MINNEAPOLIS — After taking a few days’ worth of grounders at second base, Minnesota Twins infielder Royce Lewis said he’s akin to a fish out of water.
Recently, the Twins spoke to Lewis about working at second base during batting practice to prepare him for game action if he’s ever needed. Remote as Twins manager Rocco Baldelli made the possibility seem, the coaching staff wants Lewis to log time at second base, a position he’s played only five times in his pro career and not since he participated in the 2019 Arizona Fall League.
Lewis took grounders again at second base before Tuesday’s game against the Atlanta Braves, working with coaches Jayce Tingler and Tony Diaz. As good of an athlete as Lewis is, thus far he has yet to discover a comfort zone.
But potentially playing Lewis at second would allow the Twins to keep his bat in the lineup alongside Jose Miranda and Carlos Correa, when he returns from the injured list. Lewis is batting .265/.329/.568 with 15 home runs and 40 RBIs in 210 plate appearances this season. He’s played 53 games overall, making 31 appearances at third base.
“I’m a little more babied in a good way, they’re taking care of me the best way possible because of the past,” Lewis said. “If you take a baby out of its crib where it’s safe, it’s going to feel a little bit scared. That’s kind of where I’m at right now.”
For someone who exudes confidence in almost every baseball conversation — during the middle of his first rehab for a torn ACL in August 2021, Lewis suggested it was a foregone conclusion he’d reach the majors — the slugger doesn’t sound convinced he can be a second baseman, at least not yet.
Royce Lewis worked out at second base again today during batting practice. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/vI0VKcpJWm
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) August 28, 2024
Lewis said he’s only tried working out at second base two to three times after a recent discussion with the coaching staff in which he was encouraged to take grounders and give “it all you have.” Lewis said he’s taking about 15 ground balls at second per session. He described double plays as being the hardest but said throws are easier to make because of the short distance. Still, he’s getting accustomed to positioning and fielding balls on his right side more routinely than he would at third base or shortstop.
“We’re trying to get me comfortable because it’s so different, new,” Lewis said. “My whole life has been on the left side or even a little bit more in the outfield. I feel comfortable more in the outfield than I do at second right now. I’m just trying to get comfortable, put the work in and see what happens. … We have high expectations with this team. We’re good defensively. I just don’t want to mess that up.”
Baldelli said Lewis’ work is merely an exploratory exercise. Citing the team’s success with Willi Castro, Baldelli said he likes moving Lewis around because seeing the field from different angles can help players.
Lewis’s recent struggles throwing from third base — he’s committed six errors in 91 chances — has caught the team’s attention. Whereas he once was deemed the franchise’s shortstop of the future, Lewis currently finds himself splitting time at third with Jose Miranda and starting at designated hitter the rest.
“It’s far from a guarantee that we’ll see him in any games at second base this season,” Baldelli said. “It’s a possibility, I would say that. It’s not a place he’s played a ton of. But when there was a shift, he basically played on the other side of the bag a fair amount. So he’s made a lot of plays over the course of his career on that side of the bag. And we just want to make sure we’re getting him the work. And truthfully, I think getting him some work over there can also help him mix up some of his throwing angles and different types of throws he has to make. I think changing your eye line and sight line can sometimes help you with the position that you are playing. I think some of the work he’s putting in, it’s good for him to go over there and get those reps at second base, but also I think it can help him with his work at third, too.”
Twins add pitchers, end Joe Ryan’s regular season
For a pitcher whose regular season officially ended on Tuesday, Joe Ryan (right shoulder strain) was in an upbeat mood.
Even though he hasn’t yet picked up a baseball, the Twins starting pitcher is doing all he can to stay focused as the team’s season continues without him, working in case he’s needed for the playoffs. Ryan was transferred from the 15-day injured list to the 60-day IL on Tuesday to make space for two pitchers added by the Twins.
The team purchased the contract of Caleb Boushley and claimed Michael Tonkin off waivers from the New York Yankees. The Twins also designated for assignment Trevor Richards, whom they acquired from the Miami Marlins at the trade deadline.
While the transfer means Ryan won’t pitch again in the regular season, there’s no word if he could return for the playoffs.
“I’m trying to stay as engaged as I can,” Ryan said. “I’m trying to break down hitters still, talking to guys that are in the games and just seeing what we’re doing and trying to stay mentally there. Last night I was kind of doing some not throwing dry reps but I was like, ‘Oh, I could actually work on some lower-half stuff right now and maybe get off the slope and feel that,’ and just if there’s a chance that I’m there, I don’t want there to be other things that are wrong or have to take more time to get back into the groove. Trying to mentally stay locked in and yeah, we’ll see where it takes us.”
After receiving two opinions, Ryan is encouraged his right shoulder is in the clear. He feels great overall and expects his previous warmup routine will largely remain the same aside from several additions to prevent another grade 2 teres major strain. As for pitching in October, Ryan won’t know until he receives another checkup.
“We haven’t really discussed a whole lot of that,” Ryan said. “It just kind of depends on the next MRI, what that shows, how the rehab’s going, how the strength is, how the range of motion is — it’s so foreign to me that I really don’t know.”
(Photo of Royce Lewis: Jerome Miron / USA Today)
