The Minnesota Twins have MacGuyver’d their starting rotation throughout the 2026 season, but there appeared to be some light at the end of the tunnel. With Bailey Ober making his way back from an elbow injury, the Twins were set to be as close to full strength as possible entering Thursday’s season finale against the Cleveland Guardians. But those dreams were dashed when Connor Prielipp was placed on the 15-day injured list with a blister on his left middle finger.
The Twins called up Kendry Rojas from Triple-A St. Paul to replace Prielipp on the active roster, but it’s still a blow to their rotation. With Ober back, Prielipp’s injury continues a game of whack-a-mole the Twins have had in the rotation and will have the Twins going a little bit longer before operating at full strength.
Connor Prielipp’s injury is another obstacle for the Twins’ starting rotation
Prielipp had been adjusting to life in the major leagues during his rookie season, posting a 2-5 record with a 5.00 ERA in 13 starts. But he is a sure-fire bet to surpass his career-high in innings pitched, with 81.1 innings between the Twins and St. Paul. After setting the mark with 82.2 innings between Triple-A and Double-A Wichita last year, the blister may be a way to limit his innings. But it also puts another hole in the Twins’ rotation.
Ober should fill some of that void as he was 6-3 with a 4.59 ERA in 12 starts before going on the injured list with a right flexor strain and right elbow inflammation. The Twins have also used Rojas as an opener, but he hasn’t gone more than four innings in any of his six appearances and owns a 18.3% walk rate over 16.1 innings at the major league level.
With the added risk that Ober could aggravate his injury, it will require more creativity from the Twins rotation. Pablo Lopez’s Tommy John surgery dealt the first blow to the group and the injuries have piled up from there as Mick Abel had to re-start his rehab from an elbow injury and Taj Bradley has also spent time on the injured list this season.
Zebby Matthews has also reclaimed a spot in the rotation, going 4-5 with a 4.43 ERA in 10 starts this season, but the rest of the group has been a roll of the dice with Mike Paredes also filling a back-end spot.
With Andrew Morris thriving in a setup role, it’s unlikely the Twins will stretch him out to take one of those spots. But Prielipp’s injury puts a further strain on the rotation and should make Minnesota wish for a day when they have five healthy starters to reinforce their push toward the playoffs.
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