There's Still Time to Move Luke Keaschall Off Second Base

[Cody Schoenmann]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

 

Before being demoted to Triple-A St. Paul a month ago, Royce Lewis was the Minnesota Twins’ primary third baseman, starting at the position nearly every game regardless of the opposing starting pitcher’s handedness. After he was quickly recalled on June 6, however, the 27-year-old was informed that he would be playing a much different role in the field, moving to the right side of the infield, primarily playing second and first base while occasionally mixing in at third.

 

Ten games into his return with the parent club, Lewis has almost exclusively played first base, starting seven games there, two at second, and one at third. He also eventually moved over to first base in two of the three games at other positions. At the same time, Luke Keaschall has continued operating as Minnesota’s primary second baseman, starting seven of the past 10 games at the position.

 

On the surface, this development shouldn’t come as a surprise. Keaschall has been Minnesota’s primary second baseman since early August 2025, and no other infielder has received substantial time at the position during that span. However, when Lewis was preparing to transition to second and first base at Triple-A, Keaschall was partaking in extended pregame work at first base:

 

Despite undergoing pregame work at first, Keaschall has yet to appear at the position, signaling that Minnesota prefers him at second base over Lewis. Should they? Let’s take a look.

Last season, Keaschall generated -2 Outs Above Average (OAA) at second base over 156 attempts. The then-22-year-old demonstrated poor range and a weak arm, but he wasn’t a trainwreck, leading club decision-makers to believe he could make the necessary adjustments to blossom into a serviceable-to-slightly above-average defensive second baseman in 2026—especially as he got another year of distance from the Tommy John surgery he underwent in August 2024. Unfortunately, that hasn’t been the case. Over 237 attempts at second base this season, Keaschall has netted -4 OAA, continuing to display poor range at the position while sporting one of the worst arms in the sport.

 

Keaschall often struggles to field what should be routine plays to his right:

 

And his left:

His poor arm also often negates Minnesota’s ability to turn double plays, shown below:

This call was overturned, as Luis Rengifo was confirmed safe at first base. Given how routine the play looked, it is fair to assume most second basemen with serviceable arms would have successfully turned the double play. Keaschall, however, has demonstrated that he is unable to convert routine double plays time and time again.

 

As mentioned earlier, Minnesota moved Lewis off third base, moving him to the right side of the infield. Still, he has barely played second base. Although that’s been the trend to this point, Lewis is probably a better defensive baseman than Keaschall, and could be inserted as an instant improvement at the position, fortifying the club’s middle infield defense alongside plus defensive shortstop Ryan Kreidler. Kody Clemens, Tristan Gray, and Kreidler could also mix in at the position, replacing Keaschall in the aggregate, similar to what the club did with Brooks Lee at shortstop earlier this season.

 

Keaschall has consistently demonstrated poor range, shaky fielding, and one of the worst arms in baseball at second base for nearly a full season, confirming he won’t be the Twins' long-term answer at the position. That being the case, Minnesota would be wise to move him off the position and provide him opportunities in the corner outfield and/or first base, while keeping him in the lineup on a game-to-game basis. (Yes, a noodle arm is a problem in the outfield, too, but most players are capable of throwing better out there, where a crow hop and a longer arm action are often available to them. The difference-making throws on the infield require a quick release and easy power generation that are missing for Keaschall; he could still prove adequate as an outfield thrower.)

 

Keaschall’s bat plays. There’s a strong chance he’s part of Minnesota’s short-, medium-, and long-term plans. Unfortunately, he isn’t a major league-caliber second baseman. That being the case, team decision-makers should be proactive and move Keaschall off second base. They can have him split time in the corner outfield and at first base (and potentially at designated hitter), while providing Lewis, Clemens, Gray, and Kreidler with more opportunities at second.

 

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[arby58]

I continue to struggle with the suggestion that Keaschall is a passable (let alone optimal) solution at 1B. You rarely find power-challenged hitters there (he has 2 HR in 277 PAs this year). You prefer left handed, tall players with good reach there as well. Keaschall has none of these attributes . It also helps if you can get into at least the .750 OPS range. This year, Keaschall’s highest OPS is its current .653. 

