Royce Lewis’ career has not gone the way many had expected it to go. When he was drafted first overall by the Minnesota Twins back in 2017, many felt he could be a franchise cornerstone. He also played so well in the minors that he was the Twins’ top prospect from 2018 to 2022. Since being called up in 2022, Lewis has not played up to expectations. His career has been marred by injuries, which have prevented him from playing a full season. But when he’s on the field, he has shown flashes of the player he was in the minors.
But the 2026 season has been the worst season of his career. Not only was he dealing with a knee injury at the beginning of the season, but he is putting up career lows. In 31 games this season, he has slashed .163/.261/.279 with three home runs, 13 RBIs, and a 52 OPS+. His play has gotten so bad that the Twins have decided to send him to Triple-A St. Paul. Now this may seem like a demotion, but it’s an opportunity for Lewis to improve his game. But what does Lewis need to do in order to get back to the majors?
What Does Royce Lewis Need to Improve on to Get Back to the Majors
One of the biggest problems Lewis has had this season is the type of pitches he is swinging at. According to Baseball Savant, he has a 31.1 Strikeout Rate, which is in the 8th percentile. This is the worst mark of his career and a 11.2% increase from last season. He also has a 37.6 Whiff Percentage, which is in the 2nd percentile. This indicates that the type of pitches Lewis is swinging at is not the one he should be. It’s leading to him not putting the ball in play, which is why his numbers are so low.
This would also explain the drops in his stats against breaking and offspeed pitches. Throughout his career, Lewis has done very well against these pitches. In 2025, he had a .277 average against breaking balls and a .286 average against offspeed pitches. But this season, those numbers have cratered. He has a .219 average against breaking balls and a .059 average against offspeed pitches. He needs to regain his confidence against those types of pitches. Sending him to the minors will take that pressure off and hopefully improve those numbers.
He also needs to return to the defender he once was. Despite his injury problems, he has always been a solid defender. He has been in the 70th percentile for Outs Above Averages the past two seasons. But this season, his Outs Above Average has dropped to the 15th percentile. Sure, it’s a short sample size, and he was dealing with a knee injury that affected his range. But it’s still a noticeable drop and should concern the team. He was bringing nothing positive to the table for the Twins.
But one of the things that should give Twins fans some hope is that he’s still hitting the ball well. He has an 11.8 Barrel Percentage, which ranks in the 76th percentile. Sure, this has not led to a high Hard Hit Percentage or Exit Velocity, but it’s a good starting point. He’s hitting the ball where it needs to be. If he can work on the swing and misses, and get better against certain types of pitches, that Barrel Percentage will help his numbers. He should be able to put up better numbers quickly.
While sending Lewis to the minors was not something the Twins wanted to do, it’s the best thing for his career. He can work through some of the problems he’s been facing and return to the majors as the player we expected him to be.
