Outside of a few complaints over the lack of amenities at their temporary “stadium” — which has a maximum capacity of just 14,000 fans, an imperfect playing surface, and clubhouses that are in the outfield — the start of their four-game series against the Athletics has gone quite well.

After the Twins struggled to score runs in their last two series against the Rays and Mariners, Byron Buxton (4/10, 7 RBI), Trevor Larnach (4/10, HR, 2 RBI), Willi Castro (4/8, 2 HR, 2 RBI) and the boys have put up 20 runs in just two games against the A’s, to their 7.

Unfortunately, it’s not all sunshine and rainbows on the west coast this week. Before the 6th inning of Tuesday’s game in Sacramento, Pablo Lopez went out to warm up for what we thought would be another three outs of duty. Through 5 innings, the Minnesota Twins ace had allowed 2 earned runs on 4 hits, 3 walks and 4 strikeouts.

Pablo Lopez likely heading to Minnesota Twins injured list

After throwing a few warm-ups, though, Pablo called for trainer Nick Paparesta, before the two walked out to the outfield and into the Twins clubhouse. His teammates would go on to rally for nine runs and a win vs the A’s.

It became evident early that Lopez was heading for the injured list. When the official news broke late Wednesday night, however, it was worse than originally expected. Lopez’ injury is a grade two Teres Major strain, which will put Pablo on the shelf for two to three months.

MRI revealed a Grade 2 strain of the Teres Major in the right shoulder of Pablo López.
Expected to be out 8-12 weeks.#MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) June 5, 2025

Teres major (TM) is a small muscle that runs along the lateral border of the scapula. It is one of the seven scapulohumeral muscles that act around the glenohumeral joint to facilitate shoulder movement^[1].^[2] It’s sometimes called “lat’s little helper” because of its synergistic action with the latissimus dorsi.^[3]

Isolated tears of the teres major are quite uncommon, but may occur in baseball or cricket players, especially pitchers and bowlers^[8]. The main symptom of a teres major tear is a sudden sharp pain in the shoulder, upper arm and armpit.

physio-pedia.com

This is the same injury Joe Ryan suffered last season. For Ryan, it was diagnosed a 7-8 week injury. At the time, the Minnesota Twins were still in the playoff race. Even had they made the postseason, it’s unlikely Joe would have pitched. The timeline placed on Lopez gives them a lot more time.

The Minnesota Twins have relied on their pitching to dig them out of the 7-15 hole they dug themselves into, to start the season. Pablo leads a staff that ranks 6th in the MLB in ERA (3.32), 4th in ERA+ (125), 2nd in FIP (3.43) and 3rd in WHIP (1.159). Now, they need their bats to come alive.

Related: Minnesota Twins No. 1 Prospect is Finally Back

Losing Pablo Lopez, who along with Joe Ryan has carried the starting rotation for much of this season, will hurt. The Twins have already recalled David Festa from Triple-A St. Paul, to fill in for their ace while he is out.

Festa pitched three games in Lopez’ absence earlier this year, posting a 1.38 ERA, 1.308 WHIP and 15 strikeouts in 13 big league innings. At Triple-A St. Paul, the 25-year-old out of Seton Hall has a 2.83 ERA, 0.977 WHIP and 111 ERA+ in 28.2 innings pitched (10.7 K/9).

Most recently, Matt Wallner finally re-joined the club over the weekend. He hit a homer in his first at-bat back, after a month and a half on the shelf. But even he couldn’t save the 31-27 Twins from dropping two of three in Seattle, after doing the same earlier in the week, across the country in Tampa.

Unfortunately, news on the injury front is not as positive down on the farm, where top prospect after top prospect continue to be stashed on the injured list. Walker Jenkins — a top 10 MLB prospect by most accounts — has played just two games this season, thanks to an ankle injury that stems back to Spring Training.

Emmanuel Rodriguez injured at Triple-A for Minnesota Twins

Emmanuel Rodriguez — ranked in the top 25 by MLB.com and Baseball America — has been dealing with his own ankle injury, but up until now, had remained mostly available, playing in 39 of the St. Paul Saints 54 games this season. But on Monday, the oft-injured young outfielder landed on the injured list.

#MNTwins placed Emmanuel Rodriguez on the Triple-A injured list with what the Saints are calling a "right hip injury."

