Comeback on, Lewis ‘just excited to play’ — and learn

LAKELAND, Fla. — All Royce Lewis has been capable of do for a big a part of two straight years is sit out, construct up and watch from the sidelines — with a tantalizing cameo within the Majors to encourage him much more. So, now that he’s in a position to participate in baseball exercise, it’s exhausting responsible him for simply desirous to go, go, go.

“I’m just excited to play,” Lewis stated. “I’ll probably smile when I fly out or strike out. I don’t really care. I’d rather strike out four times in a game than sit here and watch everyone hit. It’s so hard to sit there and be on the sidelines. I’m tired of it. It’s not fun.”

The Twins’ No. 2 prospect per MLB Pipeline has lengthy been identified for his relentless positivity, even in his hardest moments — and that’s why these final two sentences are telling. Two torn ACLs in his proper knee in a yr and a half can deplete even probably the most infinite reserves of pleasure — and Lewis has stored eager about that second, final May 29, when he made a leap into the center-field wall and paid the value.

Now that Lewis feels wholesome, he sees the end line to this second restoration drawing nearer, as he’s hitting within the cages, operating and fielding inside a five-foot radius. Spurred by the frustration of all these further months away, he’s vowing to protect himself, to prioritize his physique and availability above all else.

“It’s not worth it,” Lewis stated. “One out. I look back on it. One out. Even though I’m glad I helped Sonny [Gray], it’s not worth it for my six, seven months, 10 months that I have to wait. I’m just going to be very smart. … Maybe next time, we’ll throw a little bit of a better pitch instead of giving up a double, and you won’t be mad when I’m healthy and saving other plays or hitting home runs.”

The Twins are additionally going to be good with Lewis’ timeline, even because the younger shortstop raves about how good he feels to anybody in his orbit. He ramped up the operating and lateral motion as soon as he acquired to Fort Myers this spring, and he departed camp on Sunday to test in once more with Dr. Steven Singleton, who carried out his second ACL surgical procedure, with the hope of being cleared for dwell hitting over the past two weeks of camp and into prolonged Spring Training.

If you ask Lewis, he says he’s able to play this very minute, although he hasn’t hit dwell or accomplished his lateral motion development — however the Twins have famous all through this course of that they’ve needed to mood Lewis’ expectations and gradual him down. They’ve all the time publicly maintained an expectation of a 12-13 month restoration timeline for Lewis following his surgical procedure final June 21, including that he ought to be capable of contribute within the second half.

Lewis desires to push that. Now that he’s on the 60-day injured record, he even is aware of that the Twins are in Houston the day he’ll be eligible for activation in late May.

“It’s hard when you don’t really have a say,” Lewis stated. “I know they’re protecting me in the long run. It’s kind of like parents. ‘I want to go to the party!’ ‘It’s not smart for you to go to a party!’ ‘OK, why?’ And then they can’t really give you a good answer of why. That’s what it feels like right now. It’s just hard because I feel so good.”

The purpose the Twins will persist with their 12-13 month timeline, president of baseball operations Derek Falvey defined, is that Lewis’ repaired ACL is certainly now useful, however he must undergo the total rehab course of to strengthen the quadriceps and different protecting muscle groups across the ligament to forestall additional damage. That simply takes time.

“There’s a reason this rehab process looks the way it does,” Falvey stated. “The good news is that he’s tracking the way I think he’d hope.”

Lewis feels extra freed by the data that he’s already proven some success within the large leagues, hitting .300/.317/.550 with two homers and 4 doubles in his 12-game Twins cameo after his restoration from the primary ACL tear.

And as soon as he lastly returns, so, too, will the enjoyment.

“I learned that every time I get put down, I come back stronger,” Lewis stated. “So, why would I not bet on myself? … I don’t think there’s anything that can really stop me, to be honest.”