Royce Lewis Lands on IL with ‘Severe Quad Strain’, Twins Call Up Former Top Prospect

The season couldn’t have started any better for Royce Lewis and the Minnesota Twins. Thursday’s season-opening win over the Kansas City Royals began with Lewis smacking a solo home run in his first at-bat of the day. He also added a single later on, finishing a perfect 2-for-2.

But it was what happened on the basepaths as the former No. 1 pick was rounding second base, where he suddenly started hopping as if he had suffered a leg injury. Speculation ran rampant, suggesting he was possibly dealing with an ankle injury before we learned it was actually his quad that was bothering him.

Of course, Lewis was removed from the game and replaced by Kyle Farmer at third base, and while the Twins were winning, all anyone could think about was the thought of losing their charismatic star for extended action. After all, Lewis has played just 70 games since making his debut in 2022, mainly due to suffering various injuries.

Friday came and went without an update to Lewis’ status. Since the Twins were resting with no game to play, the silence wasn’t completely unexpected, but it was a bit odd.

Austin Martin Takes Royce Lewis’ Place on Minnesota Twins’ Roster

Early on Saturday morning, we finally got the dreaded news everyone feared. Royce Lewis is headed to the injured list (IL). While Lewis is headed to the 10-day IL list, he could be headed to the far more painful 60-day IL soon.

As Twins President Derek Falvey noted, Lewis is dealing with a “severe quad strain“. This type of injury will require at least a month of recovery before the Twins can re-assess the situation and decide when he can ramp up baseball activity.

It’s a “severe quad strain” for Royce Lewis, according to Derek Falvey. He’s going to need a month of pure recovery before the Twins even have a better sense of how much more recovery he’ll need at that point before starting his buildup back into playing.

— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) March 30, 2024

Former top prospect Austin Martin has been called up to the Twins to provide Rocco Baldelli with a right-handed hitter who can eat up innings in the infield and outfield.

It remains to be seen just what the Twins’ plans are at third base while Lewis is sidelined. They could roll with Farmer. Willi Castro could become a factor too. Yet, Martin’s arrival provides the clubhouse with another option who can get on base and use his excellent speed to his advantage.

Martin landed with the Twins as part of the prospect haul from the Jose Berrios trade. The 25-year-old was the fifth pick in the 2020 MLB Draft and was touted as the “best pure hitter” of the draft class.

Martin hasn’t been able to live up to his potential thus far, but he still ranks 15th among the Twins’ top 30 prospects, according to MLB.com. As a versatile player who can play second base, shortstop, and handle outfield duties, he brings a very versatile skillset to the Twins in a time of need.

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