\n\tThe 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.\n<\/p>\n
\n\tBrooks Lee<\/a> 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\u2019s Prospect Podcast<\/a> by JJ Cooper and Ian Cundall.\n<\/p>\n \n\t\u201cBut I’m just going to say right now, the Minnesota Twins do not have a shortstop right now,\u201d Cooper said. \u201cAnd 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat 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\u2019s bat in the lineup consistently, they may have to accept that it cannot always come from shortstop.\n<\/p>\n \n\tOrlando Arcia<\/a> 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat pushes the conversation toward the minors, where things get interesting quickly. Kaelen Culpepper<\/a> 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, \u201cI don’t even think Kaelen Culpepper’s a shortstop.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat 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.\n<\/p>\n \n\tCundall left open the possibility of Culpepper sticking up the middle. \u201cIf 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.\u201d\n<\/p>\n \n\tThat 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.\n<\/p>\n