Before the news broke that Pablo López will likely undergo Tommy John surgery after tearing his UCL during live batting practice on Monday, he was slated to headline the Minnesota Twins' 2026 starting rotation along with Joe Ryan and Bailey Ober. We didn't know exactly how the final two spots would look, but based on experience, Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley appeared to have the best odds to claim the roles.
Hopefully, the Twins replace López with a free-agent signing such as Lucas Giolito or Zack Littell. But if they don't, Woods Richardson and Bradley will likely slot in as the No. 3 and No. 4 starters, with Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel likely to compete for the No. 5 starter position. Minnesota could also roll with a six-man rotation.
Twins' Mick Abel, Zebby Matthews have wide-open path to claim starting rotation spot at spring training after brutal Pablo López injury news
Even before López's injury, Abel and Matthews were certainly in the conversation to begin the season in the starting rotation. Woods Richardson and Bradley just have more MLB experience, giving them a better chance to start the 2026 campaign in the big-league rotation.
The Twins acquired Abel, 24, and highly-touted catching prospect Eduardo Tait from the Philadelphia Phillies for closer Jhoan Durán at last year's Trade Deadline. After joining the Twins last season, Abel performed well in five starts with the St. Paul Saints (1.85 ERA over 24 1/3 innings) but struggled significantly at the big-league level, surrendering 13 earned runs on 18 hits and seven walks in four outings (two starts) across 14 innings. However, he ended the season on a good note, hurling six scoreless innings with nine strikeouts against his former team in Philadelphia on Sept. 27.
As for Matthews, the 25-year-old righty had a 5.56 ERA with 88 strikeouts and 24 walks in 79 1/3 innings across 16 starts with Minnesota last season. He dominated at the Triple-A level, pitching to a 1.72 ERA in 36 2/3 innings over eight starts. Manager Derek Shelton said Matthews will start the spring training opener against the University of Minnesota Golden Gophers on Friday, per The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman.
While López's injury is extremely unfortunate, it gives Abel and Matthews higher odds of making the starting rotation out of spring training. Both young righties have the talent to be stars at the big-league level. They just haven't proved it yet.