Royce Lewis (2) Minnesota Twins Prospect - Minda Haas Kuhlmann/Creative Commons
Royce Lewis has seen his professional baseball career go from incredible highs to devastating lows. He has been ranked as not only the top Minnesota Twins prospect but also one of the top five prospects in all of baseball. He has also seen two seasons destroyed by knee injuries and another by a worldwide pandemic. His is a story of grit, determination, talent, and perseverance.
And the Twins organization has stood by their budding star through all of the travails of his career. Royce in turn has dedicated himself to recover from all of these pitfalls and become an even better player. He is now on the precipice of displaying his skills once again at the highest level of the sport. But first, here’s a little background on Royce Lewis.
Royce Lewis Starts His Professional Career
After batting .377 as a senior at Junipero Serra Catholic High School in San Juan Capistrano, CA., Lewis was named the 2017 Gatorade Player of the Year in California. Rated as a top ten prospect by most baseball experts, the Twins surprised many observers by selecting Lewis number one overall in the 2017 Amateur Draft. A five-tool guy, the Twins were excited about watching the young shortstop develop in their system.
Lewis hit the ground running in his first year in the pros. He started with the Gulf Coast League Twins, where he proceeded to hit a home run in his first professional at-bat. His stay with the GCL Twins was a short one as he tore up the league with 3 home runs, 15 stolen bases, 17 RBIs, and 38 runs scored in 36 games. He then received a one-way ticket up to the Cedar Rapids Kernels of the Midwest League.
Tears Up the Midwest League
In 18 games with the Kernels, he scored 16 runs, drove in 10, and had a batting average of .296. At the culmination of the season, Lewis was named a Rookie All-Star by Baseball America. He was showing all of the promise that the Twins had envisioned from their number-one pick.
Royce Lewis continued his rise through the Twins’ minor league ranks with a standout 2018 campaign. Playing with the Kernels and the Florida League Fort Myers Miracle, he put together an exciting sophomore season. Between the two stops, Lewis recorded the following numbers: 14 home runs, 74 RBIs, 28 stolen bases, and 83 runs scored. For his efforts with the Kernels, he was selected as the Midwest League Prospect of the Year.
Royce Lewis Down and Up in 2019
The 2019 season was a challenging one for Lewis. On a positive note, he was selected to participate in the All-Star Futures Game at Cleveland’s Progressive Field. But after a promising start to the season, playing for the Miracle and the Double-A Pensacola Blue Wahoos, his batting average plummeted to .236.
But his spirits were buoyed by his performance in the Arizona Fall League. Playing for the Salt Lake Rafters, Lewis hit .353, with 3 home runs and 20 RBIs in just 22 games played. When the season ended, he was named to the league’s Rising Stars team and selected as the league’s MVP.
Pandemic Detour
The 2020 baseball season held much promise for Royce Lewis. He was added to the Twins’ 60-man player pool and invited to spring training with the big club. And then disaster struck. With the onset of the global coronavirus pandemic, Major League Baseball opted to play a shortened, fanless season. And unfortunately for Lewis and others, the baseball brass decided to shut down the minor leagues for the season.
Lewis spent the summer in St. Paul at the team’s alternate training site preparing for the 2021 campaign. He exhibited an upbeat attitude that summer remarking on how valuable it was to be around the major league club and how much he was learning from the older players. And then things went from bad to worse.
Royce Lewis Tears His ACL
That winter, Lewis slipped on some ice at his home in Texas and tore his right Anterior Cruciate Ligament (ACL). He had successful surgery at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester in February, but his 2021 season was over before it started. His road to the majors was now haunted by two lost seasons.
By spring training, the next season, he was ready to resume his path to the majors. He was optioned to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints to start the season. In 24 games with the Saints, Lewis batted .310 with 11 RBIs and 21 runs scored. He was called up by the Twins on May 6, 2022, to fill in for shortstop Carlos Correa who was placed on the injured list with a right middle finger contusion.
Welcome to the Show
The highlight of his first time in the “Show” came on May 13, when he hit his first Major League home run. Not only was it his first home run with the Twins, but it was a grand slam to boot. He was sent back to St. Paul when Correa came off the injured list on May 18. But he was recalled 11 days later when infielder Jose Miranda was optioned to St. Paul. Then disaster struck.
Playing centerfield in his first game back against the Royals, Royce Lewis made a catch on a fly ball at the warning track, but he came up limping. He was initially placed on the injured list with a right knee bone bruise. But further testing revealed that he had once again torn his right ACL. He underwent surgery on June 21 to repair the knee. The centerfield experiment was over but so was Lewis’ season.
Questions About His Health
As the 2023 training camp approached, the Twins were deeply concerned about the condition of Royce Lewis’ right knee. As a precaution, he was held out of spring training to give his knee additional time to heal. He was finally assigned to the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge to begin his rehab assignment.
His visit to Wichita was a short one. In two games with the Wind Surge, Lewis recorded a couple of hits and even stole two bases. His surgically repaired knee appeared to be completely healed. After the two games in Wichita, he was promptly promoted back up to the Saints.
Royce Lewis on the Comeback
He has quickly made his presence felt in St. Paul. In his first three games back, playing both shortstop and third base with the Saints, he had six hits, three of which were home runs. The earliest the Twins can recall Lewis is at the end of May. With Jose Miranda currently struggling for the Saints, it greatly increases the odds that Lewis’ stay in St. Paul will be short in duration.
Kyle Farmer has assumed the role of everyday third baseman for the Twins since Miranda’s demotion. He is batting .381 with 2 home runs in 11 games since stepping into the lineup. But it is just a matter of time until Lewis is called up and deployed in the starting lineup.
So, here’s to the guy who never gave up. Who always displayed a great attitude even in the darkest moments. Here’s to you Royce Lewis! All of us Twins fans are hoping your next tenure in the “Show” is a long and successful one.
