Return 'really special' for Lewis after tough road back

SEATTLE -- For the first time in nearly a full calendar year, Kyle Lewis was in the Mariners’ starting lineup on Tuesday against the A's, batting seventh and serving as the club’s designated hitter. A long road to recovery after the third surgery on his right knee culminated with a return to T-Mobile Park and a fanbase eager to see him back.

Lewis went 2-for-4 with two singles, including one that left his bat at 110 mph, the second-hardest hit of his career behind only his Opening Day homer off Justin Verlander in 2020. He also received a roaring ovation when stepping to the plate for his first at-bat.

“It was really special, just kind of one little moment of reflection,” Lewis said after the Mariners’ 7-5 loss. “Being out for so long, to get that kind of reception is definitely special. It definitely made me feel special."

Lewis experienced multiple setbacks after the surgery to repair a torn meniscus last June, and spoke earlier Tuesday about the emotions leading into his return.

“For me, personally now, it's just such a perspective shift,” Lewis said. “I've always tried to have that mindset -- just enjoy the journey, embrace the journey -- but this really was a big test of that, going through this. So this is definitely pretty cool.”

Lewis is day to day as the Mariners attempt to ease him back, and as such, he will exclusively see time at DH for the foreseeable future. A return to the outfield any time soon -- and all of the physical burdens of quick cuts, extended running and more exertion on the knee -- is not on the table.

“We’re just trying to do what’s best and what I can manage and handle, to help the team while I’m trying to build up as well,” Lewis said. “I talked to my team and the guys here, and I felt there was an opportunity to help, so that’s what I’m up here to do. I don’t know what to expect as far as performance-wise. I definitely expect a lot of myself when I play.”

The Mariners had been rotating the DH spot as a load-bearing mechanism to govern rest and get players off their feet more regularly. But with the return of a hitter who has run-producing potential, they will adjust. Seattle has received just .183/.251/.372 (.623 OPS) worth of production from its DHs this year, a spot that has been filled by 10 players. Lewis, who has played just three MLB games at DH, has already developed a routine.

“We kind of learned some different things as far as staying warm,” Lewis said. “The bicycle is definitely going to be important to stay warm in between at-bats, different core exercises to keep my core engaged. I’ve got a pretty good routine on that.”

Lewis played nine of his 10 games on a rehab assignment with Triple-A Tacoma as the DH, including each of the final seven. In that stretch, in which he used the maximum 20 days allotted, Lewis went 11-for-35 for a slash line of .314/.415/.629 (1.043 OPS), with three homers, 12 RBIs, six strikeouts and five walks. He played three games in a row last week, which represented his final hurdle, along with feeling healthy enough to contribute.

Lewis has dealt with enormous adversity before, and he spoke humbly on Tuesday when describing his latest career setback. He tore his ACL in the same knee just weeks after he was selected by Seattle in the first round of the 2016 Draft. After experiencing discomfort in the knee ahead of the 2018 season, he had another surgery to remove a bone fragment and repair the pad near his patella.

Overcoming all of those obstacles made winning the 2020 AL Rookie of the Year for Lewis all the more rewarding -- and it made his story all the more inspiring to teammates and fans. And experiencing adversity after his latest surgery felt all too familiar.

“Dark times. ... There are a lot of emotions going into it,” Lewis said. “I’ve just been trying to take every day in stride and just enjoy all the moments because it really puts it into perspective when you have to deal with so many things back and forth, calls to doctors and hospitals.”

Lewis said he leaned on many teammates along the way, especially at Tacoma, where he was joined by Evan White, Jarred Kelenic and Justus Sheffield.

“I’m always appreciative, but there’s something really special when you’ve got good guys,” Lewis said. “We’ve got a good group of guys. Everybody tries to be encouraging the best way they can. It definitely helped me. It’s something that helped kind of pick up momentum towards the end.”

A topsy-turvy path to this point has limited Lewis to just 112 career games in the Majors, a big hindrance to that being the shortened, 60-game season in 2020 during the height of the pandemic. Overall, he’s hit .258/.343/.450 (.792 OPS) with 22 homers and been worth 121 wRC+ and 2.8 wins above replacement, per FanGraphs.

When healthy, he’s shown glimpses of greatness as Seattle’s most impactful bat -- and after a slower-than-expected start in 2022, it could surely use him now as much as ever.