Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll Explains Why Walker Jenkins Hasn’t Been Called Up

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Brady Boehm, Toledo Mudhens

Player development is one of the biggest challenges facing every organization in baseball. When is a young player ready to take the next step? When does more time in the minor leagues help, and when does a player need to be challenged at the major-league level?

The Minnesota Twins have seemingly struggled to develop consistent impact hitters at the big-league level for a significant amount of time. That makes the organization's approach with Walker Jenkins particularly important. The former first-round pick is arguably the best prospect to come through the Twins system since Byron Buxton, and Minnesota doesn't want to make a mistake when deciding when to bring him to the majors.

Jenkins has already shown that he can handle many of the challenges placed in front of him. After losing months of the 2026 season to a shoulder injury, he has returned to Triple-A and performed well. Yet, despite his success, the Twins have not called him up.

On Sunday's episode of Inside Twins, Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll offered some insight into why.

It Starts With Opportunity

Minnesota fans have watched another one of the organization's top prospects, Kaelen Culpepper, reach the majors in recent weeks. There are several factors that worked in Culpepper's favor. He's older than Jenkins. He plays shortstop, which has been a weak position for the Twins throughout the season. He's also a right-handed hitter, something that fits better into the current construction of Minnesota's roster.

Zoll used Culpepper as an example when explaining how the Twins determine whether a prospect is ready for a promotion. The first factor, according to Zoll, is "What is the opportunity that exists on the major league team?"

The Twins don't simply want to call up their best prospects because they've performed well in the minor leagues. They want those players to have a legitimate opportunity to play regularly once they arrive. For a young hitter, sitting on the bench in the majors isn't necessarily the best developmental environment. That's especially relevant when discussing Jenkins.

Is There Really a Spot for Jenkins?

Some fans would answer the question above with, "who cares?" Still, the Twins have to think about the long-term repercussions. Jenkins is a left-handed hitting outfielder. When Austin Martin landed on the injured list with a hamstring injury, it seemed like a potential opening for Jenkins. But the roster construction doesn't necessarily create an obvious everyday role for him.

The Twins already have Alan Roden, another left-handed outfielder, on the roster. Roden hasn't received much playing time, which would make it difficult to justify bringing Jenkins to the majors if the organization believes he could end up in a similar situation. Against right-handed pitching, Minnesota has generally used Trevor Larnach and Luke Keaschall in the corner outfield spots. That's essentially the situation Zoll was describing.

There may be an opening on the roster, but there might not be an everyday opportunity. And that difference matters. If Jenkins were a right-handed hitter, it's easy to imagine the conversation being different. His bat could provide a better fit for the current roster, while his arrival would give the Twins another option in a lineup that has struggled at times.

Instead, Minnesota has a left-handed outfield prospect knocking on the door while already having left-handed outfielders on the major-league roster.

Jenkins Still Has Something to Prove

The second factor Zoll mentioned was whether a prospect is "playing well enough to force the issue." That's where Jenkins appears to be moving in the right direction. Zoll said Jenkins continues to make strides, which is encouraging considering the amount of time he missed with his shoulder injury. But the organization may still believe there are more boxes for Jenkins to check before making the move permanent.

There was also an interesting comment from Zoll regarding Jenkins' age. He referred to Jenkins as "super young" and pointed out that the Twins pushed him aggressively to Triple-A last season. Jenkins has already played at a higher level than many players his age. The Twins don't necessarily need to rush him simply because he's performing well after returning from injury. Zoll said Jenkins has things he can continue to do to put himself in the best position possible. He didn't elaborate on exactly what those things are.

That leaves plenty of room for speculation, but it also reinforces the idea that the Twins don't view Jenkins' current Triple-A assignment as a punishment or a sign that they don't believe he's ready. They may simply believe he needs more time.

The Offense Could Use a Spark

Of course, there is another side to this argument. The Twins' offense has been scuffling. When a team is struggling to generate consistent production, adding one of the best prospects in the organization can be tempting. Jenkins has the type of talent that could provide a jolt to the lineup, and fans understandably want to see what he can do against major-league pitching.

That's where the frustration comes from. It isn't difficult to look at the current Twins lineup and wonder whether Jenkins could make it better. But the organization has to think beyond the next few weeks.

If the Twins call Jenkins up and he plays three or four times a week, does that actually put him in the best position to develop? If he struggles because he's bouncing between the bench and the lineup, does that create unnecessary pressure on a player who has already lost significant time this season?

Those are the questions Minnesota has to answer. And, based on Zoll's comments, the organization doesn't believe the opportunity is quite there yet.

Baseball Has a Way of Opening Doors

The frustrating part for fans is that baseball has a way of creating opportunities when players are ready. Injuries happen. Performance changes. Rosters evolve. A spot that doesn't exist today can suddenly become an everyday position tomorrow.

