The Minnesota Twins don't have any young stars, but third baseman Royce Lewis has shown promise.  The 26-year-old has struggled with injuries throughout his career, and this spring training is no different.

The Twins scratched Lewis from Thursday's matchup with the Pittsburgh Pirates due to right side tightness, per The Athletic's Dan Hayes. Luckily for them, the 6-foot, 200-pounder's MRI came back clean on Friday, per Hayes.

Lewis is coming off a down season, as he slashed .237/.283/.388 with 13 homers and 52 RBIs over 106 games in 2025. However, it was the first time the California native played more than 100 games in a year since breaking into the big leagues in 2022.

This is a critical campaign for Lewis, so it's a good sign that he's avoided a serious injury for now. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick has yet to live up to his draft status, and he has to take the next step at some point.

Lewis showed flashes in 2023, as he slashed .309/.372/.550 with 15 homers and 52 RBIs over 58 games. But his slash line dripped to .233/.295/.452 over 82 contests the following year, and his WAR went from 2.4 to 0.7.

Injuries have played a role in Lewis' struggles. The right-handed hitter tore the ACL in his right knee in February 2021 before re-tearing it in May 2022 and straining his quad in March 2024. He also missed time with oblique and hamstring strains in 2023 and had a hamstring strain in 2025.

Despite those issues, Lewis is still tied with Twins legend Kirby Puckett for the most home runs in one postseason in franchise history (four). He accomplished that feat in 2023, as he hit homers in his first two at-bats during Game 1 of the AL Wild Card Series and hit his fourth in Game 4 of the AL Division Series. Minnesota lost that series to the Houston Astros in four games, and it hasn't returned to the playoffs since.

The organization won't be able to evaluate Lewis fully until he puts together a complete season. If he develops into the star he was drafted to be, the team could rebuild around him moving forward, as he's under team control through 2028.

The Twins are playing the New York Yankees on Friday, and they'll finish out their February slate against the Boston Red Sox on Saturday. After that, they'll play the Atlanta Braves on Sunday before an off day on Monday.