The Minnesota Twins finished the 2025 season with a 70-92 record, their worst since 2016, and few players on the roster felt the weight of that disappointing year more than third baseman Royce Lewis.

The former No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft is coming off a down season where he slashed just .237/.283/.388 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI and a .671 OPS across 106 games, which was actually a career high in games played despite two separate hamstring injuries that landed him on the injured list.

Now heading into 2026, Lewis is making some changes that he hopes will unlock the kind of player everyone knows he can be.

Speaking with Dan Hayes of The Athletic, Lewis opened up about hiring a private hitting coach for the first time in his career, a move that came after years of leaning on his father for guidance at the plate.

“I never had a private hitting coach. I always love listening to my dad, but I think I needed just a different voice just because he’s busy working. That’s a full-time job for my dad to call me every night and see what I’m doing. It just got to be a lot. … I added a new hitting coach so that we can work in conjunction with Keith and the new guys that we hired.”

Lewis connected with hitting coach Jeremy Isenhower, who came recommended by Bobby Witt Jr. and former Twins teammate Jorge Polanco, and the focus has been on building a more consistent and preset approach at the plate rather than relying purely on his natural talent and athleticism.

Lewis admitted that the adjustment felt strange at first, but he said he committed to the process because he knew his raw ability could only take him so far without the right mechanical foundation underneath it.

It is easy to look at the past two seasons and wonder if Lewis will ever become the superstar that everyone expected after his electric 2023 debut, when he posted a.313 average and 1.022 OPS in 18 games before earning AL Rookie of the Month honors.

But the Twins need him to figure it out now more than ever.

Lewis still averaged 29 home runs and 98 RBI per 162 games over his career, and his 19.9 percent strikeout rate in 2025 was actually a career best that showed improved plate discipline even during a rough year.

He also flashed his old form down the stretch by hitting .275 with a .461 slugging percentage over his final 102 at-bats while swiping 11 of his 12 stolen bases in September alone.

Beyond the hitting coach, Lewis has been working to strengthen his lower half this offseason and even started back squatting for the first time since 2018 or 2019 after switching to the workout plan recommended by his agent Scott Boras.

He has also made six trips to Houston to train alongside former teammate Carlos Correa and see how one of the game’s best professionals prepares for a season.

New manager Derek Shelton flew to Texas to meet Lewis in person shortly after being hired, and Lewis said the visit meant a lot to him because it gave him a sense of confidence and connection that he felt was missing last year under the previous coaching staff.

The Twins are building around a young core that includes Lewis, Byron Buxton, Brooks Lee and Luke Keaschall, and if Lewis can stay healthy and translate his offseason work into results, Minnesota could surprise people in the AL Central this year.

Lewis turns 27 in June and is entering the prime of his career, so if there was ever a time for him to put it all together, it is right now.