Twins top prospect Luke Keaschall starred in minors despite torn elbow ligament

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Luke Keaschall was the Twins Minor League Player of the Year last season, compiling a .303 batting average and .420 on-base percentage with 15 homers, 21 doubles, 80 runs and 48 RBI in 103 games as he reached Class AA Wichita.

Oh, and he played the entire season with a torn ligament in his right elbow, an injury that required Tommy John surgery.

“It made me swing at better pitches,” Keaschall said. “Swinging at bad pitches hurt a little bit. As long as I swung at good pitches, it didn’t hurt too much.”

A second-round pick in the 2023 MLB amateur draft, Keaschall surpassed expectations in his first full professional season. He had almost as many walks (62) as strikeouts (80) and he showcased more in-game power than initially projected.

Imagine his potential with two healthy arms.

Keaschall, 22, isn’t expected to be cleared to play in the field for another three weeks. It was an injury he learned about before minor league spring training last year. After he underwent a magnetic resonance imaging exam, which showed it was high risk for a tear, he was shut down from throwing for six weeks.

“While we were building back up, it fully tore,” Keaschall said. “We got an MRI a week into the season, and it was fully torn.”

Keaschall, who started 36 games at second base and center field last year, chose to keep playing until August. He remembers the pain he felt when he represented the Twins in the Futures Game — “It hurt so much that day,” he said.

The timing of the surgery was designed to make sure he could hit during spring training and start the minor league season in the field.

During defensive drills at second base, he mimics throws to bases. Participating in Grapefruit League games as a designated hitter, Keaschall has a two-run single and a walk in three plate appearances.

“It wasn’t great,” said Keaschall, who is now rated as a consensus top 100 prospect. “It was manageable. We got through it.”