The Minnesota Twins have had some issues with their infield this season and it’s led to a full-scale remodeling as the calendar turns to June. Royce Lewis’s demotion to Triple-A, Brooks Lee’s move to third base and the anticipated arrival of top prospect Kaelen Culpepper could all give the Twins a different look on the dirt before the All-Star Break, but it could come at Luke Keaschall’s expense.
Keaschall has been the Twins’ second baseman since the season started but his poor performance in the field has created some long-term questions. The speculation may intensify as Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com reported that Lewis started at second base for the St. Paul Saints in their game against the Indianapolis Indians on Wednesday afternoon. With his old position of third base blocked, Lewis’s return to the majors could come at second base and it could leave Keaschall looking for a new position as the season nears the midway point.
Luke Keaschall could be on the move when Royce Lewis returns to the Twins
The Twins had high hopes for Keaschall as a third-round pick in the 2023 draft and he backed them up with a strong rookie season, hitting .302/.382/.445 with four homers, 28 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 182 at-bats. But while the success at the plate was great, an underlying concern was his play at second base.
A right forearm fracture, a sprained right thumb and recovery from undergoing Tommy John surgery in August of 2024 all contributed to a small sample size in the field. But Keaschall committed six errors and had one defensive run saved in 360 innings at second base, giving him something to improve upon as he entered his first full season in the majors.
Instead, Keaschall appears to have regressed. In 484.1 innings at second base, Keaschall has an MLB-high five errors and a minus-3 in the defensive runs saved metric. In addition to being on pace for a minus-7 in that category, he also has a minus-1 in fielding run value and a minus-2 in outs above average according to Baseball Savant’s metrics.
This is a problem for a Twins infield that has combined for 28 errors this season and is looking for ways to maximize the group going forward. While Lee and Culpepper could make up the left side of the infield by the end of the year, Lewis’s first start at second base could be a warning sign for Keaschall and could have him on the move when the former No. 1 overall pick is ready to rejoin the lineup.
First base is a potential landing spot for Keaschall but Kody Clemens has been a pleasant surprise, logging three defensive runs saved and hitting .229/.307/.424 with six homers, 18 RBI and five stolen bases in seven attempts. The Twins have also had Lewis spend time at first base during his time in St. Paul, which could make him a solution when he returns.
If first base is blocked, Keaschall could become a designated hitter in the short-term with a long-term plan of a move to the outfield. Trevor Larnach, Byron Buxton and Austin Martin are currently manning those spots and Matt Wallner will be back in the lineup when he is ready to return from his demotion. But having Wallner go to first base could lump Keaschall in with a group that could integrate prospects Walker Jenkins, Gabriel Gonzalez and Emmanuel Rodriguez in the coming years.
Wherever he plays, the Twins need to find a way to keep Keaschall’s bat in the lineup. His numbers have dropped this season, hitting .249/.323/.322 with a homer, 21 RBI and 10 stolen bases on 13 attempts in 57 games entering Wednesday’s series finale against the Chicago White Sox. But he has been heating up as of late, hitting .327/.368/.404 with a double, a triple, six RBI and a stolen base in his past 15 games.
This should keep Keaschall a piece of the puzzle moving forward and it’s up to Derek Shelton and his staff to figure out where the 23-year-old fits for the rest of the 2026 season and beyond.
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