In the wake of the Twins demoting Matt Wallner to Triple-A St. Paul last week, it's natural to wonder if a similar decision could be looming with Royce Lewis.
Lewis continues to struggle offensively, with his batting average plummeting to .163. He committed a costly error at third base Saturday and then went 0-for-3 with three strikeouts Sunday before being removed for a pinch-hitter. Lewis, like Wallner, is in his fifth MLB season and eligible to be optioned to the minors.
From a performance standpoint, Lewis and Wallner have been almost identically bad at the plate early on. Wallner hit .167 with a .551 OPS in 135 plate appearances to earn his demotion. Lewis has hit .163 with a .540 OPS in 119 plate appearances. And while Lewis is the much better fielder, Saturday's misplay was his fifth error.