MINNEAPOLIS -- After being drilled on the back in Saturday’s 4-3 Twins win over Cleveland, Kaelen Culpepper was in relatively good spirits Sunday morning, despite leaving the game early with a right shoulder contusion.
“I was wheezing a little bit,” Culpepper said. “Took my breath away a little bit. It's just a tough spot to get hit. I mean, I tried to get out of the way, but it's just an unfortunate spot."
To no one’s surprise in the Twins' clubhouse, Culpepper was still dealing with some soreness Sunday morning. But Twins manager Derek Shelton already shared postgame Saturday that the Twins were going to take a day-to-day approach with him after he was hit by the 95.3 mph fastball from Guardians reliever Franco Aleman.
“When he walked in, he said he was still sore, so I think we'll get him through some modalities and have him move around and see if he's available,” said Shelton. “He got stung pretty well. When he walked in today, he was in a much better spot than he was yesterday.”
Culpepper is expected to sit out Sunday’s game as Ryan Kreidler gets the start at shortstop. The Twins will continue to evaluate him on a daily basis before making a decision on his return to the lineup.
Even after he was hit by the pitch, Culpepper tried to remain in the game for as long as he could, but the pain took his breath away for a moment. He conceded to his manager and trainer, Nick Paparesta, it would be best to exit and heal up.
"I mean, I'm always going to try and stay in the game. I was in excruciating pain. I mean, especially once I stood up and started walking. I felt like the adrenaline started wearing off a little bit, and I started feeling it,” Culpepper said.
Fortunately for Culpepper, there was no concern for any fracture where he was hit. His main concern was any nerve damage that could come from a 95.3 mph fastball.
Even with an early exit, Culpepper was still especially excited for teammate Emmanuel Rodriguez’s debut.
The two spent time together at Triple-A St. Paul earlier this season, and Culpepper had been called up for his MLB debut by the time Emmanuel Rodriguez came back from the injured list with a UCL tear in his left thumb.
Culpepper, who hit a home run in his second plate appearance in his Aug. 7 debut, believed Rodriguez would be able to do the same feat. He just didn’t expect Rodriguez to one-up him with a homer in his first plate appearance.
"I was loving it," said Culpepper. "I told him before the game started, I was like, 'I think your first hit is going to be a home run.' And he looked at me and goes, 'We're the same.' And when he hit it and came in the dugout, I hugged him and said, 'Hey, we are the same.' So it was a pretty cool moment."