Rodriguez hit .232/.400/.392 in 39 games.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) June 2, 2025

Emmanuel Rodriguez went on the 7-day IL at Triple A today with a right hip strain. Potential timeline is 2-4 weeks. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) June 3, 2025

If there are three things synonymous with Emmanuel Rodriguez so far during his professional career, they are patience, power, and injuries. The Minnesota Twins star prospect has constantly been tied to all three since signing with the Twins back in 2021, when he was just a teenager.

Last season Rodriguez played in just 47 games after dealing with a thumb injury that ultimately required season-ending surgery. He got 99 games in with Cedar Rapids during 2023, but it’s the only season of his five-year career in which he has played more games than the 47 he played last season.

This year, his first full season at Triple-A, Rodriguez has performed to his offensive track record. He owns a .232/.400/.392 slash line. The outfielder has posted six doubles, a triple, and four home runs with a 56/32 K/BB ratio.

You want more long balls, we'll give you more. How about a 2-run blast from a Top 100 prospect. Emmanuel Rodriguez goes yard over the right-center field wall, his third of the season, ties the game at seven in the 4th. This game is wild pic.twitter.com/4ZbDZNWgH0

— St. Paul Saints (@StPaulSaints) May 17, 2025

Payton Eeles activated by Saints, Yunior Severino sent to IL

Amidst the roster shuffling for St. Paul on Monday, they do get Payton Eeles back. He is an independent baseball success story that has climbed the Twins minor league ranks. Mike Ford was released and Yunior Severino joined Rodriguez on the IL.

Related: Young Minnesota Twins Star Down on His Luck and Confidence

Eeles is someone to watch. The 25-year-old made it from Single-A to Triple-A last season. He owned a .299/.419/.500 slash line last summer in St. Paul (64 games). It wouldn’t be a shock to see the utility infielder debut with Minnesota this season, especially should he come out of the gates hot.

Some Twins minor league news for the @StPaulSaints, and there's a bad update:

Mike Ford has been released
Payton Eeles reinstated from the IL
Emmanuel Rodriguez placed on the IL (right hip)
Yunior Severino placed on the IL (left oblique)

— Ted (@tlschwerz) June 2, 2025

Rodriguez last played on May 30 for St. Paul, when he was lifted mid-game for Jeferson Morales, then proceeded to miss each of the Saints next two games. Unfortunately, E-Rod’s bad hip forced him to the injured list he had tried so hard to avoid.

How long will the Twins miss E-Rod this time?

Emmanuel Rodriguez is a capable centerfielder, but he is more likely destined for a corner spot, once he makes it to the big leagues. His patience at the plate can be to his detriment, and is a reason the average sags. He does have legitimate plus-power and is considered a consensus top 25 prospect across baseball.

Each year, an injury seems to befall Rodriguez, just like so many high-end prospects before him. The severity of this hip injury has not yet been reported, but the timing isn’t great. Rodriguez is on the 40-man and would be a candidate to make his big league debut, had he continued to hit and stay on the field. ESPN Insider Kiley McDaniel recently noted this exact concern about Rodriguez.

“Rodriguez gets hurt a lot but is at Triple-A doing his usual thing: low average, crazy-high walk rate, power and solid center-field defense.”

Kiley McDaniel – ESPN

McDaniel called Rodriguez the Twins “next to debut” but this certainly throws water on that. Carson McCusker got a promotion only after a rash of injuries. DaShawn Keirsey Jr. was optioned after Matt Wallner returned, and his .109/.136/.156 line won’t earn him a return all too soon.

Related: Three Weaknesses the Minnesota Twins Should Address Before MLB Trade Deadline

Theoretically Rodriguez could have been next in line if Minnesota needed a regular outfielder. The 22 year old’s latest injury puts a wrench in the plan though. The hope should be that this injury doesn’t cost him significant time, but that’s never been a reality for the Dominican Republic native.

After losing four-straight, including three of four in Cleveland, the MN Twins open a new series on Tuesday evening against the Baltimore Orioles, after taking two of three in Fenway over the Boston Red Sox this weekend. Over the past three weeks the Twins have been riding a rollercoaster of winning and losing stretches.

• 4/13-4/16: WON 3-of-4 (Tigers, Mets)
• 4/18-4/20: LOST 3-Straight (Braves)
• 4/22-4/28: WON 6-of-7 (White Sox, Angels, Guardians)
• 4/29-5/2: LOST 4-Straight (Guardians, Red Sox)
• 5/3-5/4: WON 2-Straight (Red Sox)

To this point, the Twins’ have kept their season afloat without 2017 No. 1 overall draft pick Royce Lewis, a key piece to their lineup puzzle both now and in the future. But that will not be the case, going forward.

