Sam Dyson officially has shoulder surgery, could miss 2020 season

The Minnesota Twins reliever had surgery on his ailing shoulder on Wednesday and it’s possible he could miss the entire 2020 season.

The Minnesota Twins thought they were getting a key cog for their postseason push when they acquired Sam Dyson on July 31. With the price tag of three prospects who were not listed on MLB Pipeline’s Top 30 Twins prospect list, the acquisition of Dyson seemed like a cost-effective option to bolster a bullpen that struggled in June and July.

While the bullpen has turned things around, Dyson has not been part of that process with two stints on the injured list and an ineffective performance on the field. After nearly a week of rumors circulating about Dyson’s condition, the right-hander was officially shelved for the rest of the season after undergoing shoulder surgery on Wednesday afternoon (via the Minneapolis Star Tribune’s Phil Miller).

After posting solid numbers with the Giants this year (2.47 ERA, 47 K, 7 BB in 51 IP), Dyson struggled mightily in a Twins uniform, allowing nine earned runs, three home runs and walking six batters in 11 1/3 innings.

While his performance on the field was a subject of conversation, the bigger question could be what happens next. Miller reported that Dyson could miss the 2020 season with the injury, meaning the Twins could non-tender the right-hander this winter and move on over paying him what Baseball Prospectus’ Aaron Gleeman estimated would be a $7 million salary via arbitration.

There is also a pending investigation against the Giants to see what exactly they knew about Dyson’s health prior to making the deadline deal with the Twins. While it’s unlikely Minnesota’s front office will find evidence against the Giants, it’s looking more like the Twins got duped in a deal they thought could be a missing piece to their bullpen.