Ryan Kreidler’s bat has gone from a pleasant surprise to a real question mark, and the timing couldn’t be more important for the Twins.
For much of the season, Minnesota got more than it could reasonably have expected from the 28-year-old utility man. Kreidler entered the year with a brutal reputation at the plate - his career wRC+ of 11 made him the worst-performing hitter with at least 200 plate appearances from 2020 through 2025 - but he managed to look like a useful regular for a stretch.
Through 173 plate appearances, he has hit .244/.301/.419 with five home runs and a 99 wRC+, which is basically league average. For a player valued as much for his glove and arm as his bat, that was enough to keep him in the mix.
The trouble is how fast things have fallen apart lately. From April 11 through June 30, Kreidler was batting .287/.357/.505 with a 140 wRC+ across 112 plate appearances.
He was driving the ball, cutting down strikeouts, and backing it up with a .334 xwOBA. Since July 1, though, the bottom has dropped out.
Entering Sunday, he was slashing .127/.158/.164 with a -17 wRC+ in 57 plate appearances this month. His power disappeared, and his underlying numbers turned just as ugly; in the 50 plate appearances before Sunday’s game, his xwOBA sat at .208.
Sunday offered a jolt, at least for one day. Kreidler collected three extra-base hits, and that outburst more than doubled his total extra-base hits for the month. But one big game doesn’t erase the larger concern: his recent production looks a lot more like the hitter the Tigers knew than the one Minnesota had been getting earlier in the year.
Even with the slump, Kreidler still has value. He remains Minnesota’s best defensive option at shortstop and can cover all three outfield spots, third base, and second. But the Twins would be smart to start thinking about trimming his plate appearances.
That’s where Kaelen Culpepper comes in. On Friday, St.
Paul activated the 23-year-old shortstop from the reserve list, putting the organization’s third-ranked prospect back in the Triple-A lineup. Culpepper had already made a case for himself earlier this season, posting a 117 wRC+ over 303 plate appearances with the Saints, but injuries have slowed his path to the majors.
Now the door looks open. Tristan Gray’s recent demotion to Triple-A and Brooks Lee’s full-time move to third base leave Culpepper as the clearest internal option to take over as the Twins’ primary shortstop as they chase their first postseason berth since 2023.
Kreidler still has a chance to hold the job, at least for now. His bat speed has dipped and his swing has flattened this month, but he’s also navigating the closest thing to a full big-league season he’s ever had. Sunday could be a turning point, or it could be a brief spike before the slide continues.
If it’s the latter, the Twins have options. They have another week to explore shortstop upgrades on the trade market, and Culpepper is getting closer by the day.
If Kreidler rebounds, Minnesota can keep riding the surprising production. If he doesn’t, the warning signs are already here - and the organization has an internal answer waiting.
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Rays May Be Pushing Twins Toward A Deadline Decision Fans Dread
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Ryan Jeffers and Trevor Larnach fit the kind of profile that can tempt a front office into listening, especially with Minnesota carrying enough internal depth to absorb some of the blow if it decides to move in that direction. Larnachs bat has been one of the more reliable parts of the lineup, while Jeffers brings the sort of production that can matter to contenders, which is why this conversation feels less hypothetical by the day and more like the kind of deadline call fans would rather not see answered. [Read more 🡒]