MINNEAPOLIS -- It’s never really been in doubt: For the Twins to be at their best, Royce Lewis needs to be at his best. And there’s good news: Lewis appears to be as close to his best as he’s been in a very long time.
Lewis smoked two doubles, continuing a torrid stretch at the plate, as Minnesota rallied from two early deficits to beat the Orioles, 7-5, at Target Field on Wednesday. It was the Twins’ first series win since before the Trade Deadline, and it temporarily pulled them to within one game of the third American League Wild Card spot.
For Lewis, it was the continuation of the best stretch he’s had at the plate in more than a year. He has three consecutive multi-hit games and five in his past six. He’s ripped eight extra-base hits in 11 games in August, and since July 9, he’s 33-for-105 (.314) with a .562 slugging percentage.
When you think about what Lewis did as a breakout star in 2022, '23, and early in '24, this is the kind of performance you’re thinking of.
“He’s taking really good swings,” said manager Derek Shelton. “We’ve talked about it before. We’ve talked about the aggressiveness, we’ve talked about the balls that he’s swinging and fouling off: He’s right on them, and that’s really good to see.”
It was a breakout game throughout a Twins lineup that has scuffled for much of the second half. Josh Bell and Alan Roden had three hits each, and every starter but Ryan Kreidler had at least one run or an RBI.
But there are few players in Minnesota's lineup, or anywhere really, who have the kind of upside potential that Lewis presents. And after seeming to be at sea for much of the past two seasons, the former No. 1 overall Draft pick has very much found a groove lately.
Virtually all of his underlying hitting metrics are trending upward. Entering Wednesday's game, Lewis’ average exit velocity, hard-hit rate, barrel rate and expected slugging percentage are all up since July 1.
To put it in simplest terms, Lewis is hitting the ball hard, often. And for an extended period of time, he wasn’t doing that as often as he’s shown he’s capable of. Lewis enjoyed a hot stretch in mid-2025, but for most of the past two seasons, he’s been trying to establish his form, his health, or both.
Now, he’s playing regularly and performing. He credits some of that to an adjustment in his pre-swing loading that allows him to be in a better position to make solid contact. Lewis also points to a freer mindset, a desire to focus less on pleasing others and taking in too much advice, and rather on making sure he does what works for him.
“You always appreciate playing good in this game,” he said. “I used to do this, it felt like every day for a while. And I just lost myself within [listening to] a lot of people. There were just so many things I was trying to do and do right. And now, I just go out there, and it’s not like in a mean way, but just kind of [forget] you guys, just go do your thing. Showing everyone what I can do on a daily basis. Wish I had started the season this way.”
Wednesday was a great example of what’s going well for Lewis. With the Twins trailing, 4-1, in the third, Lewis doubled down the left-field line against O's starter Shane Baz to start a four-run rally that put Minnesota ahead for good. And in the fifth, Lewis smoked another ball to a similar location for an RBI double that stretched the lead to three runs.
Even his outs are hard hit. In Lewis’ first at-bat, he had his hardest-hit ball of the day, hammering a ball 103.6 mph off the bat that took O’s left fielder Dylan Beavers to the wall. And in his final trip to the plate, he hit a drive at 97.6 mph to the track in the other direction.
“It’s awesome,” said starter Zebby Matthews. “He’s a centerpiece of the team; a core guy here. He’s awesome. He brings the energy every day. His enthusiasm, his work ethic. So to see him get rewarded like that, it’s awesome, and I hope he keeps it going.”