MILWAUKEE — Former Kansas State University and Wichita Wind Surge infielder Kaelen Culpepper wasted little time making an impact after receiving his first call to the Major Leagues.
The 23-year-old Minnesota Twins prospect launched a solo home run for his first Major League hit in his second MLB at-bat Friday night, helping Minnesota rally from a four-run deficit for an 8-6 victory over the Milwaukee Brewers at American Family Field.
Culpepper's whirlwind journey to the Majors began a day earlier while he was in the shower with Triple-A St. Paul. A clubhouse attendant told him to report to manager Brian Dinkelman's office, where Culpepper found coaches and coordinators gathered.
He quickly realized he was headed to the big leagues.
“I got pretty emotional,” Culpepper said before Friday's game. “I started crying.”
Less than 24 hours later, Culpepper was making his Major League debut in front of a sellout crowd of 42,118 in Milwaukee.
“I never played in front of that many people in my life,” Culpepper said. “It was crazy. It was loud.”
His first MLB plate appearance ended in a popout, but Culpepper said getting that first at-bat behind him helped settle his nerves.
His next opportunity came in the fourth inning with Minnesota trailing 4-2.
Culpepper fell behind 0-2 against Brewers left-hander Shane Drohan before connecting with an elevated four-seam fastball. The ball left Culpepper's bat at 100.2 mph and traveled a Statcast-projected 390 feet into the left-center-field bullpen.
“I mean, it definitely felt great,” Culpepper said. “Fell behind in the count, but that didn’t change anything. I feel like I thrive with two strikes.”
Culpepper said he stuck with his approach, got his hands back and found a pitch he could drive.
“I need a couple more of those moving forward, for sure,” he added.
The home run made Culpepper the first Twins player to homer in his Major League debut since Matt Wallner accomplished the feat against Cleveland on Sept. 17, 2022.
There was no traditional silent treatment waiting for Culpepper when he returned to the Minnesota dugout. His teammates immediately celebrated the milestone as the Twins continued their comeback.
The night ended with another celebration as Culpepper received the customary postgame treatment from teammates, including mustard and baby powder in his hair.
The memorable debut came at the end of a rapid climb through the Minnesota farm system.
Culpepper, a Memphis, Tennessee, native, played three seasons at Kansas State from 2022 through 2024. He finished his Wildcats career with a .314 batting average, .403 on-base percentage and .531 slugging percentage while hitting 26 home runs and driving in 122 runs.
Minnesota selected Culpepper in the first round of the 2024 MLB Draft. He split his first professional season between Single-A and High-A before reaching Double-A Wichita in 2025.
Culpepper split the 2025 season between High-A Cedar Rapids and the Wind Surge. In 59 games with Wichita, he hit .285 with 11 home runs and 30 RBIs.
He continued his rise through the organization this season, appearing in 74 games for Triple-A St. Paul before getting the call to Minnesota.
At the time of his promotion, Culpepper was ranked as the Twins' No. 2 prospect by MLB Pipeline and the No. 29 overall prospect in baseball.
Just over two years after being selected in the first round, Culpepper is now a Major Leaguer — and it took him only two at-bats to hit his first home run.