Twins' Royce Lewis cuts forehead in first-base tumble, but it could have been worse

Royce Lewis didn't remember exactly what happened when he tumbled over Guardians first baseman Gabriel Arías in the eighth inning Sunday, but there was a cut across his forehead to remind him he landed on his head.

Lewis, attempting to engineer another Twins comeback with a runner on third base in a one-run game Sunday, hit a ground ball to third base with two outs in the eighth inning and sprinted down the line. The throw took Arías behind the bag, toward right field, and Lewis somersaulted over him.

"I just remember hitting my face and my head," Lewis said. "My shoulder hurts. I felt like I ran into a car backwards."

Medical testing afterward provided positive news, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. The 6-foot-2, 200-pound Lewis seemingly avoided a concussion. The Target Field crowd of 23,629 went silent as Lewis lay on the ground afterward, but he received an ovation when he stood up and returned to the dugout.

"I really had nowhere to go," said Lewis, who served as the designated hitter Sunday and thus didn't have to go out to the field immediately after the injury. "I don't even know if I went into him or over him. I don't remember."

Lewis, who will turn 24 on Monday's off day, expects to be sore on his birthday.

"I was very pleased because there were a lot of things we can imagine, watching that, that could've played out," Baldelli said, "and it looks like they didn't play out, so that's good."

Lewis, who returned from a torn ligament in his knee last week — a year to the day he suffered the injury — admitted it was a scare for himself, too.

"I'm tired of running into people and walls," he said. "It's just the worst luck right there."

Lefthanded reliever Caleb Thielbar was activated from the 15-day injured list before Sunday's game. He made two appearances on a rehab assignment for Class AAA St. Paul, pitching two scoreless innings with three strikeouts.

Thielbar joined Jovani Moran as the two lefthanders in the bullpen. "It's nice to have two lefties that you feel great about putting in any spot," Baldelli said.

Cole Sands was placed on the 15-day IL because of a right shoulder impingement, the corresponding move to make room on the roster for Thielbar. Sands yielded one run in 12⅓ innings this season in primarily a multi-inning role.

"He's been a little sore on certain days," Baldelli said. "It's something he's been dealing with a little bit."

• Baldelli, who was in the hospital Saturday after feeling sharp pain that was diagnosed as diverticulitis, might have bench coach Jayce Tingler make the pitching changes for the next few days. "I'm not moving around too good, to be honest with you," Baldelli said. "I prefer to not go too deep into any of that, but I'm doing OK. I'll just be on a little bit of medicine. Hopefully, in a couple of days, this will have run its course."

• Byron Buxton and Carlos Correa remained out of the lineup for the third consecutive game Sunday. Correa took batting practice on the field before Saturday's game, but he said running on his sore right foot still caused some discomfort. Baldelli was optimistic both players could rejoin the lineup Tuesday in Tampa Bay. "I think they're both improving," Baldelli said. "I think they're both in a much better spot than they were a couple of days ago." Alex Kirilloff was out of the lineup Sunday after dealing with a stomach illness, Baldelli said.

• Kenta Maeda gave up two runs on five hits in three innings in his second rehab start for Class AAA St. Paul, striking out five in an 8-4 victory at Buffalo. Edouard Julien homered, doubled and drove in four runs and Matt Wallner had two doubles and two RBI as the Saints took five of six in the series.