Minnesota Twins activate Royce Lewis, Willi Castro

On Monday, Minnesota’s lineup got a whole lot better when both Lewis and 2024 All-Star utility man, Willi Castro were officially activated off the injured list. In corresponding roster moves, the Twins optioned infielders Edouard Julien and Mickey Gasper to Triple A.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/NoHdfJ3yYu

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) May 5, 2025

Royce Lewis, who turns 26 years old in June, will step into the batter’s box on Tuesday at Target Field with all sorts of questions. Beyond his chronic inability to stay healthy early in his career, Lewis fell off a productivity cliff during the second half of 2024, finishing with a disappointing .233 batting average and 74/28 K/BB ratio.

Related: Other MLB Teams Eyeing Up Minnesota Twins Ace Pitcher Already

Yet, even at his worst, Royce Lewis put up a respectable .747 OPS and 106 OPS+ last year. In an injury riddled first three seasons of his MLB career, Royce Lewis has hit .268 with an impressive .825 OPS and 126 OPS+. Optioning Julien means Brooks Lee and Willi Castro will split time at second base.

Castro will also spell Lewis plenty at third base. Prior to his injury, Willi Castro was struggling at the plate, hitting just .227 with a .655 OPS and 84 OPS+. In 2024, the 28-year-old Puerto Rican made the AL All-Star Game as a Utility Fielder, a new position added to the roster last year.

Castro, Lewis replace Mickey Gasper and Eddie Julien

With two-plus seasons as a member of the Minnesota Twins, Castro holds a .249 batting average, .725 OPS and 101 OPS+. He’s a swiss army knife who can play anywhere on the field, outside of catcher. Unfortunately, he isn’t a plus-fielder at any position, something that bares its ugly head every once in a while.

But no matter, because the Twins want and need fielders with position flexibility. And when it comes to utility players in the MLB, they don’t get much better than Willi Castro. Without a doubt, he’ll fill the role better than Mickey Gasper, who batted .176 with a .488 OPS in 34 at bats for the Twins, in Castro’s absence.

Mickey Gasper finally got his first big league hit and his family got to see it!pic.twitter.com/0pjbt3WTKF

— Tyler Milliken (@tylermilliken_) March 29, 2025

Related: Umpire Cusses Himself Out on Hot Mic After MN Twins’ Successful Challenge

Eddie Julien heads back down to St. Paul after riding the MLB struggle bus yet again. We all knew the 26-year-old second baseman would bring down the defense, but he was supposed to bring a bat on offense that made you forget about all that. Instead, we’ve wanted to forget he ever got called up in the first place.

In 91 at bats in 2025, Eddie Julien is batting below the Mendoza Line, at .198, with a .607 OPS and 71 OPS+ (-0.4 WAR). If the Canadian kid can’t figure things out soon, he will be out of opportunities with the Minnesota Twins.

Minnesota Twins roster moves: Castro –> IL | Festa –> AAA | Gasper –> MLB

Prior to the game this afternoon, Minnesota announced a couple of roster moves — 2024 MLB All-Star utility man Willi Castro is finally going on the injured list. Taking his place on the big league roster is career minor league utility man, Mickey Gasper.

Oh, and right-handed starter David Festa — who threw 84 pitches (4 IP, 2 R, 4 H, 5 SO) vs Chicago on Wednesday is being optioned to Triple A St. Paul. For now, there is no corresponding move for Festa’s demotion, but there will be soon, as the Twins are expected to activate their ace Pablo Lopez from the injured list.

We have made the following roster moves: pic.twitter.com/U9JpdcWR9p

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 24, 2025

The most notable piece of Thursday’s roster move announcement is Willi Castro’s new injured list designation. In hopes of a fast recovery from his oblique strain, the MN Twins kept Castro on the active roster for a full week while he was unavailable.

Because of that, they can only set his IL date back to April 21. Now, instead of 10 days without Willi Castro, the Twins will go at least two weeks without him. It’s just the latest in head-scratching injury decisions by this organization. Before his injury, Castro was batting .227 with .655 OPS and 87 OPS+.

