Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings: Roll with Royce?

Last week I discussed several outfielders who have recently returned to action and their impact on the fantasy landscape. This week the focus is on an infielder who has made the biggest leap in my ROS rankings.

Royce Lewis made his much-anticipated return to the Twins lineup on Tuesday. The Twins’ third baseman had not seen the field since Opening Day. That day was a microcosm of Lewis’ career to this point. Lewis hit a 423-foot home run on his first at-bat of the season against Kansas City ace Cole Ragans. He then singled in his next trip to the plate, which preceded a Carlos Correa double. Lewis pulled up lame running to third base, and the team put him on the Injured List. Lewis ended up sustaining a severely strained quad that kept him out for over two months. Unfortunately, this is not the first injury the potential star has endured over his brief career.

Lewis tore his ACL while working out in the winter of 2021. Because of that injury, he did not debut in the Major Leagues until May of 2022. After playing 12 games at shortstop, Lewis started in center field on May 29. He promptly tore the same ACL while colliding into the fence making a great catch. Lewis would remain out for exactly one calendar year, returning on May 29 of last year. He hit .326 before an oblique strain cost him another 36 games. Upon his return, he hit 11 home runs and drove in 37 in just 32 games. But then a hamstring strain would cut his regular season short. Lewis returned in the playoffs and hit four homers in just six postseason contests before Houston eliminated Minnesota.

Overall, Lewis is hitting .303 with 27 home runs and 65 RBI in just 81 total MLB games including the playoffs. He stole six bases last season, but I do not expect him to contribute to that category anytime soon. Still, there is certainly no denying his talent or his impact on the game when he is on the field. The only issue seems to be whether he can remain healthy. I placed Lewis inside my top-100 overall in this week’s rest-of-season rankings. Fantasy managers should keep in mind that the Twins are going to give him maintenance days. Lewis played in (and homered in) two games upon returning and was promptly given Thursday off. This can be a bit of an annoyance in weekly leagues and is the reason I did not place him even higher. However, the good should outweigh the bad based on Lewis’ production.

My rankings are more or less assuming that Lewis remains relatively healthy going forward. This, of course, is no sure thing given his injury history. His value in fantasy baseball leagues is a huge topic as leagues approach their trading deadlines. I do not hate the idea of a fantasy manager trading Lewis if he or she can maximize value. Ideally, such a move would be to a less competitive team in the standings. Conversely, if you are a manager who is looking to take a risk and make a splash, Lewis could pay off hugely over the next three months. I have seen recent trades where Lewis has been dealt straight up for CJ Abrams, Jazz Chisholm, and Dylan Cease. I consider myself a gambling man, but I don’t even think I would trade any of those three for Lewis at this juncture.

Rest of Season Fantasy Baseball Rankings