The 2017 No. 1 overall pick hasn't been up to par this season.
The Minnesota Twins won 4-2 against the Detroit Tigers on Tuesday, but third baseman Royce Lewis had another quiet night at the plate. The 26-year-old went 0-for-3 with a walk, and he has just three hits over six games in April.
This is a critical season for Lewis, as he needs to prove that he can stay healthy and effective for an entire season. The first time that the 6-foot, 200-pounder played 100-plus games in a year was in 2025, but he hit just .237 with a .671 OPS. He logged a .921 OPS in 2023 and a .747 mark in 2024, but he played just 58 and 82 games, respectively.
Lewis is healthy at the moment, but he's hitting just .172 over 11 games to start the campaign. Although the California native has shown resilience coming back from injury, that's not enough for him to be Minnesota's long-term third baseman.
Royce Lewis Could Become a 'What If' Story
Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23). © Jordan Johnson-Imagn ImagesLewis tore his right ACL in February 2021, when he was still a minor-league player. He then re-tore the ACL just weeks after making his MLB debut in May 2022, and he didn't return until May 2023. He also missed time with hamstring and quad injuries over the last couple years.
All of that adversity threw off Lewis's development, as he was MVP of the Midwest League (A-ball) in 2018 and made the 2019 All-Star Futures Game. The 2017 No. 1 overall pick was also the 2019 Arizona Fall League MVP before not playing in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lewis looked like he could've been the Twins' next star at that point, but injuries threw a wrench in that. Regardless, he needs to at least prove that he can be average or better while also staying healthy, or else his career could be defined as a player who never lived up to his potential.
On the bright side, Lewis has a .799 OPS with two homers and six RBIs. He hit both homers in the first series of the season against the Baltimore Orioles, but he does have three RBIs in April thus far.
A sign that Minnesota may not be confident in Lewis right now is his placement in the batting order. He's hit seventh or eighth whenever he's played, while 23-year-old second baseman Luke Keaschall has consistently hit third or fourth. It'll take a stark turnaround for Lewis to change that setup.
The Twins are now 5-6 after Tuesday's win. Up next is another home matchup with the Tiers at 7:40 p.m. ET on Wednesday.