The Minnesota Twins are calling up top prospect Royce Lewis, with the young shortstop taking the roster spot of Carlos Correa as he heads to the injured list.
Correa was hit by a pitch twice on Thursday night, with the last one forcing him to exit the game. Early imaging results determined the star free-agent signing suffered a broken finger, requiring a stint on the 10-day injured list.
In need of a shortstop and an impact bat, Minnesota is reportedly calling up its 22-year-old shortstop from Triple-A St. Paul to take Correa’s spot on the roster. The move will be official before Friday’s game, but Lewis is already headed to Target Field and will likely be in the Twins lineup when they face the Oakland Athletics.
Correa’s injury comes at an extremely unfortunate time. While Minnesota is near the top of the MLB standings, it lost its last two games against the Baltimore Orioles. With the Cleveland Guardians closing ground in the AL Central, the Twins needed all the help and run production they could get.
Instead, Correa will hit the IL for the first time in his Minnesota tenure. Meanwhile, starting pitcher Sonny Gray is another week away from returning to the starting rotation. Meanwhile, skipper Rocco Baldelli is sidelined after testing positive for COVID-19.
Royce Lewis stats and 2022 expectations
Rated as the No. 1 prospect in the Minnesota Twins farm system by MLB Pipeline, Lewis was initially expected to make his MLB debut a year ago. Unfortunately, the young infielder suffered a torn ACL in spring training in 2021.
It came just a year after Lewis couldn’t play in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic canceling the minor league season. Fortunately, the 22-year-old made his way to Triple-A at the start of the 2022 MiLB season and thrived.
- Royce Lewis stats (2022): .310/.430/.563, 3 home runs, 21 runs scored, 15.9% walk rate
Lewis showed tremendous patience this season at the Triple-A level, flashing more plate discipline and better judgment of the strike zone than in the past. Minnesota felt confident he was ready to play in the majors, but shortstop and second base were occupied.
While the Correa injury isn’t the ideal reason for Lewis to make his MLB debut, the excitement surrounding Lewis and this opportunity might be a silver lining when the organization and fan base needs it.
Minnesota already called up fellow top prospect Jose Miranda with Miguel Sano on the injured list. Now, as the team looks to prove itself as a playoff contender, two pieces of the long-term foundation get to prove themselves.