Related: MLB Insider Names Minnesota Twins Most Likely Trade Candidate

Mickey Gasper, 29, got the second legitimate MLB opportunity of his professional baseball career early this season with the Minnesota Twins and he fumbled it, batting .111 with a brutal .384 OPS and 16 OPS+ in 18 at bats. If he can’t turn things around, he might be selling insurance by the end of the season.

Pablo Lopez ready for return to Minnesota Twins staff

Pablo Lopez is expected to pitch for the Twins on Friday, in game one of three vs the Angels. It will be nice having him back in the rotation, especially if he can return to his pre-injury form. Through his first three starts (16.2 IP), Lopez has compiled a 1.62 ERA, 1.020 WHIP (14 K, 2 BB).

Pablo López, Filthy 88mph Changeup. 👌 pic.twitter.com/4sEQCQ51SP

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) April 9, 2025

While he was out, though, David Festa did a great job in his place. The two runs he allowed on Wednesday vs the White Sox were the first earned runs he’s given up all season (3 starts). Over 13 innings pitched, Festa racked up 15 strikeouts to 5 walks, posting a 1.38 ERA and 2.33 FIP in that time.

Unfortunately, as has been the case for the 30-year-old out of Air Force for most of this season, Griffin Jax as not up for the task. After striking out Austin Riley to start the inning, he walked Ozuna, allowed a single to Matt Olson, then an infield single to Sean Murphy, before he was pulled.

Cole Sands then entered the game, and unloaded the bases, plus more. When it was all said and done, the Braves put up 5 runs, before turning the bats back over to the Twins, who went three-and-out in the 9th. Game over.

Listen to Truist Park ROAR on the Drake Baldwin go ahead base hit

pic.twitter.com/NRs8wvCLyF

— Peyton (@PeytonTowry) April 19, 2025

Now 6-13, most of the good vibes Minnesota had built up during their streak of three wins in four games, including a series victory over the loaded New York Mets, have been erased. But, there is some good news.

Brock Stewart is back

On Saturday, the Twins made yet another roster move in the bullpen. This time, however, it was to activate right-handed reliever, Brock Stewart. The corresponding move was to option lefty Kody Funderburk back down to Triple A, bringing the LHP bullpen count down to one, Danny Coulombe.

We have made the following roster move: pic.twitter.com/b4fIYVOoJF

— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 19, 2025

We haven’t seen a lot of Brock Stewart over the last two seasons, since he signed with the Minnesota Twins back in the summer of 2022. After recovering from injury all of 2021 and pitching in the minors for all of 2022, Stewart emerged in the Twins bullpen in late-April.

What does Stewart bring to Minnesota Twins bullpen?

From April 27 to June 25, the now 33-year-old was the best pitcher in a pretty loaded reliever group, posting a 0.70 ERA, 2.44 FIP and .172 BA against, in 25.2 innings of work. Then, he hit the injured list for three months, finally returning just before the Twins’ playoff run, tossing another scoreless two innings of work from September 26 to October 1.

Related: Luke Keaschall Debut Forces Shuffling of Minnesota Twins Rosters

In 2024, Brock Stewart started the season in the Minnesota Twins bullpen, where he was completely dominant yet again… until he hit the injured list at the start of May and missed the rest of the season, outside of a few starts at the end of July, where he was not the same pitcher.

He has not played a regular season game since. But at least for now, he is back in the Twins bullpen, and hopefully he is right. In 43.1 total innings with the MN Twins, Stewart has accumulated a 2.28 ERA, 2.78 FIP and 12.3 K/9 ratio. If he is indeed as healthy as he claims, this is a huge addition to the bullpen.

Brock Stewart ⛽️

And is Fired Up. 🔥 pic.twitter.com/JAhOhkelyb

— Rob Friedman (@PitchingNinja) October 4, 2023

brock stewart bent space and time pic.twitter.com/0LLVQ3uKFl

— parker hageman (@HagemanParker) April 25, 2024

Now, the 7-12 Twins will get a day of rest on Thursday, before starting a new series down in Atlanta vs the Braves on Friday. Unfortunately, there was plenty of bad news to go along with their victories on Tuesday and Wednesday.

Matt Wallner to Minnesota Twins injured list; Willi Castro hurt too

In game two of their three-game set vs the other New York team on Tuesday evening, Minnesota lost Carlos Correa (wrist) and Matt Wallner (hamstring) to injuries. Neither was in the starting lineup on Wednesday afternoon, but Correa did make a late-game appearance as a defensive replacement at shortstop. After the win, Wallner was placed on injured reserve.

