Royce Lewis Returns to Action with the Twins After Injury
Miami – The Minnesota Twins activated infielder Royce Lewis from the injured list on Tuesday, after missing 15 games due to a recurrence of the hamstring injury that delayed his debut this season. Lewis rejoined the Twins for the start of a three-game series in Miami. The left hamstring injury occurred while running to first base in the ninth inning of a game on June 13, a less severe injury than the one suffered at the end of spring training. That injury kept him out of action for seven weeks, missing the first 35 games of the season. Lewis went 0-for-8 with a walk in a three-game rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul. Since his debut in the Major Leagues in 2022, Lewis has participated in only 182 regular season games, and this year appears to be the first time that interruptions have affected his performance. This season, Lewis is batting .202 with an OPS of .585 and two home runs in 30 games. He had 32 hitless at-bats from May 19 to June 3.However, just before his latest setback, he had begun to find his rhythm, batting 9-for-20 with a home run and four RBIs in his last six games. The Twins have an 18-12 record in games Lewis has played this season, despite his struggles at the plate, and 22-32 without him.
The first overall pick of the 2017 draft was limited to 82 games last season due to a severe quadriceps strain suffered while running the bases in the first game and, subsequently, a groin injury. The previous two years for Lewis were marked by recovery from consecutive ACL surgeries.
