With third baseman Royce Lewis in Triple-A, the Minnesota Twins have moved Brooks Lee from shortstop to third base. After Minnesota optioned Lewis to St. Paul on Tuesday, Lee sat on the bench for two games in a row before earning back-to-back starts at third.
Lee's position change means two things. One, Minnesota is planning for Lewis to be in the minors for a while. And two, the Twins are likely preparing to promote top shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper soon. Culpepper left Friday's Saints game with a bloody lip but he's already back in the lineup for Saturday's game, leading off and playing shortstop.
Many Twins fans wanted Culpepper, 23, to earn the promotion over Orlando Arcia when Minnesota optioned Lewis to Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins decided they want Culpepper to receive more playing time in Triple-A but he should be in the majors soon.
Lee's move to third base was a long time coming. After posting -8 Defensive Runs Saved (DRS) and -1 Outs Above Average (OAA) at shortstop in 2025, Lee has recorded -7 DRS and -6 OAA in 2026. While he also struggled at third base last year, posting -6 DRS and 0 OAA, any team would prefer better defense at shortstop over third base. Also, it should be much easier for Lee to put the work in to improve defensively at third base over shortstop. The Twins' defense should be much better with Lee at third and a rotating door of Ryan Kreidler, Tristan Gray and Arcia at shortstop.
Some question whether Culpepper is a long-term shortstop but it's hard to imagine he could be worse at the position than Lee. For now, Minnesota should plan to use Culpepper at short after the club promotes him to the majors. He has also logged innings at third base this season.
Culpepper deserves to make MLB debut soon
Culpepper, MLB Pipeline's No. 39 overall prospect, has slashed .249/.353/.457 (107 wRC+) with nine homers, 32 RBI and 10 stolen bases for the Saints thus far in 2026. Culpepper, the Twins' No. 2 prospect, has quickly climbed Minnesota's organizational ranks since being drafted 21st overall out of Kansas State University in 2024. He ended the 2024 season in High-A and the 2025 season in Double-A before beginning this season in Triple-A.
Culpepper also had a strong spring training, going 6-for-19 across 14 games. He has clearly proved he's ready to make the jump to the majors. Fans can expect to see the shortstop make his MLB debut within the next couple of months if not weeks.
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