Keaschall hits game-tying homer in ninth

Luke Keaschall takes over in center field. No surprise after Buxton made an early exit from Tuesday’s game at Target Field with right hip soreness. It’s been a persistent issue for him throughout the last few months and it wouldn’t be surprising if he wound up requiring a trip to the injured list. The Twins are probably going to wait at least a couple days before making that decision since they’re trying to remain in contention for an AL Wild Card playoff spot leading into next week’s trade deadline.

Not great. It’s the same hip issue that’s been bothering Buxton for most of the season. The 32-year-old franchise cornerstone was 0-for-2 prior to being replaced in center field by Luke Keaschall in the fifth inning of this one. Buxton has graded out as a top-15 fantasy outfielder this season, slashing .263/.320/.544 with 57 runs scored, 25 home runs, 45 RBI and seven steals in 82 games. Any sort of extended absence would be a massive hit for the Twins as they try to stay in playoff contention. He’ll undergo further evaluation, and possibly an MRI, to determine the severity of the issue. There should be additional clarity on his status prior to Wednesday’s contest.

Buxton was replaced by Luke Keaschall in center field after going 0-for-2 at the plate. It’s probably an injury-related departure since it was a 1-0 game at the time of his exit. There should be an update on his status shortly.

It appears to be a planned maintenance day for Buxton, who started back-to-back games after coming off the injured list earlier this week. Although, you never really know with Buxton sometimes. There’s no reason to panic at the moment. The 32-year-old fantasy stalwart will get some extra rest prior to Thursday’s series finale in Cleveland. It’ll be Luke Keaschall in center field on Wednesday evening in his place.

Keaschall has made a rather seamless transition to the outfield recently and will receive his first opportunity to patrol center field with franchise cornerstone Byron Buxton on the injured list with a hip strain. The 23-year-old former top prospect has struggled to an underwhelming .255/.341/.347 triple-slash line with just four homers and 12 steals in 337 plate appearances over 86 games. The additional defensive versatility will go a long way to ensuring he has a permanent spot in the majors, but he’ll need to start making more consistent hard contact, which ironically was his calling card in the minors, before he’s an impactful fantasy contributor. He’s far too young for fantasy managers to completely give up on his long-term potential.

It’s Keaschall’s first start in the outfield as a major leaguer. He started 19 games, all of them in center, in the outfield in the minors. The Twins are tired of watching him struggle at second base, so this could be a full-time switch. The one problem there for the long haul is that the Twins have a terrific group of outfield prospects, led by Walker Jenkins, Emmanuel Rodriguez and Gabriel Gonzalez, on the way, which might eventually crowd Keaschall out.

With his bat on the rebound and Kaelen Culpepper injured in Triple-A, the pressure seems mostly off Keaschall at the moment. He’s hitting .286/.393/.389 in 39 games since the beginning of May. Defense at second base is the bigger issue at this point, but if he keeps hitting, he’ll have a home somewhere.

Keaschall has been quite disappointing in managing just one homer through 253 plate appearances, but his .324 OBP isn’t half bad. He still needs a real hot streak at some point in order to ensure that he’s up for good; as is, he’s definitely a candidate to be demoted if the Twins wants to try top prospect Kaelen Culpepper.

At some point, the Twins are going to have to give intriguing infield prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who is tearing the cover off the ball at Triple-A St. Paul recently, a look at the highest level. The obvious move would be to jettison Royce Lewis from third base, especially since he’s hitting .165 overall this season. However, it’s worth noting that Keaschall is hitting just .224/.306/.292 with one homer and 10 steals through 44 games. The 23-year-old former top prospect hit at every rung of the minor-league ladder and looked impressive during last year’s injury-shortened rookie campaign.

Keaschall is batting .313 with four doubles, six walks and three steals in his last 10 games. It’s been just enough to push his OPS up to .600 for the first time all season. The bat should continue to come around, which would make him pretty valuable if he keeps running; he’s 8-for-8 stealing bases so far.