May 18, 2025; Milwaukee, Wisconsin, USA; Minnesota Twins third base Royce Lewis (23) rounds the bases after hitting a home run against the Milwaukee Brewers in the fourth inning at American Family Field. Mandatory Credit: Michael McLoone-Imagn Images Michael McLoone-Imagn Images

‘I slump’: Royce Lewis clarifies infamous quote as year-long slide continues

Originally posted on Minnesota Twins on SI
By Joe Nelson | Last updated Jun 3, 2025 3:53 PM ET

The one-year anniversary of Royce Lewis infamously saying "I don't do that slump thing" is nearing.

"I don't do that slump thing,'" Lewis said June 20, 20204 after responding to an 0-for-5 game with three hits, including a homer that broke the scoreboard in left field. "That's not a real thing for me. I understand that that's a thing, baseball, you're going to go into a slump or whatever, but for me, I don't have that mindset. It's a new day."

It was pretty clear then that Lewis was describing his mindset versus saying he's so good at hitting that he's immune to slumps. But Lewis has been slumping ever since making that comment, and he claimed Monday that his original words were misunderstood.

"What I was trying to say mentally was I don't go into 'I'm 0-for-20-whatever,'” Lewis said. “I go into today thinking, 'It's Luis Severino. I've faced him in the past. I feel good. I know his sinker and his four-seam,' and that's my mindset. That's what I was trying to say.

"So I'll say it: I slump. A lot of people slump. Everyone slumps. Hopefully I play long enough I slump 100 more times. That's my goal. I'm very excited to keep pushing through and have another opportunity.”

Since June 21, 2024, Lewis has 340 plate appearances in 88 games. He's slashing .184/.244/.313 with eight homers and 37 RBIs. His barrel percentage — the number of balls he hits on the barrel of the bat — is 8.4%. For context, Matt Wallner leads the Twins since June 21, 2024 with a 17.7% barrel rate, and Pittsburgh's O'Neill Cruz leads the majors in 2025 at 24.6%.

How big has the drop been for Lewis? In 62 plate appearances from the start of the 2024 season until June 20, Lewis, who was sidelined for two months with a quad strain, was second in the majors with a 22.2% barrel rate. The only guy with a better barrel rate at that point of the season was Aaron Judge (28.2%). So, yeah, it's been a drop from the top to the bottom.

Lewis has the ability to be one of the most feared hitters in baseball, and his mindset appears to be in the right place. Now all he has to do is go hit a round, spinning ball moving 95 mph with a round bat. No pressure...