Twins' Connor Prielipp proved he's too good for bullpen role in MLB debut

The Minnesota Twins' consensus No. 1 pitching prospect, lefty Connor Prielipp, proved he's too good for a bullpen role in his MLB debut against the New York Mets at Citi Field on Wednesday night, allowing two earned runs on four hits and no walks with six strikeouts in four innings as the Twins lost to the Mets 3-2. Prielipp threw just 82 pitches; he likely could've gone another inning if it were later in the season, but the Twins are being cautious with the lefty's pitch count this early in the season due to various injuries he's suffered throughout his professional and collegiate career. With Alabama, Prielipp threw just 28 innings from 2020-21. After being shelved for the entire 2022 season, the year the Twins drafted him in the second round of the MLB Draft, Prielipp threw 6 2/3 innings in 2023, 23 1/3 innings in 2024, and 82 2/3 innings in 2025.

Many believe that Prielipp would be best suited for a bullpen role due to his injury history, but his start on Wednesday displayed that he has way too much potential to be converted to a reliever. That could change if Prielipp begins to struggle or suffers several more brutal injuries in the near future. But for now, the Twins should keep him as a starter.

Will Prielipp keep his rotation spot when Twins RHP Mick Abel returns from the IL?

The Twins placed Abel on the 15-day injured list on April 20 (retroactive to April 17) with right elbow inflammation. Luckily, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reported that people in the Twins organization described Abel's injury as "not too serious." Hopefully, that means Abel, who threw 13 scoreless innings across his last two outings, will return as soon as he's eligible.

If Prielipp stays in the Twins' rotation for the time being, he'll probably make one or two more starts before Abel returns from the IL, assuming Abel's injury isn't "too serious."

If Prielipp continues to impress in the big leagues, it'll be difficult for the Twins to justify demoting him back to Triple-A St. Paul. Minnesota may consider going with a six-man rotation upon Abel's return. The team could also move righty Simeon Woods Richardson to a long-relief role.

Since it seems unlikely that the Twins would move Prielipp to a bullpen role when Abel returns, fans should either expect Prielipp to be demoted to Triple-A St. Paul or Woods Richardson to be moved out of the starting rotation. Despite some early-season struggles, Woods Richardson still appears to be a decent No. 5 starting pitcher. But the rotation would still be much better with Prielipp if the southpaw can live up to his full potential.

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