Royce Lewis is still weeks away from making his season debut but after running the bases for the second consecutive day, the Twins’ third baseman seemed happy with the progress he’s made since straining his hamstring last month.
“It’s coming along good,” he said in the Twins’ dugout before their series finale against the Houston Astros. “We’re running. Any time they let me do something, it’s always pretty good.”
Next up, he’s likely to take a break, then try running for three straight days. Eventually, he’ll to move to running the bases, part of what he described as a “long progression,” as he works his way back from the moderate strain.
He hasn’t felt much pain since the second day after the injury. Rather, he describes an achy feeling from the swelling.
Lewis started doing baseball activities, like hitting, around Opening Day. But with this injury, the most important thing is how he’s running and how he responds to that ramp up.
“He’s feeling good. He’s Royce. He’s going to put the smile on his face (and) say he’s feeling great,” president of baseball and business operations Derek Falvey said. “And sometimes we have to slow that down. That’s OK. But he’s doing OK.”
The Twins had never publicly laid out a timeline for the third baseman’s injury, but on Sunday, Falvey said that with the moderate strain, it was “going to take 4 to 6 weeks, 6-plus weeks.”
Lewis suffered the injury on March 16, three weeks ago. Another three weeks would put him at the end of the month. For now, he’ll remain in the Twin Cities, rehabbing at Target Field, where he can contribute what he described as his “infectious energy” to his teammates.
As for the injury itself, suffered while running to first base on a ground ball, Lewis said he doesn’t plan on altering the way he plays the game.
“I’ve only made it here because of who I am. I’m not going to change who I am,” he said. “If I start changing who I am, then I think as a player, I’ll start diminishing my value and what I do is very special. I think everyone’s able to see that and I think that’s why everyone’s so mad that I keep getting hurt. People want to see me out on the field.”
More injury updates
Down in Fort Myers, Fla., infielder Brooks Lee started a rehab assignment on Sunday with Class-A Fort Myers. Lee went 0 for 3 while playing shortstop for the Mighty Mussels. Lee has been dealing with a back issue that cropped up late in camp.
“He’ll continue to progress as we go over the course of the week,” Falvey said. “Usually with these, I think we have a better sense of what the next steps are after you have those three, four games under your belt. So ,we’ll see how that tracks this week.”
Reliever Brock Stewart — who had hoped to return by next weekend — felt a little tightness in his hamstring, which slowed down his progression. His arm, Falvey said, “feels great,” and Stewart threw a bullpen on Saturday in Fort Myers.
“The view on Brock, we’re playing the long game over the course of the season. It’s not just about how do we get him back in the bullpen as quickly as possible,” Falvey said. “We know when he’s at his best, he’s a core contributor to our bullpen. So, we don’t want to rush anything.”
And the Twins don’t have a timetable on Michael Tonkin (shoulder strain), but Falvey said he was “tracking really well” and recently threw a bullpen as he builds up from the injury.
Briefly
The Twins will travel to Kansas City for a series beginning on Monday night at Kauffman Stadium against the Royals. Simeon Woods Richardson is scheduled to start against right-hander Michael Lorenzen.
