Twins' Lewis lands on IL with 'severe' quad strain; DeSclafani out for season

Minnesota Twins third baseman Royce Lewis will be shut down for the next month with a "severe quad strain," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey announced Saturday, according to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com.

Falvey added the team will see how Lewis is feeling after a month to determine how long he'll be out.

The executive also said surgery wasn't one of the options looked at for Lewis, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic.

Minnesota placed the 24-year-old former top prospect on the 10-day injured list and promoted prospect Austin Martin. Lewis sustained the quad injury rounding the bases during Thursday's Opening Day game against the Kansas City Royals.

Meanwhile, the club announced that right-hander Anthony DeSclafani is out for the season after undergoing flexor tendon surgery. The 33-year-old was one of the key pieces in the Jorge Polanco trade with the Seattle Mariners in late January. The veteran hurler can become a free agent after the 2024 campaign.

The Twins were counting on Lewis to be a big part of the team this season after going deep 15 times with 52 RBIs and a .921 OPS in just 58 games during his rookie season in 2023.

However, the No. 1 pick from the 2017 MLB Draft has had issues staying on the field due to multiple major injuries, which included two torn ACLs that stalled his development in 2021-22. He also dealt with an oblique strain and a hamstring strain last year.

Martin, who was acquired in the José Berríos trade with the Toronto Blue Jays in July 2021, arrives in the majors at age 25 after he was selected with the No. 5 pick in 2020.

The infielder/outfielder is the No. 15-ranked prospect in the Twins' minor-league system, according to MLB Pipeline. He slashed .260/.381/.398 with seven homers, 30 RBIs, and 19 stolen bases over 67 contests between three levels last season.