It was a black Friday for the Minnesota Twins, as a series of serious injuries hampered the club’s short- and long-term prospects in its attempt to compete for the AL Central title.
After terrible news for starting pitcher Joe Ryan, reliever Brock Stewart and star rookie infielder Brooks Lee, the Twins also announced Friday afternoon that star talent Luke Keaschall will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery.
Keaschall, a standout second baseman who can also play the outfield, was a big hitter at Class A+ Cedar Rapids before suffering the injury. Baseball America named him the 48th best prospect in all of Major League Baseball just before July 4.
According to several insiders, the Twins have known for some time that Keaschall would need surgery at some point, and they will soon remove him from the roster to give him enough time to recover and complete a full spring training in 2025.
Baseball America said at the time that Keaschall “is expected to be an above-average hitter with average hitting power.”
“Keaschall doesn’t give pitchers many opportunities to throw him out,” the publication added. “He can reel in a fastball, but he also recognizes spin and will destroy a changeup if the pitcher deflects it even a little bit. And he has a solid feel for how to block throws outside the zone. He’s the kind of grinder that pitchers hate, but that hatred grows out of respect.”
In 44 games and 197 at-bats with the Cedar Rapids Kernals, Keaschall posted a batting average of .335/.457/.544 with seven home runs, 12 doubles and 21 RBIs. He also stole 14 bases and had more walks (30) than strikeouts (29).
The 2023 second-round pick turns 22 on August 15.
