St. Paul – It’s been three months to the day since Kyle Hendricks’ sinker hit Luke Keaschall in the right forearm. He’s been itching to get back to the field for a while, but there’s only so much buildup a player can do when they’re healing a broken bone.
Fortunately, he was in a good environment in Minnesota’s clubhouse, and he eventually removed his cast to rebuild his strength in his right forearm. It’s not how he expected to spend his first three months in a major league clubhouse, but he wouldn’t trade it away for everything he learned in his downtime.
“I didn’t get to play baseball, but I got to go to every home game, and I get to do a bunch of stuff to help me as a player, and you find ways to grow outside the field,” said Keaschall. “And you pick up on things you can use next time you’re up there. So I’m just excited to keep playing.”
As his forearm bone healed and the cast came off, Keaschall was cleared to take live batting practice against his teammate Zebby Matthews at the start of July. He was eager to face him and asked him to pitch him inside, despite Matthews’ hesitation.
During the week before the All-Star Break, Keaschall went down to Fort Myers to check off the final boxes before being cleared for a rehab assignment. He looked good during his short stay in Florida, and he was set to begin his rehab assignment once the St. Paul Saints returned from the break.
Even though veteran players surrounded him in the Twins clubhouse, Keaschall was still battling through the mental hurdles of an IL stint.
“Nothing you can really do. [You] have to let it heal on its own,” said Keaschall. “But nah, I kept a good headspace the whole time, stayed competitive, and just getting back here and seeing all my friends and stuff like that has been great. I’m just excited to get back out there and compete and play the way I always play.”
Keaschall has played in all six of St. Paul’s games coming out of the break, all as the designated hitter. Minnesota’s training staff has planned not to rush him back to the major league club from his rehab assignment. They wanted him to get as many ABs as possible to build up his swing speed before putting him out on the field at second.
“He’s going to DH for a few games, and then he’ll end up getting some ground balls at defense too,” said Saints manager Toby Gardenhire on Keaschall’s rehab plan. “He’s working the defense right now, but it’s a progression thing.”
Keaschall is 5-for-21 with four walks, and all his hits are singles. The extra base pop will come back as he sees more pitches. Still, considering how long he went without swinging a bat, he feels confident at the plate.
“Swing feels good,” said Keaschall. “It’s nice to be back in the swing of things, and I feel confident and strong. I feel like I’m swinging at decent pitches, so first time coming back, I’m happy with it, all things considered.”
“I think he looks great,” Gardenhire said. “I think he’s been moving around very well, and we’ve been doing all the defensive stuff on the side. Obviously, he hasn’t played defense yet, but his arm looks good. I don’t see any issues with the wrist or where he got hit anywhere so far, so far he’s been great.”
The plan is for Keaschall to return to the field over the weekend against the Worcester Woo Sox, most likely on Saturday at the earliest, as he has a scheduled off-day on Friday. While there’s no official word yet on how many innings he’ll play in the field, it’ll most likely start with seven as he still builds his throwing arm back up.
With Keaschall able to take his time in the rehab assignment, he will be at full strength whenever the Twins are ready to activate him. But that will not come anytime before or even right after the July 31 trade deadline, as the Twins are expected to sell off key hitters on expiring deals, which will open up a clear roster spot for Keaschall whenever he’s ready.