The Twins are turning to their top prospect at a moment when their lineup can use almost any kind of jolt.
Minnesota is reportedly calling up Walker Jenkins after his strong run at Triple-A, according to MLB’s Jonathan Mayo. Jenkins, ranked as MLBPipeline’s No. 15 overall prospect, has put together a .305 batting average with a .927 OPS this season in AAA, along with 11 home runs and 27 RBIs.
That kind of production is exactly what the Twins need as their offense continues to search for answers. Jenkins should get an extended opportunity at the major league level, and his arrival comes with Byron Buxton’s injury situation hanging over the roster.
The Twins are leaning toward placing Buxton on the 10-day IL, which would be the third time in 2026 that he’s landed there. He previously dealt with right hip issues twice.
Buxton left Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Athletics in the bottom of the seventh inning after trying to cut off a ball in the gap and appearing to aggravate his hip again. The trainer and manager Derek Shelton came out shortly after to take him out of the game.
“I think the thing is, he's been dealing with the issue, which we know, and I think it kind of caught when he went to stop on the bullet,” Shelton said postgame of the injury. “The bullet got hit in the gap, and then once I got out there, he'd already talked to Jason a little bit.
It just felt with where he was at, I made the decision like, ‘okay, let's get him off the field’. We just need to make sure that we look at”
Buxton appeared to be in visible discomfort on the warning track. He had looked fine earlier, moving well on the bases and in center field, but something clearly changed in that seventh inning.
His absence would be a major blow for Minnesota. Buxton remains the centerpiece of the lineup, and even though he’s been cold in August, his presence changes things for everyone around him. The Twins have a .735 OPS with Buxton in the lineup this season, compared with a .697 OPS without him in 2026.
Now the timing gets even trickier. Minnesota has 15 straight games ahead against AL Central opponents, and losing Buxton for any stretch would make that run a lot tougher.
In Other News...
Walker Jenkins Decision Will Show Twins Fans What Really Changed
Walker Jenkins is doing everything he can to make the conversation impossible to ignore. The Twins top prospect has been strong in Triple-A, but the club has kept him there while juggling a roster that has already seen prospect Kaelen Culpepper promoted and a handful of pitching additions come in at the trade deadline. Minnesota is still playing from behind in the playoff race, which leaves every roster move under a microscope as the team tries to weigh development against the urgency of the standings.
The eventual decision on Jenkins will say a lot about how much the Twins have changed. In a season where the front office has already shown it can mix patience with short-term upgrades, the handling of a player like Jenkins sits right at the center of that tension. Whether the club leans more toward development or the push for wins now, the choice figures to reflect just how carefully Minnesota is balancing the future against the postseason chase. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Fans Already Have One Big Concern About Walker Jenkins
Walker Jenkins is on the verge of making his way to the Twins, with the club planning to bring up the highly regarded prospect for Fridays game once it clears the necessary roster space. For a fan base that has followed his rise closely, it is the kind of long-awaited development that comes with the usual buzz around a top 20 talent, especially one whose five-tool profile has made him one of the more intriguing young players in the organization.
Still, the excitement has come with a familiar undercurrent of caution. Jenkins has missed time because of injuries, and for all the optimism about what he can become, the biggest question has never really been about the tools. It is about whether he can stay on the field long enough to turn that promise into something the Twins can count on. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Playoff Push Suddenly Has A Center Field Problem
Luke Keaschall has been a useful bat for the Twins, but his defensive profile has shaped how Minnesota uses him. Most of his work has come in a corner outfield spot or at designated hitter, and that limitation became more important when Byron Buxton was injured and the club needed somebody to cover center field. Rather than rush in Walker Jenkins or Emmanuel Rodriguez during the road trip, the Twins kept Keaschall out there and asked him to handle the position through a stretch that only magnified the uncertainty.
The gamble has already shown up in a costly way, with a defensive misplay helping turn a game against the Athletics into a reminder of how thin the margin is in a playoff race. Minnesota still has options on the roster and in the pipeline, but the present setup leaves the club trying to survive in center field while waiting to see whether the next move is a promotion, a shuffle, or simply more of the same. [Read more 🡒]