Minneapolis – It’s been a year of learning for Minnesota Twins rookie DaShawn Keirsey Jr.
Keirsey had a stellar Triple-A season in 2024, leading the St. Paul Saints in multiple offensive categories, including batting average (.300), slugging (.476), stolen bases (36), and RBI (81). He has primarily been a bench player for the Minnesota Twins, often coming into games as a defensive replacement or pinch runner.
That has played a significant role in a drastic decline in his batting numbers. He’s gone from 519 plate appearances in 2024 to 247 in 107 games between Triple-A and the majors this season. In 71 games with the Twins, he had a .108/.140/.181 slash line. However, he had 16 stolen bases this year, nine in the majors and seven at Triple-A.
“I learned a lot, kind of went through it a little, not playing much, and you look at a lot of us [bench] players,” said Keirsey. “You try not to, but at times you judge yourself by your numbers. Obviously, not getting a ton of ABs, it was a little tough at first, but I was able to take that step back and mentally just get myself into a different space.”
Keirsey worked on developing a mentality of being the best player he could be in a bench role. He’d been used to playing almost every day for the last three years, and to immediately adjust to a part-time role, which influenced his production as a hitter.
He still generated highlights as a go-to defensive replacement and a pinch runner. For example, in Minnesota’s 2-1 victory over the Pittsburgh Pirates on July 11, Keirsey entered the game in the seventh inning as a defensive replacement for Matt Wallner in right.
In that inning, Tommy Pham hit a ball over the right field overhang that Keirsey played perfectly off the wall, and nailed him with a throw to second base, getting him out and preventing the tying run from being in scoring position.
It’s moments like that where Keirsey has been able to showcase how he can maximize his role with the Twins. Still, the constant shuffle between St. Paul and the major-league roster has had some effect on his performance at one level compared to the other.
With the Saints this season, Keirsey has put up a .250/.335/.436 slash line with three home runs and 23 RBI in 161 plate appearances. That’s down drastically from his numbers last year. Still, it’s proof that Keirsey can be a productive hitter with more consistent time at the plate.
“Just being able to come out and play every day on a more consistent basis, it’s a lot easier to get into the flow of the game and to not be hyper-focused on certain swing adjustments because you can make in-game adjustments,” said Keirsey. “For me, that’s always been when I’m at my best, when I’m not tinkering or trying to change so much, allowing the game to come to me. I think that is one of the biggest things.”
Making fewer changes to his approach has increased Keirsey’s confidence in his performance in the second half of 2025 compared to the first. Byron Buxton, Harrison Bader, Christian Vázquez, and Ty France mentored him, and Kerisey says he’s happy with the teammates he was able to surround himself with during his first season in the majors.
The Twins optioned Keirsey back to Triple-A on Monday when they activated Vázquez from the 15-day IL. As the batter who has shuttled most frequently from St. Paul to Target Field, it’s disappointing that he couldn’t finish the season in the majors. However, if any player goes down with an injury in the last six games, Keirsey will be next in line to return to the major-league roster.
As disappointing as the numbers were for Keirsey this season, they don’t define him. No matter where he plays next season, Kerisey knows he’ll be able to take his work this upcoming off-season and make 2026 an even better year.
“I learned a lot this year, and I think for me it’s not trying to get too much internal,” said Keirsey. “Just kind of go into the off-season as I always have and just get my body right. Get a little stronger, get a little faster. I don’t know if that’s possible at this age, kind of peaked there. But yeah, just fine-tune my swing and come in mentally prepared for next year.”
