Royce Lewis Reportedly Sent to Triple-A by Twins Amid Slump, Former MLB No. 1 Overall Pick
Bleacher Report • • sports
Key Points:
- Royce Lewis, the Minnesota Twins' 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick, has been demoted to Triple-A due to a prolonged hitting slump, batting .163/.261/.279 with 37 strikeouts in 119 plate appearances this season.
- This follows the recent demotion of Matt Wallner, the team's opening day right fielder, who was also struggling offensively with a .167/.259/.292 line and was the least-valuable position player in MLB by fWAR among those with at least 130 plate appearances.
- Both Lewis and Wallner were expected to be key contributors during the Twins' rebuild after payroll cuts last summer, but injuries and poor performance have hindered their 2026 seasons.
- Lewis showed promise early in the season but has struggled significantly since returning from a knee injury in mid-April, posting a .132/.189/.191 line with 25 strikeouts in 74 plate appearances after the injury.
- Despite these setbacks, the Twins maintain a competitive 22-26 record, remaining 4.5 games behind the AL Central-leading Cleveland Guardians.