Lewis went 1-for-4 with a solo homer in Sunday's 5-2 loss to the Brewers.
The Minnesota third baseman smacked a 417-foot solo shot off Milwaukee starter Freddy Peralta in the fourth inning for his 33rd career homer. Perhaps this performance will break Lewis out of his recent funk. He entered this contest amidst a cold spell, slashing just .200/.263/.229 across 38 plate appearances since returning from a left hamstring strain May 6.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: On bench for second game of day
Rotowire
Lewis is out of the lineup for the second game of Wednesday's doubleheader with the Orioles.
Lewis is just over a week removed from returning from a long stint on the injured list due to a hamstring strain, so the Twins are seemingly just giving him some rest in the second half of the twin bill. He started at third base in the Twins' 6-3 win in Game 1, going 0-for-4 with two strikeouts.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Breaks out of slump
Rotowire
Lewis went 2-for-5 with an RBI in Sunday's 7-6 win over San Francisco. He ended an 0-for-13 slump to begin the season.
Lewis slumped at the end of last season as well, so he was 0-for-36 since last September before Sunday. Lewis missed the team's first 35 games after suffering a strained hamstring late in spring training. He may finally be shaking off the rust with Sunday's performance.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Out of lineup Friday
Rotowire
Lewis is not in the lineup for Friday's game against the Giants.
Lewis made his season debut Tuesday and started all three games against the Orioles, going 0-for-9 with one strikeout and one walk. He'll get a breather against Giants right-hander Jordan Hicks. Brooks Lee is making the start at third base and batting in the cleanup spot for Minnesota.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Batting fifth in season debut
Rotowire
Lewis will start at designated hitter and bat fifth in Tuesday's game against the Orioles.
It's the season debut for Lewis, who was shelved for nearly six weeks with a strained left hamstring. Lewis is likely to play third base primarily, but he's in the DH spot Tuesday and could be there on occasion as the Twins ease him back into action. Jonah Bride is playing third base for the Twins in the series opener.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Expected to return Tuesday
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) is expected to be activated from the 10-day injured list Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lewis went 4-for-23 with no walks and six strikeouts in six rehab games with Triple-A St. Paul. He played the last three of those contests at third base and looks like he'll be ready to handle a full nine-inning game defensively, though the Twins could also occasionally use Lewis at designated hitter while easing him back into the mix after he suffered a moderate left hamstring strain late in spring training. Lewis is poised to make his season debut in Tuesday's series opener versus the Orioles.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Likely to return May 6
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) is likely to be activated from the 10-day injured list when the Twins begin a homestand May 6, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Lewis will play 10 innings at designated hitter during Triple-A St. Paul's doubleheader Tuesday as he continues his rehab assignment. He'll then play a full game at third base Wednesday. While Lewis is "potentially an option" to be activated Friday in Boston, Hayes relays that it's "likelier" Lewis will remain on his rehab assignment through the weekend before making his season debut for the Twins on May 6. The infielder has been working his way back from a strained left hamstring.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Gets hit in first rehab game
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) went 1-for-3 with a double and played third base in his first rehab game Friday for Triple-A St. Paul. He's not expected to play Saturday as the Twins ease him into action, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Lewis won't be activated from the injured list until he is able to play on consecutive days, according to the report, which means he likely won't return before a homestand that begins May 6. Lewis suffered the left hamstring strain March 16 while running to first base.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Cleared to begin rehab assignment
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Friday, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lewis has been ramping up his running this week and didn't encounter any setbacks, so he's been cleared to test out his left hamstring in game action. It's not clear how many rehab contests Lewis will need before being activated from the IL, but he's missed over a month of action, so it will likely be more than a few games.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Ramping up rehab
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) did some sprints Monday and ran the bases again Tuesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lewis is coming along well in his recovery from a left hamstring strain and would appear close to a rehab assignment, although the Twins haven't revealed a timetable for that yet. He's been sidelined since mid-March, so Lewis will likely require more than just a few rehab games.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Doing some light baserunning
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) will do some light baserunning Thursday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
While he won't be running full-bore, this appears to be the first time Lewis has run the bases since he suffered a strained left hamstring in mid-March. Lewis has also taken on-field batting practice and gone through defensive drills this week, so he is making clear progress. That said, it's uncertain when he will be ready for a rehab assignment, so a target for his return to the Twins' lineup remains up in the air.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Begins baseball activities
