Royce Lewis homers but re-injures his hamstring in the Twins' 10-3 loss to the Astros on June 14, 2025. Chris Paddack struggles in the crushing defeat.
StatPro MLB Beat Reporter
It was a night that started with a flash of hope and ended in a familiar, gut-wrenching dread. In a game already lost, the collective breath of Twins Territory was stolen as Royce Lewis, the team's brightest star, pulled up lame running to first base, clutching the same hamstring that sidelined him for the start of the season. The 10-3 final score against the Houston Astros felt secondary; the real loss might be far, far greater.
He has a strained left hamstring. That’s what we know right now.
For a moment, it was pure Royce. In the fourth inning, Lewis uncorked a monstrous 425-foot solo home run, a reminder of the electric talent the team had so dearly missed. But the joy was short-lived. In the top of the ninth, on a routine groundout, the star third baseman pulled up in pain. The sight of him being replaced by a pinch-runner was a devastating blow for a team and a fanbase that had just celebrated his return. Manager Rocco Baldelli confirmed a strained left hamstring postgame, with the severity still unknown. The waiting game begins again.
Long before the Lewis injury cast a pall over the evening, the game was already slipping away. Starter Chris Paddack endured a brutal outing, his third straight loss. The Astros tagged him for 12 hits and nine runs (eight earned) in just four innings of work. Houston's offense, led by Jose Altuve and rookie Jacob Melton who each drove in three runs, was relentless. For Paddack and the Twins, it was another deeply concerning start from a pitcher they rely on to be a stabilizing force in the rotation.
The Twins' offense wasn't completely silent, but it was far from clutch. Solo home runs from Willi Castro, Royce Lewis, and Ty France accounted for all three of Minnesota's runs. The biggest missed opportunity came in the third inning when the Twins loaded the bases with a chance to get back in the game, only for Carlos Correa to ground out and end the threat. Trading single runs for crooked numbers is a losing formula, and Friday night was a prime example.
While the focus remains on the injuries and struggles, the team did make a move to bolster its pitching depth. Left-hander Joey Wentz, recently claimed off waivers from Pittsburgh, was activated. He brings a 4.15 ERA in 19 relief appearances this season and will likely be eased into low-leverage situations. It's a minor move on a majorly disappointing night, but a necessary one as the team looks for any solution to stop the bleeding.
Another lopsided loss is frustrating, but the Twins have shown they can bounce back from bad games. The real question mark hovering over this team is the health of Royce Lewis. His presence transforms the lineup and energizes the entire club. As the team awaits further evaluation, fans are left to hope that this latest setback is merely a scare and not a repeat of the long-term absence that defined the start of their season. The team's path forward hangs in the balance.
