Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images
So far down in Fort Myers, the Minnesota Twins have dealt with mostly bad news. Derek Shelton’s team lost ace Pablo Lopez before he completed his first live batting practice session of the spring.
Days later, Joe Ryan was scratched from his first start of Grapefruit League play. Unlike Lopez, Ryan appears to have avoided any sort of serious injury, but he has yet to make his return to the spring training bump either.
Minnesota Twins dodge another injury bullet
Then on Thursday, ahead of their tilt against the Pittsburgh Pirates, the MN Twins scratched third baseman Royce Lewis from the lineup for “right side” tightness. And yet again, it sounds like we dodged a bullet. According to Dan Hayes (The Athletic), Royce’s MRI returned with good news.
Royce Lewis’s MRI came back clean. #MNTwins breathe a sigh of relief.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) February 27, 2026
Last spring, Royce Lewis suffered a serious hamstring injury that hampered him multiple times through the 2025 season. If the MN Twins are to have any hope of a competitive summer, they’ll need multiple unproven talents, including Lewis, to contribute in a big way.
Across 106 games in 2025, Lewis slashed .237/.283/.388 with a career-low 83 OPS+. So, the 26-year-old former No. 1 overall draft pick hired a personal hitting coach this winter, and bulked up in hopes it will help him stay on the field. We’ll see if that extra work pays off… but first, Royce has to make it through spring training.
Twins banking on Royce Lewis, unproven infield
The Minnesota Twins infield is built of unproven players who need to step up this season, in order for the team to have success. That includes SS Brooks Lee, 2B Luke Keaschall and 1B Josh Bell, along with 3B Lewis.
Lee hasn’t looked the part of an everyday big leaguer, let alone an everyday shortstop. Keaschall needs to replicate his strong rookie season (with better health), and Bell needs to be the bat that Minnesota banked on in free agency.
Mentioned in this article: Royce Lewis
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