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Why were Alex Kirilloff’s recurring wrist issues treated as such a big deal for the last few years, considering he had a .651 OPS as a big leaguer last year?

Well, this is why.

Now that Kirilloff’s wrist is finally healthy and allowing him to fully access the exemplary hit tool that once made him the No. 2 prospect in the organization, he has been every bit the dangerous middle-of-the-order hitter the Twins hoped he’d be -- and even more, hitting .304/.439/.468 for a .907 OPS through 26 games.

He has provided some of the most consistent plate appearances for a scuffling Twins offense since his wrist got healthy enough for him to join the team on May 5. Beyond the hits, it’s the plate discipline that has caught the Twins’ eye, because that’s an element that has never really defined Kirilloff as a hitter.

“I almost thought like a chromosomal aggressive hitter, that's kind of in him, and that's not going anywhere,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He has shown us some things lately that, I don't know exactly how you make those adjustments, but sometimes, good hitters continue to get better and better. And one thing we're seeing from him right now is laying off of pitches that he would offer at previously.”

Kirilloff had never exceeded a walk rate of 8.5% as a Minor Leaguer, with his ability to barrel the ball considered the appeal. This season, his walk rate has exploded to 16.3%, and he’s swinging at a paltry 24.7% of pitches outside the strike zone, well below the MLB rate of 28.4%.

The Twins have attributed much of their offensive struggles to making poor swing decisions, but right away, one of their young hitters not known for his selectivity has excelled at that. How, exactly? Kirilloff attributes it to mechanical and timing cues that have him more direct to the ball and staying up the middle -- and seeing more pitches after missing large chunks of time due to injury has helped, too.

“I wouldn’t say an approach to walk is the approach,” Kirilloff said. “The approach is just to have more plate discipline overall. It comes along with more walks, so that’s a good result to have when we’re trying to have better plate discipline and swing at better pitches, and having that come as a result.”

And he hasn’t sacrificed his bat-to-ball ability to do that -- just consider his double off Aaron Civale in the first inning on Friday, which came on a pitch at shoulder height.

If Kirilloff is able to continue coupling this selectivity with his already prodigious ability to barrel up different pitches -- watch out.

“He’s able to get on premier velocity at the top and even above the zone, and if you’re able to get to that, it’s really good,” bench coach Jayce Tingler said. “He’s done a really good job of handling secondary offspeed pitches as well. I can’t say enough good things about his at-bats right now.”