Jeremy Zoll Hints at New Position for Royce Lewis in 2027

A few weeks ago, it looked like first base was the only real home left for first baseman Royce Lewis, but Minnesota Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll gave a different answer at the GM Meetings in Las Vegas this week.

Lewis had a tough 2026 season, hitting .227 with 15 home runs, 57 RBIs and a .667 OPS over 125 games.

He opened the year as the starting third baseman until a slump got him sent down to Triple-A St. Paul on May 19, and by the time he came back on June 6, the Twins had moved third baseman Brooks Lee over there, so Lewis ended up playing 82 games at first base, 40 at third and 16 at second.

Asked about Lewis on Tuesday, Zoll pointed to how rushed the move to the right side of the infield was.

"It was a little bit clunky last year doing the right side of the infield on the fly in a very brief amount of time in St. Paul before trying to do it at the Major League level," Zoll said in Las Vegas. "If [Lewis] gets more time at second base, that's probably somewhere that could really suit him over the medium term."

He added that Lewis is athletic enough to handle different spots and that the right answer will be whatever helps the team most.

That is a change from late October, when MLB.com's Matthew Leach wrote that first base was really the only position left for Lewis.

Putting Lewis at second would push second baseman Kody Clemens somewhere else.

Clemens led the Twins with 27 home runs and posted a .758 OPS while playing 72 games at second and 52 at first, and his big season even led to a major award nomination.

Clemens could move to first base or become a super-utility player, and that second option would let the Twins add an impact bat at first, which makes a lot of sense to me.

Minnesota is already losing offense with catcher Ryan Jeffers and designated hitter Josh Bell becoming free agents, and Zoll admitted that is a real loss for the lineup, even with young players expected to take steps forward.

Scoring was not the main problem last year, since Minnesota tied the New York Yankees for the second-most runs in the American League with 739, but keeping that up without Jeffers and Bell will take a new bat.

Moving Lewis would open first base for a power hitter, and there are first basemen worth a look this winter.

If the Lewis plan does not work out, the Twins could also go after a veteran glove at second base.

Minnesota finished 77-85 and third in the AL Central, eight games behind Cleveland, so small changes will not be enough.

I like this plan because it gives Lewis a full spring to learn one new spot instead of picking it up in the middle of the season, and at 27, he is too talented to give up on.