Twins Finally Demote Royce Lewis After Disastrous 200-Game Stretch

Lewis hasn't hit the ball well since slamming 10 homers in his first 17 games of the 2024 season.

May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) reacts to a strikeout against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

After 31 games and 104 mostly unproductive and uncompetitive at-bats, the Minnesota Twins have optioned third baseman Royce Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul.

Lewis, the soon-to-be 27-year-old who was the first overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, has been demoted after slashing .163/.261/.279 with three home runs, three doubles, and 37 strikeouts in 104 at-bats.

According to SKOR North's Declan Goff, the Twins could replace Lewis on the 26-man roster with infielder Orlando Arcia, who is hitting .318/.376/.556 (.932 OPS) with eight homers, 10 doubles, and 27 RBIs.

Royce Lewis isn't with the Saints for today's game, but he is being sent down, per source. Orlando Arcia, who isn't in the lineup today in St. Paul, is potentially coming up. #MNTwins https://t.co/L67m3BzZdi

— Declan Goff (@DexsTweets) May 19, 2026

Lewis's month-by-month performances this season abysmal:

Month	AB	AVG	OPS	HR	RBI	SO
March	12	.167	.952	2	3	5
April	54	.204	.603	1	7	16
May	38	.105	.318	0	3	16

Lewis's batting average peaked at .222 on April 9, which is the same same he suffered a left knee sprain and wound up being placed on the 10-day injured list. Since returning from the IL on April 21, he's batting .132/.189/.191 with one homer and five RBIs in 19 games.

Lewis's 33.8% strikeout rate since April 21 ranks 12th-highest among all MLB hitters with at least 50 plate appearances in that span. Among the 11 players with a higher strikeout rate since April 21 is Matt Wallner, who struck out in 35.2% of his 54 plate appearances before he was sent to Triple-A St. Paul last week.

Wallner is 2-for-12 with only two strikeouts in three games since being optioned to the Saints.

Lewis simply hasn't produced the power numbers that the Twins thought they were going to receive after his 2023 season, which saw him hit 15 homers and boast a .917 OPS in 256 at-bats during the regular season, and then an inspiring playoff run in which he slugged four homers in six games.

Lewis suffered an injury on Opening Day 2024 and missed a couple of months. He returned from the injury to play 16 electrifying games, which, when coupled with his numbers from the first game of the season, had him slashing .317/.437/.903 with 10 homers and 16 RBIs.

From there, he fell off a cliff, and he hasn't been the same since. In his last 202 games dating back to April 23, 2024, Lewis is hitting .213/.271/.354 with 22 homers and 98 RBIs. According to FanGraphs, his total offensive production through batting and base-running has cost the Twins 23.6 runs compared to a league-average player.

Arcia is a former MLB All-Star, and if he hits anything like he has at Triple-A, Lewis may have a hard time getting a call back up to the big leagues unless he starts tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A.