Twins RHP Pablo López plays catch for first time since Tommy John surgery
The Twins received good news regarding right-handed starting pitcher Pablo López on Friday. Before Minnesota's 6-2 loss to the San Diego Padres at Petco Park, López played catch for the first time since undergoing Tommy John surgery, according to MLB.com's Cole Bradley.
López threw from roughly 30-45 feet during the throwing session. Manager Derek Shelton closely observed López.
“It felt good, and what a place to do it, San Diego is perfect,” López said. “It was nerve wracking. I felt like I was warming up to throw a postseason game, because they let me do my normal pre-throw routine, which I had to figure out on the spot. I was trying to remember. So I went through some muscle memory, transitioned from one station to the other. But once I got out there, I was able to just feel the arm path. From such a short distance, 30-45 feet, there’s not going to be a lot of air under the ball. It’s really just getting into a good rhythm, feeling your tempo.”
According to Bradley, López will build volume and distance during throwing sessions before progressing further. There isn't a clear timeline for when those steps will occur.
López underwent Tommy John surgery back in February. He won't return to in-game action until 2027, but his recent update is an encouraging sign nonetheless.
Twins LHP Kendry Rojas exits Triple-A start with apparent injury
While the Twins received good injury news regarding López on Friday, they unfortunately got a rough update on left-hander Kendry Rojas.
Rojas made the start for Triple-A St. Paul on Friday. He apparently grimaced after throwing a pitch in the second inning and exited the game following a meeting at the mound.
Kendry Rojas just grimaced after a pitch in the 2nd inning and is exiting the game after a meeting at the mound.
— Aidan O’Brien (@AidanOBrienMN) August 21, 2026
Doesn’t appear to be an issue with his throwing arm, but it’s very difficult to tell exactly what happened.
The exact details of Rojas' injury are unclear. Seth Stohs of Twins Daily noticed that it doesn't appear to be elbow-related.
(Part 3) Depending on severity, an oblique injury (or hip?) could cost 4-6 weeks which would essentially end his season but still better than anything arm-related, probably. Honestly, I'm hoping it's nothing, something he just hadn't felt/experienced before. Hopefully! https://t.co/1KqU4vcofa
— Seth Stohs (@SethTweets) August 22, 2026
If Rojas needs to miss the rest of the year, it'll be a brutal blow to the Twins. Sure, he has been pitching in Triple-A lately, but if the Twins suffer another starting-pitcher injury, Rojas will likely be the next man up if his injury isn't serious. He primarily served as a bullpen arm during his time with the big-league squad this season, but the Twins clearly prefer him as a starter long-term.
But even if there isn't room in the rotation for Rojas this year, the Twins could consider moving him back to a relief role for the playoffs if they make it that far.
Add us as a preferred source on Google