Twins Make Roster Moves Official, Including Return of Royce Lewis

For at least one day, the Twins are rolling with 14 hitters and 12 pitchers on their roster.

Apr 6, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) warms his hands up up against the Detroit Tigers in the fifth inning at Target Field. | Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Royce Lewis is back.

As expected, the Twins officially activated their third baseman from the injured list on Tuesday, ahead of the start of a three-game road series against the Mets this evening. The roster spot Lewis is taking was cleared when Mick Abel went on the IL on Monday.

The Twins also officially called up left-handed pitching prospect Kendry Rojas, who is set to make his MLB debut at some point this week. To make room, they placed lefty reliever Kody Funderburk on the paternity list, meaning he'll miss 1-3 games for the birth of his child.

For at least one day, the Twins have 14 batters and 12 pitchers on their active roster, instead of the usual 13-13 split. But that won't last long. Another lefty pitching prospect, Connor Prielipp, has reportedly been added to the team's taxi squad — meaning he traveled with them to New York — and will likely be activated to make his MLB debut on Wednesday night.

When that happens, the Twins will need to waive a hitter. It'll almost certainly be one of James Outman, Ryan Kreidler, or Tristan Gray.

Lewis played two games for Triple-A St. Paul in a rehab assignment over the weekend and homered in both contests. He had an .822 OPS with two homers, two steals, and eight walks in 45 plate appearances with the Twins before landing on the IL for the tenth time in the last five years.

Rojas, a native of Cuba, becomes the first foreign-born player on the Twins' active roster this season. Victor Caratini, from Puerto Rico, is Minnesota's only player who wasn't born in the United States.

Rojas was acquired, along with outfielder Alan Roden, in the trade that sent Louis Varland to the Blue Jays at last year's deadline. He's ranked as the No. 10 prospect in the Twins' organization, according to MLB Pipeline. The 6'2", 23-year-old lefty hasn't allowed a run over two outings and six innings with the Saints this season.

Last year, Rojas had a 4.70 ERA but struck out 90 batters in 69 minor-league innings. He's got a mid-90s fastball that he complements with a slider and splitter.

Twins-Mets pitching matchups

These are the scheduled pitching matchups for the series between the Twins (11-11, losers of four straight games) and the Mets (7-15, losers of a stunning 11 straight games) at Citi Field. All games are at 6:10 p.m. central.

• Tuesday: RHP Nolan McLean (2.28 ERA) vs. RHP Simeon Woods Richardson (6.10 ERA)
• Wednesday: RHP Clay Holmes (1.96) vs. TBD (LHP Connor Prielipp?)
• Thursday: RHP Kodai Senga (8.83) vs. RHP Joe Ryan (3.29)

McLean and Holmes have both been excellent this season and can't be blamed for Mets' miserable losing streak. If the Twins can find a way to win one of the first two games, they should have a good shot to win the series on Thursday with Ryan on the mound against the struggling Senga.

4:00 p.m. Update

Lewis will jump right back into the lineup. The Twins are batting him eighth and playing Lewis at third base. Here is the full order:

1. Byron Buxton, CF
2. Trevor Larnach, LF
3. Josh Bell, DH
4. Ryan Jeffers, C
5. Kody Clemens, 1B
6. Luke Keaschall, 2B
7. Matt Wallner, RF
8. Royce Lewis, 3B
9. Brooks Lee, SS