Twins' Royce Lewis returning to form after surgery: 'I feel fast. Very fast'

DETROIT – Royce Lewis insisted he doesn't think about his surgically repaired right knee when he is on the field, and he had a chance to prove it Wednesday.

Lewis scored from first base on Christian Vázquez's single in the second inning, a hard ground ball that deflected off the shortstop's glove and the ball rolled into center field. He popped up from the ground after the slide to let out a yell, breaking into a smile as he walked toward the dugout. One day later, he recorded the first stolen base of his career.

"I feel fast. Very fast," Lewis said. "I think the team is taking care of me and making sure I'm not overdoing it because they know I'm very overzealous when it comes to doing anything. I'm just anxious to get going and run the bases."

With the way Lewis is hitting, he'll have plenty of opportunities. It can be easy to forget he's only 32 games into his major league career, entering Saturday, with very little experience over the past two years because of his knee injuries.

Lewis is the first Twins player with 35 hits through his first 32 career games since Luis Arraez in 2019 and just the seventh since 2000.

"It was more getting my body back into shape of playing every day, that was more of the concern for me," Lewis said. "Offensively, I'm just going out there and playing my game that I've always played and allowing the game to come to me because they are going to tell me how they are going to pitch to me. If I study enough and I can make adjustments to things they are doing well against me, then it's just a cat-and-mouse game."

Facing Tigers starter Joey Wentz for the second time in six days, Lewis homered on the first pitch he saw Friday.

Like all rookies, there are areas where he'll need to improve. He's drawn only two walks in 75 plate appearances. He owns a .396 batting average on balls in play, which is likely unsustainable. The Twins don't want him chasing home runs because that will lead to more strikeouts.

"We're seeing some of these kind of long fly balls, he just hits it right and he really backspins the ball, lofts it and stays true," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. "It just keeps going. Guys hit different types of home runs, but when he hits them, they do look a little different. I don't know about sound, but truthfully, they look different and they come off the bat a little different."

Lewis, after rehabbing from two major surgeries, doesn't take anything for granted. Games, he said, are that much more fun.

"It doesn't come into my head at all," said Lewis, who hasn't had a normal offseason to prepare for a season in the past two years. "I'm happy the surgery went well. I couldn't thank the doctors enough. It's been pretty special. I'm happy I did it now and I'm still able to be young and healthy."

Baldelli was never ejected from a game during his playing career, but he was ejected twice in three days this week.

"Virtually all of these ejections and situations, they are all part of the game," Baldelli said. "One thing that you want to do is make sure your team just stays focused and plays throughout all of it. You do what you think is right and let the players keep playing."

• The Twins and Tigers announced Sunday's series finale was moved up 90 minutes to 11:10 a.m. due to the threat of rain.

• Byron Buxton exited Saturday's 3-2 loss with back spasms after grounding into a double play in the sixth inning. He tried to swing in the batting cage afterward, but his back was tight. José De León suffered an elbow injury while warming up in the eighth and he will be placed on the injured list, Baldelli said, on Sunday.

• Outfielder Kyle Garlick cleared waivers after he was designated for assignment Tuesday and accepted his assignment to Class AAA St. Paul.

• Matt Wallner went 2-or-4 with three RBI and the Saints rallied to beat host Toledo 7-5. Josh Winder and Oliver Ortega each pitched two shutout innings.