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

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.