After a promising start to his big-league career, Minnesota Twins left-handed starting pitcher Connor Prielipp has run into trouble. Over his first five starts with Minnesota, Prielipp, who made his MLB debut on April 22, posted a 2.88 ERA with 29 strikeouts, nine walks and a .165 opponent batting average across 25 innings. Since then, the southpaw has had two straight disastrous outings, allowing six runs (five earned) on seven hits and three walks to the Boston Red Sox over four innings at Fenway Park last week before surrendering six earned runs on eight hits and three walks to the Chicago White Sox across 4 1/3 innings in Wednesday night's loss at Rate Field.
When Mick Abel returns from the injured list, Prielipp, 25, may be the odd man out in the rotation. It seemed the lefty's roster spot would be safe for a while after his first five starts, but his recent rough patch may have Minnesota considering optioning him to Triple-A St. Paul soon. The fact that Prielipp, the Twins' top pitching prospect, threw a career-high 82 2/3 innings last year and has already thrown 49 innings this season is another reason the Twins may consider demoting him. By optioning Prielipp, the Twins would have more freedom to give him more rest between starts, which may be necessary given the lefty's injury history.
Prielipp must step up game before Abel returns to keep roster spot
It seems shortsighted to option Prielipp due to just two rough starts. If Prielipp can pitch as he did during his first five starts in the likely limited time between now and Abel's return, it'll be difficult for the Twins to justify optioning him. But if his recent struggles continue, there's a good chance he will be sent back to Triple-A St. Paul.
Even if Prielipp suffers a demotion, the lefty should be back in the majors later this year. Someone in the rotation will likely suffer an injury at some point, and Prielipp would likely take their spot if he's healthy.
If the Twins demote Prielipp upon Abel's return, the team's rotation will most likely consist of Abel, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley and Zebby Matthews.
The Twins look to avoid a series loss when they take on the White Sox for the finale of a four-game set on Thursday. The game is scheduled to begin at 1:10 p.m. CDT and will be available to watch on Twins.TV.
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