Latest news with #RoyceLewis
New York Times
6 days ago
- Sport
- New York Times
Twins takeaways: Royce Lewis injured again, Jose Miranda passed over, Brooks Lee heats up
Royce Lewis is back on the injured list with another left hamstring strain. This time, the Minnesota Twins have classified it as a mild strain, whereas the hamstring injury Lewis suffered during spring training was a moderate strain that sidelined the third baseman for nearly two months. It's unfortunate timing for Lewis, who was finally having some success at the plate after a prolonged slump that carried over from last season, going 11-for-28 (.393) in a nine-game stretch. He was injured Friday while running out a base hit that pushed his batting average above .200. Royce Lewis pulled something running to first and has come out of the game. [image or embed] — CJ Fogler (@ June 13, 2025 at 9:41 PM 'I'm tired of being the one that's getting bullied and picked on by this game,' Lewis told reporters in Houston. 'Whether it wants me to suffer on the offensive side, or when I'm going hot, it just wants to kick me out with an injury, it seems like it's just picking on me at this moment.' Lewis' frustration is easy to understand. His career was forever altered by sustaining back-to-back season-ending torn right ACLs in 2021 and 2022. It was a long road back from those surgeries, and this is his sixth IL stint in the past two years since returning. Advertisement • June 2025: Hamstring • March 2025: Hamstring • July 2024: Adductor • March 2024: Quadriceps • September 2023: Hamstring • July 2023: Oblique Lewis was once among baseball's fastest prospects, but the never-ending injuries sapped most of that speed. In an unsuccessful effort to avoid more leg problems, the Twins asked him to jog this season unless it was absolutely necessary, resulting in a sprint speed in the 13th percentile league-wide. And yet, even abandoning the once-elite and still-valuable running aspect of his game hasn't helped stave off the leg issues. This latest hamstring injury occurred on a routine play in which Lewis ran somewhat hard for less than 50 feet before pulling up in discomfort. March's injury was a similar story. Lewis has played just 182 of 530 possible games (34 percent) since making his highly anticipated Twins debut on May 6, 2022, and he's facing another extended absence that might keep him out through the All-Star break in mid-July. His career high for games played in a season will almost certainly remain at 82, which he accomplished last season. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul to replace Lewis on the roster despite hitting poorly in a limited role with the Twins earlier this season. This is noteworthy because he's an outfielder taking the place of an infielder, and he was chosen over Jose Miranda and Edouard Julien. Keirsey made the Opening Day roster and spent the first 56 games with the Twins but received just 66 plate appearances and hit .109 with 21 strikeouts and one walk, often looking overmatched. He was used mostly off the bench as a defensive replacement and pinch runner. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. robs extra bases and a run 🤯 — MLB (@MLB) April 30, 2025 Demoted to the minors last month, Keirsey batted .231 with a .619 OPS in 10 games for St. Paul, far from the level of performance that usually warrants a quick return to the majors. It's clear this is less about Keirsey, who figures to play sparingly again, and more about bypassing Miranda and Julien. Advertisement Miranda would have been the natural roster replacement for Lewis. He's a fellow right-handed hitter and has lots of experience filling in for Lewis at third base, including earlier this season. However, the 26-year-old has underwhelmed with St. Paul after a mid-April demotion. Miranda has played 31 games for St. Paul, hitting .210 with two homers and a .607 OPS that's 138 percentage points below the International League average. Julien has been more productive there thanks to a high walk rate, but he has hardly impressed while hitting .248 with two homers in 35 games. Miranda and Julien are bat-first players who were once considered part of the lineup's core, and they have 530 games in the majors between them. Yet with Lewis out and the Twins in need of infield depth and any kind of boost for a punchless lineup, they opted for a little-used backup outfielder. Brooks Lee is now in line for the bulk of the starts at third base, with Willi Castro and Jonah