It’s entirely possible, and actually becoming increasingly likely, that Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis will never live up to his expectations. That said, the Twins’ brass probably made a mistake in how they handled the 2017 first overall pick during the season opener in Baltimore on Thursday.
Twins’ handling of Royce Lewis on Opening Day seems short-sighted
Before diving into manager Derek Shelton’s decision to lift Lewis for a pinch-hitter with the game on the line, it’s important to note that Lewis, 26, was placed eighth in the lineup. Based on stats, it’s a justifiable move. Last season, the third baseman hit .237/.283/.388 (83 OPS+) across 403 plate appearances. Then, he collected just six hits and two walks over 50 plate appearances during spring training.
However, we all know Lewis has the potential to be an All-Star. We all saw the best version of Lewis during his rookie season (2023), when he slashed .309/.372/.548 with 15 homers and 52 RBI across 58 games. He performed well when it mattered, too, hitting four homers across six games during the 2023 playoffs. Unfortunately, injury-plagued, below-average 2024 and 2025 seasons from Lewis followed his exciting rookie campaign.
If the Twins were a team like the Los Angeles Dodgers or Philadelphia Phillies, then sure, Lewis should be near the bottom of the lineup. But the Twins aren’t on par with those teams, even if they have the talent to make a surprise Wild Card run. And if the Twins want to make a postseason run, the team likely needs the best version of Lewis.
As many fans and media members have said, Lewis seems like a “vibes guy.” He needs his team’s full confidence to perform to the best of his abilities. If the Twins want to do their best to bring back the 2023 version of Lewis, having him hit near the top of the order would be the best course of action.
Now that I’ve established my opinion that Lewis should’ve been higher in the batting order on Thursday, it’s time to talk about Shelton’s decision to take the third baseman out of the game, in favor of Trevor Larnach, in the ninth inning with two outs and the tying run on first base.
Against righties last year, Larnach slashed .254/.330/.428 over 449 plate appearances, and Lewis hit .236/.278/.386 over 284 plate appearances. Since right-hander Ryan Helsley was on the mound for Baltimore in the ninth, Larnach seemed like the better player to have up in that situation.
But back to the confidence angle regarding Lewis, lifting him for Larnach with the game on the line was a big mistake for the Twins. We already know Larnach is probably going to be an average hitter for the rest of his career. What we don’t know is if Lewis can get things back on track at the plate, which the Twins need to figure out as soon as possible. Simply put, Lewis’ ceiling is still much higher than Larnach’s. Also, it’s not an ideal situation for any hitter to face Helsley, who consistently hits 100 mph on his fastball, after sitting on the bench all game.
Pros: Joe Ryan looked like the ace he is.
Cons: 1-12 w RISP and allowing an extra 90 ft on defense.
Qualms: I don’t love hitting for Royce in the 9th. The R/L splits are pretty negligible, and I’d almost always rather have the guy up who has a few ABs under his belt that day
— Coach Trev (@trevorplouffe) March 26, 2026
