Royce Lewis Put in the Work This Offseason
There was a time that Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis was among the most exciting prospects in baseball, even topping out as a consensus top 10 MiLB talent back in 2019. Unfortunately, injuries have more synonymous with his career as big grand slams.
In 2025, Lewis posted a career-low 83 OPS+ while dealing with hamstring issues that cost him over 50 games. Still, the 106 games he did play was a career high for the former No. 1 overall draft pick.
Looking to combine better health with a comeback player of the year type season, Lewis made two significant changes to his offseason program, in order to give himself the best chance possible.
MN Twins star changes workout plan
Lewis started by switching agents back to the Scott Boras Corp, who convinced him into the switch, in part due to the history between Royce and baseball’s biggest power broker.
To address his swing issues, Royce Lewis then hired his own personal hitting coach for the first time. In order to strengthen his lower half, the 26-year-old added squats back into his workout regimen for the first time in nearly a decade.
“Boras, every time any injury or anything would come up, he’s like ‘I’m trying to tell you, you weren’t hurt when we were working with you,’ ” Lewis said. “He’s always been reeling me back. I made that transition, and it’s just more powerful, more explosive, more volume.”
Lewis hadn’t back squatted in years — since maybe 2018 or 2019, he estimated — but he incorporated that back into the routine. At first, his body was sore, and he said he was “hating” it. But then he realized the benefits of adding volume and stress to the body this winter in an attempt to avoid the muscle strains that have plagued him in recent seasons.
Another big change Lewis made was hiring a private hitting coach — aside from Twins hitting coaches, he had primarily been working with his father, William — to work with for the first time in his career. Lewis linked up with Jeremy Isenhower, who also works with Kansas City star Bobby Witt Jr. and former Twin Jorge Polanco, this winter.
Royce Lewis – Star Tribune
Should Lewis return to full-health, there’s no reason he can’t return to the high-level contributor he was pre 2024. As the Minnesota Twins’ everyday third baseman last season, Royce slashed a miserable .237/.283/.388 (.671 OPS).
That’s a far cry from what he did in limited action (70 games) as a rookie between 2022 and 2023, when Royce Lewis slashed .307/.364/.549 (.913 OPS), quickly cementing himself as one of the most important players in the big league lineup.
Royce Lewis hires hitting coach preparing for MN Twins rebound
If the Minnesota Twins are going to be good, it will be thanks to the offense and bullpen exceeding expectations, while the starting rotation simultaneously meets them.
In order for the offense to fulfill its side of the bargain, youngsters like Royce Lewis need to hit the ground running down in Fort Myers. Talking to Dan Hayes (The Athletic), Lewis went beyond hiring a hitting coach and strengthening his lower half this offseason.
After years of receiving criticism from Carlos Correa over his work habits, Royce faced his former teammate head-on this winter — meeting with Correa multiple times down in Houston, to see how a “real” MLB professional works at his craft.
Perhaps even more surprising than hiring a hitting coach, Lewis said he stayed at the home of former teammate Carlos Correa every time he traveled to Houston. Lewis made six trips to Houston during the offseason and hung out with Correa, who was critical of the work habits of Lewis and other young Twins players in 2024.
“This offseason was my favorite,” Lewis said. “I got to hang out with Carlos Correa again and his kids. We played a lot of Mario Kart. He makes the best food of all time. I’ve got to put that on the record. He’s the best chef.”
The Athletic
Royce Lewis remains is under Minnesota Twins control for another three years. If the changes made this offseason translate to regular season success, fans should expected something closer to what we came to expect from the former top pick during his first two years in the league, not the guy he’s been since.
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