Lis entered the majors in 1970 with the Philadelphia Phillies, playing for them three years before joining the Minnesota Twins (1973–1974), Cleveland Indians (1974–1976), and Seattle Mariners (1977). While relegated to playing mainly first base as a big leaguer, he also played left field, right field, third base, and even caught in one game.\n', '

A good power hitter in Minor League Baseball (MiLB), Lis swatted at least 33 home runs in three separate MiLB seasons and was named International League Most Valuable Player (MVP), in 1976, an award he shared with fellow infielders Mickey Klutts and Rich Dauer. Nevertheless, Lis never translated his minor league success into a full-time job in the major leagues. His most productive MLB season was 1973, with Minnesota, when he posted career-high numbers in homers (nine), runs batted in (RBI) (25), and games played (103), as a replacement for injured Harmon Killebrew.\n', '

Lis also played in Nippon Professional Baseball, for the Kintetsu Buffaloes, in 1978. He finished his baseball career with the Triple-A Champion, Evansville Triplets, in the 1979 season.\n', '

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