Derek Shelton's approach has Royce Lewis feeling 'In the loop a little more'

On multiple occasions this offseason, new Twins manager Derek Shelton has emphasized how important he feels Royce Lewis will be for the next era of the franchise. Shortly after being hired to replace Rocco Baldelli, Shelton flew down to Dallas to meet with his new third baseman in person. In a conversation on the Twins' social media channels on Wednesday, Lewis discussed how important that was to him and where he's at heading into the 2026 season.

"It was so special for him to come out and see me," Lewis said about the visit in the latest episode of Inside Twins. "It meant so much."

01/14/26 - Inside Twins featuring Royce Lewis https://t.co/Rzf2VIaCIe
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) January 14, 2026

Lewis admitted that Baldelli's departure "hurt" due to their growing relationship. When asked about being prioritized by the new manager, Lewis admitted he "can't fathom how cool that is."

"It didn't feel like that the past couple of seasons," Lewis continued. "It seems like, since the playoffs, the team was trending in a different direction, and no one really knew what that direction was. So, it's been nice to be talked to and be in the loop a little more, same as a (Byron) Buxton would be or some of those other leaders."

The 26-year-old is coming off another season that was riddled by injuries. In 2025, Lewis was only able to play in 106 games, which was still the most of his career. He hit 13 homers, down from the 16 he hit in 2024 in fewer games, while slashing .237/.283/.388 last season. That .671 OPS is way down from the kind of numbers he put up early in his career.

If Shelton is going to rely on Lewis as much as he's indicated he will, then the third baseman will need to shake the injury issues that have plagued the first four seasons of his career. Lewis indicated that he's done plenty of work this offseason in order to stay on the field throughout the entirety of the 2026 season.

"I feel amazing," said Lewis when asked about his health. "I started putting more volume on this offseason. Just lifting really heavy stuff. Trying to build that base-level where when I start running and playing in the game it doesn't affect me. Just looking forward to the whole season and it's going to be a great year."

If Lewis can not only stay relatively healthy but start to tap back into the power he showed before slumping in the second half of 2024 and most of 2025, it would go a long way toward raising the Twins' ceiling in 2026. He's still just 26 years old and has already shown the kind of ceiling he possesses when he's rolling at the plate. Lewis, it's fair to say, feels like the biggest X-factor for the club this year.

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