ATLANTA — Luke Keaschall had a major league debut to remember.
The 22-year-old went 2-for-4 with a double, an RBI, a run scored and a stolen base during the Minnesota Twins‘ 6-4 loss to the Atlanta Braves on Friday.
“It was a lot of fun,” said Keaschall, who arrived in Atlanta earlier in the day from Triple-A St. Paul after a rash of injuries left the Twins short-handed. “I enjoyed every second out there. It wasn’t the result we wanted, but we’ll bounce back tomorrow and we’ll be ready to go.”
Keaschall, the Twins’ No. 3 prospect according to MLB.com, batted eighth and was the designated hitter. In his first at-bat, he lifted a slider into right field over a drawn-in infield to score Ryan Jeffers. He then got his first steal.
“I wanted to hit the ball in the air,” Keaschall said. “I didn’t really swing at the right pitch to do that, but got the job done still. I was just trying to get the ball to the outfield and I barely did.”
In the fourth inning, he pulled a hard line drive just inside the third-base bag for a double and later scored on a sacrifice fly, diving across home to beat the throw from Michael Harris II.
Keaschall was drafted out of Arizona State in the second round in 2023 as an outfielder, but Tommy John surgery last August has limited him to playing DH and second base with St. Paul. That will continue indefinitely with the Twins until he builds up the arm strength required to get back in the outfield.
“His arm strength is coming along,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “He’s getting a bunch of reps at second base, but hasn’t really started in the outfield at this point. … We’re going to get him a lot of work early in the day every day, which should get him ready as soon as possible.”
When Keaschall was told he was joining the Twins, he said he first called his girlfriend, then his parents, then his grandfather, all of whom came from California for the game. His brother flew in from Arizona, and his girlfriend’s parents were also in attendance. They took photos on the field together after the game.
“When I was told, I was super excited,” Keaschall said. “I feel I can do damage up here and help this ball club win. So more just (feeling) excitement to be here and see what I can do, but at the same time, I mean, yeah, you hear (the news), and it is a dream come true.”
