When Royce Lewis gets back, how will the Twins lineup look?
In addition to getting back one of the best players in baseball, Minnesota will also see a major lineup adjustment with the return of Royce Lewis.
Although Minnesota Twins fans haven’t seen Royce Lewis play baseball in more than a month, it appears that the wait may soon come to an end.
After hitting a home run in his season-opening at-bat, Lewis went down with a quad injury that has kept him out of the game since the third inning of Opening Day. Lewis was being heralded as a dark horse MVP candidate, but it was a cruel twist of fate that he ended up in the same injury grave as so many other Twins players.
Although a precise return date is still unknown, it appears that he will happen soon. Lewis is recovering independently and should soon be ready to play in St. Paul before making a victorious comeback to the Major League Baseball team.
The Twins will have more than just a standout young player back when he returns. When Lewis rejoins the lineup, Rocco Baldelli will have multiple options for how to arrange the lineup on any given day.
Estimating the Twins starting lineup for Royce Lewis’s comeback
One of the main reasons the Twins should be anticipating Lewis’ return is the variety of lineup configurations he could bring back. Ideally, he’ll be well enough to play again and take over as the team’s starting third baseman.
The Twins can adjust what happens at the DH position in this scenario by using Edouard Julien or Alex Kirilloff to fill it and free up defensive positions in a particular lineup.
1B: Alex Kirilloff and Carlos Santana
Edouard Julien, 2B
Royce Lewis at 3B; Carlos Correa at SS
RF: Kepler Max
Byron Buxton, CF
LF: Larnach Trevor
C: Jeffers Ryan
DH: Edouard Julien, Ryan Jeffers, and Alex Kirilloff
That’s a really strong lineup right there, and it would be even better if Santana could find the kind of impact that Minnesota expected him to have. The way it highlights the depth of talent on the bench makes it even better. If Jose Miranda stays up to help relieve Lewis at third base, Minnesota will have his bat in addition to Trevor Larnach and possibly Brooks Lee. However, someone will need to be sent down.
Once more, adjustments will be necessary to create space, but the main idea is that this is the ideal lineup with a ton of incredible possibilities.
However, it’s not the sole choice. Lewis on the field is ideal, but there are a few ways the Twins can put together a lineup if he returns and wants to play DH.
1B: Carlos Santana
Edouard Julien, 2B
Jose Miranda, 3B
Carlos Correa, SS
RF: Kepler Max
Byron Buxton, CF
LF: Kirilloff, Alex
C: Jeffers Ryan
Royce Lewis, DH
The Twins have some excellent bench options to choose from even in this situation, and that doesn’t even take into consideration any trade deadline moves the team might make.
It may not be necessary for Minnesota to make trades in order to add fresh talent to the roster because Matt Wallner is hopefully making progress and will be able to contribute, and Brooks Lee and Emmanuel Rodriguez may make their season debuts.
Although the Twins’ current situation may not be ideal and their reliance on internal talent has irritated everyone this winter, the future looks promising. Lewis’s return improves the lineup undoubtedly, but it’s made even better by the options he provides the team.
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