Royce Lewis starting rehab assignment; what will Twins lineup look like when he returns?
Royce Lewis is set to start a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul Tuesday, according to the Twins.
Lewis has been out since the start of July with an oblique injury suffered in a 1-0 win over Baltimore just before the All-Star break.
Royce Lewis will start a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul tomorrow, per the #MNTwins.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 7, 2023
Lewis was hitting .326/.354/.474 before his injury. In a rehab assignment with St. Paul earlier this season, the 24-year-old hit .333/.371/.727 in 35 plate appearances before being rushed to the majors, where he immediately became one of the Twins' top players.
With Lewis's return fast approaching, it'll be interesting to see how the Twins roll out a lineup. Could it look something like this?
- Royce Lewis, 3B
- Eddy Julien, DH
- Carlos Correa, SS
- Max Kepler, RF
- Jorge Polanco, 2B
- Matt Wallner, LF
- Ryan Jeffers, C
- Michael A. Taylor, CF
- Donovan Solano, 1B
What happens when Alex Kirilloff and Byron Buxton return from the injured list?
The Kirilloff answer is easy: He starts at first base and Solano goes to the bench. But if the Twins want Buxton back in the lineup and need to keep him at designated hitter, then they'll have to figure out something with Julien if they want to keep him in the lineup. Julien plays second base, but if Lewis is at third and Polanco is at second, Julien will have to play somewhere else. Could he play first base?
If the Twins get fully healthy, we'll get answers. If not, it's nothing to worry about.
