After a demoralizing trade deadline sell-off, rookie Luke Keaschall has given Twins fans something to be excited about. In 25 plate appearances over six games since returning from the injured list on August 5, Keaschall has slashed .400/.400/.760/ for a 221 wRC+ with two homers and was named American League Player of the Week.
Luke Keaschall: 10-for-22 (.455 AVG), 5 XBH, 10 RBI
— MLB (@MLB) August 11, 2025
Isaac Collins: 10-for-21 (.476 AVG), 5 XBH, 8 RBI
Your AL and NL Players of the Week presented by @Chevrolet! pic.twitter.com/XPtGP5cxkc
During Keaschall’s historic week, he hit an opposite-field walk-off home run against the Kansas City Royals on Sunday, reigniting fan excitement during a strange period for Twins baseball.
Luke Keaschall #WALKOFF homer!
— MLB (@MLB) August 10, 2025
The @Twins win it in the 11th! pic.twitter.com/zEmFEWVk7C
If Luke Keaschall continues his hot streak, can the Twins claim a Wild-Card spot?
Probably not, but it’s certainly possible.
As it stands, the Twins trail the New York Yankees by 6 ½ games for the third and final AL Wild Card spot. That’s a steep hill to climb, especially with the Cleveland Guardians, Texas Rangers, Kansas City Royals, Tampa Bay Rays and Los Angeles Angels all closer to that final Wild Card spot than the Twins are, and less than two months remaining in the regular season.
It’s important for fans to keep expectations in check. FanGraphs gives the Twins just a 1.8% chance of making the playoffs. Still, with Keaschall looking like a star, Byron Buxton performing at an MVP level and Pablo López likely rejoining a starting rotation that includes ace Joe Ryan soon, the team has the potential to go on a run. The Twins went on a 13-game winning streak earlier in the year, so anything is possible.
The main thing that will likely hold Minnesota back from making a miraculous comeback in the Wild-Card standings is its bullpen. At one point, the Twins’ bullpen was viewed as one of the best in the sport, but the team got rid of all of the players that made it so great (Jhoan Durán, Griffin Jax, Danny Coulombe, Louis Varland and Brock Stewart) at the trade deadline. Now, Rocco Baldelli has to rely on a bullpen of journeymen, unproven arms and relievers who used to pitch in lower-leverage situations such as Justin Topa and Cole Sands. The negative effect of dismantling the bullpen was on full display in the Twins’ 6-2 loss against the Yankees on Monday, as Brooks Kriske surrendered two earned runs while recording just one out and Erasmo Ramírez allowed a run in two innings pitched.
If the Twins want to make a comeback in the standings, Keaschall must continue to hit at a high level, and the rest of the team has to be at its best to make up for the lack of established relievers on the team.