Twins need to take deeper look at how, why Royce Lewis keeps getting hurt

Royce Lewis has played in 94 Major League Baseball games, and within that small sample size, two concurrent themes have taken root: He plays like a superstar when he’s on the field, and injuries have prevented him from being on the field for long stretches.

That second part is not a criticism but instead an unfortunate reality that continues to serve as a major disruption to the start of Lewis’ career.

Wednesday brought another downer with the Twins putting their young third baseman on the injured list because of a right adductor strain suffered running the bases the previous night against Detroit.

President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey described the injury as a Grade 2 strain that is expected to keep Lewis sidelined for at least two weeks through the All-Star Game.

This is now the fourth consecutive season that Lewis, still only 25 years old, has suffered injuries ranging from serious to significant, which raises two thoughts: Lewis has been incredibly unlucky, and he and the team need to examine his training regimen thoroughly to determine if there is a solution to prevent or mitigate his susceptibility to injuries.

The sting of Lewis’ injury interruptions is amplified — and the reason fans are understandably unnerved by it — because the situation is following a similar track as Byron Buxton’s frequent injury setbacks throughout his career.

“It’s a difficult day,” manager Rocco Baldelli said.

Lewis was unavailable to reporters, but this latest episode will test his relentlessly cheerful disposition. Athletes hate being injured and unavailable to their team. It’s a lonely experience that often leaves players feeling like an outsider within their own locker room.

Lewis’ injury history has become as much a part of his profile as his show-stopping performances on the field.

He underwent major knee surgeries in back-to-back years.

Injuries to his hamstring and oblique last season limited him to only 58 games.

A quad injury suffered while running the bases in the opener this season cost him 58 games. He injured his groin area Tuesday running the bases and will miss at least 11 games in the best-case scenario.

“He’s been through a lot,” Falvey said.

Criticizing an athlete for being injured is unfair because nobody wants to be injured. Nobody feels worse than Lewis. But it is incumbent on everyone in his sphere to figure out if there is more to it than just terrible luck.

Four of his injuries have come in his right leg: two ACL surgeries and strains to his quad and adductor.

Falvey called the situation a “head-scratcher” because Lewis came into season in good health. He wouldn’t speculate on whether the two injuries this season might be connected.

“He came back and he was obviously healthy and played really well for a few weeks there,” Falvey said. “Could they be connected? It’s hard to really pinpoint that, but it is in the same general area.”

As far as exploring other possibilities, Falvey noted that Lewis made changes to his offseason training “that were all geared toward flexibility and movement.”

“All positives with respect to what you would do if you thought someone was dealing with maybe too tight of muscle or other issues like that,” Falvey said. “It’s just disappointing for him. We try to dissect it and try to figure it out. We don’t always have answers. This kid works hard. He puts himself in a great spot.”

Lewis has been a bolt of electricity when healthy. He plays the game with joy and a flair for the dramatic. He has looked unusually poised and unaffected by the difficulties of big league ball.

Even his returns from previous injuries have been dramatic. He continues to smash the ball as if he missed no time. No reason to doubt that won’t happen again this time.

The wait will feel long, though. Baldelli encountered his share of injuries as a player, so he’s well-versed in the toll it takes on one’s psyche.

“It’s emotional,” he said. “It’s things that go on in your head day and night. Things that, at times, can eat you up.”

Unfortunately, Lewis has confronted those challenges too many times already in his young career.