Rocco Baldelli: Working through slump will make Royce Lewis a 'better player'

Lewis is hitless in his last 20 at-bats.

Minnesota Twins designated hitter Royce Lewis (23) hits a sacrifice fly against the San Diego Padres during the third inning at Petco Park in San Diego, Calif., on Aug. 21, 2024. / Orlando Ramirez-Imagn Images

Royce Lewis has already set a career high in major league games played this season. 

The positive is that indicates Lewis is the healthiest he’s been in his career. The negative is that he appears to be hitting a wall for the first time in his major league career. Lewis is hitless in his last 20 at-bats, and the rest of the Twins offense has been similarly stagnant, mustering just 22 runs over their last 10 games entering Tuesday night’s game against the Los Angeles Angels. 

Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said Lewis is working on getting through the rough patch. Baldelli was giving Lewis a rest day on Tuesday to get some work in and recover physically and mentally. 

“Every player in this game, the seasons will go in waves, will be up, will be down, so that’s all normal,” Baldelli said. “The things he’s dealing with right now might not be what some people expected to see or what he expected to experience, but working through these periods of time make you stronger, and they make you a better player.” 

Lewis has been known for his ups, and he’s certainly had them this year. In June when he first returned to the lineup, Lewis slashed .271/.635/.972 for the month with nine homers and 15 RBIs. He’s slowed down since then with the downs coming now in September where Lewis is slashing just .156/.281/.487 with one homer and four RBIs, including the recent 0-for-20 stretch. 

Lewis has still been batting near the top of the lineup, likely because some of the Twins’ other top hitters are currently out of the lineup. Carlos Correa has been out since mid-July due to plantar fasciitis, and Byron Buxton is also out due to hip soreness. Also injured are Max Kepler and Manny Margot, making it difficult to move Lewis down in the order when he plays. 

“(Lewis) is still a very dangerous hitter, even if he’s not completely feeling it and dialed in in every way, still very dangerous,” Baldelli said. “I mean, I think if you have everybody here right now and everybody healthy and in the lineup, it probably is easier to just give him some real space and hit him maybe even closer to the bottom than the top just to help him relax a bit. 

“But we still have the option of doing that. I mean, that’s not — I wouldn’t say anything is really out of the question right now. Whatever is going to help him is really what we’re going to try to do.” 

It’s uncharted territory for Lewis playing this deep into the season. It’s proven to be a difficult adjustment, and he’s having to work through a slump for the first time in his career. But Lewis has demonstrated over and over again that he’s a player who can overcome challenges. This is a challenge that Baldelli believes will make Lewis a better player once he overcomes it.  

“I plan on this guy doing some great things for us, but you got to work to get through it. And that’s what he’s doing. He’s working,” Baldelli said.