Ryan Kreidler

With the score tied at 2-2, Kreidler unknotted the game with a solo homer to give the Twins a 3-2 lead and ultimately a victory. That’s the fifth homer for Kreidler in his 41 games, and he’s hitting an outstanding .290/.365/.527 over 93 at-bats. It’s hard to take this too seriously, but he’s looked the part since getting regular run.

The triple, a 413-foot shot to center, would have been a homer in 21 ballparks. Kreidler is batting .270/.365/.527 in 85 plate appearances this season, and while there is very little reason to expect him to keep that up, it makes no sense that the Twins have continued to use Tristan Gray, a far weaker defender, at shortstop over Kreidler most of the time since moving Brooks Lee to third.

Kreidler impressed with some surprising power last month, but the Twins didn’t buy in and sent him back down on Apr. 22 anyway. Given another chance last week, he’s gone 5-for-13 in four games. Overall, he has three homers in 32 plate appearances, topping his total of two in 211 career major league plate appearances entering the season. His average bat speed is over 74 mph, up from 71 mph last year and 68.5 mph in 2024. As crazy as the idea would have seemed to be a few months ago, it’s probably time for the Twins to give him a look as a starter at short or third.

Kreidler was 3-for-14 with two home runs in his five games with the Twins earlier this season. He will most likely resume a super utility role off the bench.

Kreidler was 3-for-14 with two home runs in his five games with the Twins. With Royce Lewis back in the lineup, the Twins don’t need Kreidler up for now. He’ll be back at some point.

We now have a large enough sample size of games with Royce Lewis on the injured list, so we can say with certainty that Kreidler is the regular third baseman against lefties and Tristan Gray will start against righties. Unfortunately, neither one of them will likely be fantasy relevant.

Kreidler, who is getting starts versus lefty with Royce Lewis out, had two previous major league homers in 215 plate appearances, one each in 2022 and ’24 with the Tigers. The projected distance on tonight’s blast bested his previous high by 30 feet. His 108.9-mph exit velocity topped his previous high by two mph. It’s probably not a complete fluke; his bat speed is well up to begin the year. Still, it’s doubtful he’ll make enough contact to be much of a contributor.

Kreidler’s defensive versatility gives him some appeal with Minnesota in a bench role as they attempt to replace third baseman Royce Lewis for at least a couple weeks. The 28-year-old utility specialist has batted .138 (26-for-188) with two homers and seven steals in 89 games at the highest level since 2022.

Kreidler is a career .138/.208/.176 MLB hitter in 211 plate appearances, so he was always a long shot to make the Opening Day roster. His defensive versatility will likely give him a chance at some MLB at-bats this season.

The Twins are familiar with Kreidler; he spent parts of four seasons in the majors with the Tigers before his quick stint with the Pirates in September (though he never did get into a major league game with Pittsburgh). He’s a versatile defender who proved adept in center after spending most of his career in the infield, but he just doesn’t offer any offense at all; he’s come in at .138/.208/.176 in 211 career major league plate appearances. There’s a good chance he’ll find himself back on waivers at some point during the offseason.

Kreidler loses his spot on Pittsburgh’s 40-man roster to free up space for outfielder Will Robertson. The 27-year-old didn’t appear in a game for the Pirates after being claimed off waivers from the Tigers back in late August. He’s batted .138 (26-for-188) with two homers and seven steals in 89 games at the highest level since 2022.