Minnesota Twins Hitters of the Month: July 2026

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Matt Blewett-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins continued building momentum in July, posting a 15-9 record (.625) to secure a second consecutive winning month. After spending much of the first half trying to climb back into contention, Minnesota now finds itself firmly in the postseason race with a legitimate opportunity to chase both an American League Central title or a Wild Card berth.

That surge hasn't happened by accident. The Twins have fielded one of baseball's most productive offenses throughout the season, and July was no exception. Whether it was timely home runs, elite on-base ability, or clutch moments in big games, several hitters played significant roles in helping Minnesota continue its ascent.

Here are the Twins Daily Hitter of the Month rankings for July.

4. Trevor Larnach
20 G, .281/.352/.484 (.837), 3 HR, 4 2B, 7 BB, 12 K, 134 wRC+

Larnach followed up his outstanding June with another productive month at the plate. While he wasn't quite as scorching as the previous month (when he hit above .340), he remained one of Minnesota's most dependable offensive contributors. His OPS dipped from .918 in June to .837 in July, but those numbers still represent an above-average middle-of-the-order bat.

The Twins have continued to shield Larnach from left-handed pitching, as he's logged only 42 plate appearances against southpaws all season. Against right-handed pitchers, however, he has rewarded that strategy by posting an .842 OPS.

His future remains one of the more intriguing storylines heading into the trade deadline. With younger corner outfielders pushing for opportunities, Minnesota will have to decide whether Larnach's current production is more valuable in its lineup or as part of a trade package that addresses another need.

3. Ryan Jeffers
12 G, .289/.360/.533 (.893), 3 HR, 2 2B, 4 BB, 9 K, 149 wRC+

Jeffers wasted little time reminding everyone how important he is after returning from the injured list. Despite appearing in only 12 games, he tied for second on the club in home runs during July while producing an outstanding .893 OPS.

Had he been healthy for the entire month, there's a strong argument that he could have challenged for the top spot on this list. Instead, he packed an impressive amount of production into a limited sample and continued what has been one of the best offensive seasons of his career.

Of course, his name has remained in trade speculation as the deadline approaches. Given how well he's swinging the bat, however, it would be difficult to justify moving one of the club's best offensive players while simultaneously trying to reach the postseason.

2. Kody Clemens
23 G, .239/.273/.544 (.816), 6 HR, 3 3B, 4 2B, 4 BB, 25 K, 117 wRC+

No player produced more memorable fireworks than Clemens. His unforgettable ultimate grand slam against Kansas City instantly became one of the most iconic moments in Target Field history, but his impact extended well beyond one swing. Clemens led the Twins with six home runs and paced the club in slugging percentage during July, hitting twice as many home runs as any other Minnesota hitter.

His season has quietly evolved into an impressive turnaround. After managing just a .663 OPS in April, Clemens has now posted an OPS above .800 in three straight months. Over the past two months, he's slugged .520 or better while emerging as one of the lineup's biggest power threats. At exactly the time Minnesota needed another bat to step forward, Clemens has become one of the offense's most dangerous hitters.

1. Luke Keaschall
22 G, .323/.447/.462 (.909), 2 HR, 3 2B, 10 BB, 12 K, 161 wRC+

Keaschall may not have matched Clemens' home run total, but no Twins hitter put together a more complete offensive month. After never posting an OPS higher than .790 during any previous month this season, Keaschall elevated every aspect of his game in July. He slashed .323/.447/.462 while leading the club with a 161 wRC+, thanks largely to an outstanding approach at the plate. His 11.8% walk rate helped produce a remarkable .447 on-base percentage, the fifth-highest mark in Major League Baseball during the month. He also finished July as the team leader in both wOBA and wRC+.

Perhaps even more impressive is that he's doing all of this while adjusting to a larger defensive workload in the outfield. With Byron Buxton on the injured list, the Twins have regularly asked Keaschall to patrol center field, a demanding position for any player, let alone one still establishing himself in the major leagues.

Instead of allowing the added responsibility to affect his offense, Keaschall delivered the best month of his sophomore campaign and established himself as one of the driving forces behind Minnesota's playoff push.

The Twins' offense has been one of the biggest reasons they're playing meaningful baseball entering August, and these four hitters were at the center of that success. Veterans like Larnach and Jeffers provided stability, Clemens supplied game-changing power, and Keaschall emerged as the lineup's most complete offensive performer.

If Minnesota hopes to continue its climb through the AL playoff race over the final two months, it will need this group to keep producing. July proved the Twins have the offensive firepower to compete with anyone. Now they'll look to carry that momentum into the stretch run when every game carries postseason implications.

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How would your ballot look for the month? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

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[Major League Ready]

It's really great to see Keaschall out of his sophomore slump.  Hopefully, he can be a big contributor for several years.  

[gman]

Keaschall's ultimate position seems unknown currently, but I guess its down to any outfield spot plus second and first base. I still think he should bat first ultimately.

[LA Vikes Fan]

It’s great to see Keaschall hitting like he did last year. I would like to see them move him up to the number two spot in the batting order to put some speed on the bases before guys like Clemens, Jeffers, Bell, and Lewis. I actually think it’s likely he moves up to the lead off spot if Larnach is traded. Buxton can either lead off or hit 3 when he gets back. 

[mikelink45]

Clemens meaningful hits makes him number one for the month to me. 

[twinstalker]

49 minutes ago, mikelink45 said:

Clemens meaningful hits makes him number one for the month to me. 

Given this is a retrospective, that's fair.  But before you do that, make sure you know that he's #1 in WPA for July.  That the true measure of "meaningful hits" or walks or whatever.  Of course, it's hard to beat someone who improves his WPA by 1.5 or so in one AB.

[twinstalker]

I've been on the Luke Keaschall train from the moment he arrived in Fort Myers.  It was a little early, but I got lucky and my commitment to him as the Twins best-ish prospect after Jenkins got stronger and stronger by the week.

I'm less high on him now as a long-term true fixture for the Twins.  He can get back to that level by working a lot of things, mainly by getting in the weight room and maybe getting away from the Twins and honing his craft at a place like Driveline.  Don't get me wrong, I still like him, and his pitch recognition, strikeout rate, and the way he can square up a ball are big positives (and frankly, why he's in the majors).  However, his hard-hit rate is in the 9th percentile of major leaguers.  His average exit velocity is 3rd percentile.  Crazily, these horrible metrics, combined with his speed, actually give him a few extra (more) base hits!

So he's speedy, but he hasn't shown to be a good defensive player.  This is problematic when he struggles to hit for power because the only position he's looked decent at is the corner OF, a position that basically requires slugging (LK is at the 12th percentile for xSLG, and even part of that is due to speed).  Note, too, that his current bat speed (14th percentile on the year) is pretty much back to last year, where he's more comfortable.

So what does this all mean?  I think it means he's just a below average starter, both hitting-wise and defensively.  And that generally is a pretty bad player, though his positives (K rate, sq up, speed) have him bordering on average right now.  I hold out hope, but I'm pretty disappointed that he's not going to be the star I thought he might be.  That's really all about not have Statcast data to look at, really, until he made it to the majors.

I'm not really sure what happens next.

[FlyingFinn]

Impressed how Keaschall has improved over the season without needing a trip to the Saints. So many guys make at least one trip to AAA to fix things.