That's particularly true for a team like the Twins, where the roster could look significantly different over the final weeks of the season. Jenkins doesn't need Minnesota to manufacture an opportunity. He needs to keep forcing the issue in Triple-A until the opportunity naturally presents itself.

The Twins clearly believe in his talent. Otherwise, he wouldn't have been pushed so aggressively through the system in the first place. Now they're trying to make sure his first major-league opportunity is the right one.

For a player viewed as the organization's best prospect in years, that patience may ultimately prove valuable. The question is whether Twins fans will be willing to wait.

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Do you agree with Zoll's reasoning for keeping Jenkins at Triple-A? Leave a comment and start the discussion.

 

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[PuckettPond]

"In Zoll We Trust"

[90stwinskid]

I appreciate this take on the Jenkins situation. I would have loved to see the Twins call him up weeks ago, but at the same time, there are a lot of factors that we as fans might not always be privy to, as this article demonstrates. I just hope he gets his chance sooner than later.

Curious how Gleeman would react to this given his spicy take on the podcast yesterday.

[HarmonK03]

Cody, thank you for the article.  Zoll's word are just a bunch of corporate speak for I am too afraid to take a chance.  A talent like Jenkins you find at bats for him.  Larnach is scuffling and you had people in yesterday's game thread calling of Roden, there are AB's right there.  Buxton is not going to play every day as they manage his hip injury, more AB's.

They just need the will and they don't have it.  Other teams make this kind of move but Zoll is either too scared or incompetent to do it.

He is carrying two players on the roster that Shelty won't use.  And if what Dan Hayes says is true the only reason Jackson is on the roster is because he is a good clubhouse guy.  So does he lose at cards and that the puts the players in a good mood to go out and slay their opponent on the field.

Jenkins needs to be in San Diego tomorrow, there really is no excuse.  This is the only time I will ever advocate for Tom P. to be involved in personnel decisions, but he needs to go into Zoll's office and say do it now.

[Mike Sixel]

So he doesn't come up next year either, if they keep Larnach? Because there's no opportunity?

[Cory Engelhardt]

I mean, Larnach has been a below average hitter for going on 2 months now and Roden, while having good aaa numbers still hasn’t shown much of anything at the mlb level. And both arguably are worse defenders in the outfield.

All of this is for me to say that it’s probably not that far away. 

[IndianaTwin]

I'm not as anxious as others about the possibility of a lockout extending into the season, but it would have been interesting to have Zoll been asked if/how much that's a factor. 

[Greglw3]

.380/.436/.640 in August.

Where is the barrier when he has "forced the issue"? Is it .450/.585/850? I can get the argument that displacing Larnach or Roden might be disruptive to the clubhouse.

On the other hand, Culpepper has so far exceeded his own AAA performance. What if Jenkins merely matched his own?

Worth watching as Jenkins hit a HR in the game to be continued today in the third inning to be followed by the regular Thursday game. Maybe a monster day will force their hand???

[HeresWaldo]

Zoll is a smart dude and I know the front office has access to data we don't so I hate to be dismissive, but I think he's pretty clearly wrong.

Alan Roden has played in two of the three most recent games. He has below average bat speed, a below average barrel rate, below average sprint speed, and is hitting.230 with no power playing corner outfield. Josh Bell is on an absolutely ridiculous heater, but his overall season numbers are basically as projected and he could sit once a week if needed. Buxton is going to miss a game or two per week to protect his health, which is fine but Keashall is a butcher in center field so those ABs could easily go to Jenkins. Just by giving him Roden's spot and backing up Buxton he can easily play 4-5 times a week. If they rest Bell once a week to play him more that would get him to essentially a full workload while upgrading the defense in center on days Buxton is out. 

If they really just think he's worse than Roden in right and Keashall in center, fine I guess, and like I said I acknowledge they have data we don't. But I just don't see it.

[Althebum82]

One has to wonder how Larnach landing in Houston might have created the desired "roster construction".  Guess we'll never know.  But, boy has the decision on Culpepper looked great so far.  We are still carrying baggage on this roster.  But we are also now definitely a lock for the playoffs so guess I better stop complaining!  😁

[tony&rodney]

Just now, IndianaTwin said:

I'm not as anxious as others about the possibility of a lockout extending into the season, but it would have been interesting to have Zoll been asked if/how much that's a factor. 

I would be more shocked if that was a factor than if the Twins had signed Ohtani.

Walker Jenkins is going to play for the Twins but not before there is an opening. There are three spots: Keaschall, Buxton, Larnach. Who gets to sit for 5 games per week if Jenkins is called up?