It’s the first time Lewis has started a game in the nine hole since his rookie season in 2022.
Amid an 0-for-28 slump, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis has been dropped to the ninth spot in the batting order for Sunday’s series finale against the Mariners in Seattle (3:10 p.m. CT).
Lewis hasn’t hit ninth to start a game since May 15, 2022. He did so six times in his brief rookie season, which ended with a torn ACL in center field, but he hasn’t hit there since — and for good reason.
For much of his injury-plagued young career, Lewis — who turns 26 in a few days — did nothing but rake when he was on the field. He thrived in 2023 when he was healthy, hitting 19 home runs in 64 games between the regular season and playoffs (a 48-homer pace for a 162-game season). He homered on Opening Day last year, got hurt in that same game, then came back and slugged nine bombs in his first 15 games in June.
As a result, Lewis has generally hit somewhere between second and fifth in Rocco Baldelli’s batting order when he’s been available over the last few years.
But since the middle of last August, when the 2024 Twins’ infamous collapse began, Lewis has been in a deep, prolonged slump. Dating back to August 13 of last year, he’s hit .172 with a .465 OPS and just two home runs in 62 games. He finished last season ice cold, and after missing more than a month to begin this season due to a hamstring strain, he’s remained ice cold. This current 0-for-28 slump follows an 0-for-36 skid that spanned the end of 2024 and the start of this year.
It’s gotten so rough that Lewis said “I’m at a point where the hope is gone” earlier this week.
Lewis has experimented with some mechanical changes lately as he tries to get going. He isn’t striking out much and his bat speed remains good. But his contact quality has dropped off, and the balls he is squaring up all seem to find a glove.
“If I keep hitting the ball hard, they say it’s going to find a hole, but I haven’t seen it yet,” he said.
Here’s the full lineup for Sunday’s game. Byron Buxton, who returned from the concussion IL on Friday night and went 4-for-12 over the last two games, gets the day off. Chris Paddack is on the mound for Minnesota, opposing Mariners righty Luis Castillo.
