Mariners 2021 Report Cards: Center Fielder Kyle Lewis

Kyle Lewis had an incredibly disappointing season for the Mariners in 2021. He started the season on the injured list after he ran into the outfield wall in a Spring Training game. He missed about three weeks with a bruised knee from hitting the wall and made his season debut on April 20. Lewis then would only go on to play in 36 games before injuring his right knee. He was placed on the injured list on June 1 with what was listed as right knee discomfort.

After being placed on the injured list, he would find out that he had torn his meniscus in his right knee. He was transferred to the 60-day injured list on June 18th and he would never make a return to the field for the Mariners. He was a possibility to return to Seattle late in the season but he never was able to return to full baseball activities. He was close to returning a couple of times to the field for a rehab assignment, but his knee kept acting up, which kept him from returning.

Kyle Lewis missed nearly the entire year, so this is why his 2021 season earns the grade of a D.

The only good thing about Kyle Lewis’ 2021 season is that he still put up above-average offensive numbers and did not lose his ability to hit after the first knee injury. He slashed .246/.333/.392 in 130 at-bats. He started a little slow, but he was ultimately a 107 wRC+ hitter and was worth 0.3 WAR. He did not have enough time to have a good year at all, but he still has never been bad at the big league level, so that is promising.

The hope with Kyle Lewis is that he can return to form at some point in 2022. He has the potential to be a good center fielder with above-average offensive production. At worst he should be an average outfielder offensively and defensively. The hope is that in 2022 he can still play center field for the Mariners, who might otherwise have to go and trade for one. Kyle Lewis still has the potential to be a key part of the Mariners first playoff team in over 20 years if he stays healthy.