2 potential Twins call-ups who are tearing it up at Triple-A in 2026

2 potential Twins call-ups who are tearing it up at Triple-A in 2026

SS Kaelen Culpepper

Culpepper, MLB Pipeline's No. 39 overall prospect, has proved he deserves to make his MLB debut as soon as possible. The shortstop is slashing .250/.352/.463 with nine homers, 30 RBI and nine stolen bases across 40 games with the Saints this season.

When Culpepper arrives to the majors, the Twins could either have him play third base or slide Brooks Lee, a poor defensive shortstop, to third base while Culpepper keeps playing shortstop. Culpepper isn't known to be an amazing defensive shortstop, but he should be better at the position than Lee, who has posted -6 Defensive Runs Saved this season.

The Twins opted to promote infielder Orlando Arcia, the younger brother of former Twins outfielder Oswaldo Arcia, over Culpepper to take Royce Lewis' roster spot on Tuesday morning. Still, Culpepper should make his MLB debut at some point this season.

Many Twins fans were upset that Arcia earned a promotion over Culpepper, the Twins' No. 2 overall prospect. Sure, Arcia has had a better season than Culpepper, slashing .318/.376/.556 with eight homers and 27 RBI in 39 games for St. Paul. However, Culpepper, 23, has much more upside than Arcia, 31. While Culpepper is a consensus top-100 prospect, Arcia began the season in the minors despite being a 10-year MLB veteran.

1B Aaron Sabato

The Twins selected Sabato, 27 in June, with the 27th overall pick in the 2020 MLB Draft out of North Carolina. Despite being a first-round pick six years ago, the first baseman hasn't reached the majors. Sabato showed promise early in his professional career before posting a wRC+ below 100 in each of the last three seasons. At the conclusion of the Saints' 2025 season, it appeared that Sabato may never make his MLB debut.

While Sabato still could very well never make it to the big leagues, he's been on an absolute tear at the plate with the Saints this year. In 27 games with St. Paul in 2026, Sabato is slashing .292/.355/.677 with nine homers and 23 RBI across 107 plate appearances. If Josh Bell or Kody Clemens suffer an injury, Sabato may earn a promotion to the majors. There's also a good chance that the Twins will trade Bell ahead of the Aug. 3 deadline, which would clear a spot for Sabato if he continues his offensive tear for the Saints.

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