Twins place rookie Culpepper on IL with hamstring strain

The Minnesota Twins placed rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper on the 10-day injured list Wednesday with a strained left hamstring, interrupting his promising debut season. Culpepper was hurt running out a double-play groundball in the sixth inning Tuesday and was removed from the game against the New York Yankees.

The Twins recalled rookie infielder Ben Ross from Triple-A St. Paul to fill Culpepper's spot on the active roster.

Culpepper homered in his first major league game on Aug. 7 against the Milwaukee Brewers. In 31 games, he is batting .275 with five doubles, three homers, 15 runs and 11 RBI. The 2024 first-round draft pick is one of three of Minnesota's top five prospects on MLB's 2026 rankings who have made their major league debut this season, preceding outfielders Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez.

Culpepper would be eligible to return for the final two games of the regular season, and because he was only diagnosed with a mild strain, the Twins won't be opposed to bringing him back if he's deemed healthy. Manager Derek Shelton said, "The energy he's brought, he's done really good things for us. It's exciting to watch him play."