Twins first-round pick Kaelen Culpepper already ‘in debt’ to Carlos Correa

Kaelen Culpepper, the Twins’ first-round pick in last month’s amateur draft, toured Target Field with his family Friday, met some players and staff, and was asked if he wanted to take some swings in the batting cage.

He didn’t bring any gear, but who could say no?

“The first bat they brought out was a Louisville Slugger that Royce Lewis swung,” Culpepper said. “I was looking for a bigger barrel with some grip on it. They brought out [Carlos] Correa’s bright pink bat. I was swinging good with it. Then the second [pitch], it just snapped. Now I’m here and I’m in debt to Correa.”

Culpepper, a 6-foot shortstop from Kansas State, said Correa joked around with him when he showed him the broken bat. Culpepper later threw a ceremonial first pitch.

The 21-year-old called his first visit to Target Field “pretty crazy,” in awe of the size of the stadium.

“The first thing is ‘wow.’ I love it,” said Culpepper, who signed a pro contract earlier this week with a $3.93 million signing bonus. “I can see myself playing here for a lot of years.”

Culpepper is scheduled to fly to the Twins’ spring training complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on Saturday morning, where he will train until beginning his minor league career.

What gives him the confidence he will play in the big leagues for many years?

“I mean, if you want to be in the big leagues, you have to picture yourself there,” Culpepper said. “Obviously, it’s going to be a long journey, a tough journey, but that’s what I signed up for. I’m ready for the long road and all the ups and downs. I think I have a lot of experience dealing with that, so I’m just ready to go.”

Near the end of a one-inning relief appearance Monday, Brock Stewart felt a different type of pain in his shoulder when he threw his cutter and slider.

“The back of my shoulder felt a little stretchy/tight. It was kind of tugging and tight at the same time,” Stewart said. “Another cutter, another sweeper, and I felt the same thing. I made it through the end of the outing and then figured I needed to say something because the feeling I felt on a couple of cutters and sweepers was a feeling that I had never felt before.”

Stewart said his shoulder wasn’t 100% healthy when he returned, but “it was something we were managing pretty well.” In three outings, he never reached his typical effectiveness, permitting seven hits and eight runs in 2⅓ innings.

“You guys all saw it: My velocity wasn’t the same,” he said. “My stuff wasn’t the same. Results suffered because of that. I was trying my hardest, so maybe I was compensating somewhere else.”

He underwent an MRI exam Wednesday, and he was still waiting to discuss the results with Twins medical director Dr. Chris Camp on Friday about the severity of the injury.

Alex Kirilloff, sidelined since June 12 because of a back injury that required a cortisone shot, participated in team defensive drills at first base Friday and has been taking swings for more than a week.

The next step is increasing the intensity with his swings.

“It’s come to the point where you expect not to be completely asymptomatic,” Kirilloff said. “It’s just, manage it the best you can and not be at the point where you have any type of regression. I think the hope for it to be completely asymptomatic is out the door a little bit.”

• Max Kepler was out of the lineup Friday, two days after he was hit in the helmet after striking out on a throw from New York Mets catcher Francisco Alvarez, but there were no lingering issues. Manager Rocco Baldelli said he just wanted to make sure Kepler was fine after a full pregame workout.

• Zebby Matthews allowed nine hits and five runs in five innings during the St. Paul Saints’ 5-1 road loss to the Iowa Cubs.