Royce Lewis could find himself in the middle of a slumping Minnesota Twins lineup within three weeks.
The Twins announced Sunday that Lewis, the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 MLB Draft, will begin a rehab assignment at Double-A Wichita on Thursday. The idea is to get him going at Double-A before moving him up to Triple-A.
MLB rules stipulate that a rehab assignment can’t last longer than 20 days, so the Twins will have to decide by June 1 if they’re going to bring Lewis up to the big leagues or keep him at Triple-A St. Paul.
Lewis is on his way back from a second ACL tear in a span of 15 months and he’s ahead of schedule compared to the 12-13 month timeline the Twins believed he would need when he underwent surgery in June 2022.
Last year, Lewis hit .313/.405/.534 with five homers and 12 stolen bases in 34 games with the St. Paul Saints before getting the call to the Twins and going 12-for-40 (.300) with two homers in 12 games before suffering his second ACL tear.
If Lewis does get promoted to the Twins at the beginning of June, the question will be how manager Rocco Baldelli deploys him. Lewis will be playing shortstop and third base during the rehab assignment, and those positions with the Twins are currently filled by Carlos Correa and Jose Miranda. And with Byron Buxton at designated hitter, the Twins probably need to get creative if they hope to find a spot for Lewis in the lineup and on the field.
