By Doc McElroy

KANSAS CITY, MO – The Minnesota Twins announced today that they have placed infielder Royce Lewis on the 10-day Injured List with a right quad strain (retroactive to March 29).

Lewis, who sustained the injury while running the bases during the third inning of the season opener on Thursday in Kansas City, went 2-for-2 with a home run and a single before exiting the game. The 24-year-old has played in 71 career major league games, hitting .313 (81-for-259) with 11 doubles, 18 home runs, 58 RBI, 42 runs scored and a .933 OPS.

To replace Lewis on the 26-man roster, the Twins have recalled utility player Austin Martin from Triple-A St. Paul. Martin, who was added to Minnesota’s 40-man roster last November, played in 10 games for the Twins in spring training, going 5-for-24 (.208) with one double, two RBI and three walks. The 6-foot, 191-pound utility man spent a majority of the 2023 season with Triple-A St. Paul, hitting .263 (54-for-205) with 11 doubles, six home runs, 28 RBI, 33 runs scored, 36 walks, 16 stolen bases (20 chances) and a .791 OPS in 59 games. In his final 49 games, from July 19-end of the season, he hit .289 (48-for-166) with eight doubles, six home runs, 27 RBI, 30 runs scored and an .861 OPS.

The 25-year-old was originally selected by the Toronto Blue Jays with the fifth overall pick in the 2020 First-Year Player Draft out of Vanderbilt University and was acquired by the Twins as part of the José Berríos trade in July of 2021. In 252 career minor league games, Martin has hit .256 (232-for-905) with 43 doubles, five triples, 14 home runs, 100 RBI, 162 runs scored, 68 stolen bases (82 chances), a .388 on-base percentage and a .750 OPS. He is ranked as the 15th-best prospect in the Twins organization by MLB.com, as well as the ninth-best prospect by Baseball America.

Martin will wear uniform number 82.

COURTESY TWINS MEDIA RELATIONS