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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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