St. Paul – The time has finally come for everybody’s favorite under-the-radar prospect to return to the St. Paul Saints’ everyday lineup. The Saints activated infielder Payton Eeles from the 7-day IL after he missed the first two months recovering from knee surgery that addressed a cartilage issue.
It was an injury that rest typically heals, but when that wasn’t the case for Eeles. He knew he would have to have surgery.
“My body, for some reason, wasn’t healing,” said Eeles, “and that’s when they had to go in and do the surgery.”
Eeles never spent more than a week or two resting and recovering from an injury before his knee surgery. Balancing the mental struggles of sitting out and not playing the game you love with your teammates was challenging.
“Showing up every day and you’re watching your buddies pretty much go out there during spring training and do what you love to do, and you’re not able to do that,” said Eeles. “And your days are just an hour long of stuff in the training room, so that’s the toughest part. Not being able to do what you love.”
What kept Eeles balanced and not feeling overwhelmed about not being on the field? His faith and the faith others had in his abilities to be the same ballplayer whenever he returned to the field.
“I would just read scripture every day because at the end of the day, it could be a lot worse,” said Eeles. “I think not having that backbone in my life, it would have really affected me, and my mind would have drifted places it probably shouldn’t be.”
“There’s nobody that’ll work harder than him to get back, doing the things he needs to do to get himself healthy again,” said Eeles’ former Chicago Dogs manager, Butch Hobson. “He’s one of those young men where, if it wasn’t a serious injury, he’d be out there playing anyway. But I believe in my heart he’ll be fine.”
Now that he’s back, he arrives with more hype and anticipation than ever. Eeles became a fixture in the online baseball world following a video breaking down his journey to the Twins organization by Foolish Bailey, who bestowed him as the Best Underdog Story of 2025. The video and other interviews helped him become many people’s favorite under-the-radar prospect coming into 2025.
Eeles appreciates the notoriety and recognition from the greater baseball community. However, for him, what happened last year stays there. He needs to go back out there and play his hardest again to show that everything he did a year ago is just the beginning of a long career.
“It was definitely a great year last year, but I don’t try to make it seem like that gives me any credit this year,” Eeles said. “At the end of the day, I have to go out there and do what I did last year because I’ve got to prove it again to show that I still have it.”
When Eeles returned to the Saints’ clubhouse on Tuesday, it was like he had never left after their final game on September 25 last year. There were a few new faces in the clubhouse, but Eeles longed for the camaraderie when he was injured.
“It’s awesome. I feel like I’ve been here all year,” Eeles said. “It was like I never left. It’s a really good group to be around.
Toby Gardenhire wasted no time placing him in the spotlight, batting him leadoff and putting him at shortstop. Eeles went 1-for-5 in his first game back but made contact each time he was at the plate. The results weren’t surprising because it was his first game against Triple-A pitching this year. The eye test showed Gardy he was on the right track.
“He didn’t have a spring training, so he was down there working in Florida to get back,” said Gardenhire. “And then he’s been playing games for a week and a half to get back to whatever it is. So it’s going to take him a little bit of tim,e but he looked pretty good tonight, he’ll be fine.”
Eeles had played in 13 rehab games with Low-A Fort Myers and High-A Cedar Rapids before his return to the Saints lineup. The time in Fort Myers was more for Eeles to get his timing back in his swing and not worry about his numbers.
Still, Eeles’ numbers showed he was the same player before the injury, posting a .318/.400/.409 slash line with a couple of RBI, six walks, and six stolen bases in 44 plate appearances between the two levels. However, once he got to Cedar Rapids, everything with his swing felt like it was in the right place, and he was ready to go.
The rehab assignment gave Eeles all the reassurance he needed to know he was healthy and ready to go. The next step is just getting consistent playing time and putting up the same, if not better, numbers than he had in Triple-A last season. The Twins may call him up this season if all that falls into place.
“He came in and he made his mark and the things he did last year in Fort Myers and then going to High-A, then Triple-A and finishing up like he did, I think he proved himself right there,” Hobson said. “So I think the little setback with his injury is just going to be a minor thing.”
“For me, if I’m not playing the way I feel like I should be, which is going out every day and doing my best,” said Eeles. “I feel like I shouldn’t be on the field at all, and so if I feel like I couldn’t give that, I wouldn’t be in. So that’s why I’m pretty confident.”
