An extremely busy week continues for the Twins, as they have called up Luke Keaschall from Triple-A St. Paul, the club announced on Friday. Keaschall will make his debut Friday night vs. the Braves, batting eighth as the designated hitter.
The move comes shortly after the club added Jonah Bride to the active roster following a trade and placed outfielder Matt Wallner on the injured list. To make room for Keaschall on the 26-man roster, the Twins have optioned utility player Mickey Gasper to St. Paul.
Keaschall is the organization's No. 3 prospect per MLB Pipeline, and the No. 57 prospect overall. He has played second base, outfield, and a little bit of third base in the Minor Leagues, but this year has been limited to second base and DH.
So far this season with St. Paul, the 22-year-old hit .261/.379/.348 in 14 games. Between High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita in 2024, he posted a .903 OPS with 15 home runs in 103 games.
A second-round selection by Minnesota in 2023 out of Arizona State (he began his college career at the University of San Francisco), Keaschall is an excellent contact hitter who limits his strikeouts (17.2% strikeout rate last year) and walks at a high clip (13.4% in '24). He also has very good speed, as evidenced by his 23 steals in 2024.
Keaschall had to undergo Tommy John surgery last year and consequently he hasn't played much in the field since. He has been built up slowly and only recently played nine innings in the field for the first time this year. But he impressed the Twins during Spring Training and the club is hopeful he will continue to do so.
The Twins have been hit hard with injuries. Shortstop Carlos Correa is dealing with left wrist soreness and Willi Castro, who started in place of Correa at short on Wednesday, had to exit the contest early due to oblique tightness. Wallner was just placed on the injured list with a left hamstring strain.
While it remains to be seen how the club deploys Keaschall in the field, it certainly hopes he'll continue to hit, as he has throughout his time in the Minors since his professional debut in 2023.