MINNEAPOLIS -- Royce Lewis watched the ball fly. He carried his bat halfway up the first-base line before dropping it. And as he rounded first base, he let out a roar.
Even if the Twins had already been eliminated from contention, it was clear that Lewis’ three-run pinch-hit homer on Sunday meant more than your garden-variety long ball. And he acknowledged as much after Minnesota finished off a 6-2 win against the Guardians at Target Field that brought their 2025 home schedule to a close.
“It was a good one,” Lewis said. “You never know if it's going to be your last at-bat here or what. You never know. I just wanted to enjoy it. And my grandma told me, 'Hit like you're hitting on my birthday.' Every time I've hit on her birthday I've hit a homer, so she told me that last night and it worked out. So I might as well do that on Tuesday, too."
It hasn’t been that long since a trade of Lewis would have seemed inconceivable, and it’s worth noting that it still appears rather unlikely for a variety of reasons. But it’s a sign of how things have gone this year that it even crossed his mind.
“It has [crossed my mind], but we don't know what direction,” Lewis said. “I can't control anything. I'm just here and enjoying my time with my teammates and the guys here. Because I grew up playing with all these guys, so it would be a weird situation. It would almost be like, I grew up with one family then all of a sudden, 'Hey, I'm going to college.'”
It’s been a tumultuous year for Lewis, who missed the first month of the season due to a hamstring injury, slumped deeply upon his return and reinjured the muscle just as he was starting to get going.
Then, just as he found himself on a roll once again with a strong July, he watched as 10 players were dealt off the Major League roster at the Trade Deadline. Whether it was related or just the kind of dip that sometimes happens, Lewis scuffled in the first half of August before finding his footing again.
In retrospect, he expressed regret about returning from the first injury when he did. But while his overall numbers are not what he would’ve hoped, Lewis has put up a solid second half while reaching 100 games played for the first time in his four-year career. He’s second on the Twins with 11 homers since the All-Star break and sports a .257/.295/.463 line in that time.
It’s not spectacular, but if he did that over a full season next year, Minnesota probably would not be disappointed.
“I came back way too early trying to make a push with the guys we had because we knew what the fortune was if we kept losing,” Lewis said. “Then ultimately we ended up trading away [10] guys. Once that happened at the Deadline, I was really bummed that I just came back a little too soon. My body wasn't necessarily fully trusting ... my mind, my body were off. So it sets you back, and then you have 75 at-bats where it's kind of building up Spring Training timing again.
“It's just hard to manage, man. It's extremely hard. So I feel for everyone who goes through that, and that's what I'm happy about, too. I was healthy, this is my 100th game ... and my body feels great. I feel really good and I'm looking forward to carrying that into next year. That stamina, that excitement, and then go out there and start off fresh and not have any bumps in the road."