Royce Lewis doubled in his first at-bat and then homered in his second trip to the plate Tuesday night, then found out after the Minnesota Twins lost 5-2 to the Oakland Athletics that he is headed back to Triple-A St. Paul.
“[Lewis] is going to go back to St. Paul, and he’ll be ready when the next opportunity comes up,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said after the game. “That young man is not going to stop working, he’s not going to be any less motivated, I don’t see him changing one bit. He’ll be ready to play in his first game back in St. Paul, and he’ll be ready for us when we need him the next time around. He’s a good-looking player."
Lewis is being sent down to make room for Carlos Correa, who will be activated from the injured list Wednesday ahead of Minnesota's 2 p.m. game against the A's. Correa has missed 10 games after being hit on the hand by a pitch.
“We’re adding one of the best players in the game back to play shortstop for us every day,” Baldelli said. “That’s pretty nice to be able to write Carlos’ name back in the lineup tomorrow, and we’re very pleased to be doing that. And I have no doubt that Royce is going to have a lot of nice moments for us going forward. We could be seeing that sooner than later, who knows.”
Lewis, the No. 1 prospect in the organization and the No. 1 pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, lived up to the hype after COVID and injuries plagued his past two summers. He hit .308/.325/.564 with two homers – including a grand slam for his first big-league homer – four doubles and five RBIs while hitting safely in nine of 11 games since being promoted May 6.
The decision to move Lewis back to the St. Paul Saints is a curious one considering how well he's hit the ball and played shortstop. But with Correa back, shortstop is filled and the Twins clearly aren't interested in using Lewis in a timeshare with Gio Urshela at third base or with any of the outfield positions.
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