The Minnesota Twins are throwing a 21-year-old into the fire this weekend, calling up top prospect Walker Jenkins for their series against the Chicago White Sox. It’s a move born out of necessity, with veteran Byron Buxton’s hip injury creating serious uncertainty for the club. The team made the announcement on Thursday.
The New Kid On The Block
This isn’t just any prospect getting the nod. Jenkins is Minnesota’s No. 1 prospect on MLB.com, and No. 15 overall in the entire league. The 2023 fifth overall draft pick out of South Brunswick High School has been absolutely tearing it up at Triple-A St. Paul, even while battling his own hamstring and shoulder injuries. He put up a .308/.407/.532 slash line for the season, smashing 12 homers, 17 doubles, 28 RBI, and swiping 17 bases in 307 plate appearances. But check this out: in August alone, Jenkins has been on another planet, slashing an insane .411/.488/.795 with 8 home runs and 7 steals. That’s a scorching month, right? He’s the second top prospect the Twins have brought up this August, joining shortstop Kaelen Culpepper. Clearly, they’re looking for a spark.
Buxton’s Battle and The Wild-Card Grind
The urgency for Jenkins’ arrival is all about Byron Buxton, the 32-year-old, 12-year veteran who’s been plagued by a right hip impingement all season. He aggravated the injury again in Tuesday’s 4-2 loss to the Athletics. Running down a hit into the right-center gap during the seventh inning, Buxton was visibly favoring his right leg after Henry Bolte’s triple, forcing him out of the game. He’s been limited to only 93 games this season, with two separate stints on the injured list that kept him out for most of July and early August. When he *has* been in the lineup though, Buxton has been producing, with a .254/.319/.511 slash line, 25 home runs, 22 doubles, and 46 RBI in 408 PAs. Plus, his defense in center field is still solid, with 1 Defensive Run Saved and 3 Outs Above Average. The team hasn’t announced a corresponding move yet, so Buxton going back to the IL for a third time isn’t a lock, but the writing’s on the wall.
This whole situation comes with the Twins at 64-70, currently sitting four games back from the American League’s third wild-card spot. Five other teams are ahead of them in the standings, with the Cleveland Guardians holding that third spot at 68-66. They’re also trailing the Chicago White Sox by 6.5 games in the AL Central. It’s pretty clear the wild card is the only real shot for Minnesota to even sniff the postseason.
So, can this 21-year-old phenom, fresh off a monster August, provide the jolt the Twins desperately need? This weekend’s series against the White Sox is where he gets his first big league shot. Every game is critical now if they want to close that four-game gap and make a push for October.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Yahoo Sports.
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