Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis said before Monday’s game he felt something special might happen in his first action since tearing his ACL exactly one year ago.
That “something special” turned out to be a straight-out-of-Hollywood home run in Lewis’ second at-bat of the game against the Houston Astros.
The former No. 1 overall pick in the MLB Draft by the Twins, Lewis is rated the team’s No. 2 prospect. For anyone worried that the one-year layoff due to injury might have delayed his progress, the home run off Astros starter J.P. France was certainly a good sign.
One year to the day that he tore his ACL, former No. 1 overall pick Royce Lewis returns and hits a homer! 👏 pic.twitter.com/t0lCVUqnIh
— MLB (@MLB) May 29, 2023
“It feels so surreal, right?” Lewis told reporters before the game (via MLB.com). “I think something special is going to happen tonight. I couldn’t tell you what, but it just feels like it’s kind of like that time. I’m just excited.”
The 23-year-old Lewis also suffered a torn ACL in 2021 that derailed his career once before. A natural shortstop, he changed positions with the Twins’ addition of shortstop Carlos Correa in free agency in the offseason.
Lewis is ranked as the No. 34 prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline, with above average tools in every category, although it remains to be seen if his elite speed remains after his second ACL surgery.
[MLB.com; Photo Credit: MLB Twitter]
