Lewis returns to Seattle lineup, serves as DH Tuesday night
Kyle Lewis will bat seventh and serve as designated hitter for the Mariners at T-Mobile Park on Tuesday night, marking his first game action in a Seattle uniform in nearly a year.
The 2020 American League Rookie of the Year and former first-round pick returned from a rehab stint with Triple-A Tacoma and looks to spark a slumping Seattle offense, ranked 20th in league batting average (.235) and 21st in OPS (.679) for the month of May.
Manager Scott Servais made the official announcement on 710 ESPN before Lewis was slotted in Seattle’s lineup later in the afternoon.
“When are we going to be seeing (Lewis) on the field?,” Stacy Rost of Seattle Sports asked Servais.
“How about tonight, you guys good with that?,” Servais replied wittingly.
Lewis, 26, tore his meniscus after leaping for a ball in T-Mobile Park’s outfield on May 31 of last year, coincidentally in another contest versus the A’s. He underwent surgery on June 9 and aimed for a late-season return, but suffered a setback while running the bases that prevented a timely arrival amid Seattle’s September postseason push.
“It’s been a long time,” Servais told reporters before Tuesday’s game. “He’s worked his tail off to get back here, and it hasn’t been easy. A lot of bumps in the road along the way, but I know he’s excited, and we’re excited to have him back.”
Tuesday’s reactivation from the injured list triggered emotions out of the 6-foot-4, 222-pound Lewis. He spent countless hours nursing the injury, and worked with doctors to “problem solve” after three surgeries on the same knee, he told reporters.
“Being up here today... even being able to hit (batting practice)... every moment is special,” Lewis said.
Lewis crushed a 464-foot home run in his first Triple-A plate appearance on May 3 and went on to play in 10 games across a 20-day rehab stint for Triple-A Tacoma. He posted a .314 average (11-for-35) with six runs, three homers, and 12 RBI.
“You can tell he’s having a lot of fun,” Rainiers manager Tim Federowicz said earlier in Lewis’ stint. “... He’s just such a really good hitter, a pure hitter. It doesn’t take much to get him going.”
Lewis’ inclusion in Seattle’s lineup Tuesday was considered a toss-up as recently as Monday, when Servais was “hopeful” Lewis would suit up. Federowicz told The News Tribune on Saturday that “nothing is concrete” regarding a return this week, but the organization deemed Lewis ready after base running drills over the weekend and two final plate appearances in Tacoma’s loss to Triple-A Sacramento on Sunday.
Lewis joined teammates for spring training in March, but wouldn’t appear in a game. When Seattle flew to Minneapolis for Opening Day, Lewis stayed put in Arizona for additional workouts and simulated games. He took to the outfield in the first game of his rehab stint for Tacoma but was delegated to designated hitter duty thereafter.
Servais said the outfielder would remain in that slot for the foreseeable future and would not join Seattle’s outfield “any time soon.” He’s considered day-to-day and felt “good to go” for Tuesday night.
“If it goes well tonight, he’ll be available tomorrow,” Servais added. “We’ll wait and see. There will be a lot of right-up-to-game-time-type decisions moving forward in the early going until he gets into a routine, and seeing how he’s feeling and how he’s bouncing back, and how he’s responding the next day.”
Seattle selected Lewis with the 11th overall pick in the first round of the 2016 draft, but suffered a torn ACL in his right knee in July of that year. He debuted for High-A Modesto in 2017 and was promoted to Double-A Arkansas for the latter half of the 2018 season. In 2019, Lewis leapfrogged Triple-A competition after a stellar campaign for the Travelers — he was 120-for-457 (.263) with 11 home runs and 62 RBI — and was called up to make his major league debut on Sep. 10, 2019.
“There have been a lot of steps to it, a lot of ups and downs,” Lewis said. “A lot of dark times, a lot of highs and lows.
“I’ve just been trying to take every day in stride, and just enjoy all of the moments, because it really puts it into perspective when you have to deal with so many things. ... This is definitely pretty cool.”
Lewis shifted gears to a newer routine, tailored to the designated hitter role. He’ll use a stationary bicycle to stay warm in between plate appearances and utilize core exercises before at-bats. The 10 games Lewis played in Tacoma allowed him to ease into the new process, he said.
“You’re trying to win,” Lewis said. “You stay engaged naturally, I feel like. In this environment, it’s hard to get lost unless you’re not invested in the success of the team. That becomes second nature.”
After a pandemic-condensed AL Rookie of the Year campaign in 2020 -- which resulted in a .262/.364/.437 slash line with 11 home runs in 206 at-bats -- Lewis suffered a bone bruise in his right knee during 2021 spring training and missed the first 17 games of the season. He returned on April 20 of that year and played in 36 games before the May 31 meniscus tear.
“The big thing is keeping him healthy,” Servais said. “If he stays healthy, we can keep him in the lineup and get positive production, and that’s what we’re looking for.”
Lewis went 2-for-4 with two singles in his season debut. He grounded out to third base to lead off the bottom of the third inning in his first plate appearance, and Seattle later rallied for a pair of runs in the frame to tie the game, 2-2.
In the fourth, Lewis ripped a two-out single through the left infield to push J.P. Crawford into scoring position. He notched his second hit of the game on a single to right field in the sixth.
With Crawford at first base in the eighth, Lewis popped out to first baseman Seth Brown for the second out of the inning. Seattle later stranded two runners in the frame and trailed into the ninth, 7-5.
The Mariners went on to lose by the same score, snapping a 13-game win streak vs. Oakland. It was the longest win streak over any team in franchise history.
This story was originally published May 24, 2022 at 4:17 PM.
