Luke Keaschall Expands His Defensive Toolbox

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of William Parmeter

Flexibility is crucial on a modern baseball roster. The more positions a player can cover, the more likely a manager is to keep a strong bat like Luke Keaschall’s in the Minnesota Twins’ lineup.

On Thursday, Keaschall made his first start in the outfield since injuring his elbow two seasons ago. The appearance marked an important step for a player who was expected to see time in the grass last season before injuries altered those plans.

The Twins originally envisioned Keaschall as someone capable of bouncing between the infield and outfield in 2025. Instead, a hit by pitch broke his arm early in the season and complicated his defensive development. When he returned later in the year, Minnesota chose not to rush him back into the outfield. He finished the season working exclusively in the infield.

This spring serves as a fresh opportunity for Keaschall to resume his transition between positions. Manager Derek Shelton explained that the Twins have always intended for him to build experience at both infield and outfield, now possible with his recovery.

“We had said he was going to play both. We prepared for it this winter. Just wanted to make sure that he got his feet on the ground at second.”

The Twins also have a crowded outfield this spring, making it a challenge to find innings for everyone.

“And honestly, we are heavy outfield-wise. Trying to get a look at Gabby (Gonzalez) and trying to get a look at (Hendry) Mendez and Emma (Rodriguez), Rosie (Kala’i Rosario), it’s been a little bit hard, but we will get him out there.”

For Keaschall, being in the outfield does not mean giving up second base. Instead, it expands his opportunities, letting the Twins move him between positions as needed to keep him in the lineup. Shelton highlighted the advantages of this flexible approach during games.

“I think the impetus would be, like if Kody (Clemens) was going to play second and Josh (Bell) was going to play first and (Victor) Caratini was going to DH, I think more positional flexibility we can have is good, especially in Luke’s case, the fact that he can do both and keep his bat in the lineup.”

“So the functionality of being able to move around. And then, just quite honestly the in-game portion of it. He starts the game at second and then all of a sudden, we pinch run for Josh and Kody’s at first, and he comes in, being able to move around, I think is really important.”

Keeping Keaschall’s bat in the lineup is a priority after the impression he made last season. In just 49 games, he slashed .309/.382/.445 (.827) across 207 plate appearances. The sample size was limited, but it was still enough to land him ninth in American League Rookie of the Year voting.

His strong showing was not a fluke, given his track record. From 2023 through 2025 in the minor leagues, Keaschall posted a .294/.411/.458 (.869) slash line with 19 home runs. He has consistently controlled the strike zone while finding ways to reach base.

When a rookie makes an immediate impact, the mental image is usually of someone bursting onto the scene to change the team’s long-term outcome. A late-season call-up arrives and suddenly becomes a spark for the team. Keaschall’s debut followed a different path.

He was called up in April and immediately flashed his speed, stealing five bases in his first seven games before the hit-by-pitch broke his arm. When he returned in early August, he picked right back up, swiping nine more bases before a thumb injury ended his season a bit early.

There will be adjustments ahead. His .340 BABIP from last season will likely drop, although his speed should help keep that number comfortably above .300. Pitchers will also challenge him more often after getting a better look at his tendencies.

Still, there are encouraging signs in his profile. At Triple-A last season, he posted identical 14.4 percent walk and strikeout rates. That kind of plate discipline suggests a hitter capable of maintaining a strong on-base percentage even as the league adjusts. The Twins believe the bat will play. Now they are simply looking for more ways to use it.

If Keaschall proves capable of handling both second base and the outfield, Minnesota gains another versatile piece. More importantly, it gives the Twins more chances to keep one of their most promising young hitters in the lineup every day.

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What role do you see Keaschall playing in the Twins’ outfield this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[USAFChief]

"Anybody can play anywhere" lives on.

****.

[karcherd]

Shelton's quote shows how maddening this strategy is.  You want to move what should be one of your better players to a different position so you can fit Clemens into the lineup.  The goal needs to be to put your best lineup out there everyday with regular positions.  If players like Clemens are limited by position capabilities which I don't think he is, then find different bench players that compliment your best players and their positions.  Most players play better when they are comfortable and can play the same position and bat in the same place in the lineup, they are creatures of habit.  Mookie Betts is the exception not the rule.  Why do we keep moving players around to fit in lesser players in the lineup.  Clemens is a nice role player that should get around 200 AB's and maybe pinch hit in the later innings.  Aim higher for once please.

[arby58]

He's got speed that will play well in the outfield, and this isn't a new occurrence. In 2024, he played 20 games at 2B and 16 in CF. 

[shimrod]

Every inning he plays in the outfield is an inning he's not getting better at second base. The Twins dedication to defensive mediocrity is maddening.

[Steve J]

Shelton may be experimenting with scenarios involving idealized defensive lineups, and that does not often include Keaschall in the infield.  

[shimrod]

58 minutes ago, arby58 said:

He's got speed that will play well in the outfield, and this isn't a new occurrence. In 2024, he played 20 games at 2B and 16 in CF. 

And then was criticized in 2025 for defensive shortcomings at 2B, where he played every inning. How much better could his infield defense have been if he'd been allowed to concentrate on mastering that position? We'll never know. 

[Bodie]

2 hours ago, USAFChief said:

"Anybody can play anywhere" lives on.

****.

When almost no one can defend thier  position proficiently, this appears as "plan B".

 

Plan B, better known as the wrong way...

[Bodie]

37 minutes ago, shimrod said:

Every inning he plays in the outfield is an inning he's not getting better at second base. The Twins dedication to defensive mediocrity is maddening.

Mediocrity would be a huge step up, starting at rank incompetence. 

[Elliot]

Makes me think of Alex Gordon of KC a decade ago. Drafted at 3B; became star gold glove LF. The Twins have a mess with young players being kept at positions they don’t fit. Lewis seems to finally be settling in at 3B. Lee is a well below average SS who no one knows where he can at least be average. Maybe 2B but probably 1B. Keaschall should probably go full time to the OF. Culpepper is being kept at SS since he hasn’t shown yet that he can’t play there.  Damning with faint praise. The only above average infielders they have on the horizon are Huston and Debarge. They need to make defensive decisions earlier in the career path. Shifting around at the MLB level has got to be tough. Probably sets all phases of development back. 

[Chembry]

55 minutes ago, shimrod said:

And then was criticized in 2025 for defensive shortcomings at 2B, where he played every inning. How much better could his infield defense have been if he'd been allowed to concentrate on mastering that position? We'll never know. 

His defensive shortcomings in 2025 were mostly due to his arm, from which he was recovering from TJ surgery.  He was only 12 months removed in August 2025 and his arm strength hadn’t recovered yet, which is the only reason he didn’t play OF.  He grades as average defensively which is similar to what his defensive metrics showed in 2025 (+1 DRS, -2 OAA).

There are many within the Twins organization and scouts that believe Keaschall is a much better outfielder than 2B.  Even with that, Gleeman stated that Keaschall is currently viewed as an emergency backup and won’t spend much time in the OF unless something absolutely terrible goes wrong.  In my opinion, any backup OF option that pushes Outman off the roster is a win 

[LambchoP]

Versatility is nice and all, but we already have too many outfielders and not enough QUALITY infielders. If they want Keaschal to improve his 2b defense, he needs to log innings there everyday. 

[GNess]

What a bunch of double talk, we have a crowded outfield of prospects and decent veterans so let's run our 2B out there to complicate matters even more. 

Why? So Clemens can play 2B. Yikes.

[OregonTwinsFan]

More outfielders are not needed, and Clemens doesn't need accommodation. Let him settle in and get good at 2nd base for crying out loud.

[Parfigliano]

2 hours ago, karcherd said:

Shelton's quote shows how maddening this strategy is.  You want to move what should be one of your better players to a different position so you can fit Clemens into the lineup.  The goal needs to be to put your best lineup out there everyday with regular positions.  If players like Clemens are limited by position capabilities which I don't think he is, then find different bench players that compliment your best players and their positions.  Most players play better when they are comfortable and can play the same position and bat in the same place in the lineup, they are creatures of habit.  Mookie Betts is the exception not the rule.  Why do we keep moving players around to fit in lesser players in the lineup.  Clemens is a nice role player that should get around 200 AB's and maybe pinch hit in the later innings.  Aim higher for once 

They problem isn't a need to aim higher.  The problem is the targets they pick.  Like aiming for 475 ABs for Clemens instead of 200.

[Jim H]

51 minutes ago, Elliot said:

Makes me think of Alex Gordon of KC a decade ago. Drafted at 3B; became star gold glove LF. The Twins have a mess with young players being kept at positions they don’t fit. Lewis seems to finally be settling in at 3B. Lee is a well below average SS who no one knows where he can at least be average. Maybe 2B but probably 1B. Keaschall should probably go full time to the OF. Culpepper is being kept at SS since he hasn’t shown yet that he can’t play there.  Damning with faint praise. The only above average infielders they have on the horizon are Huston and Debarge. They need to make defensive decisions earlier in the career path. Shifting around at the MLB level has got to be tough. Probably sets all phases of development back. 

Context matters. Usually an average defense infielder who provides above average offense for his position, is going to be more valuable than a corner outfielder that provides above average defense and the same offense. That is one reason to keep Keashall at 2nd if you can. Until you find a 2nd baseball man who is better  at both, why move him.

The other reason to keep him in the infield, is the Twins really need to sort their corner outfielders.  Till they figure out where they are going with that, there isn't much reason to be moving infielders to the outfield. Other than emergency situations, just put Keashall at 2nd and leave him there.

[rv78]

"Jack of all Trades - Master of None" will maintain their level of mediocrity. Looking for ways to get guys like Kody Clemens, a career .206 hitter, more at bats, does nothing to instill confidence in the fans for Sheltons ability to manage.

[HerbieFan]

Is Clemens a good enough 2B to make this a good idea?

[Danchat]

The phrase goes "jack of all trades, master of none", and after years of following this mantra in the minors, now the Twins defensively have one, maybe two above average players defensively on the whole team. The philosophy can work with utility players, but not the whole team. Let Keaschall focus all his time at 2B, for goodness sakes!

[shimrod]

4 hours ago, Steve J said:

Shelton may be experimenting with scenarios involving idealized defensive lineups, and that does not often include Keaschall in the infield.  

Any idealized defensive lineup includes none of the Twins current infielders.

Aside from a couple AAAA guys who can't hit the Twins don't have a single above average infield defender on their roster. Not one. Keaschall is young and athletic enough to maybe become a plus defender at 2B with enough work. Twins seem determined to ensure he never gets that work. 

They start this BS in the minors, shuffling guys from position to position and then wonder why nobody develops. 

[Mike Sixel]

4 hours ago, shimrod said:

Every inning he plays in the outfield is an inning he's not getting better at second base. The Twins dedication to defensive mediocrity is maddening.

Agreed. They are flush with OF.... worrying about getting Clemens at bats? Really? 

[arby58]

4 hours ago, shimrod said:

And then was criticized in 2025 for defensive shortcomings at 2B, where he played every inning. How much better could his infield defense have been if he'd been allowed to concentrate on mastering that position? We'll never know. 

Twins baseball is replete with examples of players who have successfully transitioned to other positions, and not just recently, This included Killebrew, who went LF-3B-1B. Cuddyer played OF-3B-1B basically his whole career.  Polanco went SS-3B-2B. Plouffe started as a SS, played some 2B and OF, settled in as a regular at 3B but still saw occasional action at 1B and the OF. Smalley was primarily a SS but also played more than just a bit at every other infield position. Tover was famous for playing every position. There are other examples.

[Coach Wheels]

6 hours ago, USAFChief said:

"Anybody can play anywhere" lives on.

****.

https://share.google/ynZhASmP12gsK4kg1

[Jim H]

1 hour ago, arby58 said:

Twins baseball is replete with examples of players who have successfully transitioned to other positions, and not just recently, This included Killebrew, who went LF-3B-1B. Cuddyer played OF-3B-1B basically his whole career.  Polanco went SS-3B-2B. Plouffe started as a SS, played some 2B and OF, settled in as a regular at 3B but still saw occasional action at 1B and the OF. Smalley was primarily a SS but also played more than just a bit at every other infield position. Tover was famous for playing every position. There are other examples.

It's true that great offense trumps iffy defense. But using the early 60's Twins as an example: they had great offense even setting a Twins record for home runs that stood until 2019. They didn't start winning until 1965 and big factor in that was better team defense. Killebrew became a fulltime 1st baseman where he was pretty good. Most of the key defensive positions transitioned to better defenders. Even Tovar became a full time center fielder. 

You can play a poor defender like Poland a ss if his offense is great and you don't have better choices. It works, but It was always obvious that Polanco's best defensive position was 2b. It could also be pointed out that when Polanco was a ss they left him there and didn't move him around to other positions. He did improve there, but his poor arm was still a liability.

[ashbury]

13 hours ago, Cody Christie said:

“I think the impetus would be, like if Kody (Clemens) was going to play second and Josh (Bell) was going to play first and (Victor) Caratini was going to DH, I think more positional flexibility we can have is good, especially in Luke’s case, the fact that he can do both and keep his bat in the lineup.”

If Cody Klemens is in the starting lineup then it's because a right-hander is pitching, and in that case if Keaschall is the preferred option in left then something has gone terribly wrong with the Left Hand Corner Outfield Pipeline™.  If Luke's bat has proven to be strong, even against the righties*, then I play a good-hitting outfielder and sit Klemens - and then I really question the latter's role on the roster even as a backup (but then I already do).

* In 2025 MLB action Keaschall showed a remarkable reverse split, which I don't take to be sustainable, but the good results against RHP seem more sustainable than the terrible ones against LHP.  Who knows, though.

[twinstalker]

Let's say he can only play 2B.  He plays every day, right?  How does adding OF give him more starts?

I understand that if he were unable to play a good 2B, the three or four games the Twins might be ahead late in a game this year would be ones he'd be replaced late and might lose an AB.

Just asking for a friend.  Flexibility is good, but when you're playing one of the prime positions, and the guy who'd replace you is a non-hitter, why would you move Keaschall to  OF?  Sure, let him play some OF in ST, but it's going to be an odd choice in the regular season.

[arby58]

43 minutes ago, Jim H said:

It's true that great offense trumps iffy defense. But using the early 60's Twins as an example: they had great offense even setting a Twins record for home runs that stood until 2019. They didn't start winning until 1965 and big factor in that was better team defense. Killebrew became a fulltime 1st baseman where he was pretty good. Most of the key defensive positions transitioned to better defenders. Even Tovar became a full time center fielder. 

You can play a poor defender like Poland a ss if his offense is great and you don't have better choices. It works, but It was always obvious that Polanco's best defensive position was 2b. It could also be pointed out that when Polanco was a ss they left him there and didn't move him around to other positions. He did improve there, but his poor arm was still a liability.

Plouffe, Smalley, and Cuddyer weren't moved to get them to 'safer' defensive positions - they all moved around and were competent throughout the lineup.

Tovar's 1966-1969 seasons found him playing the majority of his games at 2B and SS in 1966, 3B and CF in 1967, and 3B and LF in 1968 (albeit with plenty of games in both CF and SS). The first year where he played more games in CF than any other positioN was 1969, with 69 games there, but he still played 41 at 2B, 40 in LF, and 20 at 3B. It wasn't until 1970 that he became a more or less full time outfielder - but even then, when he played for Philadelphia in 1973, he played the most games at 3B and 2B. 

[karcherd]

2 hours ago, arby58 said:

Twins baseball is replete with examples of players who have successfully transitioned to other positions, and not just recently, This included Killebrew, who went LF-3B-1B. Cuddyer played OF-3B-1B basically his whole career.  Polanco went SS-3B-2B. Plouffe started as a SS, played some 2B and OF, settled in as a regular at 3B but still saw occasional action at 1B and the OF. Smalley was primarily a SS but also played more than just a bit at every other infield position. Tover was famous for playing every position. There are other examples.

This isn't about moving Keaschall to LF, per Shelton it is about playing him there in addition to 2B.  Everyone mentioned above moved positions except for Cuddyer who played multiple positions.  If you want to move him to LF that is a different discussion but to put him in the lineup and play LF to get Clemens in the lineup is madness.  

[arby58]

23 minutes ago, karcherd said:

This isn't about moving Keaschall to LF, per Shelton it is about playing him there in addition to 2B.  Everyone mentioned above moved positions except for Cuddyer who played multiple positions.  If you want to move him to LF that is a different discussion but to put him in the lineup and play LF to get Clemens in the lineup is madness.  

Both Plouffe and Smalley played at other positions with some frequency. There are plenty of examples from other teams as well - probably the most notable being Mookie Betts. Ben Zobritz also played multiple postions for many years in MLB.

[karcherd]

4 minutes ago, arby58 said:

Both Plouffe and Smalley played at other positions with some frequency. There are plenty of examples from other teams as well - probably the most notable being Mookie Betts. Ben Zobritz also played multiple postions for many years in MLB.

Not every player is a utility player or is comfortable moving around.  Ben Zobrist started out as a utility player and made himself into an everyday player.  Betts is the exception to the rule.  The Twins have subpar defense at almost every position, let a player develop at a position and see if they have the ability.  This isn't a board game where you can just move players around because it sounds like a good idea.