Just like last year, the Minnesota Twins decided to do the bare minimum at the trade deadline and instead hope for the best when it comes to players the team was getting back.
As was was case a year ago, that plan isn't exactly working out.
Minnesota was banking on some of its injured players to bounce back and essentially act as acquisitions without having to actually make any. Brock Stewart was the first domino to fall, as his season ended not long after the deadline passed. Justin Topa, who was acquired over the winter, suffered a setback during his rehab assignment and is now unlikely to pitch this year.
Alex Kirilloff has seemingly joined the growing pile of players whose season is probably over.
On Saturday the Twins pulled Kirilloff off his rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints after he suffered an issue with his back. While there's no timeline for his return, it doesn't take a genius to put together that this injury is happening at the worst possible time.
Kirilloff found himself on the IL under some dubious circumstances earlier this year. After a brutal offensive slump, he was optioned back to Triple-A but that move was soon halted. It was revealed that Kirilloff had been suffering from a back issue that he didn't tell the team about.
That same back soreness seems to be the reason for his rehab assignment coming to a halt.
The #MNTwins say that Alex Kirilloff has been pulled off his rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul due to a flare-up of soreness in his back.
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) August 25, 2024
Not only is this a devastating setback in terms of this season, but it calls into question what Kirilloff's future with the team is. Jose Miranda went through something similar last season where injuries and subpar play seemingly made him expendable as he was edged out of the third base role by Royce Lewis.
He managed to turn things around this year, but part of why that was so impressive to watch is how infrequently it happens. Kirilloff doesn't have the sort of pressure behind him that Miranda did with Lewis, but the Twins will need to start asking a serious question about what the future at first base looks like.
Ideally Kirilloff is in that picture, but these last few seasons have left a lot to be desired. What makes is frustrating is how good he's looked when he's on his game, but we've only seen brief glimpses of that.
Kirilloff is arbitration-eligible through 2028, which means he's probably not going anywhere since the Twins can tender him and reach a cheap settlement with him this winter. The clock is ticking, though, for Kirilloff to figure things out before he finds himself on the wrong side of a tough decision somewhere down the road.
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