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) has taken on-field batting practice since Thursday and fielded groundballs in defensive drills Monday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lewis is demonstrating some signs of progress since he suffered a left hamstring strain March 16. It's not clear when he may begin a rehab assignment, but he could be on track to return from the 10-day injured list in early May.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Weeks away from rehab assignment
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) is likely three weeks away from being cleared to begin a rehab assignment, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lewis was officially given the green light to start a running progression Saturday, but he's not yet close to ramping up his baseball activity or seeing live action. Even so, he's been encouraged by the process he's seen thus far in his rehab. "Any time they let me do something more, it's always pretty good," said Lewis. "I'll probably run three days in a row, take a break, then try to get on the bases. It's a long progression." Lewis suffered the left hamstring strain March 16 while running to first base and will presumably need at least a few games in the minors before the club considers activating him from the 10-day injured list.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Sidelined with moderate strain
Rotowire
The Twins announced Monday that Lewis has been ruled out for Opening Day after an MRI confirmed that he sustained a moderate left hamstring strain during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Minnesota has yet to establish a firm timeline for Lewis' return, but since moderate hamstring strains typically entail a multi-week recovery, the 25-year-old third baseman is a safe bet to begin the season on the injured list. On a positive note, Lewis told Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune that the soft-tissue injury is "not even close" to being as severe as the quadricep injury he sustained Opening Day of last season, which resulted in him being sidelined for just over two months. Brooks Lee drew the start at third base in Monday's spring game against the Pirates and appears to be leading candidate to serve as the primary option at the hot corner until Lewis is ready to make his 2025 debut.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Set to begin season on IL
Rotowire
Lewis (hamstring) is expected to begin the season on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lewis strained his left hamstring strain while running to first base Sunday in the Twins' 6-5 loss to the Red Sox in Grapefruit League play Monday. He's scheduled to undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the severity of the injury, but he could be out for much of April. He suffered another soft-tissue injury -- a right quadricep strain -- on Opening Day last season and ended up missing 58 games.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Settles with Minnesota
Rotowire
The Twins and Lewis avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.625 million contract Thursday, Darren Wolfson of Channel 5 Saint Paul reports.
Lewis was in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The talented infielder slashed a disappointing .233/.295/.452 with 16 home runs over 82 games in an injury-shortened 2024 campaign.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Could see more action at keystone
Rotowire
Lewis could be used more at second base next season, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports.
Lewis made one start at the keystone for the Twins in September, his first there at the major-league level. The 25-year-old has graded out well in terms of range at third base but has struggled with his throwing, so second base could be a better fit. How much time Lewis ultimately spends at second base in 2025 might depend on how the Minnesota roster shakes out over the winter.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Starting at second base Wednesday
Rotowire
Lewis will start at second base and bat second in Wednesday's game versus the Rays.
Lewis played a few innings at second base earlier this week, but this will be his first-ever start at the position at the major-league level. He made one start there at Double-A Pensacola in 2019 and later that year in the Arizona Fall League handled the position on four occasions. Lewis' throwing has been an issue at times from third base, so it's possible second base will be a better fit for him. Whether he will move there on a full-time basis this month isn't clear.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Provides clutch three-run homer
Rotowire
Lewis went 1-for-3 with a three-run home run and a walk in Sunday's 4-3 win over the Blue Jays.
Lewis had the Twins only extra-base hit of the afternoon, taking Chad Green deep in the eighth to give Minnesota a one-run lead. The home run was Lewis' first since Aug. 12, and Sunday marked his first game reaching base multiple times since then. Perhaps more noteworthy than Lewis' breakthrough performance at the plate was the fact that he played three innings at second base, where he could see more exposure in September as Minnesota looks to see where he and rookie infielder Brooks Lee fit best defensively alongside shortstop Carlos Correa (heel). Though Lewis has met expectations at the plate with an .879 OPS, he's struggled with throwing errors at third base. Lee possesses better arm strength and could be a preferable option at the hot corner to Lewis, whose throwing issues would be a lesser concern at second base.
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Twins' Royce Lewis: Receiving Sunday off
Rotowire
Lewis is out of the lineup for Sunday's game against the Cardinals.
Lewis will sit Sunday after a run of five straight starts, during which he went 4-for-19 with three RBI, three runs and seven strikeouts. Jose Miranda will handle the hot corner and bat third in the series finale versus St. Louis.
