ST. PETERSBURG -- The message the Twins are giving to Royce Lewis as he very reluctantly adds second base to his skill set is that he doesn’t need to be perfect out there. Yes, they know it’s not going to be comfortable, but that’s part of the process.

“We’re not asking him to go out there and be the Gold Glove award-winning second baseman this year,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “We’re just asking him to go out there, work hard, pay attention, improve and make the plays that he’s expecting himself to make, and we’re expecting him to make.”

That will involve mistakes along the way -- and there was one in Lewis’ first career start at the new position on Wednesday, when he short-hopped a throw home while trying for a play at the plate. Lewis’ miscue was only a small part of the outcome as the execution all around him also spiraled out of control, leading to an eight-run fourth inning and a 9-4 loss to the Rays at Tropicana Field.

Lewis’ errant throw from the unfamiliar position was one of three execution lapses that led to the inning snowballing away from the Twins to put the game out of reach early. They maintained their 4 1/2-game deficit in the American League Central behind the division-leading Guardians, who lost to the Royals on Wednesday.

Bulk pitcher Louie Varland, throwing behind an opener, made an errant pickoff throw at first base that allowed the first run of the inning to score, followed immediately by both shortstop Brooks Lee and catcher Christian Vázquez mishandling the batted ball and throw home on a ground ball with the infield in, allowing another run to score.

The game was perhaps already getting away from the Twins when Lewis made his one-hop throw home on a grounder by Ben Rortvedt and saw it kick away from Vázquez to allow another run and for two more runners to move up on the error.

That’s the sort of outcome that had given Lewis so much dread about this move in the last few weeks, as the Twins started working him out at second base with the idea that it wouldn’t become a frequent position, but would give Baldelli and the Twins more flexibility this season and a better idea of how their infield could fit in the future.

“I would feel horrible if they put me out there and I'm missing plays that are routine or something,” Lewis had said on Monday, after his second-base debut. “We have plenty of really good second basemen and I don't want to mess up our defense just because we're going to try something new. It's not Spring Training -- or Triple-A, for that matter.”

Lewis has made no secret of his disdain for the idea, and even after he played three innings there as part of a late defensive switch on Monday, he said adding the in-game experience at second wasn’t doing anything to soothe his nerves.

“I'm terrified out there,” Lewis said.

From the Twins’ perspective, it’s a move that fits into their roster composition in that most of their other position players have multiple positions in their skill set, helping Baldelli play matchups with lineups and in-game moves.

It’s also a need that makes particular sense now, as Lewis’ ability to move to second would mean Jose Miranda and Carlos Santana could play third and first base, respectively, and limit the club’s reliance on the struggling Edouard Julien at second base.

“This is part of the next step for him as far as all the work he’s been putting in,” Baldelli said. “Like anyone going to play a new position, it’s not going to be the most comfortable thing initially.”

There’s also something the Twins can learn from this for the long-term, as they’ll eventually need to figure out their infield alignment. Miranda’s best position is third, and while Lee is playing shortstop in Carlos Correa’s absence, he is also a very viable third baseman -- and Lewis’ error-prone play at third hasn’t cemented a claim to the spot.

From Lewis’ perspective, he’s already trying to figure out how to mitigate the body fatigue that has limited his play and the lack of offensive power that has followed -- and he sees this as an added stressor.

“I've got so many things going on and now we're going to add in second,” Lewis said. “Little things like that are just, like, adding extra elements to an August, September push that's important to me.”