The Minnesota Twins tore it all down last week before the Trade Deadline, shipping off nine players from its Major League roster and removing significant contracts from its payroll. It was a decision by the franchise that was somewhat expected, even after most recently making the postseason in 2023 and winning their first playoff series since 2002. But since that run two seasons ago, the Twins have offloaded pieces from their team instead of adding more.
Heading into September 2024, the Twins were still in good shape and were on pace for their second consecutive playoff berth. But the team had a brutal collapse in the final regular month of the season, going 9-18 in their last 27 games and were lapped by their division rivals, the Detroit Tigers, for the final AL Wild Card spot. After last season, the ownership group of the Twins – the Pohlad family – announced a sale of the franchise. Their performance at the end of the previous season spiraled into 2025, where the Twins never found their footing or gained momentum, and opted to trade players of value who had waning years of control.
The next few seasons will be imperative for young players in the Twins organization to take steps forward in their development. Minnesota presumably has plans to compete again, and in the midst of down years ahead, will look to identify pieces that can contribute to a winning team in the future.
A Healthy Royce Lewis Is Still In Minnesota Twins’ Future
Opportunity and runway will be offered to numerous players on the Twins over the next few seasons but there are not many names who will be more heralded than that of Royce Lewis should he reach his full potential.
Lewis was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, possessing a high-end ceiling of a five-tool player at the big-league level. He dealt with ups and downs in the minors but had a phenomenal showing in the Arizona Fall League after the 2020 season, where he landed inside the top ten of prospect lists across several publications. Lewis holds a tumultuous injury history, tearing his ACL in back-to-back seasons and numerous other lower-body injuries that have caused him to miss over 450 games since 2021.
In between the time of recovering from his first ACL injury in February 2021 and retearing it a season later, Lewis made his major league debut, slashing .300/.317/.550 with a couple of homers in just 12 games. Lewis didn’t miss a beat when he returned to the diamond in 2023, posting a .921 OPS and 15 homers in another injury-plagued season. The last two seasons have not boded as well for Lewis, as the stints on the injured list have leaked into his on-field production, mustering just 2.0 fWAR in 138 games in that span.
Avoiding Injuries Is Key To Royce Lewis Reaching Superstar Status
Lewis has dealt with hamstring strain issues in his left leg this season, resulting in two separate IL stints and playin gin just 57 games. But as of late, Minnesota’s third baseman looks to be turning it back around at the plate. In 134 plate appearances since June 1, Lewis is slashing .315/.358/.492 with a 136 wRC+. He has a career-high 45.5 percent hard hit rate while pulling the ball over half the time on his batted balls, more than he ever has. This is all while striking out just 13.4 percent of the time in that stretch. For good measure, Lewis is holding it down defensively at third base as well, posting three outs above average so far this year.
Having a building block at the hot corner is a key piece for contending teams. Lewis’s prowess on both sides makes him a candidate for an extension and being in Minnesota long-term – something that could be checked off by new ownership as they search for faces of the franchise in addition to Byron Buxton. Lewis is still under control through 2028 and has plenty of time to put together the complete seasons of stardom that he is capable of.
