Why is the field rheostat of a DC motor kept at minimum position while starting?

If you are talking about the field rheostat on a generator, once you have the correct voltage output set, it is very unlikely that it has to be touched again. If it is the generator's first start up, then it is best to set the field on the low side so as not to over excite the generator and drive the output voltage higher that what the generator's specifications are rated at. The field excitation voltage does not have to be set at the minimum position on every start up once it is set for the correct output voltage. A good example of this is a hospital standby generator, it starts up with no human intervention needed.