“Again? Good lord, his nickname is China doll” - MLB fans respond as Twins place Royce Lewis on IL due to adductor strain

Fans reacted as the Minnesota Twins, on Wednesday, placed third baseman Royce Lewis on the 10-day IL due to an adductor strain on his right leg. He suffered the injury in the 5-3 win against the Detroit Tigers at home on Tuesday night.

Lewis was taken out of the game when he jogged gingerly on the basepath after hitting a double in the sixth inning. The injury is a severe blow for the Twins, who are second in the American League East with a slender two-game lead in the wildcard standings.

According to team executive Derek Falvey, Lewis is not likely to return until after the All-Star break.

This is the second time Lewis has landed on the IL this season. He missed more than 70 games after suffering a partially torn quadriceps on Opening Day. He has also had a couple of ACL injuries on his right leg in the past.

Naturally, fans are upset to see an exciting player like him get sidelined yet again and expressed their dismay on social media.

"Again? Good lord. His nickname is China doll," one fan wrote.

"Every year man," said another.

"This is honestly such a bummer for baseball. This man's career has never really taken off due to so many injuries, and he's just so good," another fan said.

Quite a few fans compared Royce Lewis with his Minnesota Twins teammate, Byron Buxton. Despite being one of the most gifted centerfielders of his generation, Buxton has a long history record, which has considerably curtailed his time on the field.

"Why did the Twins clone Byron Buxton?," one fan wondered jokingly.

"Between he and Buxton the Twins never have these guys on the field for long," said another fan.

"Dammit...not again! Lewis and Buxton will forever be attached to the question...what if?" another fan said.

Royce Lewis is arguably the most injury-prone player in the MLB right now, although he's among the best hitters in the sport when he stays healthy.

Lewis was the first overall pick in the 2017 draft but has played only 94 games so far and has had less than 350 at-bats in his career. Nevertheless, he has accumulated 4.0 bWAR with a .303 batting average and 159 OPS+.

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Minnesota Twins bring in highly rated prospect to replace Royce Lewis

The Minnesota Twns have called up top infield prospect Broks Lee to replace Royce Lewis on the roster. (Photo Credit: IMAGN)

The Minesota Twins have called up their top infield prospect, Brooks Lee, to replace Royce Lewis on the roster. The 23-year-old was expected to make his major league debut earlier in the season, but injury troubles had delayed his promotion.

Brooks Lee was the first-round draft pick for the Twins in 2022. He suffered an injury during spring training, which has limited his playing time this year. He has played a meager 20 games at the Triple-A level, hitting .329/.394/.635, including seven home runs.

His defensive versatility could allow the Twins to use him as an utility infielder, but he's likely to feature mostly at second or third base.