Twins demote former top overall pick Royce Lewis

Field Level Media|published: Tue 19th May, 13:23 2026

May 17, 2026; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis (23) reacts to a strikeout against the Milwaukee Brewers during the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins demoted slumping infielder Royce Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.

The news comes on the heels of the Twins sending outfielder Matt Wallner to St. Paul last week. Wallner had 22 homers last season.

Also on Tuesday, the Twins placed catcher Ryan Jeffers on the 10-day injured list with a fractured left hamate bone. They also selected the contracts of infielder Orlando Arcia and catcher Alex Jackson and recalled right-hander Travis Adams from St. Paul.

The No. 1 overall pick of the 2017 MLB Draft, Lewis is batting .163 with three homers and 13 RBIs with 37 strikeouts in 31 games this season.

Lewis spent time on the 10-day injured list last month due to a left knee sprain. Before the injury, he was batting .222 with two home runs, two doubles and eight RBIs in 12 games this season.

Lewis, who turns 27 on June 5, is hitting .246 with 49 homers and 169 RBIs in 289 career games with the Twins.

Jeffers, 28, sustained the injury during his at-bat in the eighth inning in Monday's 6-3 victory over the Houston Astros.

He is batting .295 with seven home runs and 26 RBIs in 37 games.

Arcia, 31, is batting .318 with eight homers and 27 RBIs in 39 games with the Saints this season. He has played in parts of 10 major league seasons with the Milwaukee Brewers (2016-21), Atlanta Braves (2021-25) and Colorado Rockies (2025), hitting .239 with 90 home runs and 347 RBIs in 1,104 games.

Jackson, 30, is batting .239 with seven homers and 15 RBIs in 24 games with the Saints this season.

Adams, 26, allowed three runs on six hits in 3 2/3 innings in a pair of relief appearances earlier this month with the Twins.

--Field Level Media

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