Minnesota Twins Considering Drastic Move with Vaunted Slugger

Royce Lewis, second baseman?

Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) cannot cleanly field a ground ball at third base during the second inning against the Texas Rangers at Globe Life Field on Aug 17. / kevin jairaj-usa today sports

The Minnesota Twins are considering the drastic move of turning slugger Royce Lewis into a second baseman. Lewis played three innings there on Sunday against the Toronto Blue Jays and it reportedly could be something the Twins do more often.

Per Aaron Gleeman of 'The Athletic:'

Royce Lewis spent much of the home stand taking pregame practice reps at second base and made his MLB debut there in the sixth inning Sunday. For now, it’s an effort to expand the infield options while Correa is out, opening up more third base opportunities for Jose Miranda at a time when first base and designated hitter are crowded.

Now, all that might be true, but it also just might be true that the organization is justifiably worried about his defensive performance at third base.

The following information comes from MLBTradeRumors:

Fielding Bible’s Defensive Runs Saved has been less kind with a -2 DRS in just 35 games at the position this year. Advanced defensive metrics require much larger sample sizes to stabilize than the 700 innings Lewis has posted a third base so far in his career, but the eye test and traditional defensive stats aren’t particularly forgiving regarding the 25-year-old’s performance either.

Lewis has committed 11 errors in 84 games at the hot corner, ten of which have been throwing errors

Figuring out a defensive position for Lewis is a must for the Twins, who desperately need his bat in the lineup at all times. One of the best sluggers in the league, Lewis has 16 homers in just 205 at-bats this season. He also has 44 RBI, but the issue is that Lewis hasn't been able to stay on the field consistently.

He missed most of the 2022 season with a torn ACL and then played only 58 games in 2023. He's played just 58 this year.

The Twins enter play on Tuesday in sole possession of the second wild card spot in the American League. They'll play the Tampa Bay Rays at 6:50 p.m. ET.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our FanNation on SI coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.