Twins Phenom Homers, Then Gets Sent To Minors

What does a kid have to do to stay in The Show these days? Minnesota Twins shortstop phenom Royce Lewis homered once again Tuesday night, raising his 11-game numbers to a .308 average with an .889 OPS, two homers and 5 RBIs. But his reward after the game was a ticket back to Triple-A. 

The move, of course, is to make room for the Twins' big offseason free agent acquisition, Carlos Correa, to return to the lineup. He's been out with an injured finger, triggering the call-up of the long-awaited 23-year-old prospect in the first place.

But the good news for Lewis is that he's proven to the organization that he can play in the big leagues. To say the least. And what's more, he's expected to get some starts at other positions when he returns to St. Paul, like third base and the outfield. This will open up plenty more opportunities for him to get back to the Twins and contribute. 

Royce Lewis just hit his 2nd HR of the season.

He also has 4 doubles.

His max exit velocity is 114 MPH.

He's put up a 13.9 K% so far.

The kid is showing that he belongs.

— Frank Ammirante (@FAmmiranteTFJ) May 18, 2022

Already in Triple-A this year, he was destroying pitching to the tune of a .310 average with a .993 OPS, 3 HR and 11 RBIs. He was the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 draft, and appears finally ready to fulfill that "phenom" status.

“He’s handled everything very easily,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s had some big at-bats. He hits the grand slam for us, and has the curtain call and all that … he’s seen a lot. … But the way he’s handled it, the head on his shoulders, that’s been a good thing to see, too. … I don’t think we’ve seen the last of Royce Lewis.”

Photo Credit: Kim Klement-USA TODAY Sports