Skip to main content
Inside The Twins

Kaelen Culpepper Headed Back to Futures Game, Walker Jenkins Heating Up

Culpepper will represent the Twins at the All-Star Futures Game for the second straight year.
Will Ragatz|
Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper
Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper | milb.com, St. Paul Saints

In this story:

Minnesota Twins

St. Paul Saints shortstop Kaelen Culpepper, the Twins' No. 2 prospect, will represent the organization at the MLB All-Star Futures Game for the second straight year. He will once again be Minnesota's lone prospect participating.

Culpepper entered last year's game as a defensive substitution and lined out in his lone plate appearance. He's got a pretty good case to be a starter this time around.

The Twins' reigning minor league player of the year after a stellar season with High-A Cedar Rapids and Double-A Wichita, Culpepper has continued to rake this year in his first taste of Triple-A action. Through 63 games with St. Paul, the 2024 first-round pick out of Kansas State has hit .272 with 14 homers, 15 steals, and an .868 OPS. If not for a recent stint on the IL with a hip strain, Culpepper may have already debuted with the Twins and been ineligible for the Futures Game.

Culpepper returned to the Saints' lineup on Sunday. He did then leave Tuesday's game early after being hit by a pitch, but the initial indications are that he avoided anything significant and is day to day, pending X-ray results.

If Culpepper continues to look good at the plate in the near future, it seems likely that he'll be called up by the Twins not long after the All-Star break. Tristan Gray, who is currently on the MLB roster, has a .631 OPS and has been atrocious on defense.

This year's Futures Game will take place at 11 a.m. central on Sunday, July 12.

Jenkins heating up

The Twins' top prospect, outfielder Walker Jenkins, also recently returned from a stint on the Triple-A injured list. He was sidelined on May 3 and wasn't back in the Saints' lineup until June 23. But Jenkins has picked up right where he left off.

Since his return, Jenkins has gone 7 for 20 with two doubles and two triples. He finished a home run shy of the cycle on Tuesday night and also stole a base.

Jenkins, 21, was the fifth overall pick out of high school in 2023. He's delivered on that draft pedigree during his rise through the minors and currently has a .273 batting average and .830 OPS through 30 games with the Saints this year. Jenkins has hit two home runs and has 20 walks to 21 strikeouts.

If he had been healthy, Jenkins could've easily been a Futures Game selection as well. He's got a real chance to make his MLB debut at some point in the second half of this season.

Add us as a preferred source on Google

Loading recommendations... Please wait while we load personalized content recommendations

Published
Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

Share on XFollow WillRagatz
Home/Minnesota Twins News