Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez may have Tommy John surgical procedure on Wednesday, per Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic. Earlier this week, it was the Twins who revealed that he had tearing in his proper elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament. He took just a few days to discover a second opinion however it appears there was no avoiding the worst-case state of affairs.
It’ll be the second Tommy John process for Lopez. His first was greater than a decade in the past. He’ll miss your entire 2026 season and hope to be prepared early within the 2027 marketing campaign, which would be the ultimate season of his four-year, $73.5M contract with the Twins. Lopez is being paid $21.75M each this season and subsequent.
The Twins acquired Lopez and a pair of prospects from the Marlins within the Jan. 2023 commerce that despatched Luis Arraez to Miami. He’s been a rocksteady performer close to the highest of Minnesota’s rotation for the previous three seasons, pitching to a mixed 3.68 ERA with much more spectacular price stats (26.8 Okay%, 5.8 BB%, 43.1 GB%). Metrics like SIERA (3.48) and FIP (3.44) really feel he’s been a hair higher than his already stable earned run common would point out.
In 2025, Lopez raced out of the gates with a 2.82 ERA and his usually robust price stats via his first 11 begins (60 2/3 innings). A Grade 2 pressure of his teres main suffered in early June wound up costing him about three months, nevertheless. Lopez returned with three sharp begins in September, permitting 4 runs in 15 innings, earlier than ending the season on the injured listing as a result of a minor forearm pressure.
The Twins stated after the season that Lopez might have pitched via the damage had the group been within the playoff hunt however opted to close him down with their season already misplaced. He obtained a clear invoice of well being not lengthy after and had a usually regular offseason. The UCL tear seemingly popped up throughout his first bullpen session this spring.
Though Minnesota tore the bullpen down final summer time on the deadline and offered off a number of impending free brokers (a complete of 11 gamers), they opted to not utterly rebuild this winter. After some early uncertainty about how they’d strategy the offseason, the group’s sale of a minority stake to a few new shareholders gave the entrance workplace the required area to make some modest additions. Victor Caratini, Josh Bell and Taylor Rogers all signed as free brokers, and the Twins opted to not commerce Lopez, rotationmate Joe Ryan, catcher Ryan Jeffers (a free agent subsequent winter) or franchise middle fielder Byron Buxton.
New govt chair Tom Pohlad has been vocal about his want to compete and his perception that the roster has a greater likelihood at doing so than these exterior the group suppose. The Twins made a late run at Framber Valdez and likewise jumped into the Freddy Peralta bidding, with each of these late-offseason overtures coming after the possession scenario had gained some readability. Clearly, neither got here to fruition, however it stands to motive based mostly on these two efforts that the Twins might a minimum of contemplate going exterior the group, the place Lucas Giolito and previous buddy Zack Littell are among the many notable veterans who’ve but to signal a contract.
With Lopez formally out for the 12 months, it’ll nearly actually fall to fellow right-hander Joe Ryan to take the mound on Opening Day. Proper-hander Bailey Ober will look to bounce again from a season that was torched by an terrible June (after which he went on the injured listing as a result of a hip damage). Simeon Woods Richardson is out of minor league choices and logged a 4.04 ERA in 111 1/3 innings final 12 months (together with a flat 3.00 ERA over his ultimate 14 begins). He needs to be all however assured a rotation spot as effectively.
Homegrown former prime prospects Zebby Matthews and David Festa will be part of deadline pickups Taj Bradley and Mick Abel in competing for Opening Day rotation spots, whereas prospects like Connor Prielipp, Kendry Rojas and Andrew Morris might problem for innings because the season wears on, relying on well being and efficiency in Triple-A.
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