The Twins have reached the point where the Kaelen Culpepper conversation turns from future tense to present tense.
Minnesota’s first-round pick in 2024 has done just about everything the organization could ask at every stop along the way, and now he’s one step from the majors. Culpepper finished his college career at K-State after moving to shortstop, then hit .328 with 11 homers, 58 RBIs and 17 steals in his final season before the Twins took him 21st overall in the 2024 Major League Baseball Draft.
His climb through the system moved quickly. Culpepper began pro ball with the Single-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels and soon earned a bump to High-A Cedar Rapids.
Across those two stops, he batted .242 with three home runs and 12 RBIs. He started 2025 back with the Kernels, but that assignment didn’t last long; Minnesota moved him to Double-A Wichita at midseason, and he also served as the Twins’ representative at the All-Star Futures Game at Truist Park in Atlanta.
By then, Just Baseball had Culpepper just outside its top 100 prospects. He kept pushing forward anyway.
Between Cedar Rapids and Wichita in 2025, he hit .289 with 20 home runs, 64 runs batted in and 25 stolen bases, then got another promotion at the end of the year to start 2026 with the Saints. That put him within striking distance of the big leagues.
And in Triple-A, he hasn’t backed up at all.
Culpepper’s 2026 line in the International League sits at .271/.367/.478 with 14 home runs, 46 RBIs, 17 stolen bases and an .845 OPS. After a slow start coming back from the injured list with a glute strain, he picked things up fast, going 7-for-17 with three doubles and a triple over his last four games.
The glove has held up, too. Culpepper has quieted any questions about shortstop defense with a .984 fielding percentage, 23 double plays turned and just three errors at the position. He’s been the complete package for the Saints this season and has only grown stronger as the year has gone on.
With the Twins’ run production stalled since the All-Star break, the case for a call-up is obvious. Culpepper has already shown he has nothing left to prove in the minors.
That doesn’t mean one promotion fixes everything. Minnesota will still have to deal with rotation trouble after Joe Ryan was placed on the 15-day injured list with a glute strain, and Bailey Ober has struggled.
But at shortstop, the club appears ready to move on. Culpepper has earned the chance to show what he can do in the majors.
In Other News...
Twins Just Showed How Far Theyd Go For This Playoff Push
The Twins spent the deadline acting like a club that believes the window is still open. They added reliever Jeff Hoffman, absorbed extra payroll and gave up a cluster of prospects, including Bruin Agbayani, Billy Amick, Jhomnardo Reyes, Dasan Hill and John Klein, in a clear push to deepen a roster that thinks it can matter in October.
Just as notable, Minnesota did not empty the cupboard to get there. The front office kept top names like Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper, signaling a willingness to chase the postseason without gutting the long-term plan. The overall message was pretty plain: the Twins were ready to spend a little more and part with real talent, but only up to the point where the future still looked intact. [Read more 🡒]
Former Twins Infielder Gets Another Shot With A Division Rival
Jonah Bride is getting another big-league look, this time with a division rival after the Rangers selected him from Triple-A Round Rock and brought him onto the 26-man roster. The move came as Texas optioned outfielder Alejandro Osuna back to Round Rock and cleared a 40-man spot by transferring right-hander Jack Leiter to the 60-day injured list, a roster shuffle that gives Bride an immediate path back into the lineup.
For the former Twins infielder, the opportunity appears to be a real one, with Bride expected to start at third base in the upcoming game. Texas is sorting through its infield depth while Leiter continues to work back after ankle surgery, and Bride now has a chance to show he can hold down a role against familiar American League Central competition. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Bet On Jeff Hoffman Despite One Lingering Concern
The Twins went into the trade deadline looking for a bullpen lift, and Jeff Hoffman gives them a reliever with real closing experience and a familiar face from a previous spring. He was in Minnesotas camp in 2023 before moving on without appearing in a regular-season game for the club, then rebuilt his value with strong stretches as a closer for the Phillies and Blue Jays. Even with his uneven numbers this year, he arrives as the kind of late-inning arm the Twins were clearly trying to add.
Minnesota also had to pay a meaningful price to get him, which only raises the stakes on how quickly Hoffman settles in. His recent track record suggests there is enough there to trust the fit, and the fact that he has started to trend better since June only adds to the appeal. The lingering question now is whether the Twins have landed the steadier version of Hoffman, or whether the rough patches from earlier this season are still part of the package. [Read more 🡒]