Walker Jenkins always factored into the Twins plans this season – pending a clean bill of health, of course. And although the injury bug reared its ugly head in May and delayed the top-ranked Twins prospect’s season from really getting going until mid-June – he has more than made up for lost time since then, as his knocking on the door of The Show has now turned into a thunderous bang.
MLB’s No. 15 overall prospect only further fortified his case on Thursday, when he homered on both sides of a resumed game that was suspended on Wednesday night to help power Triple-A St. Paul to a 10-2 victory over Columbus at Huntington Park.
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The No. 5 overall pick from the 2023 Draft has been scorching at the plate this month, sporting a .389/.450/.741 slash line for a 1.191OPS with five home runs in 13 games – making his case to be called up to the big leagues very soon.
Entering action on Friday, the Twins hold a half-game lead on both the Blue Jays and Rangers for the third and final Wild Card spot in the American League. A spark to the club’s outfield group couldn’t hurt as Twins outfielders are 17th in OPS and second to last in homers (2) and RBIs (9) over the past two weeks. Jenkins could certainly provide that boost.
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Limited to 192 total games through his first two-plus pro seasons because of a quad strain and hamstring injury in 2024 and then an ankle sprain in 2025, Jenkins always finds a way to produce when he's on the field. The North Carolina high school product reached the highest level of the Minor Leagues, at age 20, with a career .882 OPS. Last year, he finished third in the organization (350 plate appearances or more) with his 135 wRC+.
Jenkins missed more than a month of action early this season with a shoulder joint sprain that he suffered after crashing into the outfield fence. Still, he's continued to showcase an ability to come back from injury and look very much like the plus hitter with plus power that the Twins thought they were getting in 2023.
Through 68 games this season -- that include brief rehab appearances at Single-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids -- the 21-year-old is slashing .312/.403/.531 for a .934 OPS with a career-best 11 homers, 50 runs scored, 26 RBIs, 38 walks and 13 stolen bases.
Jenkins has also appeared in 34 of 41 games played by Triple-A St. Paul over the past seven weeks, and 43 of 55 games going back to his return from the IL on June 13 -- a stretch of consistency that has alluded him since turning pro.
Using a smooth and repeatable left-handed swing, Jenkins routinely finds the barrel and hits the ball hard, drawing walks and keeping the strikeouts in check, even while getting to his power a bit more over the past two seasons.
An above-average runner with good instincts on the basepaths and in the outfield, Jenkins has primarily played center field as a pro. He certainly could handle the position in the big leagues, but he might best be suited for right, where his strong arm would be an asset and he can fit the run-producing athletic corner outfielder profile perfectly, providing that spark the Twins could use down the stretch.