MINNEAPOLIS — Though Walker Jenkins’ stat line suggests he is overmatched, the Minnesota Twins’ top prospect doesn’t think he’s been as bad as it looks.
Off to a trying start to his major-league career, Jenkins remains steadfast that his first 53 plate appearances will be but a blip on the radar.
“I’m going to figure it out,” Jenkins said Tuesday afternoon.
Roughly 2 1/2 weeks since arriving in the majors, Jenkins is locked in a massive struggle. The top Twins prospect to reach the majors since Royce Lewis, Jenkins is hitting .089/.212/.200 with one home run in 15 games.
Recently, Jenkins, who was out of the lineup for Tuesday’s 8-1 loss to the New York Yankees, has struggled even more, going 1-for-33 with 15 strikeouts since hitting his first big-league home run. Despite the constant failure, Jenkins contends he’s been in darker places mentally.
“(I have been) in a much worse headspace than I am now,” Jenkins said. “I’m taking swings that I want to take. I’ve had really solid plate discipline. I’m just missing some of my pitches and then losing 3-2 at-bats or 3-2 counts or getting behind in counts and missing pitches I don’t normally miss. It’s kind of battling through some of that right now, and I think it’s really, really close to being flipped around.”
Jenkins hit so much in August that the Twins couldn’t overlook him when Byron Buxton suffered a hip injury on Aug. 28, resulting in a promotion from Triple-A St. Paul.
Now, he’s struggling enough for Twins manager Derek Shelton to ask Jenkins to bunt the runners over in a close game Monday night.
The Twins understand how much of a talent gap there is between Triple A and the big leagues; Jenkins is one of 13 rookies to debut for them this season. But how each player will handle the transition is the unknown.
“The challenge of coming to this level is something that none of us can really comprehend until you do it,” Shelton said. “Walker dominated at Triple A for three weeks before he got here. … Now he’s scuffling a little bit. How do we adjust off that? How do we go?”
Since homering off Zach McKinstry on Aug. 31, Jenkins is striking out 45 percent of the time. But it isn’t because he’s chasing bad pitches out of the zone. Jenkins’ chase rate is 25.4 percent, which Baseball Savant says is 3 percent better than the average player’s.
Walker Jenkins watches the path of his first major-league home run. He has struggled since that day, going 1-for-33 with 15 strikeouts since. (Matt Krohn / Getty Images)
Instead of making bad swing decisions, Jenkins is missing pitches in the zone or taking called third strikes.
“I’m competing my butt off and just not having anything to show for it right now and not winning (at-bats) that I feel like I’m used to winning,” Jenkins said. “I don’t feel overmatched. I feel like I’m more beating myself.”
Though Shelton thinks Jenkins’ timing is off, the player thinks his mechanics aren’t out of whack. No matter how much Jenkins is struggling, the Twins like how he has handled himself during a trying time.
“At 21, I couldn’t have done it,” Shelton said. “He’s maintained the exact same attitude. His work, his effort, the way he is in the dugout, the teammate he is. All that has stood out. … In the long run, this is going to be good for him.”
The Twins also know Jenkins’ early struggles follow a pattern.
When he moved up to High-A Cedar Rapids from Single-A Fort Myers in July 2024, Jenkins produced a .551 OPS in his first 54 plate appearances. After a September 2024 promotion to Double-A Wichita, Jenkins had a .450 OPS in his first 28 trips to the plate. Last August, Jenkins went 1-for-20 upon arriving at St. Paul.
“It’s happened at every level, for whatever reason, and I do think it is just that adjustment period,” Jenkins said. “New surroundings, new teammates, new field, better competition. It’s some of it all. … I truly have the confidence that it’s an at-bat or two away from turning it around.”
Hitting coach Keith Beauregard recognizes Jenkins’ confidence and lack of panic. He thinks Jenkins will adapt in time.
“Every guy who comes up, no matter what age, they get used to a variety of different things,” Beauregard said. “The plane rides, the different angles from lefties, different shapes from righties, the velo, the location, the consistency of attacking holes and plans and executing on those. He’s adapting. He’s learning. He’s figuring it out. Not worried about him one bit. … We believe in him. He believes in himself. As long as you’ve got that self-belief, it will take you very far in this game. We know he has the skill to back that up.”
The belief Jenkins has in himself is strong. Approached by reporters about his early struggles, Jenkins didn’t waver, sounding confident with each question he was asked.
“I do believe that everything happens for a reason,” Jenkins said. “I’m going to tell you right now, I’m not going to keep hitting (.089) for the rest of my career.”
Injury notes
Twins rookie shortstop Kaelen Culpepper exited Tuesday’s game with left hamstring tightness, the team said. … An MRI revealed outfielder Trevor Larnach is dealing with inflammation in his left wrist, Shelton said.