Former K-State Star Kaelen Culpepper Gets the Call Up From the Twins

Kaelen Culpepper was a star shortstop at K-State from 2022-24, and those three seasons helped propel him into the No. 21 pick by the Minnesota Twins in the 2024 MLB Draft. He has continued that strong play in the minor leagues, as he was ranked the No. 2 prospect in the Twins organization and 29th overall by MLB Pipeline.

With the team only three games behind the Chicago White Sox in the AL Central, the Twins on Friday made the decision to bring Culpepper up to the big leagues.

Twins will reportedly call up INF Kaelen Culpepper, Minnesota's No. 2 and @MLBPipeline's No. 29 overall prospect, per multiple reports including MLB's @JonathanMayo. pic.twitter.com/4kPDXJawnn
— MLB (@MLB) August 7, 2026

Culpepper was a star at K-State

From 2022-24, Culpepper showed his potential and talent as a member of the K-State baseball team. In his three seasons there, he hit .314, while hitting 26 home runs and 122 RBIs. He was hit by a pitch a staggering 27 times during his time at K-State, showing a willingness to do whatever was necessary to get on base.

In his final season, he hit .328 with 17 stolen bases, 11 home runs, and 59 RBIs. He received many postseason accolades after the season and was named Second Team All-American by D1 Baseball. He showcased defensive versatility throughout his college career, as he played third base in the 2023 season.

It was a matter of when, not if he was going to get called up

The MLB season is getting to the point where many teams are making these exact kinds of decisions to bring up their top prospects. The New York Yankees made headlines last week when they called up their top shortstop prospect, George Lombard Jr.

Culpepper has been playing outstanding baseball in Triple-A, posting an .845 OPS with 14 home runs and 17 steals in 295 plate appearances. Once again, he has shown defensive versatility, having also played second and third base in addition to shortstop.

The Twins are currently 57-59, and tied for second with the Cleveland Guardians. The American League is extremely competitive, as only five of the 15 teams are above .500. Twelve of the 15 teams are within 3.5 games of being in the playoffs, so all these teams are doing whatever they can to make that push before September and October.

Culpepper should be able to provide an immediate boost to the Twins defense, while giving the team a terrific athlete who can put pressure on opponents with his speed.

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