Royce Lewis, mired in an 0-for-20 slump, is held out of Twins lineup

Royce Lewis was missing from the Twins’ starting lineup for the first time in nearly three weeks Tuesday night. But the superhero version of Lewis, the can-you-believe-it highlight machine who hit seven home runs in his first 11 starts this year and has so often fueled his team, that Lewis has been missing for a lot longer.

“The things he’s dealing with right now might not be what some people expected to see, or what he expected to experience,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said of the slumping third baseman. “But working through these periods makes you stronger, and it makes you a better player. … I plan on this guy doing some great things for us, but you’ve got to work through it. And that’s what he’s doing.”

Lewis struck out three times in four at-bats Monday, bringing his current skid to 0-for-20. But he hasn’t been the same player for the past month. He’s had more than one hit in a game only once since Aug. 13 and is batting just .189 over those 25 games, with only one home run, four walks and 28 strikeouts.

“It’s kind of the first time I’m going through a struggle at the plate in the big leagues,” acknowledged Lewis, who still has played only 135 Twins games in his three seasons. “I’ve been through this before in the minors. Sometimes they take awhile.”

The slump has been magnified by the absences of Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa, which has made it difficult for Baldelli to move Lewis down in the order. He has batted lower than fifth in only one starting lineup this season.

“It’s normal for a young player, a really good young player, to try to shoulder the load. … Obviously, Royce is a very dangerous hitter. Even if he’s not completely dialed in, he’s still very dangerous,” said Baldelli, who had a long conversation with Lewis on Monday. “If you have everybody healthy and in the lineup, it’s probably is easier to give him some space and hit him closer to the bottom, just to help him relax a little bit.”

But pressure isn’t the problem, Lewis insists. The randomness of baseball, the talent of major league pitchers, is more to blame.

“I don’t feel any pressure. I put pressure on myself to come to the ball field every day and prepare myself as much as I can to be ready,” Lewis said. “September’s getting to me a little, to be honest, and I’m just working every day to get most prepared for the game.”

When Matt Wallner retrieved Jose Miranda’s errant throw in foul territory Monday, he kept jogging toward first base, finally tapping Los Angeles Angels outfielder Taylor Ward with his glove. Umpire Marvin Hudson, much to Ward’s shock, signaled him out.

The play was just the latest instance of something Twins first base coach Hank Conger regularly reminds Minnesota’s hitters: “As you run out a ground ball, your move should always be [to] turn right,” Conger said. “Always turn right, because as soon as you turn left, any little flinch will put you at risk.”

That’s what Ward did as the ball sailed into right field. He didn’t take a step toward second base, but his instinctive flinch as he spotted the baseball was enough to make him eligible to be tagged.

The Angels disagreed, but the Twins had experienced a similar play, with Ryan Jeffers tagged out, earlier this season.

“If you literally just [lean] that way, they should call you out. That’s how I see it. It doesn’t have to be a step,” Baldelli said. “That’s harsh in some people’s mind, but that’s the rule. Consistency is all I can ask on that.”