The Minnesota Twins are getting closer to the midway point of the season, but they still have an unsettled situation in the infield. The Twins’ defensive alignment has had an overhaul in recent weeks with Royce Lewis and Brooks Lee adapting to new positions and another change could be on the way when Kaelen Culpepper receives his long-awaited promotion.
Looking at the Twins’ defense, that call-up could be coming soon. The Athletic’s Dan Hayes noted that Minnesota shortstops have committed five total errors in the past week and manager Derek Shelton’s comments after Thursday’s 8-6 loss to the Kansas City Royals may indicate a change could be coming if things don’t turn around.
“We cannot give away either extra bases with walks and definitely can’t give away extra outs because it changes the whole course of how the game goes,” Shelton said to Hayes. “We have to play better defense. We cannot give away outs. …Even if you get out of the inning, it changes the course of what their batting order does and how you use your bullpen.”
If Shelton’s comments don’t get a response, Culpepper could be on his way to the majors and it could send another message that the Twins’ struggling defense will not be tolerated.
Twins’ defensive woes at shortstop could lead to Kaelen Culpepper’s promotion
The Twins’ struggles on defense were on full display on Thursday night. With the game tied at 5-5 in the top of the sixth inning, Anthony Banda got Bobby Witt Jr. to pop up for what appeared to be the third and final out. Second baseman Luke Keaschall and shortstop Ryan Kreidler never communicated and the two infielders collided, letting the ball fall to the turf and allowing Carter Jensen to score and give the Royals a 6-5 lead.
Kreidler was charged with the error on the play and it was the eighth error by a Twins shortstop this season which Hayes noted is tied for the seventh-most in major league baseball. With Tristan Gray committing a team-high seven overall errors and Lee committing five, Shelton seems to be running out of options, which could lead to Culpepper to Minneapolis.
Culpepper’s bat has been worthy of a callup this season as he’s hitting .266/.372/.486 with 13 homers, 38 RBI and 13 steals on 15 attempts in 54 games with the Saints. He’s also made a push over the past month, hitting .295/.409/.516 with six homers and 17 RBI over his past 24 games. But the key to the majors could be his defensive performance.
The fielding hasn’t been perfect as Culpepper has committed three errors in 307 innings (36 games) at shortstop this season. But his offensive upside could convince the Twins to at least give it a try considering how the other options have failed.
Gray and Kriedler have been good stories over the first half of the season but they could do more harm than good if they keep giving runs away. Even if Culpepper plays at a baseline level at short, it could be good enough for an upgrade.
The Twins have already turned the wheels of a revamped infield as they get deeper into June and Culpepper’s promotion could be the next piece to fit in place and solve one of Minnesota’s biggest weaknesses.
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