Twins call up top prospect Kaelen Culpepper to boost offensive production at shortstop

Bobby Nightengale, Star Tribune on Aug 7, 2026

Published in Baseball

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MINNEAPOLIS — The Twins promoted shortstop prospect Kaelen Culpepper to the major leagues Friday for their series opener against the Brewers.

Less than a week after the trade deadline passed, the Twins opted to make another big move. Culpepper, a 23-year-old right-handed hitter, was the Twins’ first-round pick in the 2024 draft (21st overall) out of Kansas State and the organization’s Minor League Player of the Year in 2025.

He was batting .271 with 14 homers, 15 doubles, 46 RBIs and 63 runs in 74 games at Class AAA St. Paul, adding 17 stolen bases in 20 attempts.

Tristan Gray was optioned to Class AAA and St. Paul Saints pitcher Taylor Rasho was designated for assignment to make room for Culpepper on the roster.

“Spring training was like that first step letting me know where I stand with the other guys,” Culpepper said in June. “I feel like I did a pretty good job of handling myself. It definitely opened my eyes, for sure. I feel like I can handle myself at the big league level. That’s just me being confident.”

The Twins are looking for a boost at shortstop, a position they explored upgrading at the trade deadline. Ryan Kreidler’s offensive numbers have plummeted since he took over the everyday job, batting .163 with a .443 OPS in his past 28 games.

Gray is a below-average defender at shortstop and had three hits in his past 28 major league at-bats.

Culpepper, whom everyone calls “KC,” had two stints on the injured list, in June and July, because of a left hip/glute strain. But the Twins view him as a potential long-term answer at shortstop, a solid defender with a strong arm.

“The biggest thing is when we feel guys are ready, we’re going to bring them to the big leagues,” manager Derek Shelton said Thursday. “Some of it is going to be based on how other people are performing.”

Culpepper, a Memphis, Tenn., native, used to sleep with his glove next to him, which he nicknamed “Lucy,” when he was a kid.

He wasn’t a heralded prospect out of high school, but he had two standout seasons at Kansas State. He played for Team USA’s national collegiate team where he was coached by Larry Lee, teammate Brooks Lee’s dad.

“I’ve always been overlooked as a player, and I’ve always felt like I was underrated,” Culpepper said after he was drafted.

In two years, Culpepper rose through the Twins farm system. He’s a consensus top 100 prospect in the sport, ranked No. 26 overall by Baseball America.

At each minor league level he’s played, where he hit atop the lineup, his team was a playoff contender.

He said he benefited from playing alongside Royce Lewis and Matt Wallner after their demotions this year, a chance to learn from them.

“You get to learn that it’s OK, guys at that level, they’re not always perfect,” Culpepper said. “They can make mistakes, too. Things don’t always go their way. Me, looking up to that, I’m like, it’s OK to go through some struggles because it’s normal. It’s baseball, obviously.”

Culpepper felt he was close to reaching the big leagues for a couple of months, but then he was hit by a couple of injuries.

Now, there is nothing holding him back.

“Obviously, you hear AAA is a little less competition than the bigs, but this is the closest I’m going to get until I get there,” Culpepper said in June. “I just want to show I can handle that. Keep playing and keep doing it.”