Lewis exits with left hamstring strain, set for MRI

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins third baseman Royce Lewis was removed from Sunday¡¯s 6-5 loss against the Red Sox due to a left hamstring strain. He will be further evaluated, including receiving an MRI, on Monday.

Leading off the bottom of the second inning, Lewis hit a hard grounder to third base. As he was running out the ball, he pulled up, unable to run on his left leg. Lewis walked off the field and straight into the Twins¡¯ clubhouse.

It¡¯s an extremely disappointing blow for Lewis and the Twins. The infielder has an extensive injury history, including knee, quadriceps and adductor strains and has yet to play more than 82 games in a Major League season, but he had been feeling good all winter and spring.

¡°It¡¯s emotional and, of course, disappointing,¡± said Twins manager Rocco Baldelli. ¡°There is no way around that fact. In this game, you have to be able to deal with adversity. You have to be able to deal with challenges. Not everyone deals with the same difficulties. Royce knows that. It¡¯s hard sometimes getting over the initial part of the deal, the injury and the immediate aftermath and having to talk about it.

¡°Once you get through that part of it, then you get your eyes toward getting back on the field. We still have a lot to learn. Let¡¯s play it slow, wait and see, get some imaging done as we always do in these situations and see where we¡¯re sitting at that point. We¡¯ll know more in a few days. We¡¯ll know a lot by actually how he¡¯s moving around and what he¡¯s capable of doing in the coming weeks.¡±

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It¡¯s unclear how much time Lewis will miss, so any questions as to how the club will handle his absence are on hold for the moment. But a healthy Lewis is one of the sport¡¯s most dynamic offensive players, so any absence will certainly be felt both on and off the field.

¡°I¡¯m sure he¡¯s feeling very down on himself, but he¡¯s also very optimistic, so I hope that he¡¯s got some optimism [in] him,¡± said right-hander Pablo L¨®pez, who started Sunday's game for the Twins. ¡°Whatever imaging they¡¯re going to get ¡­ Just hoping and wishing the best for him. He¡¯s such a good player and a much more important clubhouse presence for us.¡±