The Twins’ 2028 Opening Day lineup is tough to pin down, but one thing is clear: the next wave is already knocking. In a projection built from the players currently in the organization, top prospects Vahn Lackey and Marek Houston both crack the lineup, even though Lackey would be arriving quickly after being taken No. 3 overall in 2026.
Here’s how that forecast shakes out:
Luke Keaschall DH
Walker Jenkins CF
Kaelen Culpepper 2B
Byron Buxton LF
Emmanuel Rodriguez RF
Brooks Lee 3B
Kody Clemens 1B
Vahn Lackey C
Marek Houston SS
It’s obviously a long way out, and the Twins could always add an established power bat before then, but the exercise starts with the talent already in the system.
Keaschall, who finished the year as Minnesota’s leadoff hitter, gets the nod at designated hitter in this projection. He spent most of the middle of the 2026 season as the club’s primary right fielder, but the defensive numbers weren’t pretty: -7 Defensive Runs Saved and -1 Outs Above Average in 451 2/3 innings. His speed and athleticism give him a chance to sort that out, but for now the bat fits better at DH.
Jenkins slots in second and takes over in center field. His big-league introduction in August got off to a rough start, but he closed the season on a tear, hitting .343/.361/.514 with a 146 wRC+ and two home runs over his final nine games. He gets the center-field job here with Buxton moving to a corner spot, in part because Buxton will be 34 going into 2028 and the Twins may want to ease some of the injury risk.
Culpepper lands in the No. 3 hole at second base after making his MLB debut last season and starting every Minnesota game at shortstop. Questions about his long-term home at short were answered pretty well, at least for now, because he looked solid there over 281 innings. Even so, the idea here is that Houston eventually becomes the elite defender at short, which would free Culpepper up for second base, where his glove should still play very well.
Buxton is penciled in fourth and in left field. That looks like a natural fit as he gets older. Health will always hang over his case, but if he’s available and still isn’t willing to waive his no-trade clause, he remains part of the 2028 starting mix.
After that come Emmanuel Rodriguez, Brooks Lee and Kody Clemens. Rodriguez and Lee feel like locks for that lineup on paper.
Clemens is a little less certain, even coming off a huge season that earned him Twins MVP honors. He’s already 30, though, and regression is part of the concern.
Still, he has a chance to remain a major piece if the production holds.
The last two spots are where the future really shows up. Lackey is projected as the catcher, and Houston as the shortstop.
Lackey is already up to High-A, while Houston finished the season in Double-A. Both would be central to the next version of the Twins if this outlook comes close.
The one notable omission is Royce Lewis. He doesn’t make the cut here, and the possibility is that Minnesota lets him go this offseason after he posted an 85 wRC+ over the last two seasons and is turning 28 soon.
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