[StiltedGopher]

Why isn’t Keaschall figuring it out in St Paul?   I’m not sure his bat is playing enough to have him audition for a spot in the major leagues.  

[tony&rodney]

The assessment of his fielding is fair. We saw him fail to complete a routine DP again last night. I'm not sure Keaschall has the talent to play second base. The Twins recent mild success can be partly attributed to improved defense.

Moving Keaschall off the position may be tricky though, at this time. The club is likely concerned about any negative effects from such a decision. Additionally, there isn't a clear answer to fill the spot. Lewis is looking ok at first base and he could be good at the position. Lee is too slow for second base and is getting better at the hot corner. Maybe Kody Clemens is an option but he is thriving as a super utility player. Thus, Keaschall remains for now.

A potential middle infielder could be added if the Twins pull off a major trade in July. That seems to be the best move going forward. Adding significant talent that includes above average defense is the ticket and that may be difficult. Eventually, second base could belong to Kaelen Culpepper but he is ticketed for shortstop until such time as another better defender arrives. So ..... tricky, which likely means Keaschall stays unless he completely folds at the plate.

The larger point is that the Twins need to reduce or move on from below average gloves. It is possible to get by with one or two but more than that is a prescription for failure. Matt Wallner should never play another inning in the outfield. Yes, he is that bad. There really isn't any counter argument. Wallner could be a successful DH, potentially. Right now he looks pretty bad playing for St. Paul. Forget the stats and watch him. What the Twins do with others, like Keaschall, will make for tough decisions and determine whether the Twins are moving towards a consistently competitive club.

[Blyleven2011]

Let keaschall stay at second base and see if his fielding and throwing can develop better as the season goes on , the kid lives and breathes baseball  , maybe his early struggles at the plate caused some lack of focus or mental problems in fielding  that we are seeing on easier plays  ...

We have enough utility players and I'm a believer in finding  players to play and develop one position ...

[MinnInPa]

knock it off ..quit nitpicking on this kid. every 2B is not an all star at the position. This kid is a ball player ....period. Always the same negativity towards Brooks Lee too. they are young..give em a little slack 

[Old Twins Hat]

I think this is a legitimate question:  what's Luke's best position?  He's a gamer, so we want him in the lineup and on the field.   But where?

A second baseman with range and an arm is a huge asset.  Watch the kid from St. Louis sometime, Weatherholt.  He's making plays and saving runs and he can hit.

Luke has good range, but, that's his best defensive asset.  The arm ain't great, and it feels like he has the bobbles on ground balls he has to chase down.  Finishing double plays, also not a strong point.

Would Royce be better at second base than Keaschall?  Great question.

Keaschall is young and may develop, especially after his broken arm but so far, it's a fair question to figure out where he is best.  Could well be Left Field given his leg speed.

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Eventually it will be Houston at SS and Culpepper at 2B.  Keaschall and Lewis will have the rest of this year to show whether they can play 2B and 1B respectively.  Does a ball club really need a super utility player to be successful? Probably.  I understand  one substitute catcher plus 3 additional substitutes are necessary out of the 4 remaining position players on the 26  man roster.  Ideally an OF and an IF and one who can play both (i.e. Clemens).  One sub needs to be fast for late inning pinch running situations. And I think these subs need some semi-regular playing time  to keep their batting eyes and hands and arms and legs ready to play baseball  In summary, it seems to be a delicate balancing act to put the best players on the field, in proper positions, against left-handed opposition pitchers and right-handed opposition pitchers, day after day.  Good luck Shelty. 

[DJL44]

57 minutes ago, StiltedGopher said:

Why isn’t Keaschall figuring it out in St Paul?   I’m not sure his bat is playing enough to have him audition for a spot in the major leagues.  

There isn’t a better option in St Paul to replace him.

[DJL44]

I think Keaschall could be better vs league average defense in LF. The Twins have a very outfield heavy roster or he might have already made that move.

[karcherd]

Have some patience, first he wasn't hitting enough now it is his fielding.  Players do not come up as finished products.  They need to learn what it takes to be successful in the major leagues.

