The Time Has Arrived: Walker Jenkins Is Finally With the Twins

The Minnesota Twins announced Thursday that they were promoting their top prospect, Walker Jenkins, from their Triple-A affiliate, the St. Paul Saints. He debuted the next day. To make room for Jenkins, the Twins optioned outfielder Alan Rhoden to St. Paul.

The fifth overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft arrived at Target Field with his team’s playoff hopes fading fast. Four games since Jenkins showed up, Minnesota sits at 66-72, 3.5 games back in the Wild Card race.

The Twins are hoping that Jenkins can reignite their suddenly sluggish offense. He hopes to follow in the footsteps of fellow rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper (Just Baseball’s 37th-ranked prospect), who has exploded at the plate since his call-up a few weeks ago. And with outfielder Byron Buxton on the shelf for an unspecified period, now is the time for Jenkins to show off his talent.

The Early Days of Walker Jenkins

Jenkins exploded on the baseball scene in 2022. As a high school junior at South Brunswick High School in Southport, North Carolina, he batted .527 with 10 home runs, 40 RBIs, and 18 stolen bases. For these efforts, he was named the Gatorade North Carolina Player of the Year.

That summer, he participated in the Prospect Development Pipeline League at the USA Baseball National Training Complex. He was also selected to play in the High School All-American Game at Dodger Stadium. After a productive high school senior season at South Brunswick, Jenkins was awarded a baseball scholarship to the University of North Carolina.

However, Jenkins instead chose the Twins, signing an above-slot contract worth $7.14 million. He started his pro career with the Florida Complex League Twins (FCL). With solid play, he earned a quick promotion to the Single-A Fort Myers Mighty Mussels. In 26 games between the two levels in 2023, he produced a slash line of .362/.417/.571.

In an injury-plagued 2024 season, he would split his time between the FCL, the Mussels, the High-A Cedar Rapids Kernels, and the Double-A Wichita Wind Surge. Limited to 82 games due to a hamstring injury, Jenkins’ slash line was .282/.394/.439. In addition, he hit six homers, drove in 56 runs, scored 53 times, and stole 17 bases.

Injuries would beset him again in 2025 as ankle issues limited him to 84 games. Dividing his playing time between four teams again, he nonetheless was finally promoted to the Triple-A Saints. Despite his injuries, he was once again productive, slashing .286/.399/.451. He also had 10 home runs, 34 RBIs, 56 runs scored, and 17 steals. At season’s end, he was named a Double-A All-Star.

Despite More Injuries, Jenkins Finally Earns the Call

The 2026 season started on a sour note for Jenkins. Early-season hamstring and shoulder injuries forced him to play rehab stints in Single-A and High-A. But he became red-hot when he returned to the Saints, hitting .308/.407/.532 with 12 homers. And in his last 44 games before his MLB call-up, he slashed a remarkable .335/.413/.607.

With Buxton once again sidelined, this time with a hip injury, and the Twins losing ground in the Wild Card chase, it was definitely Jenkins time. Minnesota was about to begin a long stretch of games against division rivals, including the Chicago White Sox, Detroit Tigers, and Cleveland Guardians.

Jenkins made his major league debut at home against the White Sox, playing center field and batting ninth. At the plate, he went 1-for-3 with a walk. The next day, he recorded his first major league extra-base hit, RBI, and stolen base. Then, on Monday, he hit his first home run (albeit against position player Zach McKinstry).

Hopes for a Hero

Hopes are high for the five-tool Jenkins. Not only does he combine power at the plate and speed on the bases, but he also plays outstanding defense. He is flexible and talented enough to play all three outfield spots. Jenkins ranked sixth on Just Baseball’s latest Top 100 MLB Prospects list.

Walker is also a bona fide hero. On July 1, while playing for St. Paul, he noticed that a youth player on the field with the Saints had a fainting spell during the national anthem. He grabbed him before he collapsed, carried him off the field, and had the team’s athletic trainer check him out. The youngster recovered fully and received a Jenkins jersey as a memento.

Now, it’s time for Jenkins to be a hero for the Twins.

Many prospect evaluators believe this promotion was long overdue and that Jenkins should have been in a Twins uniform months before tonight. Similarly, many also believe the Twins should have been sellers at the trade deadline, which would have allowed them to give their young prospect an earlier call to the big club.

These arguments ignore two facts. One, Jenkins was hurt for the first part of the season and has only heated up at the plate in the past month and a half. Furthermore, the Twins were probably considering how Walker’s development would be affected by the looming lockout.

By adding Jenkins to the 40-man roster, he now becomes a member of the MLB Players Association and is subject to a potential lockout. The Twins will not be able to take him off the roster without passing him through waivers. So, if there is a lockout that affects games in 2027, Jenkins no longer has the option of returning to St. Paul to play for the Saints.

But hope springs eternal, so let’s enjoy young Mr. Jenkins’ baptism in The Show. I can’t wait to see what he can do.