The Twins made a difficult, but necessary choice.
The Minnesota Twins have tried to make things work with Royce Lewis, but he's unplayable right now. That's why they sent the 26-year-old to Triple-A on Tuesday, per The Athletic's Dan Hayes.
Lewis is slashing just .163/.261/.279 with three homers and 13 RBIs over 31 games and hasn't had a two-hit game since April 8. The 6-foot, 200-pounder is also slashing just .105/.186/.132 in May.
This was a critical year for Lewis entering the season, as he had yet to prove himself since Minnesota drafted him No. 1 overall in 2017. The California native showed flashes, such as when he logged a .921 OPS across 58 games in 2023 and a .747 OPS across 82 games in 2024, but he's never been productive over a full season.
The oft-injured Lewis played a career-high 106 games last year, but slashed just .237/.283/.388 with 13 homers and 52 RBIs. Now, the veteran's future with the Twins is in question.
Twins Continue to Hold Players Accountable
Minnesota Twins right fielder Matt Wallner (38). © Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn ImagesThis isn't the first time that Minnesota has sent down a struggling veteran this season. The club optioned right fielder Matt Wallner to Triple-A on Thursday, who's slashing just .167/.259/.292 with four homers and 10 RBIs over 34 big-league games. He was the club's opening day starter in right, but he's been outplayed by fellow outfielder Austin Martin (.303/.425/.387).
The Twins selected Wallner No. 39 overall in the 2019 draft, so this was another situation where they didn't show favoritism to a drafted player. It's not easy for an organization to demote players that it has developed for years, but Minnesota can't wait forever for struggling hitters to get out of slumps.
That's why Martin is now the everyday right fielder, and third baseman Tristan Gray will likely get more reps at the hot corner. The 30-year-old is slashing .236/.282/.375 with three homers and 14 RBIs over 24 games.
Meanwhile, Minnesota also purchased the contract of veteran infielder Orlando Arcia, who has yet to play a big-league game this season. However, the 31-year-old is slashing .318/.376/.556 with eight homers and 27 RBIs over 39 games for the club's Triple-A affiliate. He also has a career big-league slash line of .239/.292/.369 with 90 homers and 347 RBIs since debuting in 2016.
Up next for the Twins is a home rematch with the Houston Astros at 7:40 p.m. ET on Tuesday. They won the series opener 6-3 on Monday.
