The start of the 2025 season has been completely underwhelming for the Minnesota Twins. At 7-12, the Twins are sitting in fourth place in the AL Central and have the second-worst record in the American League.
As if that isn't bad enough, the Twins are beaten up with injuries. Royce Lewis has yet to play a game due to a hamstring injury. Matt Wallner, the team's leader in OPS, just landed on the IL. Carlos Correa was out of Minnesota's starting lineup in the team's most recent game due to a wrist issue. Willy Castro suffered an oblique injury during that same game, knocking him out prematurely.
The injuries piling up, combined with the team's slow start, have Minnesota desperate to turn things around, especially after their collapse down the stretch of the 2024 campaign. Given that, the team has reportedly promoted their No. 3 prospect, according to MLB Pipeline, Luke Keaschall, to the major leagues.
Source: #MNTwins are calling up top-100 prospect Luke Keaschall for his MLB debut as lineup's injuries mounthttps://t.co/Byd0QbYUN1
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 17, 2025
While exciting, it's hard to get too excited about this roster move knowing it's a result of nothing but desperation.
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Twins desperation could impact top prospect's development
Keaschall's prospect status skyrocketed last season as he slashed .303/.420/.483 with 15 home runs and 48 RBI in 103 games of action split between High-A and Double-A. He even chipped in on the base paths with 23 stolen bases.
His strong performance last season caused Minnesota to open his 2025 season in Triple-A. His production has not been bad by any means - he's slashing .261/.379/.348 in 14 games - but a .727 OPS for a top prospect that the team wants to call up isn't exactly something to write home about.
Given his somewhat slow-ish start to the season, the Twins likely would've preferred to keep him in Triple-A for longer in an ideal world. However, with the team in need of a shake-up, they're willing to get desperate and promote Keaschall.
Now that Keaschall is going to get the call-up, where he'll play remains to be seen. The 22-year-old has seen time at every single position in the minor leagues other than pitcher and catcher. He has seen time at second base and DH exclusively this season, which could hint at where the Twins will look to play him.
Overall, anytime an organization promotes one of its top prospects, that's an exciting time. However, with Keaschall, it's hard to justify that he's ready to contribute at the sport's highest level. The Twins are making the decision to promote him solely in a last-ditch effort to wake up a struggling and injury-riddled club. While it can work, it can also impact his development, which would sting in a major way.