FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Royce Lewis' offseason work is already paying off.
Lewis homered in his first at-bat of 2026 on Saturday, pummeling a 2-2 pitch over the berm and onto the outfield concourse at Lee Health Sports Complex in the first inning of Minnesota's Grapefruit League opener against the Red Sox. The ball traveled a projected 413 feet, per Statcast, and was clocked at 108.2 mph off of Lewis’ bat.
Lewis, coming off a frustrating 2025 season, worked with an outside hitting coach for the first time this winter as he looks to regain the form that made him a star in 2023 and for much of 2024.
He worked a deep count off of prospect Payton Tolle, checking his swing on a 1-2 changeup before turning on a 96 mph fastball from Tolle. He struggled mightily against four-seam fastballs in 2025, but he was all over the pitch from Tolle.
Lewis followed the homer with an RBI single in the fourth inning after Luke Keaschall hit a leadoff triple.