Royce Lewis and Byron Buxton and their regular routes to the injured list

The Twins are off to a pretty uninspired start in 2025. They've only won three games, and two of them were against the White Sox, which barely counts. The Twins since August 18th of last year have the second worst record in all of baseball. It would be concerning if it wasn't all so typical of the Twins to come out with an awful start to the season. They've been unlucky, as they always are, and their best players are off to a bad start, as they always are. They will shake out of it, and Twins fans will be wary for the rest of he season. Same as it ever is.

I overheard someone complaining about the Twins and their injury concerns, which is valid, of course, and lamenting that oft injured Royce Lewis is just another reiteration of Byron Buxton, another oft injured Twin. The two couldn't really be further apart, however, and I can tell you that Lewis is far more concerning than Buxton, even in his 30s and knowing what I know about his history. 

In their own ways, Buxton and Lewis evoke the old school and new school ethos in both their positives and their potential pitfalls. Buxton is a pure athlete and lays it all out on the field. It's what so many long time fans, and even new ones desire to see. Visible, tangible effort. Lewis is strong. His natural athleticism has been augmented by time in the gym and his development of raw power that was evident in his first ride in the postseason, and seems to crop up most evidently when bases are loaded. 

Of course, the flip side of this has come up far too often. Buxton's aggression has led to him into walls and awkward dives, which has led to broken bones, deep bruises and swelling. Lewis, alternatively, has seen his muscle development lead directly to pulled muscles and strains. Of course, he has had some catastrophic knee injuries, but those haven't been the issue as he's reached the Majors. It's been hamstrings and lat strains and generally things that I don't have to deal with because I don't have muscles. 

Buxton isn't inherently prone to injury because of his bodily structure, and there is a chance that he could remain healthy with good circumstances and a more calibrated approach in the field. He keeps getting hurt because he's playing as hard as we all want our athletes to play, and also because Minnesota is cursed. 

Lewis is like modern day pitchers. We've developed pitching techniques, strength building and performance to a level that is beyond what ligaments can sustain. Pitchers are stronger and throwing harder, and it is tearing apart UCLs across all levels of baseball. Royce Lewis is a product of the evolution of baseball and professional athleticism. He works hard, has developed a size and strength that unfortunately, tests his muscles and tendons every time he exerts himself. 

We can see Buxton plow into the center field fence and know problems have arisen. Lewis has a tendency to pull up after rounding a base because something has grabbed or feels uncomfortable. This is much harder to plan around or feel good about long term. Buxton, on the other hand, may prove to be less injury prone as he grows older. 

Whatever the case, the Twins need them (and Carlos Correa) to stay on the field if they want to be successful. Oh, and they need to actually produce when they are on the field. That would be nice as well.

The drain always circles back to injuries

 

Injuries have been a constant part of the Twins overall narrative for the last several years. The Twins are in constant need to resupply their pitching staff. They have added pitchers, good pitchers that have been successful, but it seems the better they are, the more likely they are to have an injury very shortly thereafter. 

Kenta Maeda seemed like a diamond in the rough, and then missed the entirety of last season after requiring Tommy John surgery midway through 2021. Chris Paddack was a force this year until he tore his UCL in May. Randy Dobnak has had 2 lost seasons now, while Tyler Mahle essentially imploded from the outset.

And it's not just the major leagues that are fraught with injury. Think of the casualties that would have been in the majors now were it not for injury. Jordan Balazovic, Matt Canterino, and Blayne Enlow have all had issues n their rise to the majors. 

It's not an issue with just the pitchers, either. We saw Nick Gordon play with Billy Hamilton in the Twins outfield, because Byron Buxton, Alex Kirilloff, Trevor Larnach, and Kyle Garlick were all on the shelf at various points. Any asssessment of the Twins past and present needs to take the overall poor health of the team into consideration. 

So of course, why wouldn't health be a factor, both apparent and behind the scenes, in the biggest offseason story for the Twins and Major League Baseball. Carlos Correa has had a deal scuttled and a deal potetially on the rocks thanks to a failed medical with the Giants and the Mets. the Twins have continued to sniff around at their former shortstop, frustrating fans everywhere in Twins Territory. 

The Twins were in a spot last season where a short term contract with Correa seemed like a good bridge to Royce Lewis or Austin Martin, both of who seemed ready to arrive on the big stage in Minneapolis. Martin flamed out, but Lewis broke into the league and looked every part of the top prospect that was promised. The Astros moved on from Correa to open a spot for Jeremy Pena, and the Twins looked like they would be able to move on with an even better prospect.

And then Royce Lewis tore his ACL, and the calculus all changed. Suddenly, Lewis isn't a sure thing at shortstop anymore. How will his lower body respond to the rigors of short? Without a long term solution at the position, the Twins were suddenly more desiring of a long term free agent at short, and why not Correa, who had left a good impression on the team in his short time here.

But the Twins never intended, originally, for Correa to be the anchor at the position for the franchise. As always, injuries have steered the Twins towards a new goal, and Twins fans to a new disappointment

Room to try things

 

The Twins are approaching "comfortable" distance between themselves and the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central standings. They just came from behind and beat the Royals to finish a sweep and earn their 4th victory in a row. Despite a raft of injuries, and some creative work filling out their rotation, things are going well.

Of course, that doesn't assuage the most negative fans in Twins Territory. Royce Lewis is playing for the Saints, despite a strong start to his Major League career, and fans are upset. It totally understand the frustration. Lewis' first 11 games were dynamic displays of his ability, despite having missed a couple of seasons to injury and pandemic. He is the future of the team, and is already better than some of the players that are continuing to occupy roster spots with the Twins. 

One thing about the current run of good results the Twins are on is that their May schedule is quite soft. They are just finishing a road trip that took them to Kansas City and Oakland, and in fact, are playing either the Royals or Tigers until June 2nd. To put it more bluntly, the Twins aren't going to necessarily be greatly improved by Lewis's presence, not so much that it will win them many extra games. 

On the other hand, the two players he would probably displace, Gio Urshela or Nick Gordon, are out of options. Given the injury record already with this team, and a forward looking outlook on the nature of baseball, it seems foolish to lose one of those players for nothing, when they aren't in dire need of an extra bump.

To that end, it makes some sense to keep Lewis in St. Paul. He isn't at risk of going anywhere else when his options are used. It's less about sending him to the Saints than it is to keep Gordon and Urshela in the fold for the long run.

Now, why was Lewis sent to St. Paul instead of Jose Miranda? That's a mystery I can't quite wrap my head around.