The Minnesota Twins activated shortstop Kaelen Culpepper from the injured list with just two games remaining, according to Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com. Minnesota placed right-hander Jeff Hoffman on the injured list with right forearm inflammation as a corresponding move.
Culpepper, 23, had been on the injured list since Sept. 16 with a left hamstring strain. The Twins selected his contract for his MLB debut on Aug. 7.
With just two games remaining in the regular season and the Twins eliminated from postseason contention, Minnesota's decision to activate Culpepper is interesting, to say the least. With a looming lockout that could cancel games next year, the Twins likely just want Culpepper to get a couple more games of experience before heading into the offseason. The shortstop will still retain rookie eligibility for next year.
However, shutting down Culpepper for the rest of the year may have actually been best for the Twins organization. At this point, it'd be better for the Twins to lose their next two games because it'd improve their chances of earning a top-6 pick in the 2027 MLB Draft. It's not like Culpepper needs two extra games for his development. If Culpepper has a strong performance over the next couple of games, Minnesota could be left with a worse draft position than if Culpepper had been shut down.
Twins could earn a top-6 pick in 2027 Draft
All teams that miss the playoffs are entered into a lottery to earn a top-6 draft pick. However, the San Francisco Giants and Pittsburgh Pirates are ineligible to earn a top-6 pick because of anti-tanking measures.
Entering Saturday, the Twins held a 15.7% chance to earn a top-6 draft pick and a 1.62% chance to pick No. 1 in the 2027 draft, according to Tankathon. Two more losses likely won't improve the Twins' odds by much, but it would still be in the best interest of the club to lose on Saturday and Sunday.
Culpepper is the Twins' No. 3 overall prospect, according to MLB Pipeline. Only Walker Jenkins (No. 1) and Vahn Lackey (No. 2) are ranked above the shortstop in the Twins organization. Culpepper is also MLB's No. 31 overall prospect.
Culpepper had a slow start to his MLB career, then went on a hot streak before cooling off a bit. His overall numbers are solid; the shortstop has slashed .275/.333/.404 (108 wRC+) with three home runs and 11 RBI in 120 plate appearances across 31 games with Minnesota.
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