Latest MN Twins Injury News Will Hurt Depth
So far this season the 12-13 Minnesota Twins have had dealt with adversity across the roster, which started during the first spring training practice of the year, when Pablo Lopez suffered a torn UCL and was lost for the season weeks before it was scheduled to start.
Meanwhile, the Twins lost Royce Lewis for a couple weeks, though he just recently returned to the big league lineup. Outside of Royce’s short absence, and a few days Byron Buxton has missed after being hit by pitches, the lineup has been relatively healthy.
The starting rotation has been a different story. Since Lopez had his Tommy John surgery, the MN Twins have also lost youngsters David Festa and Mick Abel to the injured list, adding to the strain being put on the rest of the staff and a bullpen that lacks talent and experience.
Because Buck has remained mostly available, and Austin Martin has been playing so well, the outfield has been a crowded place, outside of the starting three, which also includes Matt Wallner.
On guy battling for a big league spot down in Fort Myers was Alan Roden, who the MN Twins acquired in the Louis Varland trade. But instead of keeping the the 25-year-old former 3rd round pick around, Minnesota chose to keep fellow outfielder, James Outman, on the 26-man when they broke camp.
Alan Roden suffers labrum tear for MN Twins
Like Roden, Outman was acquired at the trade deadline, but in exchange for a different reliever, Brock Stewart Alan Roden was part of the Louie Varland trade, and brought believable prospect upside.
Unfortunately for Roden, his path back to the majors just got more difficult this week, after he tore the labrum in his throwing (right) elbow.
Alan Roden has a labrum tear in his right (throwing) shoulder. #MNTwins say no surgery needed. He'll rest/rehab for the next four weeks.
— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) April 24, 2026
Minnesota flipped Varland to the Blue Jays mostly because of how much they liked recently promoted efty pitcher, Kendry Rojas. Still, Alan Roden offered plenty of upside in his own right.
Then, when he played well during spring training, hitting .302 AVG with a .757 OPS, many thought he had earned his way onto the roster. However, he had options remaining and Outman did not. Now, he won’t be an option for some time.
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Oftentimes, a labrum tear in the shoulder can elicit a knocking feeling and generate significant discomfort while throwing max effort. The Minnesota Twins say that Roden’s injury won’t require surgery, we’ll see if that remains the case as he attempts his rehab.
In 19 games this year at Triple-A St. Paul, Roden was batting .275 with an .889 OPS. He already has four doubles and three home runs, to go with an impressive 14/17 K/BB ratio. Now, the Minnesota Twins have no choice but to stick with Outman, who is 2-for-22 on the season, with a 10 strikeouts vs just 2 walks
MN Twins reinstate Kody Funderburk
Earlier this week, Kendry Rojas made his major league debut when Kody Funderburk left the team for the birth of his child. Rojas debuted right behind fellow rookie Connor Prielipp, who started. Now with Funderburk back, Rojas rejoins Triple-A St. Paul.
We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/k6YTpImYoR
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 24, 2026
Rojas worked around two hits and three walks to twirl two scoreless innings. He’ll now return to the Saints where he has thrown six scoreless and has a 5/2 K/BB. It seems logical that the Minnesota Twins will want to keep him stretched out as a starting option.
Funderburk has been among the most-used relievers in baseball thus far. He has pitched in 12 games and owns a 2.00 ERA (5.81 FIP). With a near-even 8/7 K/BB, he’ll need to be a bit sharper if he’s going to continue dancing the line of success.
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