Inside The Twins

Fear that Royce Lewis won't return to Twins 'anytime soon'

  • Lewis suffered a left hamstring strain on March 16.
  • The Twins said it was a "moderate" strain, though no timeline for his return was given.

Joe Nelson

Feb 25, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Royce Lewis (23) bats against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Lee Health Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images
Feb 25, 2025; Fort Myers, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins designated hitter Royce Lewis (23) bats against the New York Yankees in the first inning at Lee Health Sports Complex. Mandatory Credit: Chris Tilley-Imagn Images / Chris Tilley-Imagn Images
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Twins fans hoping Royce Lewis won't miss too much time a hamstring injury may want to stop reading because the latest intel from a reputable local reporter is that Lewis isn't coming back anytime soon.

Lewis, 25, suffered what the Twins described as a "moderate" hamstring strain while running out a ground ball in Minnesota's March 16 spring training game against the Red Sox. No timetable for his return has been announced, with the Twins simply putting him on the 10-day injured list on March 24.

"He might be out I think longer than maybe anticipated," Declan Goff said Thursday on the SKOR North Twins Show.

"He suffered a hamstring injury before the playoffs in 2023 and it sounds like this injury was a little bit more severe than that. I don't envision Royce Lewis probably helping out the Twins necessarily anytime soon. Things can change, he's a fast healer. But that's kind of the update on Royce, is I don't envision that hamstring and him coming back from that anytime soon."

Lewis told the Star Tribune days after suffering the left hammy injury that his newest injury isn't as severe as the quad strain that he suffered on opening day last season. That injury sidelined him for two months.

His 2023 hamstring injury Lewis kept him out of action for two weeks, though he wasn't 100% healthy when he made his return in the wild-card series against Toronto. It didn't matter because he smacked home runs in his first two at-bats and helped Minnesota snap an 18-game postseason losing streak.

The Twins have scored a combined eight runs in their five losses over the first eight days of the season, so it's obvious that they're missing Lewis's pop in the middle of the lineup. How long they'll miss him is unclear, but Goff's report is the opposite of encouraging.

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Joe Nelson
JOE NELSON

Joe Nelson has more than 20 years of experience in Minnesota sports journalism. Nelson began his career in sports radio, working at smaller stations in Marshall and St. Cloud before moving to the highly-rated KFAN-FM 100.3 in the Twin Cities. While there, he produced the popular mid-morning show hosted by Minnesota Vikings play-by-play announcer Paul Allen. His time in radio laid the groundwork for his transition to sports writing in 2011. He covers the Vikings, Timberwolves, Gophers and Twins for On SI.

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