Luke has started 161 games from college tot he pros at 2B, maybe he doesn't improve, but that is just a year of starts.  Can he improve, I don't know but he is athletic and appears to have the work ethic.  Give him some time, Koskie was a butcher at 3B when he first came up and he became a good third baseman.  We always want immediate success but it doesn't always happen.

As for hitting for power, sometimes that comes with experience, have heard many former major leaguers make this point.

All this said if you have a better option, then move him or move on.  But we don't have a better option and no Kriedler or Gray or other AAAA types are not the answer either.  Either bring someone in that can, that actually has and can play the position and has shown they can be a starter at this level or stay with Luke.  We have to start defining these positions and stop moving everyone around.  Keep Clemens as the super utility player, he is one who is comfortable moving around and play passable defense at multiple positions.

The team needs to decide what players they have that they can count on for roles going forward and where are the holes are and make the moves to fill them.  Unfortunately with no real leadership in the front office, I don't know when this will happen.  And we will just keep floundering around .500 and tease us enough to pull us in and then have a stretch of games where they look like little leaguers out there.

[Linus]

I keep thinking Keaschall will get better in the field as he is athletic but it hasn’t happened. His arm is a real problem - it’s pretty weak and he has a slow release. I don’t believe he should be anywhere near CF but maybe he could be acceptable in LF. Don’t know if you can have him and Martin as outfielders on the same roster though. Here’s the real elephant in the room: he has to hit better in order to play anywhere. His current level of offensive production doesn’t earn him a starting spot and he definitely doesn’t have the ability to be a utility guy. 

[terrydactyls]

To be fair to Keaschall, in the double play video, the throw from the SS was pretty lakadasical and didn't give him much time to pivot, avoid the runner, and then throw to first.  A better throw from the SS would have resulted in a DP and no controversy.

[TheLeviathan]

He's just got a really, really bad arm.  That makes it difficult to play him anywhere unless you think he can be a super rangy LFer.   I think that's really the only option to try though, he can't stay at 2B in whatever version of the Twins takes the next step into contention.

[Western SD Fan]

6 minutes ago, karcherd said:

Luke has started 161 games from college tot he pros at 2B, maybe he doesn't improve, but that is just a year of starts.  Can he improve, I don't know but he is athletic and appears to have the work ethic.  Give him some time, Koskie was a butcher at 3B when he first came up and he became a good third baseman.  We always want immediate success but it doesn't always happen.

Trevor Plouffe has been honest about his first years in the majors as well.  He was a butcher as well constantly airmailing the ball.  He was honest about that he was on the chopping block to get sent back down to AAA.  He worked on his defense and became a serviceable defender at 3rd.  He was never going to win any gold gloves but combine serviceable defense with a decent bat and he turned out okay.  Hopefully Keaschall can take the same path, but he will need to be given the chance to do so.

[Linus]

One big concern I have is the arm strength. There are plenty of examples of guys getting better in the field through hard work and repetition. I don’t think there is much to be done about his arm. I’m not aware of any players that came into the league with a problem arm and fixed it through  practice. Seems like one of those you either or don’t have it situations. 

[#3Killer]

The obsession with Keaschall is the usual response from TD in a long line of throwing our young players under the bus. “Figure it out in AAA” ??? He has turned it around at the plate and is young and athletic- he can certainly improve his defense. The correct decisions have been made- Lewis to first, Lee to third ( remember a couple months ago when TD “fans” called for Lee’s demotion). Culpepper is going to be given a shot soon and if he sticks we will have a solid young infield. We have a dozens of coaches- let’s teach him the tricks of the trade- I bet he can play a very good 2nd base! Until then, lay off these young players. 

[Mike Sixel]

2 hours ago, StiltedGopher said:

Why isn’t Keaschall figuring it out in St Paul?   I’m not sure his bat is playing enough to have him audition for a spot in the major leagues.  

Why? He's hitting after a slow start. I have no idea why people want him down. 

As for his position? I have no idea, though if Arraez can figure out  defense, maybe Luke can. 

[jmlease1]

19 minutes ago, Linus said:

One big concern I have is the arm strength. There are plenty of examples of guys getting better in the field through hard work and repetition. I don’t think there is much to be done about his arm. I’m not aware of any players that came into the league with a problem arm and fixed it through  practice. Seems like one of those you either or don’t have it situations. 

