Lewis' main target for '25: Play as many games as possible

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Since he entered the big leagues in 2022, Twins third baseman Royce Lewis has played in 122 total games. He was hit with the injury bug starting in his rookie season, when had right ACL surgery, his second since he entered professional baseball.

Lewis, 25, was still recovering from the knee injury the following season and didn’t return to action until the end of May. But he was still limited to 58 games in 2023 because of left oblique and hamstring strains.

Last year didn’t get any better for Lewis, who missed 81 games because of right quad and adductor strains. While he was healthy during the second half of ‘24, Lewis had a slash line of .207/.270/.350.

This season, Lewis is determined to be the slugger the Twins expect him to be.

Remember, this is the same guy who is already in the Twins record books; his four postseason home runs sits only behind Kirby Puckett's five in franchise history. Lewis also has the highest OPS (.920) among Twins rookies (min. 200 plate appearances) and the single-season record for grand slams (four) in '23.

So far, things are looking up for Lewis, although he received a scare in the third inning of Wednesday’s 6-5 loss to the Red Sox when he was hit on the right elbow by a pitch. Lewis -- who had singled home Minnesota's first run of the game in the first -- remained in the game and finished the day 1-for-2. Manager Rocco Baldelli said the pitch by Boston’s Tanner Houck missed Lewis’ elbow guard and the latter is expected to be sore in the coming days.

Lewis spent the offseason making sure that he stays healthy, working with performance therapist Jenn Reiner-Marcello on his conditioning. She is making sure that his knees, lower back and hamstrings are feeling fresh all season.

“A lot of the main focus is the pelvis. We are making sure that it is in alignment so that the body works properly the way it needs to work,” Lewis said.

Lewis also credits the Twins for helping him recover from his soreness quicker thanks to the new equipment purchased by the team.

“[The Twins] have a hyperbaric chamber, hot and cold tubs,” Lewis said. “Some of the other teams probably have some of those things, but you can tell that the Twins are putting an emphasis on whether the tubs and saunas are updated. These things for us are huge. You can tell it is an investment. We as players appreciate what the Twins have done. It’s good to see the team invest in you. It gives you hope, faith and comfort to know that they care.”

Through 10 games this spring, Lewis is hitting .364 (8-for-22) with three RBIs -- not that he particularly cares.

“I’m not paying attention to the stats because they don’t really show you -- sometimes they do -- if you are playing well or bad,” Lewis said. “You can go 0-for-4, hit four line drives at 120 miles an hour to the left fielder, center fielder and right fielder and one right at the pitcher, which means you are hitting it all over the place. If someone looks at your stats and they say, ‘0-for-4; oh, this guy sucks,’ that’s not the case.

“Those are the stats that I don’t want to look at. I want to look at how many games I played this year. I think that is important. If I do that, the numbers will take care of themselves. As long as you're there and healthy and are able to help your team win, the number will be there.”

Baldelli said Lewis’ work ethic goes without saying. Lewis wants to put in a lot of repetitions and spend a lot of time on the field to get himself in the best shape possible for the season.

“He has approached it in everything we have thrown his way with a good mindset,” the Minnesota skipper said. “He is always in a good mood and he is in the mood to work, which is awesome.”