Kaelen

Culpepper

It’s the first time that Culpepper has batted higher than sixth in Minnesota’s lineup since being promoted to the majors back on August 7. The 24-year-old rookie has been outstanding in his first taste of the big leagues, hitting .301 (25-for-83) with three homers, nine RBI and one steal in 23 games. It would be nice from a fantasy perspective to see Culpepper running a bit more, but it’s hard to complain with his all-around impact so far.

It feels like only a matter of time before Culpepper gets a look towards the top of Minnesota’s intriguing lineup. He won’t supplant Luke Keaschall in the leadoff spot, but he might make more sense than Brooks Lee in the second spot while Byron Buxton (hip) is out. The 24-year-old top prospect has lived up to fantasy managers’ lofty expectations so far. He hasn’t stolen any bases, which is a surprise, but he’s hitting .313 (21-for-67) with three homers in 19 games since being called up a few weeks ago.

Culpepper didn’t have any extra-base hits, but the four singles raised his average to .340 in the first 50 at-bats of his big league career. He offers enough upside to be considered in mixed leagues, though he’s not necessarily a must-add player.

Culpepper has put together a little seven-game hitting streak 10 games into his MLB career. The Twins have been batting him ninth, but with a .314/.375/.429 line to date, he’s making a case for being moved up in the order.

There are going to be nights like this for Culpepper as he acclimates to everyday life in the majors as Minnesota’s shortstop of the future. He picked up an RBI on a fourth-inning sacrifice fly to somewhat salvage things. The 24-year-old offers enough over-the-fence pop and stolen base upside to matter in all fantasy leagues, but counting on him to hit for average might be a bit of a stretch. He’s one of the more exciting prospects to reach the majors in recent weeks and is at least worthy of a speculative roster spot.

The 24-year-old shortstop wasted little time getting on the board. In his second at-bat of the night, Culpepper, who was facing an 0-2 count in the fourth inning, smashed a fastball from Shane Drohan 414 feet into left-center field for his first career homer. The size/speed youngster made a good first impression in his debut and remains an interesting add in deeper leagues where available.

The 24-year-old top prospect has hit .271/.367/.478 with 14 homers, 46 RBI and 17 stolen bases in 343 plate appearances at the Triple-A level this season. He’ll jump right into an everyday role in the Twins’ lineup and should be worth an immediate look in deeper mixed leagues due to his intriguing blend of power and speed.

Culpepper is the Twins’ second-ranked prospect and the 29th-ranked prospect in baseball, according to MLB Pipeline. He has a .271 average with 14 home runs, 46 RBIs and 17 stolen bases in 74 games for Triple-A St. Paul this season, but has gone 11-for-40 (.275) in 10 games since returning from a glute injury in mid-July. Culpepper is one of the highest-ranked prospect hitters we’re likely to see called up this summer and has a power/speed combination that’s worth a gamble in most fantasy leagues.

Culpepper has battled some injuries earlier in the summer, but he’s hitting .375 in four games in August and has gone 11-for-40 (.275) in 10 games since returning from a glute injury. There remains a good chance we see Culpepper in Minnesota by the end of August when his rookie eligibility for 2027 would remain in tact.

Culpepper had missed almost a month after being hit by a pitch on the hand and then suffering a glute injury shortly after. However, he returned over the weekend and played three games for St. Paul. He is still not regualrly playing shortstop for full games, so that will be the next step, but the 23-year-old remains likely to get a call to the big leagues shortly after the August 14 deadline to keep his rookie eligibility for 2027.