To make matters worse, do-it-all utility 2024 All-Star Willi Castro left Wednesday’s win with “tightness in his right oblique” that manager Rocco Baldelli believes to be a minor injury. Of course, we’ve all heard that way too many times to feel any sort of comfort regarding Castro’s future availability.

Wallner to IL..corresponding move to come.

Castro with slight oblique strain.

— LaVelle E. Neal III (@LaVelleNeal) April 16, 2025

Unlike Correa and Wallner, the Twins won’t miss the -39 defensive runs saved that Willi Castro brings to the table, but they will miss his versatility and competency at just about any defensive position you play him at. So far this season, Castro — who’s hitting .206 with 1 HR, 4 RBI and a .609 OPS in 63 at bats — has played 2B, 3B, SS, LF and even pitcher.

Related: Talented Twins Reliever Starts Up Latest Return Attempt

Losing leadoff hitter Matt Wallner to the injured list will hurt the Twins all over. Batting .263 with 7 runs and 3 RBI (.847 OPS), the Forest Lake, MN native was leading the 2025 squad in WAR (0.7) through 18 games, prior to suffering his hamstring injury. Not only that, but he had also proven himself as a very solid defensive option in RF.

Carlos Correa injury seems less concerning…

Thankfully, it doesn’t seem like Carlos Correa is in the same boat as Wallner. The wrist injury that forced the Minnesota Twins’ $35 million man out of the lineup today is something that has apparently bothered Correa from time to time, throughout his career.

“Since last year, I’ve been dealing with it. But we did an MRI last year, too, on it, and it didn’t show anything too serious. It’s just about keeping it strong and making sure that it’s stable, just strengthening it. And I just felt, like, a tweak on the swing-and-miss, and then when I hit the foul ball, I felt pain in the area. But get it checked out, get an MRI tomorrow. It shouldn’t be anything too serious.”

Carlos Correa (via The Athletic)

Baldelli believes he’ll be able to play through this time around and it was a good sign that he was able to play defense Wednesday instead of following his teammate to the injured list. Now, we’ll wait anxiously to see if the 3x All-Star returns to the starting lineup on Friday, in Atlanta.

Related: Minnesota Twins Sign Another Depth Reliever to Minor League Deal

Swinging a bat with a bad wrist is much different than playing defense. If he is going to be in the batting order, though, the Minnesota Twins need Carlos Correa — who is batting an abysmal .164 through 61 at bats, with 5 runs, 4 RBI and a brutal .473 OP — to be a lot better.

Rocco Baldelli on Carlos Correa's sore left wrist. #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/KlaQNiauS2

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) April 16, 2025

Unfortunately, the Twins will not have their ace starting pitcher for his regularly scheduled turns through the rotation, the first of which was scheduled for Sunday afternoon. Pablo Lopez left his latest start (Tuesday) in the 5th inning, due what was then diagnosed as a “mild” right hamstring strain.

After the game, when asked for an update on his No. 1 starter, Rocco Baldelli described Lopez’ hamstring injury as “very mild”. At the time, the Twins manager made it very clear that he and the training staff had no plans to place the 29-year-old Venezuelan on injured reserve or make any changes to the starting rotation.

Rocco Baldelli and the Twins seem pretty confident that Pablo Lopez' hamstring injury is "very mild"… pic.twitter.com/9oCOzfwcDi

— Minnesota Sports Fan (@realmnsportsfan) April 9, 2025

Pablo Lopez heading to Minnesota Twins injured list

That was until they saw Pablo Lopez’ MRI results the next day. Whatever that test revealed was not what the MN Twins were expecting. Because just 24 hours after Rocco assured media and fans that the veteran starter’s injury was “very mild”, it no appears the hamstring strain is worse than initially thought.

Related: New Day, New Minnesota Twins Top Prospect Injured

According to Dan Hayes (The Athletic), Lopez is expected to be placed on the 15 day injured list. After he misses those three starts, the Twins “hope” Pablo will be ready to return to the rotation. Of course, given how injury absences tend to be elongated with the Falvey + Baldelli regime, fans should probably hope with caution.