Bride also seeing some time there. It's been a huge weak spot all season, as Twins third basemen have combined to hit just .234 with a .635 OPS that ranks 24th in MLB. Swapping out Lewis for Keirsey means Castro will be needed more as an infielder than an outfielder, likely sharing second base with Kody Clemens and occasionally sliding over to third base. As is annually the case, Castro's versatility has become essential. And he's hitting .350 over the past month. Three weeks ago, I wrote an article about why manager Rocco Baldelli had seemingly unwavering faith in Lee being a good major-league hitter despite uninspiring numbers that painted a much different picture. At the time, Lee was hitting just .230 with four homers and a .622 OPS in 39 games after a disappointing rookie campaign in 2024, but Baldelli was effusive in his praise for the 24-year-old and kept running him out there in a prominent lineup spot. Advertisement 'You can throw things at him, and he can handle them,' Baldelli said then. 'I'm into challenging players. I think they respond and grow and turn into even better versions of themselves. He's got really good ability. He doesn't have a ton of major-league experience, but you see him getting better.' It turns out Baldelli's faith was justified, and the challenge worked. Brooks Lee.. so hot right now — Minnesota Twins (@Twins) June 15, 2025 Lee had gone hitless in six of his last seven games when that was published on May 28. Since then, he has at least one hit in every game, and Lee is now riding a 15-game hitting streak in which he has batted .350 with three homers to raise his season OPS from .630 to .708 (league average is .709). Lee was one of the Twins' only bright spots offensively this weekend during a three-game sweep in Houston that saw the lineup score just six total runs. Lee had five hits in three games, homering from both sides of the plate, but the rest of the lineup combined to hit .157 with 32 strikeouts in 89 at-bats. Swept by the Astros, including back-to-back walk-off losses, the Twins have dropped five of their last six series, defeating only the last-place Athletics in Sacramento. They are 10-15 (.400) since the 13-game winning streak ended, which nearly matches their 13-20 (.394) record before the streak. (Photo of Royce Lewis: Ellen Schmidt / Getty Images)
Yahoo
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Twins Announce Royce Lewis News After Leaving Astros Game
Twins Announce Royce Lewis News After Leaving Astros Game originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Minnesota Twins lost 10-3 to the Houston Astros on Friday night, dropping their record to 36-33. Now percentage points behind the second-place Cleveland Guardians in the AL Central, Minnesota also trails the first-place Detroit Tigers by nine games. Advertisement As has been the case for Minnesota in previous seasons, injuries have been a factor this year. Royce Lewis, who the Twins selected No. 1 overall in the 2017 MLB Draft, has been at the center of these injury issues. Since making his MLB debut in 2022, Lewis has appeared in just 182 games. Multiple different lower body injuries have kept him off the field. Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23)Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images Showing significant promise in 2023, Lewis posted a .921 OPS in 239 plate appearances. He followed that season with just 82 games in 2024, and has played just 30 games so far this season. Leaving the game after his final at-bat on Friday, Lewis lined a single to left field but was replaced by a pinch runner after being in noticeable pain. The Twins announced an update after the game via manager Rocco Baldelli, who told reporters Lewis exited with a hamstring strain (via Kristie Rieken of AP Sports). The severity has yet to be determined. In 30 games this season, Lewis has hit just .202 with two home runs. Unable to find much of a rhythm, the 26-year-old spent time on the injured list earlier this season with a left hamstring strain. Given his history of lower body injuries, there was understandable concern among Twins fans when he was forced to leave Friday's game. Advertisement For his career, Lewis owns a .788 OPS with 35 home runs in 648 at-bats. Related: Astros Announce Jacob Melton News After Leaving Twins Game Related: Twins Announce Unfortunate Carlos Correa News Before Athletics Game This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 14, 2025, where it first appeared.