I think it depends on whether Keaschall just has a terrible arm or if it's injury-related. Does he still need more time to build up strength in his arm and work on his throwing, or is this as good as it's going to get? I don't know the answer to that (and neither does anyone on this board, frankly).

A good arm is a benefit at every position, so wherever he plays it could be a deficit. We saw what a bonus it was to have Correa's arm at SS. You need to have an arm to play 3B to make those long throws and get it to the 1B with some accuracy. It's a benefit at 2B to turning DPs. It's a benefit at 1B to turn the DP. A weak arm will be a deficit at every position. The question is whether or not Keaschall can be passable with his arm. Don't know.

In terms of range and glove, I think Keaschall can be just fine; he's got the speed and quickness and more reps will help even out the mistakes and let him react rather than think about it. (you can definitely see some of the plays where he's thinking about it and it goes sideways)

Should Royce get some time at 2B? Maybe...just to get his bat in there more? But frankly, Royce's bat and glove play better at 1B than 2B, and 10 games into any stint he plays at 2B I suspect people will be complaining about him there too. Considering how much better Royce has looked since coming back up and how much of a confidence player he is...do we really want to mess with that?

I think more important than moving Keaschall off 2B is moving Gray off SS and getting Culpepper up in the mix. I'll worry more about Keaschall in a month.

[bean5302]

Keaschall's fielding is the least of my concerns right now. True, he's a very poor fielder, but that is to be expected. Every scouting report on him has said the same thing. Lousy fielder. Needs a lot of work, might be best suited for DH.

His bat "that plays" not playing at the MLB level is the problem. It hasn't played. He's been very poor at the plate. He wasn't good at the plate in AAA in a SSS. He didn't really project well at AA for that matter. As soon as Keaschall started facing more talented pitching, his power began evaporating.

It's not musical chairs in the field. A bat which barely plays at 2B or 3B won't play at 1B or DH. Defensive versatility is myth. You play guys at the position where they provide the most value or you're wasting resources. Keaschall probably provides the most value at 2B. His arm doesn't play at SS or 3B or CF. He doesn't have the skills to play catcher, and his bat doesn't play anywhere else. It's probably 2B or bust.

The Twins knew Keaschall's defense was a work in progress when they called him up. This front office does not really care how badly players field. Brooks Lee is just as bad at SS as Keaschall is at 2B. They gave Lee what, like 150 games to prove he couldn't handle SS, which was well documented and known by pretty much every scout in the industry when Lee was drafted.

[HerbieFan]

Personally....I prefer they just leave Royce at 1B.  Been saying that for a year...he has the size and I think it's ok to have someone "too athletic to play 1B" at 1B.  Maybe it'll help him avoid all of the soft tissue injuries that have hindered him.

On Keaschall, I hope they leave him at 2B.  See if he can figure it out.  They're going nowhere next this year anyway.  

[rdehring]

3 hours ago, MinnInPa said:

knock it off ..quit nitpicking on this kid. every 2B is not an all star at the position. This kid is a ball player ....period. Always the same negativity towards Brooks Lee too. they are young..give em a little slack 

My exact thoughts while reading this.  But you said it so much better than I ever could.  Thanks.

[Twins_Fan_in_NJ]

One thing with Keaschall - he seems to take a weird route to a lot of ground balls - rather than going after the ball, it looks like he is circling behind it and letting it come to him. I'd prefer for them to keep Lewis at 1B and Lee at 3B. I don't think Keaschall has any type of future at SS. So the question becomes, do they just leave him at 2B and hope for the best? With the way he's hitting (or not), having him at 2B is a net negative - this is very much an audition season for a lot of players, so I guess the Twins let it play out...

[jorgenswest]

Clemens has a positive OAA at 2B over his career. If he was the Twins 2B and he maintained that wRC+ of 121 he would lead AL second basemen. Ernie Clement currently has the best wRC+ among qualified AL 2Bs at 112. 

The Twins have a solution at 2B if they could fix all of the other holes Clemens fills.

