Twins expect to lose Royce Lewis for at least six weeks

The major leagues have agreed with Royce Lewis, the infielder the Twins selected No. 1 overall in the 2017 amateur draft. So, it’s no surprise that an oblique injury interrupted a hot streak.

Lewis, 24, is expected to miss about six weeks after leaving Saturday’s 1-0 victory in Baltimore early. That’s better, he noted, than an entire year — which was the result of his past two injuries, ligament tears in his right knee.

“Every other time I was on the (injured list), basically, it was a whole year and I had no control over how I could come back or not,” Lewis said before Monday night’s 7:10 p.m. first pitch against Kansas City at Target Field. “So, it makes it a lot easier. I actually don’t even know what the deal is yet. I’m waiting to talk to the doctor.”

Lewis and the Twins were waiting for team doctor Christopher Camp to see the results of an MRI exam but no one was expecting the third baseman back anytime soon.

“As a rough reference point, probably six weeks is something that we would be looking at with that,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “Any time you’re dealing with an oblique, you’re going to be dealing with a lengthy break off the field.”

Lewis has been a consistent bright spot for a lineup that has, for the most part, struggled all season. Since returning from his second knee surgery in late May, he has hit .326 with a .343 on-base percentage and .496 slugging percentage. He was hitless in two at-bats on Saturday; before that, he had hit safely in 10 of 11 games (.421) with two home runs, six RBIs and five runs scored.

He injured himself swinging at a pitch he put into play, started running to first and then grabbed his side before being taken out of the game.

“It felt like someone stabbed a knife in my back — and it just kept getting worse and worse as I ran, each step,” he said.

Miranda swings

Infielder Jose Miranda was back in the Twins’ lineup for the first time at Target Field since a 6-1 loss to the San Diego Padres on May 9, after which he was optioned to Class AAA St. Paul.

After leading the team with 66 RBIs in 125 games as a rookie in 2022, Miranda was hitting .220 with three homers, 13 RBIs, nine walks and 23 strikeouts. He was recalled on Sunday to take Lewis’ spot on the active roster. He played third and batted sixth.

“I know it’s part of a process; that’s what I told myself,” Miranda said Monday, a day after going 0 for 2 in a 2-1 loss to the Orioles. “I knew I wasn’t playing my best when I got sent down. Obviously, I had to go down there and make some adjustments, fix some things in my game.”

In 39 games with the Saints, Miranda hit .255 with three homers, 23 RBIs and a .326 on-base percentage.

Miranda was a revelation as a rookie, filling in a third and first base and hitting .268 with 15 home runs. His 66 RBIs were two better than Carlos Correa and Gio Urshela, in a combined 30 fewer games. But struggled at the season’s onset.

“I think for me it was more my at-bats, that was more of an issue,” he said. “(At St. Paul), I was trying to get good pitches to hit, trying to get my walks. That’s one of the things you obviously have to stay pretty good at. Obviously, you’ve got to hit in the bigs. That’s the main thing here.”

Drafting

The Twins’ scouting department is hunkering down at Target Field in preparation for Sunday night’s first round of MLB’s amateur draft. The draft lottery December, MLB’s first, lifted the Twins to the fifth overall slot.

“We’re excited just to be here, kind of,” Twins vice president for amateur scouting Sean Johnson said Monday. “We were picking 13 a few months ago, and now we’re up where we’re at.”

It’s seriously good timing. The draft is regarded as deep overall and heavy at the top, and the Twins have three picks inside the top 50.

“I think it’s a great year for that,” Johnson said. “I think there’s really good depth in certain parts of the draft. So, we think we’re going to get three really good players on the first night. That’s not always the case.”

Radcliff remembered

The Twins celebrated the life and career of Mike Radcliff before Monday’s game. The mastermind of Minnesota’s scouting department for 36 years. He died in February at age 66 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer.

“He was the smartest guy in the room but never let you know it,” former Twins general manager Terry Ryan said during a pregame ceremony.

“He meant everything to me,” Johnson said. “Not only a mentor to me, but a lot of guys in our room.”