Royce Lewis returns to Twins after minor league demotion, James Outman cut from roster

Bobby Nightengale, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 6, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — After Royce Lewis played 13 games in the minor leagues, including two starts at first base and one at second base, the Minnesota Twins saw enough to bring him back to the major leagues.

Lewis was recalled from Class AAA St. Paul before Saturday’s game against the Kansas City Royals. Outfielder James Outman was designated for assignment.

The way Lewis hit in the minor leagues forced his way back into the Twins lineup, starting Saturday at second base. He hit .340 with eight homers, four doubles, 19 RBI, 12 runs and a 1.285 OPS in 60 plate appearances, incorporating a leg kick that he hadn’t used since he tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee in 2021.

“When any player gets demoted, the first thing you look at is how they work and what their attitude was,” manager Derek Shelton said. “He did a good job. I know it’s been talked about a lot, but Royce Lewis is still our player. There are a lot of players that have been sent to [Class AAA]. He went down, he did a good job and he deserves to be back because of the way he performed.”

Brooks Lee will remain the primary third baseman after Lewis returned, Shelton confirmed.

Lewis made his second career start at second base Saturday while Luke Keaschall had a planned day out of the lineup. Keaschall took pregame defensive reps at first base Saturday.

Lewis will likely make occasional cameos at third base, when Lee isn’t playing there, and he’s learning first base. He spent about 90 minutes with Justin Morneau on Friday in St. Paul to learn the intricacies of the position.

“We’re going to get him as much work as we can on the right side to allow for all the positions — third base, second base, first base — to be on the table as Shelty sorts through lineups,” Twins GM Jeremy Zoll said.

Outman, used as a reserve outfielder, is out of minor league options, so the Twins have seven days to put him through waivers or trade him. He was batting .156 with no homers, three RBI and 29 strikeouts in 70 plate appearances, starting only 17 of the team’s first 65 games.

It’s notable the Twins jettisoned a backup outfielder after Byron Buxton left Friday’s game in the third inning because of a right shoulder contusion. Buxton crashed into the center-field wall after he made a running catch.

Buxton “was in good spirits” on Saturday morning, Shelton said, but he was out of the lineup and may not return before Monday’s off day. The Twins feel fine with Ryan Kreidler and Kody Clemens available to play center.

Buxton missed five games in May because of a sore right hip flexor, and he was mostly used as a designated hitter until Tuesday. He jammed his right shoulder on a slide on May 23, which affected his ability to throw for about a week.

“I think the most important thing with Buck is you can kind of tell when he comes in where he’s at spirit-wise,” Shelton said. “He was in my office early this morning. He was in good spirits, so that’s definitely encouraging.”

When Lewis was demoted to the minor leagues, the Twins told him to focus on his swing. Eight homers in the first 12 games will capture everybody’s attention, and he produced the two hardest-hit balls in his career over the past two weeks, according to Statcast.

Lewis met with Twins staff members on Tuesday to discuss playing the right side of the infield.

“All you can do is force their hand and try to get back to the big leagues as fast as possible, just like anyone would do in the organization,” Lewis said. “All those the guys that I was playing with, they all want to be big leaguers. They are big league talents and they can easily do that. It’s just about opportunity and trying your best to force their hand.”

Lewis feels comfortable at second base, a position he practiced during previous offseasons. First base, he admits, is more challenging.

“[Morneau] made jokes about it, like, ‘I was a catcher first, you’ll be a lot better off than I was,’” said Lewis, who ordered a new first baseman’s mitt after he had trouble using bench coach Mark Hallberg’s glove.

“It feels new. That’s the best way to describe it. I’m going to work as hard as possible to make it the best I can. I’m an athlete. We’ll just move my feet around and make it happen.”

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