries aren’t going to help that.
Both Lewis and the team have to be hoping this is his only trip to the injured list this season. Last year he played in a career-high 106 games. It’s because of his desire for consistency this year that he gave into the idea of a quick downtime rather than playing through the latest malady.
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