MINNEAPOLIS — Royce Lewis, the third baseman for the Minnesota Twins, is set to start a rehabilitation stint with Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, following a two-week recovery from a left hamstring strain.
Manager Rocco Baldelli announced Thursday, before the Twins faced off against Seattle, that Lewis will serve as the designated hitter for the Saints initially. Lewis suffered the injury while sprinting to first base during a game in Houston on June 13 — an injury similar but less severe than the one he encountered during spring training, which caused him to miss the opening 35 games of the season.
“I believe he’s doing well at the moment,” Baldelli shared. “This is pretty much what we were aiming for when the injury first occurred.”
Selected as the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, Lewis had a challenging year last season, appearing in only 82 games due to a significant quadriceps strain from running the bases during the opener, and later, a groin injury. The preceding two years involved back-to-back ACL surgeries, further limiting his playing time.
Since his major league debut in 2022, Lewis has participated in merely 182 regular-season games. This season, he has faced struggles, possibly due to the interruption, reflected in his batting average of just .202, an on-base plus slugging (OPS) of .585, and tallying two home runs in 30 games. Notably, he endured a hitless streak of 32 consecutive at-bats between May 19 to June 3.