The Twins are staring at an uncomfortable offseason question: what to do with Royce Lewis.
That question exists because Lewis still carries the memory of 2023, when he looked every bit like the star Minnesota had hoped for when it took him first overall in 2017. But the last three seasons have painted a much harsher picture, and the gap between that peak and everything since has become impossible to ignore.
Lewis made his MLB debut in 2022 after working through a string of injuries in the minors, and his first big-league season ended almost immediately. Just 12 games into his career, he tore his ACL and was done for the year.
He returned in May 2023 and, when healthy, was sensational. Lewis appeared in only 58 games that season because of an oblique strain and later a hamstring strain, but he still hit .309/.372/.548 with 15 home runs and 52 RBI. In the postseason, he was even louder, putting up a 1.119 OPS with four home runs over six games.
Since then, though, the production hasn’t held up. Lewis played in 82 games in 2024 and 106 in 2025, and while he has mostly stayed on the field this year, he missed less than two weeks with a knee sprain in April and then spent a few weeks in Triple-A St.
Paul after a brutal start. That’s part of why he has appeared in just 118 games for Minnesota this season.
The bigger issue is that the injuries have been paired with below-average offense. Since the start of the 2024 season, Lewis has hit just .231/.289/.402, good for a 91 wRC+, before last night’s game against the Angels. This year, he has posted a .226/.290/.380 line in 480 plate appearances.
That makes the decision so tricky. If Lewis were producing at a high level when healthy, this would feel a lot more like Byron Buxton, whose injury history is well known but whose impact has often been elite when he plays. Lewis hasn’t given the Twins that kind of payoff.
His value is also at its lowest point, which makes a trade return uncertain. Still, the idea now is that Minnesota may have to cut its losses and see whether it can land a decent pitcher or prospect for the infielder this offseason.
The Twins might be more inclined to hold on if the organization were short on young talent. But that’s not the situation here. Minnesota has a strong farm system and a wave of promising players already in the pipeline and on the roster, including Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper in the big leagues, along with prospects Marek Houston, Gabriel Gonzalez, Hendry Mendez and others in the minors.
With that kind of depth, giving younger players a chance may be the path that makes the most sense if the Twins decide Royce Lewis is no longer part of the long-term answer.
In Other News...
Connor Prielipp Just Gave The Twins A New Pitching Question
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Twins Suddenly Face A Bigger Derek Shelton Question Than Expected
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Derek Shelton is now part of that conversation in a way the Twins probably did not expect when they brought him in for his first season in Minnesota. The former Pirates manager arrived with a long track record but still no winning record in seven years as a big league skipper, and the way this team has stumbled since the deadline has only sharpened the focus on whether he can be the one to steady it when the pressure rises. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Prospects Are Giving Minnesota A Reason To Dream Again
For a club looking for a clearer path back into contention, the Twins next wave is starting to look like more than a distant idea. Shortstop Marek Houston has been one of the most encouraging names in the system, handling Double-A with the kind of all-around production that can change the tone around a farm system, while catcher Khadim Diaw and outfielder Hendry Mendez have also kept their stock moving in the right direction.
None of that guarantees an immediate impact, but it does give Minnesota something it has needed more of lately: believable upside. Houston, Diaw and Mendez are the kind of prospects who could spend the start of 2027 at Triple-A and still leave open the possibility of reaching the majors soon after, which is enough to make a rebuilding stretch feel a little less empty for Twins fans watching from afar. [Read more 🡒]