DETROIT – The Twins’ Royce Lewis experiment – in which they decided to move the shortstop prospect around the field – has been put on hold indefinitely.
Lewis, recalled from Triple-A on Sunday morning, left Sunday’s game early after hitting the outfield wall while chasing a ball into center field. That play landed him on the injured list – Jose Miranda was recalled to take his spot on the roster – which the Twins are currently calling a bone injury.
Manager Rocco Baldelli indicated Monday morning that the twins will put Lewis “through some more testing” as they continue to assess Lewis’ right knee, which he surgically corrected last season. Lewis tore his anterior cruciate ligament in February 2021, requiring end-of-season surgery even before the season could begin.
“I’m glad it didn’t get worse in the beginning, to say the least,” Baldelli said of Lewis’s diagnosis. “But a bone injury can still give some significant pain and time before a person is back at 100 percent. So we’ll play it day in and day out. We’re very glad to hear that it’s more than what it was in the beginning. There was nothing, but we will continue to monitor him.
Lewis, 22, stayed back in the Twin Cities when the Twins set out on their road trip after Sunday’s game. While the Twins would be without him for an undisclosed amount of time, Baldelli said the injury would not change the team’s plans for his return. While Lewis appears to be the Twins’ shortstop of the future, he is currently blocked on position by Carlos Correa, and the Twins have shown a willingness to lead him around the field.
During his first stint at the Majors earlier this month when Correa was on the IL, Lewis only played shortstop. But upon his return to Triple-A, the Twins asked him to play third base, left field and center field in addition to his primary position.
Once he recovers he remains the same – Lewis hitting .300 in his 12 games with two home runs – as the Twins find ways to get the top prospect in the lineup.
He said, ‘He has played outfield in the past too. It is not that he has never touched the outfield in his life. There are a lot of people who don’t play in the outfield for a day and go into the outfield and they are fine. He’ll be fine 99 percent of the time, so when he’s back and ready I’ll have no hesitation to put him out again,” Baldelli said. “I think it’s an unfortunate individual game.”
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The Twins are already without one of their top starters – Joe Ryan (as well as outfielder Gilberto Celestino) remains on the COVID-19 injured list in Minnesota – and now, they may be missing another.
Sonny Grey, who left the start of Sunday with chest pain, is still troubled by the issue, and Baldelli suggested a trip to the injured list could be in his future.
“Today and tomorrow probably will happen, it’ll probably be a big two days in general… “I’m very sad today, so I think the next 24 to 48 hours is probably the biggest, most important time,” Gray said.
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Max Kepler (Quadriceps) dropped out of the lineup on Monday, but Baldelli said he is doing well and hopes Kepler will be able to play in a game during Tuesday’s doubleheader. If he can’t, Baldelli said that “it will be hard for him to be active.” , byron buxton And Carlos Correa Monday was scheduled as a holiday. Baldelli said he usually tries to juggle his days, but playing 18 games in 17 days was a factor, as is Tuesday’s doubleheader. … Tuesday’s doubleheader was originally scheduled for the Saturday after the All-Star break in July, but was moved when the schedule was adjusted to add to the lockout makeup games.
