The Twins have spent most of the winter creating problems rather than solving them. A manager was fired. Payroll was cut for a second consecutive offseason. New voices were promoted in the front office with spring training less than two weeks away. None of that inspires confidence, but the biggest issue might be the one that has barely registered in the public conversation so far. Shortstop depth is thin, and the plan behind the plan is murky at best.
Brooks Lee is scheduled to be the Twins’ Opening Day shortstop, and that part is fairly straightforward. What happens after that is where things start to unravel. No one expects Lee to log 140-plus games at the position, and the Twins do not have an obvious fallback option on the major league roster. That reality was bluntly summed up on a recent episode of Baseball America’s Prospect Podcast by JJ Cooper and Ian Cundall.
“But I’m just going to say right now, the Minnesota Twins do not have a shortstop right now,” Cooper said. “And I do mean, Brooks Lee is not a shortstop. I’m sorry, but there is no logical path where you say Brooks Lee is going to be defensively what you want to get from an MLB shortstop.”
That is not a fringe take from a hot-take artist. That is an evaluator pointing out a structural issue. Lee can handle the position in stretches, and the Twins hope his bat plays almost anywhere on the infield. The problem is that asking him to be the everyday answer ignores both defensive limitations and the physical reality of a long season. If the Twins want Lee’s bat in the lineup consistently, they may have to accept that it cannot always come from shortstop.
Orlando Arcia is the most obvious name behind Lee, but even that comes with caveats. He arrived on a minor league deal and still has to earn a roster spot in camp. Even if he does, there are legitimate questions about whether he can still handle shortstop at a level that makes the defense workable over extended stretches. He is insurance, not a solution, and the Twins know it.
That pushes the conversation toward the minors, where things get interesting quickly. Kaelen Culpepper is the name most fans will gravitate toward after his breakout 2025 season. The tools are loud, and the confidence is obvious, but the shortstop question has followed him since draft day. Baseball America did not shy away from that concern with Cooper adding, “I don’t even think Kaelen Culpepper’s a shortstop.”
That assessment does not slam the door completely, but it frames the challenge. Culpepper has the arm and the athleticism. What remains in question is whether his range and actions allow him to stick at the position long term.
Cundall left open the possibility of Culpepper sticking up the middle. “If Culpepper comes out this year and shows improvement at shortstop because he has the arm, it’s just a range question and actions question talking to scouts about him, that a lot of them think he can play third base and so if he can stay on the left side of the infield, there’s a pathway and I think that he has that drive that he wants to stay at shortstop.”
That pathway matters. If Culpepper shows real progress early in the season, the Twins could be tempted to accelerate his timeline or at least view him as a viable depth option by late summer. If not, the organization may be forced to look elsewhere sooner than planned.
That brings us to Marek Houston, last July’s first-round pick and arguably the cleanest defensive shortstop in the system. The bat is still a question, but the glove is not.
“We could get to Marek Houston, who is, we don’t know how much he’s going to hit,” said Cooper. “But Marek Houston is 100% is a shortstop. He is the best shortstop that the Twins have at this moment. He’s so much better defensively than Brooks Lee right now.”
That statement alone should make the Twins pause. Houston is not expected to be in the major league mix this season, but the defensive gap is significant enough to not be ignored.
“It’s a lot easier to push Houston, quicker because the hit tool’s a question, but how much is that going to improve in the minors?” Cundall said. “I’m not sure. So, you might as well just push him more aggressively if you know that he’s MLB-ready at defense.”
Cooper expanded on Houston’s defensive reputation. “I looked at the best plays for every shortstop in our top-100 and then the guys within the range of the top-100. Marek is the best.”
“We’re looking at what guy can make the plays that most shortstops can’t make. Marek Houston makes plays on the other side of second base,” Cooper said. “How did he get to that ball? How is he going to get his body in position to throw? How did he make that throw? He does. Check, check, and check.”
The Twins may not push Houston aggressively, but the contrast highlights how thin the current shortstop plan really is. Lee is the best offensive option. Houston is the best defensive option. Culpepper might be something in between. None of that adds up to short-term stability.
This is why creativity will be required. That could mean more rotation between shortstop and third base for Lee. It could mean quicker hooks for Arcia if the defense slips. It could even mean an uncomfortable midseason decision to test a prospect before the organization feels fully ready.
In a winter defined by uncertainty and cost-cutting, shortstop may end up being the position that exposes just how fragile the roster construction really is. The Twins do not need perfection there, but they do need a plan that extends beyond Opening Day. Right now, that plan feels unfinished.
Do you believe Lee can handle shortstop in 2026? How quickly can Houston move through the system? Leave a comment and start the discussion.
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