MILWAUKEE — Zebby Matthews wore a long face Friday night as he detailed a frustrating outing, one that included several defensive misplays behind him, a mistake pitch and an infuriating blister/laceration on his right foot that won’t seem to go away.
But when the topic changed to the major-league debut of Minnesota Twins rookie Kaelen Culpepper, Matthews started grinning and his voice sped up noticeably.
“Oh, that was awesome,” Matthews said. “I got to see a good portion of that at the start of the year. Cold weather, it didn’t matter what it was, he was out there playing. That’s arguably one of the most talented players I think I’ve seen. He’s awesome. He’s a great clubhouse guy, and I think everyone here is excited to have him.”
Earlier this season, Matthews played alongside Culpepper at Triple-A St. Paul. He knows how much talent the shortstop possesses and the friendly, energetic way he carries himself in the clubhouse.
When Culpepper homered in the second at-bat of his career Friday, it provided a lift for anyone wearing a Twins uniform. Culpepper’s blast and a four-hit night from Josh Bell were the catalysts as the Twins rallied from an early four-run deficit to top the Milwaukee Brewers 8-6 in front of 42,118 at American Family Field.
The Twins’ bullpen provided four scoreless innings in a victory that helped them move within two games of first place in the American League Central and kept them a half-game back in the wild-card race.
Just about everyone in Twins Territory is ecstatic that Culpepper, the No. 2 prospect in the organization, was promoted Friday morning. With the team’s offense slumping in the second half and Joe Ryan and Byron Buxton on the injured list, a Twins team still very much alive in a postseason picture needs a pick-me-up.
Who better to provide one than Culpepper, the upbeat, energetic, athletic shortstop who answered any and all questions the Twins had about him heading into the 2026 season?
When the Twins arrived at spring training in February, nobody was sure if Culpepper could clean up his defense enough to become a major-league shortstop. They also wondered about his pitch selection and his chase rate. And, as with every prospect, the question whether he could handle the leap to the majors needed to be answered.
One by one, Culpepper satisfied every query. The belief is his blend of skill and personality can undoubtedly help a Twins team that received .237/.289/.386 production from its shortstops along with a combined minus-17 Defensive Runs Saved.
Still, Twins manager Derek Shelton hoped to downplay what the team expects from Culpepper, 23, who was drafted with the 21st pick of the 2024 draft.
“In terms of the boost, just, I don’t want to look at it that way,” Shelton said. “I don’t want any extra pressure added to Kaelen. It’s just a situation where we thought he was ready to come up. We thought it was a good time for our team.”
Culpepper learned of his promotion late Thursday. Summoned to the manager’s office after he stepped out of the shower, Culpepper walked in and found the entire coaching staff and several coordinators waiting for him and immediately knew what news would be delivered.
“I got pretty emotional,” Culpepper said. “I started crying and stuff.”
Though a flight delay resulted in a late arrival Friday, Culpepper was still greeted warmly by teammates during a hitters meeting. In a pregame media session, he wondered aloud about jitters and the emotions he’d feel during his first at-bat. He also stated with confidence the ways he believes he can provide for a Twins team with postseason aspirations.
“I just want to show off my athleticism, how hard I work,” Culpepper said. “I’ve been grinding. I was grinding down in St. Paul, and just helping to make that push. … It’s very exciting. I feel like the move came at a time where I can help contribute to win some extra games. I feel pretty good about coming in right now.”
He felt even better about three hours later.
Hitting with one out and the Twins down two runs in the fourth inning, Culpepper carried out the dream of every kid who wants to be a major leaguer when he blasted an 0-2 fastball from Milwaukee starter Shane Drohan for a solo homer. The ball exited his bat at 100 mph and had enough carry to result in a round-tripper to center.
Culpepper shouted with joy as he rounded the bases. Cameras caught sight of his family’s celebration in the stands, a group of 10 in awe of what they’d just seen. The Twins dugout was equally surprised, enough to break typical first-home run protocol.
“There was some excitement in our dugout,” Shelton said. “Sometimes a guy hits his first career homer and everybody ignores him, and you know it’s one of those things. The celebration in our dugout was genuine. It was palpable. It was really cool, and I think it did spark us a little bit.”
Twins players couldn’t help but celebrate in the dugout, Bell said. Though the group recognized their fervor and even considered a silent treatment, players elected to enjoy the momentous occasion with their teammate instead.
“We were all like celebrating so hard, and then we were looking around: ‘Wait, should we give him the silent treatment?’” Bell said. “And we’re like, ‘No, it’s too late, it’s too late.’ It’s too big of a game.
“He got lucky on that one.”
Culpepper’s luck ran out postgame, though. While his teammates didn’t hit him with an ice bath during on-field television interviews, they nailed him with about every substance they could find inside the clubhouse. From baby powder to mustard to shaving cream to mouthwash, the Twins carried out a rookie tradition and made sure Culpepper was covered from head to toe in crap.
When he returned from the shower 10 minutes later, Culpepper was still finding chunks of goop in his hair. But same as earlier in the day, Culpepper was all smiles.
“I don’t know if you can tell, but I got stuff all over my hair,” Culpepper said. “It was cool though, it’s a tradition around here.
“It was special.”
