MINNEAPOLIS — Five games into his big-league career, Luke Keaschall looks like a five-year veteran. And he’s already setting records.
In desperate need of a spark for their unproductive, banged-up lineup, the Minnesota Twins called up Keaschall on Friday, at age 22 and after playing just 14 games at Triple-A St. Paul while still recovering from August elbow surgery. He made an immediate impact and hasn’t slowed down yet.
Keaschall has at least one hit in all five games, going 6-for-17 (.353) with three doubles, four walks and a hit-by-pitch. He’s reached base safely 11 times in five games, one short of Kirby Puckett’s team record 12 times on base through five career games in 1984.
Luke Keaschall was down 0-2 to the reigning Cy Young winner and ended up ripping an RBI double off one of the game’s elite sliders.pic.twitter.com/VpfoGLZlzM
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 19, 2025
Keaschall batted .297 with a .415 on-base percentage in the minors, drawing 90 walks in 148 games. He’s shown that same mature, disciplined approach at the plate in the majors, laying off borderline pitches and using a compact, direct swing to make consistent, hard contact, posting a lofty 1.029 OPS.
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“I’m trying to have gritty at-bats,” Keaschall said. “To find a way on base as much as possible. That’s the thing I probably value the most, is trying to get on base. When you feel good or you feel bad, if you can get on base, that’s a good way of being productive. It’s something I definitely value a lot.”
Keaschall has reached base in half of his plate appearances, and once there, he’s wreaked havoc on opposing defenses with speed and aggressiveness, stealing five bases in five tries and scoring four runs to add an element the largely station-to-station Twins lineup has lacked in recent years.
“He’s settled in very quickly,” manager Rocco Baldelli said. “It’s almost like there was no settling in; he just came in ready to play. He’s taking the game to the opposition. He’s showing everyone what he’s capable of. He’s hitting balls hard. And the way he runs the bases can transform a lineup.”
With two steals in Wednesday’s win over the Chicago White Sox, he tied the all-time MLB record for most stolen bases (five) by a player after their first five career games, joining Luis Castillo (1996), Ced Landrum (1991), Donell Nixon (1987) and Vince Coleman (1985).
“I’ve seen young guys come up and play well,” Baldelli said. “But coming up and taking things by storm on the bases, plus that type of approach at the plate, there’s not too many guys who do it.”
Luke Keaschall has recorded 5 stolen bases through the first 5 MLB games he has appeared in.
That is tied for the most stolen bases since at least 1901 😱 pic.twitter.com/hdJ5chmqu7
— MLB (@MLB) April 24, 2025
Prior to Keaschall running wild, no player in Twins history had more than two steals in their first five games. High-end base-stealing is a skill the 2023 second-round draft pick showed in college (59 steals in 165 games) and the minors (38 steals in 148 games), but he’s ramped it up with the Twins.
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“I feel like baserunning is all situational,” Keaschall said Wednesday, after his second multi-steal game in as many nights. “If they give me the green light, I’m always comfortable. If they believe in me, then I believe in it, too.”
And the Twins definitely believe in him, with Keaschall, the second-youngest player invited to participate in major-league camp, making a great first impression on Baldelli and the rest of the coaching staff during this spring.
“From the moment he walked into the clubhouse, on the first day of spring training, he was just bouncing around,” Baldelli said. “It’s all hard work and eagerness. He makes you wake up, sit up and pay attention. You give him the green light, and all of a sudden he’s gone.”
Keaschall was named Twins minor-league player of the year last season and emerged as a consensus top-100 prospect despite playing through a torn elbow ligament that limited him mostly to first base and designated hitter to manage his throwing workload.
Long term, Keaschall profiles as a capable second baseman/center fielder who could also see time in the outfield corners. For now, though, he’s yet to be cleared to play the outfield and three of his five starts for the Twins have come at DH. It’s all part of the plan eight months removed from surgery.
Keaschall started at second base Wednesday, committing his first error and also being helped by a scoop from first baseman Ty France on a long throw. But the Twins called up Keaschall ahead of schedule, knowing his throwing and overall fielding value may not be fully back until next season.
They believed Keaschall’s bat and legs were ready to make an impact, and through five games, they’ve been very, very right.
(Photo: David Berding / Getty Images)
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