After being one of Major League Baseball's best teams in May, one of the biggest keys for the Minnesota Twins moving forward was to remain healthy. With a pitching staff that is among the best in baseball, as well as Byron Buxton healthy and returning to his All-Star form, the Twins were primed to make a run at one of the Wild Card spots in the American League. While the Twins remain in the Wild Card race, the goal of staying healthy has taken a hit.
An apparent shoulder injury forced Pablo López to leave his start against the Athletics early. On Wednesday, the Twins provided devastating confirmation López will miss the next 8-to-12 weeks with a Grade 2 strain in his pitching shoulder.
López's injury is one that Twins fans are all too familiar with. In August of last season, Joe Ryan suffered the same injury and was forced to miss the remainder of the season, given that he was on the same recovery timeline as Lopez is this season. The good news for López, as The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman pointed out, is that Ryan's injury did not require surgery.
Twins are already planning for Pablo López's return
Twins' manager Rocco Baldelli expressed an optimistic outlook for López's potential return while speaking with reporters on Wednesday.
“We’re just going to aim at getting back on the field in the most responsible fashion and let him heal up fully,” Baldelli told the Twins' beat. “But I truly believe he’s going to be out there pitching for us, probably not at the very end of the year. We’re talking like he’ll be able to pitch significantly for us this year. We’re going to stay optimistic and let him do his thing.”
In the interim, the plan is for David Festa to take López's spot in the rotation. The Twins have the pitching depth to withstand López being sidelined, as they did earlier this season. However, a two-month absence for their presumed ace could have them inching closer to standing pat at the Trade Deadline in July instead of making an aggressive buy.