Twins To Promote Top Prospect Luke Keaschall for MLB Debut

The Minnesota Twins are bringing in a reinforcement.

A 7-12 record puts the Twins in fourth place in the AL Central. Their pitchers have a perfectly respectable 3.74 ERA. Yet, their bats have been woeful. They have scored just 3.5 runs per game. They rank among the bottom four AL clubs in all three triple-slash categories, while their collective 82 wRC+ is the third-worst in the Junior Circuit.

To make matters worse, the Twins are navigating numerous injuries to key position players. Not only has third baseman Royce Lewis been out since spring training, but right fielder Matt Wallner landed on the IL earlier this week. On top of that, Carlos Correa is dealing with a sore wrist, and Willi Castro exited early on Wednesday with tightness in his right oblique.

Enter Luke Keaschall.

It is not yet clear who Keaschall is replacing on the roster, but it’s not hard to see why the Twins are calling up their no. 3 prospect.

Minnesota needs offense, and Keaschall can hit. His .261/.379/.348 slash line at Triple-A isn’t particularly impressive, but he is a career .297 hitter with a 13.6% walk rate and a 151 wRC+ over 147 minor league games. He offers good contact skills, a little bit of pop, and an elite eye at the plate. He’s also a threat on the basepaths, with 38 steals in 45 attempts.

The 22-year-old can also play numerous positions (even if he doesn’t play any of them especially well), which should come in handy for manager Rocco Baldelli. Keaschall has split his time between second base and DH this year, but he also played first base and center field last season, prior to undergoing Tommy John surgery in August.

Luke Keaschall came in at No. 42 on Just Baseball’s preseason Top 100 Prospects list. If you’d like to learn more about Keaschall, here is what Aram Leighton had to say about the youngster who will soon make his MLB debut:

42. Luke Keaschall – 2B, OF – Minnesota Twins

Height/Weight: 6’1″, 185 | Bat/Throw: R/R | 2nd Round (49) – 2023 (MIN) | ETA: 2026

A high offensive floor with solid wheels and some added power makes Keaschall an easy bat to buy into as the Twins try to figure out his long-term defensive home.

Offense

Starting slightly open with his hands high, Keaschall gets into his back side with a decent-sized leg kick that he starts early and controls well. He adjusted his base and hand position after his first taste of professional baseball, also adding some additional strength, resulting in higher exit velocities.

Keaschall’s feel to hit stands out, making plenty of contact along with good plate discipline that has really improved in pro ball. He grinds out at-bats with the ability to spoil tough pitches and enough pop to do pull side damage on mistakes. Keaschall’s average exit velocity of 89 MPH, paired with his ability to hit the ball in the air consistently (35% ground ball rate in 2024), gives him the potential for around 20 home runs.

His approach is his best attribute, running a chase rate of 15% while navigating his at-bats like an MLB vet rather than a hitter who was in his first full pro season in 2024. Keaschall did not have a chase rate above 19% against any pitch type. With the uptick in impact, Keaschall offers a very well-rounded offensive skill set.

Defense/Speed

A standout wrestler in high school in addition to baseball, Keaschall is a great athlete and an above-average runner. Despite his athleticism, Keaschall is still searching for a primary defensive home. It did not help that he tried to play through an injured UCL, limiting much of his action to first base and DH before opting for surgery. If his arm is stronger upon his return, Keaschall could project best at second base.

His reads in the outfield were shaky as he attempted to get acclimated, but Keaschall did show good closing speed and has the athleticism to develop out there if the Twins want to go that route. Keaschall struggled to maintain his stolen base efficiency in Double-A, though he should be able to provide 15-20 bags annually.

Outlook

Keaschall really impressed in 2024, mashing to an OPS north of 1.000 in 44 High-A games before putting up quality numbers in Double-A despite playing through elbow discomfort.

Defensive clarity will have to wait a little bit longer as Keaschall is expected to be ready to hit at the start of the 2025 season, but won’t see the field until later on. His bat will lead the way for him as he has the goods to be a high OBP threat who can push towards 20 home runs.

Defensively, he may not be great at a single spot, but has the skill set to be able to get by at second base, first base and left field. There are reminders of former Twins farmhand Spencer Steer in Keaschall’s game, with more time for him to develop defensively.