The Twins have positioned proper fielder Max Kepler on the 10-day injured record with patellar tendinitis in his left knee and chosen the contract of outfielder DaShawn Keirsey Jr. from Triple-A St. Paul, per a workforce announcement. Left-hander Kody Funderburk was transferred to the 60-day injured record to open a spot on the 40-man roster for Keirsey, who’ll be making his MLB debut when he first will get right into a recreation.
Kepler, 31, got here out of the All-Star break on a tear, hitting .316/.357/.468 in 84 plate appearances and boosting his season line to .271/.320/.412 within the course of. Coupled along with his sturdy protection in proper discipline, he seemed to be on his solution to one other stable all-around season. He’s since fallen right into a dreadful swoon on the plate, nevertheless, tallying only one hit in his previous 17 plate appearances and batting solely .116/.156/.140 in his final 45 turns on the dish. He’s been out and in of the lineup whereas making an attempt to play by means of discomfort in his problematic knee, however after sitting out the previous 4 contests, he’ll now head to the injured record and hope some down time will get him again to full power.
It’s an ill-timed damage for Kepler, each within the workforce sense — the Twins are a really seemingly Wild Card membership however nonetheless hoping to chase down the division-leading Guardians — and in a private sense. He’s within the last season of an extension signed previous to the 2019 season. That deal assured him $35MM over 5 seasons and grew to a six-year, $44MM deal when the Twins picked up a 2024 choice on him after a robust 2023 season. He’s now on the cusp of reaching free company for the primary time. Kepler had already seen his output take a step again from final yr’s .260/.332/.484 slash (124 wRC+) and 24 homers, however after this current lull on the plate his season-long batting line has wilted to a sub-par .253/.302/.380.
Taking Kepler’s place on the energetic roster would be the 27-year-old Keirsey. The Twins chosen him with their fourth-round choose again in 2018. He’s outdated to be thought of a real “prospect” and was handed over in final yr’s Rule 5 Draft even after hitting a mixed .294/.366/.455 between Double-A and Triple-A in 2023. The Twins are certainly glad to have been capable of cling onto him, as Keirsey now climbs to the majors after a formidable season that’s seen him produce a .292/.364/.477 slash in St. Paul. He’s linked on 14 dwelling runs and swiped 36 luggage in 43 makes an attempt.
In scouting stories over time, Keirsey has drawn reward for plus pace and athleticism. He’s seen as a viable middle fielder and plus choice within the corners. Scouts have questioned his hit software, notably after he fanned in 30% of his Excessive-A plate appearances in 2021, however he’s trimmed that mark all the way down to a extra satisfactory 23% in every of the previous three seasons (22.8% in 2024).
If nothing else, Keirsey has the makings of a high quality fourth outfielder who might be optioned backwards and forwards between St. Paul and Minneapolis over the following few years, however he’s now had back-to-back productive seasons within the higher minors and may very well be one thing of a late-bloomer. He’ll add to a rising inventory of lefty-hitting Twins outfielders on the 40-man roster. Even with Kepler set to hit free company, the Twins have Matt Wallner, Trevor Larnach, Alex Kirilloff and prime prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez all on the 40-man roster, to say nothing of middle fielder Byron Buxton and infielder/outfielder Austin Martin, who hit from the opposite facet of the plate.
