The Minnesota Twins being competitive in 2026 will heavily rely on the prowess of their starting rotation. They finished 70-92 last season , and it cost manager Rocco Baldelli his job .
If Derek Shelton is going to turn the tide, then he'll need plenty of his lineup to take steps forward. The group is oddly constructed as it is , but there's plenty of opportunity for young talent to come up and contribute.
Both Kaelen Culpepper and Walker Jenkins will be part of the group invited to big league spring training. The former may reach the majors fastest though.
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There's no reason to believe Walker Jenkins has any chance to crack the Minnesota Twins Opening Day roster. Derek Shelton clarified as much when joining Paul Allen on KFAN this week.
"I would say he's close. I would not expect him, you know, I mean, he's not going to break camp
with us out of spring training. But we're really excited about him. I mean, he's a big, physical kid. He lives in Wilmington. He's been working out with Ryan Jeffers, which is important when you have one of your leaders
working out with one of your top prospects. But we're excited about him, and I think only time will tell, because as you said he's only twenty one, and when he tells us he's ready to be in the big leagues and we'll get him there, right."
Regardless of what Walker Jenkins has done on his own, the Minnesota Twins top prospect is blocked at the moment. There is a glut of corner outfield options, and Byron Buxton has capable backups in centerfield. That could quickly sort itself out, but Jenkins is going to need a push for starting playing time.
Last season Jenkins finished with 23 games at Triple-A St. Paul . He batted .242/.324/.396 but came on strong to wrap up the year. The time in big league camp will give him some serious perspective to parlay into the year, and then it will be on him to produce.
Although Culpepper didn't reach Triple-A, and is lower on the Minnesota Twins top prospects list , he may make a major league debut first. Culpepper plays shortstop, and as Bobby Nightengale (Star Tribune) pointed out in his latest newsletter, the options behind Brooks Lee are limited.
Culpepper's timeline could depend a little on how Brooks Lee plays. If Lee struggles again to start the season, the Twins don't have a ton of other options for an everyday starter at shortstop.
The 21st pick in the 2024 MLB Draft, Culpepper batted .285/.367/.460 in 59 Double-A games . He had a track to Triple-A playing time but cooled down the stretch. He'll likely start with St. Paul this season, and that has him on the doorstep of Target Field.
Only one prospect met the following four thresholds in 2025…
.375+ OBP
20+ Home Runs
25+ Stolen Bases
Sub-20% Strikeout Rate
Kaelen Culpepper. pic.twitter.com/7SulR0rWu3— Eric Cross (@EricCrossMLB) November 29, 2025
Shelton's options behind Brooks Lee come in the form of Orlando Arcia , Ryan Kreidler , and Tristan Gray . That's not a very good group, and Culpepper is very clearly possessive of the highest ceiling.
Brooks Lee owns just a 75 OPS+ in his first 189 big league games . He has been hurt, and his defensive isn't top notch either. For a guy whose offense has to carry him, things aren't looking great.
Culpepper won't push Lee out of the Twins future plans, but he could help provide an immediate answer if Lee isn't it.
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