The Twins’ latest injury blow landed on rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, and it only added to a season that has been defined by bodies breaking down.
Minnesota put Culpepper on the 10-day injured list with a left hamstring strain after he left Tuesday’s loss to New York in the sixth inning. With only 11 games left, his season is done.
To fill the roster spot, the Twins brought back utilityman Ben Ross from Triple-A St. Paul. Ross went 0-for-4 with three strikeouts in a brief big-league look earlier this month, and he’ll start at shortstop in Wednesday afternoon’s series finale against the New York Yankees.
The injury is just the latest reminder of a brutal trend for Minnesota. Pablo López had Tommy John surgery in the offseason, while Byron Buxton, Joe Ryan and Ryan Jeffers have all missed meaningful time this year.
Culpepper’s own season has been a strange mix of promise and frustration. Since getting the call in early August, the 23-year-old has hit .275/.333/.404 with three home runs, 11 RBI and 1 Out Above Average over 31 games. Even with some recent struggles, those are strong numbers for a rookie.
But staying on the field has been the problem. Culpepper already missed about a month earlier this season because of a glute injury that led to two separate IL stints, and he also had a short IL stay last season.
The concern goes beyond one player, too. Top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez both missed significant time with injuries earlier this year and have dealt with various injuries throughout their young careers. For a team trying to build around young talent, that’s not a comforting pattern.
There’s plenty to like about Culpepper’s upside if he can finally put the injuries behind him. Before his promotion, he hit .271/.367/.478 with 14 home runs, 46 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 74 games at Triple-A St.
Paul this season. Last year, across High-A and Double-A, he posted a .289/.375/.469 line with 20 home runs, 64 RBI and 25 stolen bases in 113 games.
The talent is obvious. The challenge, as Minnesota keeps learning, is keeping it on the field.
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Twins Suffer Another Rough Night As Rookie Infielder Exits Early
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Twins Just Took Another Brutal Hit In Their Stretch Run
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Now that lift has been interrupted. Culpepper landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury, and the timing could hardly be worse for a Minnesota offense that has already struggled after the break and watched its record slide with it. With the stretch run tightening up, the Twins are left trying to absorb another blow from a roster that has already had too few answers at the plate. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Loss To Yankees Exposed A Problem Fans Know Too Well
The Twins loss to the Yankees at Target Field looked a lot like a familiar frustration in Minnesota. Bailey Ober gave them 5.1 innings and limited the damage to three earned runs, but the offense could only scrape together seven hits and one run, leaving the game out of reach long before the final outs.
Taylor Rogers relief appearance only deepened the problem, with four unearned runs adding to a night that already felt too easy for New York. The Yankees rolled to an 8-1 win, and for the Twins, the bigger concern is how often these quiet offensive nights have become part of the backdrop at home. [Read more 🡒]