Sep 3, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) hits a single against the Chicago White Sox in the second inning at Target Field. Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

Twins' Royce Lewis pendulum has swung in the right direction again

Originally posted on Minnesota Twins on SI
By Will Ragatz | Last updated Sep 4, 2025 5:15 PM ET

It's been a season of ups and downs for Royce Lewis, with more of the latter than the former. But recently, the pendulum has swung back in the right direction for the Twins' 26-year-old third baseman, as he's put together a nice hot streak over the past couple weeks.

Lewis went 3 for 4 in Tuesday's night's loss to the White Sox, which featured a ninth-inning collapse in front of a tiny crowd at Target Field. He's gone 8 for 19 with a pair of homers over the past five games, boosting his OPS up from .653 to .688 for the season. In his last 15 games, dating back to August 17, he's hitting .286 with five homers and a .905 OPS.

Notably, Lewis also has four stolen bases during that span. On Tuesday night, he had the first two-steal game of his career. With five on the season, he's one away from tying his career high. Lewis, who landed on the injured list twice this year due to hamstring issues, appears to be swinging and running as smoothly as he has in a long time.

Royce Lewis: "When I'm comfortable, it feels like I'm just having fun, playing loose. I'm not thinking about where my hands are or how my step is going to work or loading, anything like that. I'm just see ball, hit the ball. It's truly how simplified it is right now." #MNTwins
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) September 4, 2025

This is a big month of September for Lewis, who will look to continue this recent momentum and head into the offseason on a positive note. The reason we've covered Lewis so closely this season — both through bad times and good — is that he looks like a true X-factor for the Twins' future. If he can stay on the field and rediscover some of his 2023 and early 2024 success next season, it would provide a massive lift to Minnesota's offense.

Coming off of an extended slump to close out last season, Lewis began 2025 on the IL due to a spring training hamstring strain. He came back in early May but struggled quite a bit to find a rhythm. On June 2, Lewis was hitting .127 with a sub-.400 OPS. His hope was gone. He then started to heat up in June, only to land on the IL again. Lewis was back on July 1, and he had a surge of power right after the All-Star break. Then came another slump and a helmet slam in mid-August, followed by his first grand slam of the season one night later (and some controversial quotes about adjustments).

It's been a rollercoaster ride for Lewis, but he's not far from getting his season OPS above .700, a mark he only briefly reached for a few days in late July. There's no doubt that he's one of the most intriguing players to follow over the final 23 games of a lost Twins season.