Minnesota Twins' Kaelen Culpepper (12) reacts after striking out during the third inning of a baseball game against the New York Yankees Tuesday, Sept. 15, 2026, in Minneapolis. (AP Photo/Abbie Parr)
MINNEAPOLIS, Minnesota (KNFL/KFGO/AP) — Minnesota Twins rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper was placed on the 10-day injured list with a strained left hamstring on Wednesday, interrupting his promising debut.
Culpepper was hurt while running out a double-play groundball in the sixth inning on Tuesday and removed from the game against the New York Yankees. The Twins recalled rookie infielder Ben Ross from Triple-A St. Paul to fill his active roster spot.
Culpepper homered in his first major league game on Aug. 7 against the Milwaukee Brewers and is batting .275 with five doubles, three homers, 15 runs and 11 RBIs in 31 games. The 2024 first-round draft pick is one of three of Minnesota’s top five prospects on MLB’s 2026 rankings who have made their major league debut this season, preceding outfielders Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodríguez.
Culpepper would be eligible to return for the final two games of the regular season, and because he was only diagnosed with a mild strain the Twins won’t be opposed to bringing him back if he’s deemed healthy.
“The energy he’s brought, he’s done really good things for us,” manager Derek Shelton said. “It’s exciting to watch him play.”
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