Luke

Keaschall

Keaschall certainly doesn’t want this season to end. He helped put an exclamation point on the Twins’ six-run, second-inning rally with a two-run triple and then hit another run-scoring double in the fourth. He’s now up to a .281 batting average and .781 OPS with two games left on the season to go along with 10 home runs and 20 stolen bases. If you split out for just the second half, Keaschall has a .313/.402/.475 slash line. That would be star-caliber production if he could sustain it for a full season.

He briefly had a HBP, too, but it was overturned on replay because the pitch, which was actually in the strike zone, hit the knob of his bat, rather than his hand. That made it a foul tip, which was caught by the catcher for a strikeout. Keaschall’s homer was his 10th. He’s cooled off some in September, but he’s still hitting an exceptional .302/.394/.453 since the break.

It’s the highest spot that Rodriguez has batted since being called up back on September 12. The 23-year-old top prospect launched a solo homer during Monday’s series opener at Oracle Park, but is hitting just .194 (7-for-36) with 13 strikeouts and one walk through 10 games at the outset of his big-league career. He’s hitting directly behind fellow top prospect Walker Jenkins with Luke Keaschall back in the leadoff spot in this one.

It looks to be nothing more than a regular day of rest for the versatile 24-year-old. Alan Roden will start in his place in right field and will bat fifth for the Twins against Angels’ right-hander Ryan Johnson on Sunday afternoon.

Keaschall’s RBI was a game-tying hit in the bottom of the tenth. The stolen base was his 18th of the season, though he has been caught seven times. He’s finishing the year with a very strong second half, which fantasy managers needed after such a slow start. Keaschall entered Wednesday with the 14th-highest wRC+ among qualified hitters since the All-Star break. He has also hit leadoff in every game for the Twins dating back to August 17.

Keaschall’s homer was his ninth, five of which have come this month. With one day to go, he’s hitting .326/.404/.558 in August.

Jenkins was hitting .308/.407/.532 with 12 homers and 17 stolen bases over 307 plate appearances with the Saints and should be rostered in most leagues. The Twins didn’t call the 21-year-old top prospect up for him to sit and Luke Keaschall may be at the most risk of losing playing time if Byron Buxton avoids the injured list.

Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters Keaschall could get a more extended look atop the lineup, especially against left-handed starters, for the remainder of the season. The 24-year-old former top prospect got off to an ice-cold start at the plate, but has hit .290 (79-for-272) with six homers and seven steals in 86 games since the start of May. A permanent move atop Minnesota’s lineup would be a significant boost to his long-term fantasy value.

Keaschall got the Twins on the board with a 357-foot solo shot off of Aaron Nola in the second inning, trimming their deficit to one run at 2-1. That would be the extent of their scoring in the contest. With his two-hit attack, the 23-year-old infielder is now slashing .266/.362/.371 with seven homers, 36 RBI and 14 stolen bases in 449 plate appearances on the season.

The Mariners would go on to lose in the bottom of the ninth, but it was another good day for Keaschall, who has now homered in back-to-back games. The 23-year-old is hitting .333 since the start of July.