Pablo López with a Grade 1 hamstring strain. Almost certainly headed to 15-day IL. Hope is a minimum stay. #MNTwins

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) April 10, 2025

Before going on the injured list, Pablo Lopez had gotten his ERA all the way down to 1.68 over 16.2 innings pitched. After giving up 4 runs on 8 hits in 5 innings vs the St. Louis Cardinals on Opening Day, the MN Twins ace had allowed just 2 runs on 7 hits over his next 11.2 innings, before removing himself from Wednesday’s start.

Zebby Mathews likely to replace Lopez in Twins rotation

There is a little bit of good news that comes with Pablo’s trip to the injured list. We’ll likely get our first chance to see Zebby Matthews pitch in a Minnesota Twins uniform this season. In his big league debut last summer, the 24-year-old Matthews struggled to find his groove, throwing 37.2 innings with a 6.69 ERA, 1.65 WHIP and 5.71 FIP.

But after two starts with St. Paul to start 2025, Zebby appears determined to get back to the MLB and stay there. Matthews has thrown 10 innings, allowing 2 runs (1.80 ERA) on 2 hits and 1 walk (0.60 WHIP), racking up 13 strikeouts in the process.

A Zebby Matthews recall to the big leagues feels imminent after last night’s start and Pablo Lopez’s injury

5 IP
4 H
2 ER
BB
9 K
14 Whiffs

Pitch velo was up across the board compared to his season averages as well, and if the velo gains stick Matthews has the upside of a… pic.twitter.com/oV9o65IvHs

— Owen Hurd (@Owen_FBB) April 9, 2025

Zebby Matthews dialed it up to 99.2 MPH in his first start of the season. His previous career high was 97.5 MPH

Matthews was always lauded for his great command, and now he is supplementing it with some of the best stuff he's ever thrown!pic.twitter.com/WYdcKa7Wg6

— Thomas Nestico (@TJStats) April 4, 2025

For a team that had projections of winning the AL Central division, nothing gone well out of the gates, and that includes player health. While they did receive some positive news on Brooks Lee this week, after he started a rehab assignment down in Florida, before it was moved to Triple A St. Paul two days later.

Walker Jenkins on the Double-A injured list for MN Twins

But as could have been expected, as soon as one former top prospect is about to get healthy, the Minnesota Twins current top prospect — 2023 No. 5 overall draft pick Walker Jenkins — is now hurt. On Wednesday, the Double A Wichita Wind Surge placed the 20-year-old center fielder on injured reserve.

#MNTwins top prospect Walker Jenkins was placed on the Double-A Wichita injured list with a left ankle sprain.

Same ankle injury Jenkins was sidelined by during spring training. He played two games for Wichita.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 9, 2025

As Gleeman reports, this is the same ankle injury that forced Walker Jenkins to miss time during spring training. The South Brunswick high school graduate came into the 2025 season as a consensus top five prospect in baseball.

This, after he posted a .282/.394/.439 slash line last season with 22 doubles, four triples, and six home runs between low A and Double A ball last summer. It’s plausible the 20-year-old actually debuts with in the big leagues this season, but that’s only going to happen if he stay on the field and produce.

In 2024, Jenkins hurt himself on Opening Day, an injury that ultimately limited his season to just 82 games. This time around, the Wilmington, NC kid played just a pair of Double-A games, before finding his way to the shelf. Prior to landing on IR, Jenkins started the Wichita season 1-for-8 with a pair of strikeouts.

Walker Jenkins (ankle; day-to-day) was ruled out for the second straight game

Brian Dinkelman says his injury has been a "nagging discomfort" and they'll play it safe

"If it means sitting out a few days to be good for the next four months, that's hopefully where we're at" pic.twitter.com/O6KgXeimyE

— Noah Sacco (@NoahSaccoTV) April 9, 2025

Minnesota Twins top prospects bring all the injury risk

It remains to be seen how long his absence will be. Of course, the Twins will be cautious when it comes to getting Jenkins back on the field, as they should be. He is a huge part of their future.

For years Minnesota Twins fans have brought frustration to the table when it comes to their evaluation of Byron Buxton. He is a former top prospect that has struggled to stay on the field, and his 100+ games last year was just the second time he accomplished such a feat during his career.

Related: MN Twins Give Optimistic Update on Pablo Lopez Injury

Jenkins isn’t the only top prospect in the Twins system who’s been dealing with injuries this spring. Their second-best prospect, Emmanuel Rodriguez, missed much of spring training because of an ankle injury of his own.

Then, in the second game of the St. Paul Saints’ regular season, Rodriguez jammed his thumb which caused him to miss another game or two. Remember, Rodriguez had to have surgery on his other thumb this offseason.

