The Minnesota Twins broke a four-game losing streak with a 4-3 win over the Kansas City Royals, but their offense remains an issue after the All-Star Break. With the trade deadline passed, the Twins didn’t have many levers to pull but they finally broke glass by reportedly calling up top prospect Kaelen Culpepper on Friday morning.
According to JD Cameron of Twins Daily, the Twins are calling up Culpepper from Triple-A St. Paul. The news was also confirmed by Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com, who added Culpepper will join the team ahead of Friday’s series opener against the Milwaukee Brewers.
Culpepper, who was the 21st overall pick in the 2024 draft and is currently the No. 4 prospect in the organization according to The Athletic’s Keith Law, should give Minnesota’s lineup a shot in the arm upon his arrival and could be the high-upside move the Twins need to complete their playoff push.
Kaelen Culpepper latest to try and stop Twins’ shortstop carousel
Culpepper has been a top prospect since coming out of Kansas State but has turned it on over the past two seasons. After hitting .289/.375/.469 with 20 homers, 64 RBI and 25 stolen bases on 29 attempts between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita last season, he hit another gear with the Saints, hitting .271/.367/.478 with 14 homers, 46 RBI and 17 stolen bases on 20 attempts in 74 games.
In many ways, Culpepper’s debut may have already happened had he not had two stints on the injured list due to a glute strain. But now that he’s on his way to the majors, he could provide a big upgrade at shortstop.
The Twins have tried several options while Culpepper raked at Triple-A, but haven’t found a solution. Brooks Lee began the year at shortstop but was moved to third base. Tristan Gray took over after the move but is hitting .225/.267/.324 with four homers, 29 RBI and two stolen bases in 66 games.
Ryan Kreidler was the latest to try his hand at shortstop and had the steadiest glove of the group, logging one out above average according to Baseball Savant. But his bat has cooled off, giving way for Culpepper to start at shortstop perhaps as soon as Friday night’s opener against the Brewers.
Kaelen Culpepper’s bat should help the Twins make their playoff push
Now that Culpepper is here, Twins fans will wonder what to expect from the 23-year-old. Baseball America gave Culpepper a 50-55 hit grade coming out of the draft but his minor league production has exceeded that expectation. He also makes contact and shows strong athleticism and arm strength but can also play second or third base.
His future may be at second or third as he acclimates to the major leagues and fellow top prospect Marek Houston rips his way through the minor leagues. But the biggest thing he can do now is help the Twins at the plate.
While the Twins had the best offense in the American League going into the All-Star break, they’ve stumbled since, averaging 3.57 runs per game in 19 games compared to 4.85 runs per game in the first half. Minnesota also had plenty of hard contact in their series against the Royals but they also were shut down by former Twin Randy Dobnak on Tuesday and Noah Cameron on Wednesday.
Any questions about Culpepper’s defense will have to be on hold for now as the Twins look for an impact bat. And with Walker Jenkins slugging two home runs for the Saints on Thursday night, he may not be far behind.
Whatever the answer is, the Twins, who enter Friday 0.5 games behind the Texas Rangers for the final Wild Card spot in the American League, need offense and they’re hoping that calling up one of their top prospects will be the push they need down the stretch.
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