Kaelen Culpepper leads off with homer, St. Paul tops Louisville

Kaelen Culpepper did more than jump-start St. Paul on Tuesday night. His leadoff homer to left at Louisville Slugger Field was his 11th of the season, gave the Saints a 1-0 lead and offered another snapshot of a 23-year-old prospect forcing his way into a bigger Twins conversation.

The Saints went on to beat the Louisville Bats 6-4, but Culpepper’s first swing was the loudest moment. It was his fifth leadoff homer of the season, tying him for the most in the Minor Leagues, and it continued a power run that has turned a hot stretch into a real trend. Earlier this season, MLB Pipeline highlighted Culpepper when he homered twice in a doubleheader setting, and this latest shot pushed the former first-round pick to 11 home runs in Triple-A.

Culpepper entered the night listed by MiLB as St. Paul’s active No. 2 prospect. The right-handed-hitting, right-handed-throwing shortstop was taken by the Twins with the 21st overall pick in the 2024 MLB Draft out of Kansas State, and his production in 2026 has started to look less like a prospect tease and more like an arrival path. Through May 26, he was hitting .247/.347/.462 with 11 homers, 33 RBI and 11 stolen bases in 45 Triple-A games, a line that shows impact on both sides of the game sheet.

That blend matters for the Twins because Culpepper is not just running into a few balls at the right time. The leadoff power, the double-digit steals and the increasing consistency of his extra-base damage give St. Paul a player whose stock is rising in plain view. A month ago, a homer like this would have read as another highlight. Now it looks more like evidence that Culpepper is building a case for the next rung of the ladder.