Before last night's 5-4 win against the Houston Astros, the Minnesota Twins placed left-hander Anthony Banda on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain. According to MLB.com's Matthew Leach, Banda will be out for months.
While the Twins already made a corresponding move to placing Banda on the IL, recalling right-hander Cody Laweryson from Triple-A St. Paul, the southpaw's injury could still open the door for an intriguing pitching prospect, right-hander C.J. Culpepper, to make his MLB debut sooner than many anticipated.
Minnesota converted Culpepper, 24, to the bullpen earlier this season after he missed much of the last two seasons because of injuries. He began the year with Double-A Wichita before being promoted to Triple-A St. Paul on May 5. Between the two minor-league levels this season, Culpepper has posted a 3.14 ERA with a 26.0% strikeout rate and 10.6% walk rate over 48 2/3 innings.
Culpepper, Minnesota's No. 20 overall prospect per MLB Pipeline, is an intriguing prospect who appears to have a much higher ceiling than many of the pitchers in the Twins' bullpen, including Laweryson, Travis Adams and Kody Funderburk. Minnesota's bullpen has held the team back this year, so it may benefit the club to give some younger pitchers a chance to prove whether they can help. The Twins have already done that with Andrew Morris and, recently, Marco Raya. Culpepper should be the next ranked organizational pitching prospect to make his MLB debut.
Banda's injury creates an even worse situation for the Twins' bullpen, which ranks last in ERA. Banda had a rough start to the season, but has been one of Minnesota's best relievers lately, recording a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings this month. Culpepper may not be a solution to the Twins' bullpen woes, but there's at least a chance he could be a difference maker. Why not give him an opportunity over one of the many struggling relievers who are currently on the Twins' big-league roster?
Culpepper could be a major help to the Twins' struggling bullpen
Culpepper throws a mid-90s fastball that has occasionally reached 97-98 mph. His best swing-and-miss pitch is a low-80s sweeper. He can also throw a solid high-80s/low-90s cutter and has occasionally mixed in a curveball and changeup.
As a former starter, Culpepper can throw upward of two innings per relief appearance. Twins fans should keep the right-hander on their radar for now, as he could be the next pitching prospect to earn a promotion to the majors. Notably, he has a 1.54 ERA with 11 strikeouts over 11 2/3 innings this month.
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