Twins star Royce Lewis calls recovery from right quad strain ‘most challenging

MINNEAPOLIS — The guy with two blown-out knees deems his current rehabilitation process the most difficult of his career.

Without hesitation, Royce Lewis, who has twice torn his right anterior cruciate ligament, each resulting in a year of rehab, said waiting to receive the all-clear after suffering a severe right quad strain is more taxing than previous injuries.

Five weeks after he suffered the Opening Day injury, the budding Minnesota Twins star is progressing as expected. Lewis learned a week ago during an ultrasound his quad muscle isn’t 100 percent but is healing as planned.

Though no official timeline has ever been established, the Twins originally suggested Lewis would need eight weeks to return to the field with his quad needing about six weeks to heal fully, according to multiple sources.

During a press conference in which they revealed Byron Buxton is headed to the 10-day injured list with right knee inflammation, Twins officials said Friday they’re pleased with Lewis’ recovery. But that doesn’t make any of this easier for Lewis, who simply wants to play.

“I’ve just got to keep continuing to wait,” Lewis said. “The hardest thing is not having a timeline. … When you have no idea and you feel so good, it’s the most challenging rehab I’ve ever had. … I am waiting for the call. This is more anticipation than my debut call. I’m waiting for the call to just go back out there to play.”

The signs Lewis is progressing are there.

His baseball activity has increased tenfold during the Twins’ recent seven-game road trip. Before, Lewis was limited to upper body lifts. During a pregame workout Friday, Lewis took 80 swings in the cage, jogged on the warning track and took 15-20 groundballs at third base.

“Royce is tracking in a pretty good direction,” Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “The MRI revealed he’s kind of at the return you’d expect him to be at this stage. No faster, no slower. Nothing has really changed. A moderate enough quad strain was going to take some time here.”

Lewis injured himself running the bases on Opening Day in Kansas City. Two innings after blasting a home run in his first at-bat of the season, Lewis was attempting to score from first base on a Carlos Correa double when he pulled up injured.

ROYCE LEWIS IS UNREAL!!!#WeBelieveInTC // #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/9Jr45HD1qy

— Bally Sports North (@BallySportsNOR) March 28, 2024

The Twins didn’t want to place an official timeline on Lewis because of the tricky nature of the injury. The window for his quad muscle to completely heal was projected to be anywhere from four to six weeks with expectations geared toward the latter.

Hoping to go into last week’s one-month review and discover doctors thought he was ready, Lewis emerged disappointed. He hoped he’d heal fast enough to be cleared earlier and prepare to join his teammates. Given how Lewis performs on the field and how much time he’s already lost to…