CBS News
15-06-2025
- Sport
- CBS News
Twins' Royce Lewis placed on injured list, Byron Buxton suffers elbow injury
The Minnesota Twins placed third baseman Royce Lewis on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain. Also on Saturday, center fielder Byron Buxton left the game against the Astros in the seventh inning with a bruised left elbow after being hit by a pitch an inning earlier. Lewis was injured running to first base on a single in the ninth inning of Friday night's 10-3 loss to Houston and had an MRI on Saturday. Manager Rocco Baldelli said it was a mild strain. "It's not a severe strain, but it is a strain that's going to keep him off the field for a little bit," Baldelli said. "Definitely disappointing, but these are things that we deal with." Lewis said the doctors didn't give him a timeframe for the injury but that he was already feeling better Saturday so he hopes he isn't out too long. The injury to Lewis comes after he missed the first 35 games of the season with a moderate strain of the same hamstring that occurred running out a ground ball in spring training. Lewis, the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been plagued by injuries in his career. He played just 82 games last season while missing time with a severe quadriceps strain and a groin injury. Those injuries came after he tore the ACL in his right knee in both 2021 and 2022. Lewis, who homered Friday night, is hitting .202 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 30 games this season. He was asked if the timing of this injury was extra frustrating because he was just starting to heat up at the plate. "I think it's frustrating in general," he said. "I'm tired of being the one that's getting bullied and picked on by this game." Houston starter Hunter Brown plunked Buxton on the left elbow to start the sixth inning. He was looked at by a trainer but remained in the game before being replaced in center field by Harrison Bader in the bottom of the seventh. Baldelli said he's day-to-day with the injury. "It caught him very, very square, and it's gonna hurt," Baldelli said. "He feels it and he's having trouble moving it too, too much. We're not worried long term, but right now he's hurting." ___ AP MLB:
Reuters
15-06-2025
- Sport
- Reuters
Twins CF Byron Buxton, 3B Royce Lewis out with injuries
June 15 - Minnesota Twins center fielder Byron Buxton exited Saturday's 3-2 road loss against the Houston Astros after being struck on the left elbow by a 95 mph sinker from right-hander Hunter Brown. After he was hit by the pitch in the sixth inning, Buxton remained in the game and stole second but exited before the bottom of the seventh. He was replaced by Harrison Bader. Buxton was 0-for-2 with a strikeout. Buxton's teammate, third baseman Royce Lewis, was reportedly scheduled to undergo an MRI on Saturday after leaving Friday's 10-3 loss to the Astros with a left hamstring strain. On a ninth-inning single on Friday, Lewis came up limping as he reached first base and was replaced by Trevor Larnach. Lewis was 2-for-4 with an RBI and a run scored before exiting. --Field Level Media
Hamilton Spectator
14-06-2025
- Sport
- Hamilton Spectator
Twins place Royce Lewis on injured list, Byron Buxton leaves game with elbow injury
HOUSTON (AP) — The Minnesota Twins placed third baseman Royce Lewis on the 10-day injured list Saturday with a left hamstring strain. Also on Saturday, center fielder Byron Buxton left the game against the Astros in the seventh inning with a bruised left elbow after being hit by a pitch an inning earlier. Lewis was injured running to first base on a single in the ninth inning of Friday night's 10-3 loss to Houston and had an MRI on Saturday. A team spokesman announced the move during Saturday's game and said they'd have more information after the game. The injury to Lewis comes after he missed the first 35 games of the season with a moderate strain of the same hamstring that occurred running out a ground ball in spring training. Lewis, the first overall pick in the 2017 draft, has been plagued by injuries in his career. He played just 82 games last season while missing time with a severe quadriceps strain and a groin injury. Those injuries came after he tore the ACL in his right knee in both 2021 and 2022. Lewis, who homered Friday night, is hitting .202 with two home runs and nine RBIs in 30 games this season. Houston starter Hunter Brown plunked Buxton on the left elbow to start the sixth inning. He was looked at by a trainer but remained in the game before being replaced in center field by Harrison Bader in the bottom of the seventh. ___ AP MLB:
