Ryan Kreidler Might Be (a Lot?) More Than Just Depth for the Twins

[Sam Caulder]

Image courtesy of © Jordan Johnson-Imagn Images

After arriving this offseason as an unheralded waiver claim from the Pittsburgh Pirates, Ryan Kreidler didn’t exactly enter 2026 with much hype surrounding his name or his game. The 28-year-old utility man came to the Minnesota Twins as organizational depth—a defense-first player capable of moving around the diamond, but someone whose bat had never developed at the major-league level. Yet, eight weeks into the season, it’s becoming fair to ask an interesting question: Does Kreidler deserve more playing time?

That question probably would’ve sounded ridiculous a year ago. Entering the 2026 season, Kreidler owned a career .138 batting average in the majors. No matter how strong the defense is, no matter how much versatility a player offers, that level of offensive production is simply disqualifying for an everyday role.

But so far this year, things look different. Kreidler pushed hard for an Opening Day roster spot during spring training. While he ultimately didn’t break camp with the big-league club, he continued doing exactly what teams want depth players to do: produce, stay ready, and force the organization to keep noticing him.

With both Matt Wallner and Royce Lewis currently spending time at Triple-A, opportunities have opened up around the roster. While the Twins still have several highly-regarded prospects working their way toward the majors, Kreidler has quietly made a compelling case to stick around and see an even larger role in the short term.

Through 113 Triple-A plate appearances this season, Kreidler has hit .266 with a .389 on-base percentage and an .889 OPS. He’s also collected 12 extra-base hits in just 26 games, showing far more impact offensively than he had earlier in his professional career. That alone would’ve been encouraging. But what’s happened during his limited major-league opportunities has been even more eye-opening.

In just 32 major-league plate appearances this season, Kreidler is hitting .296 with a .406 on-base percentage and three home runs. Even more encouraging than the raw production is how he’s getting there. He’s walking more consistently and striking out less frequently than he did in the minors, which suggests this isn’t purely random batted-ball luck. It sure seems like he's a new player, too, because his swing data is vastly improved. In his limited big-league time in 2024 and 2025, he posted average bat speeds of 68.5 MPH and 71.0 MPH, respectively. This year, that number is 74.4 MPH.

That difference is massive. His contact point has moved farther in front of his body. His swing is also flatter. We would expect a player with this kind of swing to be productive, which wasn't really true of the version of Kreidler we saw in the past. He's also made a critical adjustment to maximize the impact of that boost in bat speed: moving deeper in the batter's box. He's giving himself more time to operate a swing that's also much faster. It's not surprising to see that yield big results, except in that they're attached to a player whose name was recently synonymous with helplessness.

Now, to be clear, nobody should expect Kreidler to continue hitting near .300 over a full season. Betting on that outcome would be extremely aggressive considering his previous offensive track record. Small samples can create misleading stat lines, especially early in the year, and even a rebuilt swing doesn't automatically mean a player will sustain their newfound success; adjustments loom ahead. But the important point isn’t whether he can maintain superstar production. It’s whether he can be productive enough offensively for the rest of his skill set to become highly valuable, and the answer to that might be a resounding 'yes'.

Defensively, he’s exactly the type of player managers love having available. Throughout his professional career, he’s logged time at second base, third base, and shortstop, while also spending significant innings in center field and left field. More importantly, he hasn’t simply survived at those spots; he’s consistently been a strong defender across the board. That kind of flexibility matters over a 162-game season.

Injuries happen, rest days become necessary, and matchups change daily. Having a player capable of handling multiple premium positions without sacrificing defensive quality gives a team far more roster flexibility than most fans realize. That defensive value was always the foundation of Kreidler’s game. It’s the reason he was even in the Opening Day conversation, despite his offensive struggles. Teams will always make room for players who can defend at a high level all over the field.

The difference now is that he may finally be hitting enough to become more than just a late-inning defensive replacement or occasional spot starter. There’s also another element of his game that still hasn’t fully shown up yet: speed.

Kreidler hasn’t had many opportunities to impact games on the bases this season, but the athleticism is absolutely there. Across his minor-league career, he’s posted a 75% success rate on stolen bases, proving he can be an effective runner when given opportunities.

That matters, because players like Kreidler don’t necessarily need to be middle-of-the-order hitters to create value. If he provides strong defense across multiple positions, adds quality baserunning, and posts an OPS around .720, that’s a genuinely useful major-league player. Given where his numbers currently sit, he could afford a fairly substantial offensive regression and still remain valuable to the Twins.

The Twins don’t necessarily need Kreidler to become a star. They just need him to continue being playable offensively while doing all the other things he already does well, and right now, he’s doing far more than simply surviving at the plate.

Of course, there are still long-term questions. The Twins have several highly-touted prospects nearing the majors at positions Kreidler can play, and roster situations can change quickly once players return from injury or regain form. There’s no guarantee he spends the entire season, or even most of it, in the big leagues. But that doesn’t really change the current reality. At the moment, Kreidler has shown he’s capable of helping this team in multiple ways. He’s defending well, providing lineup flexibility, bringing athleticism to the roster, and producing offensively.

