Twins Get Scare As Kaelen Culpepper Leaves Game After HBP

[Cody Christie]

Kaelen Culpepper had a scary moment in what was an exciting inning for young Twins players. Emmanuel Rodriguez had homered in his first big-league at-bat earlier in the frame. Then Culpepper was hit by a pitch.  Guardians reliever Franco Aleman fired a 95.3 mph fastball that struck Culpepper in the upper back and shoulder area. The right-handed hitter immediately went to the ground in pain, creating an understandably concerning scene for the Twins.

Culpepper eventually got back to his feet and began making his way toward first base under his own power. He made it roughly halfway down the line before stopping. The Twins training staff attended to him before the club removed him from the game. Ryan Kreidler entered as a pinch-runner for Culpepper and took over at shortstop.

Fortunately, the initial testing provided some good news. The Twins announced that Culpepper suffered a right shoulder contusion. X-rays were negative for a fracture, and the rookie is considered day to day. That designation should provide some relief, especially considering the timing of the injury. Culpepper was also hit by a pitch during Friday’s loss to Cleveland, making Saturday’s incident his second consecutive game taking a pitch.

Culpepper has quickly established himself as an important part of the Twins’ future since making his Major League debut on August 7. He is hitting .286 across his first 30 games and has provided the club with another young player capable of handling a premium defensive position.

The Twins have spent recent weeks of this season looking toward the future, and Culpepper represents an important part of that future. His development over the final weeks of the season can help Minnesota determine how he fits into the organization’s plans moving forward.

For now, though, the biggest concern is simply making sure Culpepper is healthy. The initial diagnosis is encouraging. A shoulder contusion can still require some time away, particularly for a player who needs to throw across the diamond every day, but the absence of a fracture is the news everyone in Twins Territory wanted to hear.

After the excitement surrounding Rodriguez’s first career homer, the Twins quickly went from celebration to concern. Thankfully, Saturday’s scare appears to be just that: a scare.

 

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