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The struggling Minnesota Twins were looking for some sort of a spark last week, after opening the season slowly. On April 18, they called up the No. 3 prospect in their system, MLB Pipeline’s No. 57 overall, 22-year old Luke Keaschall.
The infielder was enjoying a solid if not spectacular start to his Triple-A season for the St. Paul Saints, with a .727 OPS and a home run in 14 games as he worked his way back from Tommy John surgery last summer.
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But when Keaschall debuted for the major league club, he caught fire immediately, driving in a run with a base hit in his first big league at-bat, and then stealing second base.
In seven games with Keaschall in the lineup, the Twins went 3-4, showing at least some signs of life. The 2023 second-round draft pick out of Arizona State kept up the momentum, stroking seven hits including two doubles while taking five walks in his first 26 trips to the plate for a stellar 1.065 OPS and .368 batting average.
But in the first inning of what turned out to be an 11-4 win over the Los Angels Angels on Friday, Keaschall took an 87 mph sinker thrown by veteran righty Kyle Hendricks off of his right forearm.
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Keaschal, who was serving as the Twins’ designated hitter, took his base and stayed in the game. But the next time his turn in the order came up, manager Rocco Baldelli sent pinch hitter Mickey Gasper up in Keaschall’s place.
After the game, the Twins announced Keaschall had suffered a broken forearm. On Saturday, the club said the rookie had been placed on the 10-day injured list. He joins Twins 2017 first-round pick Royce Lewis, who has been on the IL since spring training, and 2024 All-Star Willi Castro, who strained his oblique muscle on Friday.
The Twins characterized the injury as a “non-displaced fracture.” No timeline was given for Keaschall’s return.
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