The Twins are finally getting the look they’ve spent years waiting for.
Emmanuel Rodriguez, Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper - the organization’s “Big Three” - are all in the majors now, and the timing has turned the final stretch of the season into a live audition for a group the club believes can shape what comes next.
Rodriguez got there Saturday, joining Culpepper, who arrived Aug. 7, and Jenkins, who was promoted Aug. 28. The three have moved through the system in different ways, but their rise has followed the same basic path: big expectations, plenty of buzz and, now, a chance to show it at the highest level.
“Obviously we wanted each other to be up here. Now that’s reality,” Culpepper said, noting they were called the ‘Big Three,’ during spring training.
“We’re all just happy to be playing with each other again. This is pretty cool.”
Culpepper wasn’t in Sunday’s lineup after taking a pitch off the back a day earlier, but the bigger picture for Minnesota is hard to miss. The Twins expect all three of them to be in the lineup together soon, with Luke Keaschall, who is just 24, also part of the young group they want to evaluate down the stretch.
“I think it’s something that we thought at some point, we would see all these guys, not knowing what the roles would be or what the timeline would be,” manager Derek Shelton said. “I do think it’s exciting as we continue to get younger, especially with guys that are homegrown.”
Each player’s path to this point hit a speed bump because of injuries that cost them part of the 2026 season. Rodriguez was pushing toward the majors before a thumb injury in early May led to surgery.
Culpepper could have been up in June if not for a glute strain. Jenkins missed about a month and a half after hurting his shoulder.
Now, though, the Twins get to see what it looks like when the talent finally arrives all at once.
“I think it is an exciting look at what the future holds,” general manager Jeremy Zoll said. “We’ve spent a lot of time during the offseason, this season, talking about what this prospect group means and how much we think they can help us in the future. I think we’re starting to see all that come together and what that could look like for the rest of the year, but then in ’27 and beyond.”
Culpepper’s own Sunday was mostly about recovery. He tried to stay in Saturday’s game against Cleveland after the pitch to the back, but said he was “wheezing a little bit,” and once he got to his feet and tried to walk to first, it was obvious he couldn’t continue.
“I was in excruciating pain,” he said. “Especially once I stood up and started walking. I felt like the adrenaline started wearing off a little bit, and I started feeling it.”
He woke up still stiff and sore and spent much of Sunday morning in the training room. Even so, he said he was doing “pretty good.”
“It’s just a tough spot to get hit,” he said.
Left-handed pitcher Kendry Rojas (oblique) was activated from the injured list at Triple-A. The Twins also open a three-game series against the New York Yankees this week, with Dean Kremer (3-5, 5.65 earned-run average) scheduled to face Will Warren (10-6, 4.05 ERA) on Monday.
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