At some point, players earn more opportunities simply by continuing to perform. Kreidler is getting very close to that point, and until we see evidence that the offensive improvements aren’t real, there’s a strong argument that the Twins need to keep his bat and his glove in the lineup most nights.

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[Hunter4848]

Talk about a tiny sample size. It's good sign hes doing fine in the majors but don't put the cart ahead of the horse

[TheLeviathan]

Our 2026 season has come to the point where we're extolling the virtues of Ryan Kriedler.

Thanks Pohlads.

[AceWrigley]

He sure has looked like a player that knows what he's doing out there. 

[Nshore]

I wouldn't be surprised if every position in the Twins' infield has different personnel by the end of the year - or certainly by next year.  I don't think too many teams can say that very often.  If Kreidler was looking for opportunity, he couldn't have found a better place.   If Clemons can carve out a role for himself, so can Kreidler.

[garn from vancouver]

let him hunt. we'll see what the numbers are later. 

[weitz41]

I might be a good fit for this role as well! I'm too old. too slow and too fat...But I do watch movies and they say I can do it. I'll pick up my jersey tomorrow afternoon after this hang over wears off and I get the lawn mowed. Maybe after just the hangover part. We'll see. Text me before you drop it off in case I am napping. Thx go Twins!

[arby58]

1 hour ago, Hunter4848 said:

Talk about a tiny sample size. It's good sign hes doing fine in the majors but don't put the cart ahead of the horse

The author notes this, but the underlying statistics are encouraging. The Twins caught utility player lightning in a bottle with Willi Castro - it's possible they knew what they were doing in taking a flyer on him.

[Hunter4848]

1 minute ago, arby58 said:

The author notes this, but the underlying statistics are encouraging. The Twins caught utility player lightning in a bottle with Willi Castro - it's possible they knew what they were doing in taking a flyer on him.

Much more likely hes a flash in the pan

[rv78]

At this point, there are a lot of "ifs", "ands" and "buts" to his 2026 season. Let's not place too much hope in a 28 year old that has a lifetime .158 batting average, especially when that .158 includes the .296 that he's hitting this year. My bet is, with time he'll slide to his normal useless bat that ISN'T any better than what the Twins were getting from a Wallner or Lewis. Even so, I will be watching for him to prove me wrong.

[nova_twins]

ZiPS projects him now as a solid backup, vs entering the year as replacement level. Whether he can settle in as a contributor remains to be seen but his batted ball data is interesting at least. Not really a big deal in the scheme of things but still. 

[D.C Twins]

   

Apologies for using this 3 times in one day... but there has been a rash of hyperbolic articles on TD today and as the old saying goes... a GIF is worth a million words. 

[Dman]

I was a big Kreidler basher when the Twins kept him on the 40 man over other options. Watching him more closely he is starting to win me over. I am starting to see why the Twins liked him.  Likely plus defense in the infield and outfield makes him a valuable bench player to have around.  If he can hit a little over .200 with power that is a pretty valuable utility guy to have with his level of defense.  

I don't know if I remember correctly or not but his batting luck seems best when he is aggressively swinging early in the count. I feel like a couple of his home runs came that way.  I don't know if that is a strategy that will work long term for him.  We'll see.  Maybe he is better in the box than I think he is.

At any rate I am willing to eat a little crow even in this small sample after what I have seen from Kreidler.

[palmspringstwinsfan]

I’d be playing him at SS everyday. Even if he can hit .220, he’d solidify the infield. Lee can play 2nd and let Keaschall play 1st with Clemens. I don’t really understand why the Twins are so willing to give up on defense. 

[Old Twins Hat]

Yes, Kreidler's numbers in MLB have been terrible, abysmal, unplayable.  

And I did say MLB -- how many years exactly has he been in the Major Leagues with terrible, abysmal, unplayable numbers?

Longer than Wallner?  Longer than Royce?

Here's to you Mr. Kriedler, swing for the fences, run with the wind, and goddamit you show us how and why you got this far.

[Muppet]

Having players like Kreidler, Martin, and Clemens unexpectedly click offensively is what makes this game interesting and fun to watch. Maybe they are just streaks, but we can have them while they last, then maybe someone else can get hot if they start to crack. Hopefully the bullpen can get streaky in an unexpected good way too. 
 

it is nice to see them willing to send down Wallner and Lewis and add new blood to the hot players instead. 
 

I'm really curious to see where the twins stand after the next several series against mostly bad teams. If they can pull it together then anything can happen. This could be the year a sub 500 team makes it to the playoffs.

I’m under no pretenses…. This team is pretty bad, but so are most of the other teams as well. It’s actually unexpectedly interesting baseball this far in. 

 

[stringer bell]

Kreidler has limited value as a glove-only guy. He has more as a low-average hitter with some power and a lot of value if he can hit at league average level. In a really small sample size, he has hit well and with considerable power. I think it is more likely that he'll continue to hit with surprising power, but I doubt the batting average and on base number is close to sustainable. His rep was he was a far better than average defender at five positions and that is something the Twins can really use.