Royce Lewis has seen the shine of his prospect star decrease over the past couple of years. He remains a highly regarded prospect, someone expected to be a future star at short, but was not even guaranteed to be considered the top minor leaguer in the Minnesota Twins system. A rough 2019 campaign, and the loss of last year, made his showing in 2021 all the more important.
Instead, Lewis will be on the shelf for the entirety of this year as well. He tore his ACL and will undergo surgery on Friday.
The #MNTwins announce that Royce Lewis was feeling soreness in his right knee during intake. They got an MRI done, and he has a right ACL tear.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) February 24, 2021
Lewis will undergo reconstruction surgery in the Twin Cities on Friday.
Minnesota Twins prospect Royce Lewis has another lost year
This is certainly not the news that the Twins were hoping for. With a recovery period of nine months to a year, Lewis will see his development delayed yet again. Fortunately, he is still just 21 years old, and has plenty of time to make his major league debut.
Nonetheless, this was going to be a critical year for Lewis. While he was quite young for both High A and AA in 2019, his overall production disappointed. He produced a .236/.290/.371 batting line in his 566 plate appearances, hitting 12 homers and 26 doubles while stealing 22 bases. While he did look much better in the Arizona Fall League that year, those numbers were not what the Twins were hoping for.
Yet, it is important to remember how young Lewis actually is. Even his disappointing production does not change the expectations; he is still a consensus top 35 prospect for the fourth consecutive season. However, this injury does put a major roadblock in the way, potentially delaying his debut even longer.
Although he was not expected to be a part of the Twins’ plans this year, a strong showing in the minors could have forced the organization to bring him up in the latter part of the season. He is still expected to be a vital part of the team’s future, but his time has been delayed even further with this injury.
Minnesota Twins prospect Royce Lewis has been lost for the 2021 season. While he is still a key piece for the future, his prospect luster is slowly fading.