𝓤𝓷𝓲𝓽𝓮𝓭 𝓝𝓮𝔀𝓼

Royce Lewis made it back in time for his T-shirt giveaway with the Minnesota Twins.

Well, almost.

The Twins promoted the No. 1 pick of the 2017 amateur draft from Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday morning, the same day the team originally intended to give away his T-shirt to fans.

But after Lewis was demoted to Triple A on May 19, the Twins swapped out the planned giveaway for a Byron Buxton T-shirt. Then Lewis started bashing Triple-A pitching and accelerated the timeline for his return.

In 13 games at Triple A, Lewis batted .340/.417/.868 with four doubles, eight home runs, 19 RBIs and five walks. After striking out nearly 34 percent of the time in the weeks leading to his demotion, Lewis struck out only 12 times in 60 Triple-A plate appearances.

The Twins designated outfielder James Outman for assignment to make room for Lewis on the active roster.

Beyond homering on the first pitch he saw at Triple A on May 21, Lewis sped up the possibility of his return by showing a willingness to move around the infield and provide the team with versatility.

A full-time third baseman in the majors, Lewis started one game at second base this week and two at first base. During St. Paul’s batting practice Friday, Lewis received a “crash course” on technique at first base from Twins Hall of Fame member Justin Morneau.

Lewis, who turned 27 on Friday, was penciled in to bat seventh in the Twins’ lineup and start at second base Saturday against the Kansas City Royals.

The Twins can only hope the version of Lewis they saw in the minors — who produced consistent hard contact and displayed a far more comfortable swing — materializes in the big leagues. Before heading down to Triple A, Lewis was missing hittable pitches and looking out of sorts.

In 119 plate appearances before May 19, Lewis hit .163/.261/.279 with three homers, 13 RBIs and 37 strikeouts. His 31 percent strikeout rate for the season was up from 21 percent over the first four years of his major-league career.

After he returned from the injured list on April 21, Lewis couldn’t find any rhythm. He struck out 25 times in 74 plate appearances, including eight in 16 at-bats in the five games before the demotion.

With Lewis in the minors needing a reset, the Twins scrapped plans to present the first 10,000 fans attending Saturday’s game with a T-shirt featuring his likeness. Instead, fans are receiving a Buxton shirt.

Perhaps leaning into the club’s reputation as trolls from its independent baseball days, the St. Paul Saints announced they would hand out 1,000 Lewis T-shirts on Saturday.

One thing’s for sure: St. Paul LOVES Royce Lewis.

Get to today’s game early for a chance to snag a Royce Lewis t-shirt giveaway to the first 1,000! pic.twitter.com/jGfxzqZJsI

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) June 6, 2026

Following the news that Lewis got called up, the Saints indicated they still plan to hand out Lewis T-shirts. A Twins spokesperson said the club intends to reschedule its Lewis giveaway for a home game later this season.

The Twins acquired Outman in a trade that sent Brock Stewart to the Los Angeles Dodgers last July, and they hoped to restore him to his 2023 form when he blasted 23 home runs.

In 37 games with Minnesota last season, Outman struck out 43 percent of the time and produced a .558 OPS.

Considered a long shot to make the team on a roster full of left-handed hitting outfielders, Outman produced an .897 OPS with four homers this spring and grabbed one of the final spots on the Opening Day roster.

Outman played sparingly in March/April and struggled, producing a .358 OPS in 29 trips to the plate.

Even when he played more frequently in May, Outman couldn’t shake the slow start. With Buxton out of the lineup and nursing a sore right hip, Outman made five consecutive starts in center field in the middle of the month. Over his past 18 games, Outman produced a .608 OPS but continued to strike out 46 percent of the time.