Predicting the Numerous Ailments in the Twins Association
All throughout the Twins organization, there are numerous injured players, but many of them will be back in the field by 2024. Let’s examine 19 players who are anticipated to rejoin their teams before the season ends, ranging from Low-A to the majors.
Any major-league team deals with injuries on a regular basis, and the Twins’ story is no different. From Walker Jenkins and José Rodríguez with Low-A Fort Worth to Royce Lewis and Brock Stewart on the big league roster. Myers, the entire organization’s first quarter of the year has been marred by injuries.
While some of these players might be back with their teams very soon, others will need much more time. The Twins organization’s injured players who should return this season are broken down here.
Twins’ 60-day injured list and 40-man roster
Although Daniel Duarte and Anthony DeSclafani are obviously out for the season, one of the two players still on the Twins’ 60-day injured list might return soon to provide long relief for the bullpen.
Josh Winder
Since the end of April, Josh Winder has been undergoing rehabilitation in an effort to recover from a right shoulder injury that forced him to miss the entirety of Spring Training. He went on two rehab excursions with Fort. Myers prior to being moved on May 7 to the Saints.
Winder has allowed at least one earned run in each of his five rehab appearances, so the results of his outings have not been encouraging. Over the course of his five appearances, he has pitched 8 ⅔ innings and given up nine earned runs, earning an ERA of 9.35. In his five appearances, he has at least 12 strikeouts and an 18.6% whiff rate.
Winder’s rehab assignment can be terminated as early as May 28, but because of his poor performance, it’s possible that, if activated, he will be optioned to stay in St. Paul.
Zack Waldman
Zack Weiss is the other player on the 60-day injured list who might be back before the All-Star break. On May 14, Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta gave reporters their last update on Weiss’s teres major strain. He said that Weiss had been throwing from 75 feet, but not off a mound.
Weiss hasn’t played since March 1st, but if he keeps up his current trajectory, he might be able to start a rehab assignment by mid-June.
Twins 40-Man List, Players on the 10- or 15-Day Injured List
Royce Lewis
Nobody is more eager to return to the Twins than Lewis, who may not be as far away as many had thought. After suffering a quadriceps injury, he was placed on the 10-day injured list, which has taken longer than anticipated. However, he may be able to return to the St. Paul Saints for rehabilitation as early as their upcoming series in Rochester, New York, which starts the day after Memorial Day.
The Twins recently snapped a seven-game losing streak that was primarily the result of offensive ineptitude, so Lewis’s absence has been felt in the lineup lately. Though there’s no guarantee he’ll hit the ground running upon his return, Mr. Grand Slam will have many chances to showcase his skills as summer approaches.
Topa Justin
Although Justin Topa is still listed as being on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, he will be called up from it due to a six-week setback and a slight tear in his right knee. The Twins have twenty whole days from Topa’s last outing to remove him from his rehab assignment.
On May 5, he played in his final rehab game against the Louisville Bats. Even though he only pitched one inning, gave up one hit, and recorded a strikeout, his fastball velocity was still only about 92 mph. Topa is expected to remain out of the major league bullpen until after the All-Star break due to the setback that will keep him out of the game for the next six weeks.
With any luck, Topa’s next rehab assignment and his plasma cortisone shot could make him a de facto trade deadline addition to the relief corps.
Stewart Brock
Due to inflammation in his right shoulder, Stewart has not been in the Twins bullpen since May 2. It was anticipated that he would begin his own rehabilitation assignment at this time. Unfortunately, setbacks.
Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported that Stewart has not yet thrown a baseball at all, so it’s possible that his return timeline will be longer than Lewis’s, for example. If so, Stewart’s eventual return to the Twins bullpen could come in the middle of June, if not later.
Triple-A Disabilities
Jairo Camargo
Fans of the Twins may not have heard much about Camargo recently because he has been sidelined since May 1 due to a contusion in his right forearm. Up until then, he had appeared in 17 games for the Minnesota Twins and St. Paul Saints. In Triple-A, he had posted respectable stats at the plate, including a.263/.354/.474 triple slash, three home runs, and thirteen runs batted in.
Camargo is one of four catchers on the Saints’ roster, so they haven’t been without one during his absence. The Saints offense has a Triple-A-worst batting average of.219, so his absence has been felt much more in the lineup. After sitting out three weeks of action, Camargo’s return to the meek Saints lineup is unclear in terms of when he will be activated.
Lee Brooks
The eagerly anticipated news broke early this week: Lee is, in fact, returning to Triple-A after starting a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Twins. Although Lee has only managed one hit in his eight at-bats thus far, his comfort level while playing is more important to him than outcomes.
He may decide to wait until the St. Paul Saints return to CHS Field to start the month of June, or he may decide to join them on their current two-week road trip through upstate New York. Lee will likely stay in Fort Lauderdale for a while longer if the Twins front office decides to take their time with him. Before joining the Saints, Myers played with the Mighty Mussels.
Canterino Matt
This spring, Matt Canterino suffered another regrettable setback when he strained his right rotator cuff during camp and had to start the season on the injured list. Fortunately, MLB.com Twins reporter Do-Hyoung Park provided a positive update on his health back on May 14.
If everything goes according to plan, Canterino, who can throw from ninety feet, could begin his rehabilitation assignment by the beginning of June. After recovering from Tommy John surgery, he missed the entirety of 2023 and appeared to be in good health when Spring Training started. It will be his first time pitching in a professional game since July 30, 2022, when he starts his rehab assignment.
Jeffery Brigham
In two games during the Saints’ opening week of the season, Brigham looked good. But after hitting Nashville Sounds right fielder Chavez Young with a pitch, he felt uneasy as he attempted to finish a second inning of work.
