MINNEAPOLIS – Unlike some Minor League callups, Walker Jenkins didn’t have to catch an early morning flight or endure an hours-long travel day to make it to his Major League debut.
That doesn’t mean he slept well. Or at all.
“Nah, are you kidding me?” Jenkins said with a laugh on Friday afternoon. “I laid in bed, talking to my wife, it was like 1:30 [a.m.] and I’m just wide awake looking at the ceiling. Hopefully I’ll sleep better tonight with the first one out of the way.”
Jenkins, the Twins’ No. 1 prospect and MLB Pipeline’s No. 15 overall, is the most anticipated arrival at Target Field since at least Royce Lewis in 2022. Jenkins was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 Draft and has hit at every level, but it’s an August power surge that forced the organization’s hand.
He was notified during pregame stretch on Thursday, with Triple-A St. Paul manager Brian Dinkelman delivering the news in front of the whole team.
“It was incredible,” Jenkins said. “Having that type of moment with your teammates, the coaching staff, the guys you’ve been working with all year, competing with, having guys I think truly care for me and were happy for me just makes the moment even better.”
The club announced Jenkins’ promotion on Thursday, with the corresponding move coming Friday afternoon when Alan Roden was optioned to Triple-A. Jenkins got the start in center field on Friday, batting ninth, and the plan is for him to play regularly. But for now he’s mostly getting settled, despite having spent the past year playing just a few miles away in St. Paul.
“I think it’ll hit me a little bit when I get out on that field,” Jenkins said. “The anthem normally gets you. whenever you’re here and you’re lined up and you’re hearing that play, you’re seeing people in the crowd, it’s so humbling. Just understanding, you’re here. I’m a big leaguer now. It’s an incredible thought.”
Jenkins joins the Twins at a pivotal point. They remain in contention for a postseason berth, but with five losses in six games and eight out of 12, Minnesota’s hopes are slipping. Byron Buxton is unavailable due to injury, which is part of why Jenkins is up now even though Buxton hasn’t yet been placed on the injured list.
But of course no one is asking Jenkins to be Buxton. Just to play his game, which should be more than enough. He’s a five-tool prospect with excellent command of the strike zone. And now he’s showing the in-game power that has always been expected based on those tools. After hitting 25 homers in his first 247 professional games, Jenkins has eight in his last 18.
“The ability to hit to all fields, to control the strike zone, has been really impressive,” said general manager Jeremy Zoll. “And it just feels like he keeps getting better and better at this point.”
He’s the second highly rated prospect to join the Twins’ Major League roster this month, joining shortstop Kaelen Culpepper (No. 3). Culpepper has thrived in the early going as the team’s starting shortstop, and for now, he’ll be joined up the middle by a fellow rookie and product of the team’s drafting and development system.
“Seeing guys that I’ve played with, and I know he’s a baller,” said Jenkins. “I called him last night and asked him for some tips. The routine and coming in here and how to go about things. Having a guy like that, that I’ve played on the field for almost a year with now between this year and last year, it’s super super nice to have a guy like that to pick his brain.”
Jenkins will wear No. 11 in the big leagues after wearing No. 23 this year for St. Paul. It’s a tribute to his wife, Lexi, who wore the number as a high school soccer player.
“I wore No. 6 and 7 growing up, and those are no go here,” he said, referring to the retired numbers of Twins legends Tony Oliva and Joe Mauer. “So I was like, 11 it is.”