Minnesota Twins' Derek Shelton Makes Royce Lewis Admission After 4-1 Win

The Minnesota Twins had another productive pitching outing on Saturday after their 2-1 Opening Day loss to the Baltimore Orioles on Thursday. But this time, their offense showed up.

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Third baseman Royce Lewis got the big hit, as his two-run homer in the top of the fifth inning ended up being the game-winner in the 4-1 victory over Baltimore. Manager Derek Shelton spoke about the 26-year-old postgame, via the Twins' YouTube channel.

"Good swing. He did a good job. We've gotta get him going," he said. "I think I've said throughout, since the time I got the job, we're gonna go as he goes. Not as the single component, but he's such a big factor. So what he did for us today, hitting the homer and kind of separating for us, I thought that was outstanding."

Shelton's statement rings true through his first two games as Minnesota's manager. Lewis went 0-for-2 with a hit by pitch before Shelton pinch-hit outfielder Trevor Larnach for him in the ninth on Thursday. The 2017 No. 1 overall MLB Draft pick then popped out to shortstop in the third on Saturday before plating Larnach on a 378-foot shot to left, bringing the score to 3-1. He also walked in the seventh and was plated on first baseman Kody Clemens' two-out single.

The Twins' pitching staff took care of the rest, as starter Taj Bradley allowed one run over 4.1 frames before the bullpen tossed a shutout. Shelton now has his first win with Minnesota after getting fired by the Pittsburgh Pirates in May.

Twins Need Royce Lewis to Break OutMinnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23). © Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

Other than two-time All-Star Byron Buxton, Minnesota's lineup is full of question marks. But it'll be a different story if Lewis finally lives up to his draft status.

Lewis has been hampered by injuries throughout his career. The California native tore his right ACL in February 2021, causing him to miss the whole season. He then re-tore the ACL just weeks after making his MLB debut in May 2022 and got season-ending surgery again.

Lewis then set a franchise record with four grand slams in 2023 after returning in May of that year. The 6-foot, 200-pounder then tied the franchise record for homers in a postseason with four, but the squad lost in the AL Division Series.

After that, Lewis strained his quad on Opening Day in 2024 and finished the season with 82 games played. He set a career-high with 106 games last year, but logged just a .671 OPS.

If Lewis stays healthy and turns his power-hitting flashes into consistent production, the Twins will have a better chance of being competitive in the AL Central. Up next is a road rematch with the Orioles at 1:35 p.m. ET on Sunday.

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