Surgery Required for MN Twins Rookie Infielder

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Luke Keaschall, Minnesota Twins
Credit: Raymond Carlin III-Imagn Images

The Minnesota Twins season all but ended months ago. The front office tore down the roster at the trade deadline, and they had Rocco Baldelli work with scraps while finishing up the regular season.

If the 70-92 record wasn’t bad enough, there were still injuries along the way. Acquired outfielder Alan Roden suffered a thumb injury that required surgery. Fellow rookie Luke Keaschall also injured his thumb, and now the team is looking for a two-for-one discount.

Minnesota Twins rookie Luke Keaschall to have thumb surgery

Luke Keaschall injured his thumb on an awkward slide into second base during the final week of the season. On September 23 against the Texas Rangers, he was lifted after just the 4th inning. An MRI revealed a thumb sprain, and a second opinion has deemed surgery necessary.

Keaschall will go under the knife on Wednesday, and like Roden, he should be ready from Spring Training in February. Unfortunately for Keaschall, a UCL (ulnar collateral ligament) is the same injury he suffered in his elbow. His body gave out on the one in his thumb as well.

It has been a year of maladies for Keaschall, who had not yet been fully cleared from his Tommy John surgery last season. He also broke his forearm and missed multiple weeks after being hit by a pitch.

When healthy, Keaschall looked the part of a future foundational piece. He may not stick at second base once his arm is cleared for throwing, but he profiles as a quality hitter in the outfield as well.

In 49 games for the Twins this season, Keaschall batted .302/.382/.445 with 14 doubles and four home runs. His speed was an asset on the bases as he swiped 14 bags while being thrown out just three times.

MN Twins will need to manage future aggressiveness

Unfortunately that aggressiveness also led to this injury, and it’s a tradeoff when considering stolen base tactics. It will be interesting to see if Keaschall makes adjustments to his equipment. This season he had worn a sliding mitt on his right hand, but not the left one he injured.

These thumb injuries have bit multiple players in the Twins organization over the past year. Roden and Keaschall joined prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez, who had surgery last offseason following a stolen base injury.

Minnesota will have a new manager next season after Rocco Baldelli was fired on Monday. It remains to be seen how the front office will retool the roster. If healthy though, Keaschall will be expected to operate as a key fixture in the lineup.

The Twins will be back in Fort Myers to kick things off in February, and Grapefruit League action will kick off not long after.

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