Minnesota Twins place Carlos Correa and Chris Paddack on injured list

In fact, neither does the 26-man roster anymore, after he was placed on the injured list Saturday, after receiving a platelet-rich plasma injection. Starting pitcher Chris Paddack is going back on the IL, along with Correa. Replacing them on the roster will be Eddie Julien and Austin Martin.

#MNTwins placed Carlos Correa (right plantar fasciitis) and Chris Paddack (right forearm strain) on the injured list.

They recalled Edouard Julien from Triple-A St. Paul and activated Austin Martin from the injured list.

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 20, 2024

This comes one week after Carlos Correa told reporters that this most recent case of plantar fasciitis was much less serious than what he suffered from throughout last season. During one of the best first halves of his career, the 29-year-old shortstop played in 75 of the Twins’ 96 games, hitting .308 with an .896 OPS. He has hit 13 home runs and driven in 47 RBI.

Another minor injury turns out to be not so minor

Correa’s latest case of plantar is not in the same foot as last season and it was supposed to be so unserious that at the time Carlos relayed his new injury news to reporters last weekend in San Francisco, he still planned to play in the All-Star game.

Related: Don’t Worry About the Minnesota Twins Making the Playoffs…

One week later, he’s on the injured list and out of the lineup. For how long? Good luck figuring that out. Rocco Baldelli told reporters today that his stay on the IL is expected to be “shorter than”… “several weeks to a month”. Whatever that means.

#MNTwins don't have a timeline for Carlos Correa yet, but Rocco Baldelli said: "We don't think it's going to be several weeks to a month. We think it's going to be shorter than that."

Correa is staying off his feet after a platelet-rich plasma injection. https://t.co/C0tRkNQMSb

— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) July 20, 2024

We cannot trust anything that Minnesota Twins players tell reporters, regarding their injuries. Clearly, they and the team’s medical professionals are not on the same page. This Carlos Correa situation is only the latest example.

We’ve heard multiple stories, just this season, on players who thought they were less injured than the injured list stint they were assigned. Royce Lewis is the loudest example, but Alex Kirilloff and Brock Stewart have also had issues relaying, communicating or reporting their injuries, at some point this season. Why that keeps happening is anyone’s best guess.

What is going on with Chris Paddack?

This Correa injury is going to overshadow Chris Paddack’s latest trip to the injured list. But remember, Paddack just recently returned after needing a couple of weeks off for what he told reporters was “dead arm”. He made two starts after his break. His velocity was back up a bit and the results were much better.

In 10 innings, Paddack had a 2.37 ERA, .653 OPS against and 3.57 FIP, numbers that are all up compared to his season averages. We do not know if this forearm strain has anything to do with the “dead arm” The Sheriff was dealing with earlier in the season.

Byron Buxton has been added to the Division Series roster as an injury replacement for Alex Kirilloff, who went 0-for-9 with 4 strikeouts in the 2023 MLB Postseason. The nearly 30-year-old oft-injured Buxton has not appeared in a Major League Baseball game since August 1.

BREAKING: Byron Buxton has been added to the #MNTwins playoff roster. He’s an injury replacement for Alex Kirilloff.

— DanHayesMLB (@DanHayesMLB) October 11, 2023

Buck has suffered through a variety of injuries throughout his professional career, including broken/sprained fingers (2014 – AZ Fall Lg) and thumbs (2015 – MLB), a broken hand (MLB – 2021), fractured toe (2018 – Rehab Assn), torn labrum (2018 – MLB), a concussion (2014 – AA) and recurring migraines (2018 – MLB).

But his most recent injury has been diagnosed and reported as patellar tendinitis, which is a product of the arthroscopic knee surgery he had in the offseason. Even with his vast variety of injury issues, his knee problems have arisen as the biggest threat to Buxton’s MLB career.

Byron Buxton on Twins roster, NOT in starting lineup

Related: Disguised Kirk Cousins Spotted at Twins vs Astros Sitting Amongst Common Fans Yet Again

The Twins’ starting lineup for game 4 has already dropped and Buxton is not in it. But, there is a very real possibility we see him up at the plate tonight, at some point, if given an opportunity to spark some magic.

First pitch is at 6:07 p.m. CT. Get all the details on how to watch here: ALDS: How to watch the Minnesota Twins vs Houston Astros – Game 4

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan