Byron Buxton, Carlos Correa homer for Twins and Pablo López shines in Royce Lewis’ return

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MINNEAPOLIS — Royce Lewis and his bubbly personality were back in the lineup Tuesday night, and the Minnesota Twins celebrated accordingly.

Ecstatic to make his 2025 season debut, the young slugger returned to the lineup and went hitless in four at-bats after missing the team’s first 35 games with a left hamstring strain. Though Lewis was quiet at the plate, his teammates packed plenty of punch as the Twins toppled the Baltimore Orioles 9-1 in front of 19,779 at Target Field.

Pablo López struck out 11 in five dominant innings, Twins pitchers finished with 17 strikeouts overall, and Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa powered the team to an easy victory, their ninth in 14 games.

Buxton also doubled in a run as part of a four-RBI night, and Correa finished with three hits and three RBIs, driving in two on a 458-foot home run to left-center field as the Twins scored five runs in the third inning and added a four-spot in the seventh.

Carlos Correa with a double-decker blast 💥

(MLB x @JagermeisterUSA) pic.twitter.com/h8ERCes7qD

— MLB (@MLB) May 7, 2025

Accompanied by the 83-degree temperature at first pitch, Lewis was thrilled to bring his enthusiastic style back to the clubhouse as he played in his first game with the big league team since injuring his hamstring on March 16.

“I try to do Royce, man,” Lewis said when asked what he brings to the clubhouse. “I just feel like I have a lot of fun in life. I take every moment and cherish it. I don’t take it for granted. And this is just another day, another beautiful day, coming back to just like California weather. I’m really excited. It’s just a perfect time. It feels like opening day for me and I’m really excited for the opportunity.”

Fifty-one days after the injury, the Twins were finally ready to unveil Lewis. Over that span, an offense the Twins believed was capable of again finishing in the top 10 in runs scored sputtered.

In their first 35 games, the Twins scored three or fewer runs 17 times, going winless in each of those contests. By contrast, when the Twins score four or more runs, they are 16-3.

The team doesn’t expect Lewis to be a cure-all for its offensive woes, but his mere presence does wonders simply by expanding the amount of dangerous hitters in the lineup. With an average of one home run per every 15 at-bats, including the playoffs, Lewis, who owns a career .825 OPS, is a hitter opposing teams must prepare for as they plan how to attack the Twins.

“It definitely lengthens us in a lot of different ways,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “You add Royce, you add Willi (Castro) … we feel like we’re getting stronger.”

But Lewis is potentially far more than a big bat in the Twins lineup.

BUCK TRUCKING HIS WAY TO HIS 8TH HOME RUN pic.twitter.com/DQbEzSObZf

— Twins.TV (@twinstv) May 7, 2025

In the same way that Buxton makes his presence felt with his energy and athleticism, Lewis impacts the mood in the clubhouse.

Whenever Lewis is around his teammates, he’s upbeat and enjoying the scene. As he patiently waited for his rehab to begin, Lewis could often be seen in the team’s dugout during home games rooting on teammates, acting as their No. 1 cheerleader.

He also plays with a carefree attitude, enjoying the major-league lifestyle. During his first month in the majors, Lewis glowed as he spoke about crushing big league clubhouse spreads, speaking as if he were a kid living his best life at summer camp.

“He’s always in a headspace seemingly of enjoyment,” catcher Ryan Jeffers said. “You want to keep it there. You want to make sure that type of energy stays around in the good times and the bad times. Especially when he’s coming back from injuries and we haven’t had him for a little while, I think it’s exciting to have his energy back in the dugout.”

Though he’s been playing at Triple-A St. Paul since April 25, Lewis said his swing isn’t quite where it was before the injury, a period where he felt capable of going off. At the time, Lewis was hitting .346/.469/.423 in 32 plate appearances.

After he doubled in his debut, Lewis only produced a .384 OPS in six rehab games. One factor disrupting the hitter’s rhythm was constant rainouts, which cancelled five Saints’ games during his stint and likely nullified another three contests’ worth of at-bats for Lewis.

“I’m not there yet, but it doesn’t matter,” Lewis said. “Any time I have an opportunity, there’s no excuses. I was just glad we got some games in.”

The Twins planned for a longer rehab for Lewis for several reasons. When he returned, it had been nearly six weeks since Lewis last played a game. Not only did he need to build up his endurance again, but Lewis needed to accrue at-bats to regain timing.

But even more, the Twins wanted to test Lewis’ hamstring as much as possible. The Twins try to be thorough when it comes to making sure players are healthy when they return.

With Lewis’ extensive injury history, their caution borders on overkill for good reason.

Not only has Lewis suffered two torn anterior cruciate ligaments, but he’s also missed time with a right quadriceps injury in 2024 and previously suffered a hamstring injury toward the end of the 2023 season.

“The smart thing is is when these injuries happen, specifically with Royce, which, he has had some tissue issues in the past, we want to try to do whatever we can to try to mitigate it occurring again within that same calendar year, within that same season,” Twins athletic trainer Nick Paparesta said. “To do that, you have to stress the tissues, you have to get his workload capacity, and you have to get his innings capacity up, similar to what we were doing in spring training with a lot of these guys.”

Lewis initially expected a longer timeline. He’s become all too familiar with the rehab process and all the checkmarks required to return. Two weeks ago, Lewis was thrilled to be running the bases and sliding, knowing it was one of the final steps before he’d be allowed to begin a rehab assignment.

Before Tuesday’s game, Lewis suggested that losing playing time has caused him to think about playing smarter. Even though Tuesday marked three years since Lewis made his major-league debut, he was only playing in the 153rd game of his career. Whereas a year ago Lewis brazenly stole a base in his first rehab game after missing 59 contests with a quad injury, this time he expects to be more tame.

“If I had Bobby Witt speed, I think I’d run a lot,” Lewis said. “But I’m not there anymore with all the injuries, so it’s just play smart. … I’m tired of being the guy that’s on the IL (injured list). I think it sucks.”

Lewis was much more bullish on his personal season opener. Back in his element, Lewis smiled and laughed when addressing a throng of reporters in the dugout before the game.

“The anxiousness, the excitement’s back,” Lewis said. “The little butterflies. I’m excited. … I just need the opportunity. I might not even be 100 percent, but I’m not worried about that. I’m just worried about playing and giving it my all.”

(Photo of Royce Lewis congratulating Carlos Correa after his third-inning homer: Brad Rempel / Imagn Images)

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