The Twins have begun experimenting with Luke Keaschall in the outfield. Manager Derek Shelton moved Keaschall from second base to right field for the ninth inning of Saturday's 16-8 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks, marking Keaschall's first time playing outfield in a regular-season MLB game. Shelton said the primary second baseman will likely start receiving more playing time in the outfield.
Derek Shelton said Luke Keaschall is likely to start getting more time in right field after seeing his first MLB game action there Saturday in Arizona.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 24, 2026
Keaschall is out of the Twins' lineup tonight, with Tristan Gray starting at second base.
It makes sense that the Twins want to give Keaschall less time at second base; he has struggled immensely at the position this year, recording -6 Defensive Runs Saved and -5 Outs Above Average over 630 1/3 innings. Even though Minnesota has an abundance of promising outfield prospects such as Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel RodrÃguez, and Matt Wallner is tearing it up in Triple-A, Keaschall's future may be in the outfield. Also, the Twins are likely planning for infield prospects Kaelen Culpepper and Marek Houston to be major parts of the team in the near future.
To clear space for Keaschall to play in the outfield regularly, the Twins may consider trading corner outfielder Trevor Larnach ahead of the trade deadline.
It may soon be time for Twins to trade Trevor Larnach
Larnach is having the best offensive season of his career so far, slashing .276/.374/.419 (124 wRC+) with five home runs and 24 RBI in 66 games. In 18 games this month, he has hit .333/.406/.509 (157 wRC+) with two homers, four doubles and eight RBI. While he's a major reason Minnesota has the second-most runs in the American League (395), the team's poor bullpen, struggling defense and starting-pitching injuries have held the club to a 38-44 record, meaning it may end up being the right move for the club to sell at the deadline. Not that fans should give up on the season just yet, with Minnesota just two games back of the third AL Wild Card spot, but they should prepare for another fire sale. If the Twins end up selling, then trading Larnach while he's hot would make a ton of sense.
Many were surprised the Twins kept Larnach for this season, as he has generally been an average hitter and poor defender throughout his career. Larnach, who is making $4.475 million this year and is under team control through next season, has proved the doubters wrong with his bat in 2026. Now would be the perfect time for Minnesota to get something of value for the 29-year-old outfielder if they plan to sell. Sure, if the plan is to make the postseason this year, then trading Larnach would be a mistake. But it's doubtful Minnesota plans to extend him due to all of the outfielders knocking at the door of the big leagues, so if this season seems like a lost cause closer to the deadline, general manager Jeremy Zoll should deal Larnach to a team in need of an offensive boost.
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