2:28PM: In an unfortunate turn of events for Lewis, he had to leave today’s game with what the Twins described as right knee soreness. Lewis made a tremendous catch of an Emmanuel Rivera fly ball in the third inning but awkwardly collided with the outfield wall in the process. The Twins removed Lewis from the game an inning later, and he is currently undergoing more tests. A right knee injury is particularly ominous, as Lewis missed the entire 2021 season due to a torn ACL.
11:51AM: The Twins announced that star prospect Royce Lewis has been called up from Triple-A St. Paul for another taste of the big leagues. Infielder Jose Miranda was optioned to Triple-A in the corresponding move.
When Carlos Correa was on the 10-day injured list earlier this season, Lewis received his first MLB promotion and started 11 games at shortstop in Correa’s absence. Lewis made the most of his opportunity, hitting .308/.325/.564 with two home runs over 40 plate appearances, and flashing some of the potential that made him the first overall pick of the 2017 draft.
With Correa holding down everyday shortstop duty, Lewis told The Athletic’s Dan Hayes and other reporters today that he has four different gloves with him, indicating the 22-year-old’s readiness to play all over the diamond. At St. Paul this season, Lewis has seen action at third base, left field, and center field in addition to his usual shortstop duties, and Lewis also played a little second base earlier in his minor league career.
Lewis is in today’s starting lineup as a center fielder, with Byron Buxton getting a partial rest day as the DH. Having Lewis occasionally fill in center field would be a logical way to keep the oft-injured Buxton fresh, and the right-handed hitting Lewis could also complement left-handed hitting left fielder Trevor Larnach. There figures to be enough playing time available for Lewis in the majors, since obviously the Twins wouldn’t have interrupted his development at Triple-A just to park Lewis on the bench.
Miranda is a notable prospect in his own right, as his breakout 2021 minor league season earned him some top-100 prospect attention heading into 2022. Minnesota promoted Miranda for his debut in the Show earlier this month, though he hit only .164/.200/.284 in 70 PA.