The Minnesota Twins demoted Royce Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, to the Triple-A St. Paul Saints on Tuesday. It marks the first time Lewis will play in the minors on something other than an injury rehab assignment since May 2022.
The move comes less than a week after the Twins also demoted outfielder Matt Wallner, another struggling player expected to be part of the team's offensive core this year.
Struggling Performance
Lewis, 27 next month, is hitting .163/.261/.279 this season while striking out in 31.1% of his plate appearances — easily a career high. He started the year well enough, posting an .822 OPS with a 26.7% strikeout rate in 12 games before being sidelined by a knee issue.
Since returning from the injured list, Lewis has posted a .380 OPS with a 33.8% strikeout rate in 19 games.
"If there was apathy or lack of work, that would be frustrating or concerning to me. There is not in his case. He's focusing on it. He's not in the spot that he wants to be right now, but there is work going into it."
— Twins manager Derek Shelton, via St. Paul Pioneer Press
Career Trajectory
Lewis looked like a budding superstar in 2023, when he hit .309/.372/.548 with 15 home runs in only 58 games after returning from his second right ACL tear. He added four more homers in Minnesota's six-game postseason run that year.
However, Lewis has since dealt with more injuries and his OPS has declined sharply:
- 2023: .921 OPS
- 2024: .747 OPS
- 2025: .671 OPS
- 2026: .539 OPS
He has been one of the worst hitters in baseball over the past two years.
Service Time and Contract Status
The Twins are not playing service time games with this demotion. Even if Lewis spends the rest of the year in the minors, he would remain on track to become a free agent after the 2028 season.
Lewis will make $2.85 million this year, and his salary could jump to around $5 million through arbitration next year. At that point, he could become a non-tender candidate. If the budget-conscious Twins don't think he's salvageable, they may non-tender him and make him a free agent.
Team Outlook
Minnesota enters play Tuesday with a 22-26 record and a minus-3 run differential. The Twins started 11-7, went 5-16 in their next 21 games, and are now 6-3 in their last nine games.