Checking in with Twins prospects Royce Lewis, Alex Kirilloff
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Alex Kirilloff’s already been up, having played 64 games with the Twins. Royce Lewis is still working toward his much-awaited, injury-delayed arrival in Major League Baseball. For now, the Twins back-to-back first round draft picks from 2016 and 2017 are across town, playing with the Twins AAA affiliate in St Paul.
Click the video box on this page to watch KSTP Sports’ chats with Royce Lewis and Alex Kirilloff in St. Paul
Kirilloff’s stint in Saint Paul is expected to be brief. The 2016 first-round draft pick is with the Saints working to get back into Major League game shape after a flare-up in his surgically repaired wrist. He initially injured the wrist early in the 2021 season, tried to play through it, but ended up opting to have surgery in July.
Kirilloff was 1-for-17 batting for the Twins with seven strikeouts, but he’d continued to try to play through pain. After time off to rest the wrist, he joined the Saints to work his way back to the Twins.
Lewis, the #1-overall pick in 2017, is still awaiting his Major League debut.
After rocketing through the Twins minor league system, Lewis’ march toward the majors was stalled by the entire minor league system shutting down due to the pandemic in 2020, then an ACL injury that wiped out his entire 2021 season.
Alex Kirilloff's already been up, having played 64 games with the Twins. Royce Lewis is still working toward his much-awaited, injury-delayed arrival in Major League Baseball. For now, the Twins back-to-back first round draft picks from 2016 and 2017 are across town, playing with the Twins AAA affiliate in St Paul.
Lewis is likely to earn his first call-up in the coming weeks.
Lewis was riding five-game hitting streak into Tuesday night’s game agains Iowa. He’s 7-16 with two doubles and a home run in that span. He’s also hit safely in 15 of 21 games with extra-base hits in ten of 21.