Return of Royce Lewis's power could be a game-changer for Twins

If the Twins can get this version of Royce Lewis for a good chunk of the rest of the season, they're not out of the hunt at all despite being five games back of a wild card spot with 60 games to play.

At long last, Lewis has looked like his dynamic, powerful self again lately. He announced his re-emergence with a two-homer game in Colorado last Sunday, then went 5 for 10 with three extra-base hits, two walks, no strikeouts, and a rare stolen base (his first since 2023) in this week's series against the Dodgers. That included a homer and a double on Wednesday off of Tyler Glasnow, who had previously held right-handed hitters to a 4-for-51 mark with one homer and one double.

In just four games, Lewis managed to raise his season OPS from .571 to .687. But he had actually been showing some signs of life prior to this recent breakout. From June 3 up until his huge game against the Rockies, Lewis hit .296 with a .747 OPS over 79 plate appearances, sandwiched around his second hamstring-induced trip to the IL this season. For a guy who had hit .170 with a .461 OPS in 242 plate appearances from last August 13 through June 1 of this year, that was a big improvement.

Over most of the first few seasons of his career, the only question with Lewis was health. He was a home-run hitting machine with a magic touch and a flair for the dramatic, smacking 36 homers in his first 116 career games. That included four postseason bombs in 2023 and five grand slams, four of which came in an 18-game span in that '23 season.

Then the magic went away. Lewis slumped badly in the back half of last season, coinciding with the Twins' collapse. He missed over a month to start this year due to a hamstring strain in spring training, and once he returned, he hardly looked like himself. His comments to reporters were starting to get concerning. In late May, Lewis said he was "at a point where the hope is gone." He was dropped to ninth in the batting order. Then came another hamstring injury. Less than a week ago, he talked about how the injuries had taken a physical and mental toll.

The context of those struggles makes this recent hot stretch from Lewis so encouraging. It's proof that he's still capable of being the player he was before his extended slump. And he's savoring every moment.

“It feels like playing baseball again,” Lewis said, via Dan Hayes of The Athletic. "There’s not as much limitation. ... For me, mentally, just to feel healthy again, it’s huge. I’m praying it's forever. You can’t control that, so enjoy the moments while you are feeling good, because this game is brutal. It’ll probably throw you in a dumpster and make you hurt at some point. I’ve got to enjoy it while I can."