Minneapolis – Luke Keaschall had to wait a while to have a normal offseason. A year ago, he was still recovering from the Tommy John surgery he had in August 2024, which limited his offseason workouts.
Keaschall finished the 2025 season on the injured list with a sprained left thumb, missing the final five games of the season. The recovery process didn’t set back Keaschall’s off-season plans by much, which was a refreshing change.
“[It’s been] smooth,” Keaschall said at the Twins media luncheon Friday. “It was a lot easier than elbow rehab. Normal stuff, just get range of motion back, strengthen it up. It’s a pretty simple recovery process.”
Despite a season full of injuries that included a left thumb sprain, recovering from Tommy John surgery, and a broken forearm, Keaschall earned the Twins’ Outstanding Rookie at the Twins Diamond Awards. In just 49 games, he hit .302/.382/.445, with four home runs, 28 RBI, 14 stolen bases, 9.2% walk rate, and 14% strikeout rate.
Keaschall has some of the best hit tools in the Twins organization, as he demonstrated in his small major-league sample size. An off-season with a fully healed body and preparation will help catapult him closer to his full potential, which excites Keaschall and his new manager, Derek Shelton.
“I’m excited to be able to just go into healthy and be able to get ready for a season like a normal player and compete, get to know new people,” said Keaschall. “It’s not my first time in this clubhouse, so I have friends and connections to build upon. So no, tons of excitement.”
“He is healthy, he is very excited,” Shelton said. “I mean, this is a kid that has natural hitting ability, knows how to handle the bat. I’m very excited again, meeting him today for the first time, other than Zoom calls. I’m excited to watch him play because I think he’s going to have a big impact on our team.”
As Minneota’s roster currently stands, Keaschall looks to be the Opening Day second baseman. As he was coming up, people wondered if the Twins could use him in the outfield. However, they couldn’t use Keaschall in the outfield because of his broken forearm.
Coming into 2026, there are still discussions on trying Keaschall in the outfield. They’ll have an opportunity to try him there in spring training while Byron Buxton is playing for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic.
“Playing baseball a year and a half out of TJ is going to be a little bit easier than playing six months out of TJ,” said Keaschall. “So my arm’s going to be a little bit more comfortable, a little bit smoother, and more confident in my throwing 100 percent than I was last year. I mean, I’m a ballplayer. I’ll play wherever you want me to play. If you want to move me somewhere, cool. I’ll be able to play winning baseball there.”
How Keaschall’s throwing arm responds a year and a half removed from Tommy John will be a big test on whether he will see regular playing time between second base and right field. Either way, fans can expect Keaschall to take on a bigger role with the team next season and build himself closer to the all-star trajectory he’s been on since the Twins drafted him.