The Twins announced Friday that they have called up infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper from Triple-A St. Paul. He could make his MLB debut in the series opener against the National League-leading Brewers in Milwaukee.
Culpepper, Minnesota's first-round Draft pick in 2024, is ranked as the Twins' No. 2 prospect -- and 29th overall -- by MLB Pipeline. The 23-year-old has had an excellent year at Triple-A, posting an .845 OPS with 14 homers and 17 steals in 295 at-bats. He has an OPS north of .800 against both right- and left-handed pitchers.
To make room for Culpepper on the 26-man roster, the Twins have optioned infielder Tristan Gray to the Saints. And to make room for him on the 40-man roster, the Twins designated for assignment right-handed pitcher Taylor Rashi.
Through three Minor League seasons, the righty-hitting Culpepper has produced a .277/.367/.463 slash line with a 17.6% strikeout rate.
When he joins Minnesota, Culpepper will likely step in as the team’s primary shortstop, although he does have experience at second and third base. Ryan Kreidler has been the Twins’ leader at shortstop for the bulk of the year, but since the start of July, he is slashing a mere .163/.193/.250 over 83 plate appearances.
Kreidler’s struggles at the plate have overlapped with the team’s swoon since the All-Star break. The Twins, who enter Friday’s series opener against the Brewers a half-game out of the final AL Wild Card spot, are 9-10 with a .637 OPS since the break. That’s the sixth-lowest mark in the Majors.
The hope now is that one of the best prospects in the sport can jump-start the offense just in time for the season’s stretch run.