Twins 3B Royce Lewis will miss Opening Day after sustaining hamstring injury Sunday
File: Minnesota Twins' Royce Lewis watches his solo home run during the third inning in Game 1 of an AL wild-card baseball playoff series against the Toronto Blue Jays Tuesday, Oct. 3, 2023, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
Twins third baseman Royce Lewis will be sidelined through at least Opening Day after sustaining a hamstring injury on Sunday in a Grapefruit League game vs. Boston.
The Twins say it’s a moderate left hamstring strain. They will see how he responds to initial treatment before attempting to pinpoint a return-to-action date. Minimum, he will miss the Thurs. Mar. 27th opener at St. Louis.
Lewis got hurt running up the line after he bounced to third leading off the second inning.
The 25-year-old Lewis was selected by Minnesota with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2017 amateur draft. He made his big league debut in 2022, but his development has been slowed by injuries.
Lewis missed the 2021 season after he tore his right ACL when he slipped on ice during a winter storm at his Texas home. He had ACL surgery on the same knee on June 21, 2022.
He opened the 2023 season on the 60-day injured list while he recovered from his June knee surgery. He also had IL stints that year with a strained left oblique and a left hamstring strain.
Lewis hit .233 with 16 homers and 47 RBIs last year, but he played in just 82 games. He had IL stints for a strained right quad and a right adductor strain.
The Twins also announced that prospect Matt Canterino will miss his third consecutive season because of an injury. The 27-year-old right-hander had shoulder surgery last week in Dallas.
Canterino was selected by Minnesota in the second round of the 2019 amateur draft out of Rice University. He is 2-2 with a 1.48 ERA in 26 career minor league games, striking out 130 in 85 innings.
But he hasn’t been able to stay healthy.
Canterino was sidelined for the 2023 season after he had Tommy John surgery on Aug. 24, 2022. He spent last season on the 60-day injured list with a right rotator cuff strain.
He also didn’t play professionally in 2020 when the minor league season was canceled because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Associated Press contributed to this report