The struggles of Royce Lewis appear to be reaching a boiling point for the Minnesota Twins.
The latest example of that was Lewis being dropped down in the Twins’ starting lineup. In the Twins’ 2-1 loss to the Seattle Mariners on Sunday, Lewis was penciled in as the Twins’ No. 9 hitter.
Lewis went 0-for-2 in Sunday’s loss before being replaced by Brooks Lee. In 77 plate appearances this season, Lewis is slashing .127/.195/.197/10 wRC+. The struggles of this season for Lewis are a continuation of where he ended the 2024 season, when he posted a 74 wRC+ during the closing months of the season.
The decision to drop Lewis in the batting order seems to represent the Twins becoming desperate in trying to fix the problem. In that desperation, the Twins will need to be creative as they look for ways to get their young third baseman back on track.
3 fixes the Minnesota Twins must deploy for Royce Lewis
Give Brooks Lee an extended run at third base
Lewis’ offensive profile appears to be broken. If the Twins are hoping to build off their impressive play during May, it may be in the team’s best interest to give Brooks Lee an extended run at third base.
Despite not having one position to call his home, Lee has all but emerged as an everyday player for the Twins over the last month. Instead of rotating Lee between second base, shortstop, and third base, the hot corner should be his home for the time being.
In doing so, that will give Lewis some time to reset without the pressure of having to break out of his slump. It’s a situation that allows Lewis to take a step back, still observe the game at the major league level, and gradually find himself again.
Option Lewis to the minor leagues
It’s important to remember that the development of a player at the MLB level is not linear.
There are ebbs and flows to development, and for the Twins, they may be at the point where their best move is to option Lewis to the minor leagues.
Doing so would allow Lewis to reset his offensive approach without the need to produce at the big league level. It’s a strategy the Twins have deployed in the past.
Add a third baseman at the MLB Trade Deadline
If the Twins want to be viewed as a legitimate postseason contender, they will need to fix third base regardless of their attempts to fix Lewis.
If Lewis isn’t the answer, the Twins must consider adding a third baseman ahead of the Trade Deadline in July.
The issue with that is that there isn’t a clear answer for teams in the market for a third baseman.
Ryan McMahon of the Colorado Rockies and Ke’Bryan Hayes of the Pittsburgh Pirates are two names who come to mind. But, even then, those are two players who also would arrive with more questions than expectations.
