September brings roster expansion for major league clubs and, with it, the opportunity for minor leaguers to get their first chance to be called up to the majors.
This week, the Minnesota Twins have provided that opportunity for two career minor leaguers who have been in their farm system since 2018. Michael Helman and DaShawn Keirsey, who they took 3rd and 11th overall in June 2018.
“Those moments are priceless,” said Saints reliever Hobie Harris on Helman and Keirsey’s callups. “That’s what we play for.”
The Twins called Helman up first when rosters expanded from 26 to 28 active players on September 1. Helman filled Manuel Margot’s spot on the roster following a groin injury he sustained in the 15-0 loss to the Blue Jays the night before. He would have to wait two days before getting his first in-game action, but Helman didn’t disappoint in his debut against the Tampa Bay Rays.
“It was awesome,” Saints manager Toby Gardenhire said about Helman’s callup. “He’s been one of my favorites. I’ve had him since he was in A-ball, and he’s one of the good ones. He works his butt off all the time, he does everything right, and [Helman has] played really, really well all the time he’s been healthy here. He’s been one of our best players, so it’s really cool to see him get a chance. He deserves it.”
Helman has played under Gardenhire more than almost any other player in the Twins system during his tenure. Gardenhire managed 295 of his career 468 games in the minors at Low-A Cedar Rapids in 2018, with High-A Ft. Myers Miracle in 2019, and during his three-year stretch with the Saints from 2022 to this year.
Four days later, following the Saints’ 2-1 win over the I-Cubs, there was more than just the typical postgame victory celebration in their clubhouse. A few minutes after the team celebrated their victory, Gardenhire kept the clubhouse together for one more special announcement.
He let Keirsey and his teammates know that he was heading to the big leagues.
“Seeing the reaction on his face and how it took a moment for it to sink in is just one of the coolest things,” Harris said on the moment Keirsey found out he was heading to the Twins, “and then coming out and seeing his girlfriend share that moment together was really special. I’m incredibly happy for him. Wish him the best up there, and he’s going to do a great job.”
“I’m super happy for them, man,” Saints catcher Jair Camargo said on his teammate’s callups. “Guys like him (Keirsey), Michael Helman, having their shot to go there and experience that stuff, I was super happy. A guy like DaShawn working hard the whole year, and lucky for me I was one of the first guys to get the callup and talk to him about what he went through the whole year.”
Helman and Keirsey’s MLB debuts worked out from a timing standpoint for the entire Saints clubhouse, too. Helman’s debut Tuesday night landed on a Saints off-day because they had played on Labor Day the night before, leaving everyone’s schedule open to catch his first at-bat.
Then, the Saints had a night game on Thursday, while the Twins had a get-away day game in Tampa Bay. That gave Keirsey’s teammates and coaches plenty of flexibility to watch his debut in center field before batting practice.
“I watched the game today,” Gardenhire said. “He went in there, had one ball hit to him, and it was a really tough play, but it’s good to see him get playing time. He’s been awesome all year, he’s worked his butt off, and he’s had a great year. He deserves to up there, and I couldn’t be more happy for him.”
Harris and Camargo are no strangers to the gravity of the moment when a player is told they are going to the big leagues for the first time. Camargo was the second Saints player this season to get his callup to the big leagues after Austin Martin. Harris debuted with the Washington Nationals last season at 29 on April 1, 2023.
Knowing both these teammates were at the later end of their 20s and uncertain about their futures in pro-ball like Harris has been at times, Gardenhire knew more than anyone how rewarding the moment was for them.
“DaShawn, he was going to be a free agent at the end of this year,” said Gardenhire, “so knowing he’s grinding through the minor leagues, he’s done a heck of a job all year this year. A great character, a great clubhouse guy not a better guy it could have happened to.”
Max Kepler is on the injured list to make room for Keirsey’s callup. Therefore, Kiersey and Helman should expect a decent amount of playing time over the next week as the Twins play their next three series against the Kansas City Royals, Los Angeles Angels, and Cincinnati Reds.
