After rupturing his ACL against Geelong in round 17 last year, Lewis has been recalled following impressive performances in the VFL for Box Hill.
The 26-year-old flew to the United States to see internationally renowned reconditioning guru Bill Knowles.
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell was full of praise for Lewis.
"He's had two games with limited minutes and basically a full game last week," Mitchell said on Thursday.
"It was just the decision we made as a match committee about what was going to be best for that game and for him, for the future."
Lewis will replace fellow key forward Mabior Chol, who will miss the trip to Launceston because of injury.
Defender Changkuoth Jiath has been dropped, as has midfielder Cam Mackenzie.
Port, who are already out of finals calculations, decided to drop forward Willie Rioli to find form and fitness.
Rioli joins injured stars Connor Rozee and Jason Horne-Francis on the sidelines.
The Western Bulldogs have brought back key defender Liam Jones for their must-win clash in Brisbane against the Lions.
Brisbane have replaced injured defender Noah Answerth and suspended forward Zac Bailey with teenager Sam Marshall and cult hero Bruce Reville.
West Coast will be boosted by the returns of experienced pair Liam Ryan and Tim Kelly for their clash with Richmond as they attempt to secure just their second win of the season.
Defender Adam Saad is back for beleaguered Carlton, as Alex Cincotta, Orazio Fantasia and Mitch McGovern sit out with injuries.
Star defender Steven May returns for Melbourne to take on the Blues, but the Demons lose fellow stopper Jake Lever to injury.
Collingwood have decided to rest veteran Tim Membrey, joining injured duo Jeremy Howe and Dan Houston as outs for the Magpies' monster Sunday match against Fremantle at the MCG.
Premiership players Pat Lipinski, Brody Mihocek and Beau McCreery are among the inclusions on an extended bench.
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