[Riverbrian]

Necessity is the mother of invention. 

The context of the roster is what will determine if invention is necessary in the case of Keaschall and others.  

Royce Lewis went down to St. Paul and played in 2 games at 1B and 1 game at 2B.

Then he was called up and with Brooks Lee after shifting off SS to 3B... this necessity produced this Brooks Lee invention with produced a necessity that Royce would be reinvented as a 1B/2B on the fly because I'm not sure 2 games at 1B and 1 game at 2B in St. Paul is a decent enough time frame for a position change.   

Ultimately... Royce Lewis will hit or not hit and that will determine his fate. Ultimately Luke Keachall will hit or not hit and that will determine his fate.  

If Lewis takes over 1B and Clemens take over 2B or vice versa because they are hitting the ball and playing better than Luke is... Keaschall will have to find another spot or he will be sent down to the minors and wait his turn. It's his hitting that will keep him alive and determine if he is worth the effort of playing some LF and in LF he will need to out play Larnach or Martin or Erod or Jenkins or Kyle Fedko. 

It's the context of the team that will determines the necessity of the invention of Luke Keaschall. 

The most wins in team history occurred in 2019 with Jorge Polanco manning the SS position for 142 games that year. Mitch Garver was our most played Catcher that year. Apparently Polanco was a better option than Adrianaza and Garver deserved more time behind the plate than Jason Castro did. 

Fortunately, the team context in 2019 was 10 players with over 359 Plate Appearances and 9 of those 10 players produced OPS higher than .777. Marwin Gonzalez was the one out of those 10 who was a slacker with a .736 OPS. 

Fast forward to 2026 and the current Twins team has 4 guys out hitting the 2019 Marwin. Jeffers, Buxton, Clemens and Larnach are the 4. Actually 5 if you count Kriedler in 78 plate appearances. 

If you can't hit... I guess the defense is going to matter a little bit more. With Jeffers injured... We have 9 guys who need to hit better. Keaschall is absolutely one of those 9 guys.   

 

[Richie the Rally Goat]

2 hours ago, Linus said:

One big concern I have is the arm strength. There are plenty of examples of guys getting better in the field through hard work and repetition. I don’t think there is much to be done about his arm. I’m not aware of any players that came into the league with a problem arm and fixed it through  practice. Seems like one of those you either or don’t have it situations. 

Building muscle and improving throwing mechanics can help. Pitchers do this all the time.

[Richie the Rally Goat]

42 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Clemens has a positive OAA at 2B over his career. If he was the Twins 2B and he maintained that wRC+ of 121 he would lead AL second basemen. Ernie Clement currently has the best wRC+ among qualified AL 2Bs at 112. 

The Twins have a solution at 2B if they could fix all of the other holes Clemens fills.

If you believe Clemens current state continues into the future. He’s 30 and a minor league journeyman, not sure I believe it or that I would prefer said 30 year old journeyman get time on this roster over a 23 year old who had a 123 wRC+ last year

[karcherd]

48 minutes ago, jorgenswest said:

Clemens has a positive OAA at 2B over his career. If he was the Twins 2B and he maintained that wRC+ of 121 he would lead AL second basemen. Ernie Clement currently has the best wRC+ among qualified AL 2Bs at 112. 

The Twins have a solution at 2B if they could fix all of the other holes Clemens fills.

Any solution with Clemens as anything other than a utility player is not a solution.  Let's see where he ends up at the end of the year.

[Linus]

1 minute ago, Richie the Rally Goat said:

Building muscle and improving throwing mechanics can help. Pitchers do this all the time.

Certainly but I’m not sure that is an apt comparison. Pitching in a defined set of mechanics allows improvement in replicating the same delivery over and over and allows for muscle strengthening to support those mechanics. Almost none of it applies to position players, especially infielders who must throw from a variety of positions. I just can’t recall a position player who had a weak arm transform it to an average arm. Maybe it has been done I just don’t recall it. I suppose it’s possible he is still building strength from his injuries but it’s been almost a year for the broken arm and it’s going on two from the TJ? Seems like the recovery would be complete. 

[Elliot]

Culpepper at second. Houston at short in 2027.