Twins reveal how close top prospects Walker Jenkins, Kaelen Culpepper are to MLB originally appeared on The Sporting News.
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The Minnesota Twins have decided where two of their top prospects will start the 2026 season.
And it turns out that Walker Jenkins and Kaelen Culpepper won’t be very far from the MLB level.
On Tuesday, Twins GM Jeremy Zoll told reporters that Culpepper and Jenkins will both begin the season at Triple-A St. Paul, just one step away from the major leagues.
Talkin’ Twins added this on X:
“GM Jeremy Zoll also added that he expects Kaelen Culpepper will force them to call him up sooner than later. If there are any injuries early in the season at SS, 2B, or 3B, Culpepper may have the lead on a promotion to the big leagues.”
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That’s exciting news for Minnesota fans who are counting down the days until this pair of phenoms can make it to Major League Baseball.
Jenkins is ranked the No. 14 prospect in the entire sport by MLB Pipeline.
He’s a 6-foot-3 outfielder who was the No. 5 overall pick in the 2023 MLB Draft out of high school in North Carolina.
Jenkins has an .863 OPS in his minor league career, with injuries being really the only thing that can slow him down.
Culepper is ranked No. 52 on that same MLB Pipeline list. He was the No. 21 overall pick in 2024 out of Kansas State.
He had a 20-20 season in 2025, his first full professional season, and has both the glove and bat to stick around the majors for a very long time.
Soon, the Twins may finally get a chance to plug these guys into the MLB lineup, but for Opening Day, they’ll be down at Triple-A.
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