With a left oblique strain, Brigham left the game and was placed on the injured list for the following day, April 6. The Saints’ bullpen has been one of their stronger units, but it is unclear when he will be back.
Brent Headrick
In the Saints’ starting lineup to begin the 2024 season, Brent Headrick looked excellent in his first two starts. In eight and a half innings, he struck out fifteen batters and walked just three, posting a 2.08 ERA. He strained his left forearm flexor after his second start against the Nashville Sounds on April 6.
After being shut down on April 8, it will probably take a while for Headrick to be activated from the 60-day IL. Although his return date is unclear, it is not out of the question that he will return in 2024. Although it seems like the best time frames for a return are late July or early August, surgery may be a real possibility if this injury doesn’t improve with rest.
Double-A Trauma
Lewis Cory
Known across the country for adding a knuckleball to his repertoire, Cory Lewis was one of the most prominent pitchers in the Cedar Rapids Kernels rotation. But because he started the 2024 season on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, he hasn’t thrown a pitch yet.
Since the Wind Surge’s Opening Day on April 5, there haven’t been many updates regarding his health, but before the 2024 season is out, he should still be in their starting lineup.
Cody Laweryson
Since April 10th, Cody Laweryson has not been able to play due to an undisclosed injury. The Bingham, Maine native, 26, pitched in just one game this season before being shut down after spending the entire previous season in the Saints bullpen.
Sean Mooney
Another pitcher from the Twins’ minor league team who started the season on the injured list is Sean Mooney. He underwent surgery on March 20 to repair his right rotator cuff. Mooney has not been ruled out for 2024, but it will take him four to six months to heal completely from the surgery. There is currently no indication of where he stands in that timeframe.
High-A Trauma
Gabriel González
Due to a lower back strain, the Twins’ top prospect, who was acquired in exchange for Jorge Polanco, hasn’t played since May 8. Before being sent to the IL, he had a strong first 20 games with the Kernels, registering a.265/.315/.456 line.
The 20-year-old outfielder’s setback is anticipated to be minor, and if his recuperation proceeds as planned, he could rejoin the Kernels lineup this coming weekend.
Danny De Andrade
On May 16, De Andrade suffered a serious roll on his left ankle while playing shortstop for the Kernels. The next day, the Kernels put him with a sprained left ankle on the seven-day injured list.
It’s unclear when De Andrade will be returning at this point. Prior to his injury, he had appeared in 29 games and had a.243/.333/.359 batting line with two home runs and 19 runs batted in.
Connor Prielipp
Since being selected by the Twins in the 2022 draft, Prielipp has been plagued by an unfortunate story of injuries. Only two starts in 2023, separated by two months, have he made. He started the 2024 season on the injured list while still recovering from an internal brace placement last July.
After the surgery from last summer, he isn’t anticipated to start playing baseball again until June at the latest. It is hoped that he will end the summer in the rotation somewhere in the Twins system’s lower half, even though there is no official word on when he will return.
Low-A Trauma
Jenkins Walker
With regard to Jenkins’ health, the Twins’ string of unfortunate events persisted. Attempting to catch a fly ball in center field, he pulled his hamstring in the second inning of the Mussels’ opening game.
Thankfully, he’s started working with Lee in the Florida Complex League on a rehabilitation assignment. He was 0–4 at the plate in the one game that he played on Monday. Jenkins’s season is unfortunate, but he will return to the Mighty Mussels before the dog days of summer.
José Rodríguez
Rodríguez suffered an injury recently; on Friday, May 17, he went down with a contusion to his right thumb. Even though his 33 games played haven’t produced particularly impressive numbers, he has one of the biggest hits of the Mighty Mussels’ season thus far: on May 7, he hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Mussels an 8-7 victory over the Dunedin Blue Jays.
His estimated time of return to the Mussels lineup is early July, as thumb contusions can take up to six weeks to heal.
Carlos Aguiar
Aguiar’s right intercostal strain has kept him out of action since April 20. Before suffering an injury, the 22-year-old outfielder for the Mighty Mussels went hitless in three games.
It usually takes three to seven weeks for an intercostal strain to heal. Aguiar’s strain occurred almost five weeks ago, so it’s possible he will require an additional two before he can return.
Numerous other Twins players and prospects are also injured and may miss the rest of the season. However, the season is likely not over for these 19 players, and the team will be happy to have them back when it is possible.
Theodore, an ABC affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota, works full-time as a multimedia journalist and news producer. He was born and raised in Minnesota. In his spare time, he writes about the Twins for TD, providing a younger generation with an old school viewpoint.
Theodore Tollefson can be followed on Twitter at TheodoreTollef1.
Do you think you could write something similar? Twins Daily wants you to grow as a voice and discover a following. Our users’ blogs section serves as a source for our paid front page writers. Launch your blog right now!
Any major-league team deals with injuries on a regular basis, and the Twins’ story is no different. From Walker Jenkins and José Rodríguez with Low-A Fort Worth to Royce Lewis and Brock Stewart on the big league roster. Myers, the entire organization’s first quarter of the year has been marred by injuries.
While some of these players might be back with their teams very soon, others will need much more time. The Twins organization’s injured players who should return this season are broken down here.
Twins’ 60-day injured list and 40-man roster
Although Daniel Duarte and Anthony DeSclafani are obviously out for the season, one of the two players still on the Twins’ 60-day injured list might return soon to provide long relief for the bullpen.
Josh Winder
Since the end of April, Josh Winder has been undergoing rehabilitation in an effort to recover from a right shoulder injury that forced him to miss the entirety of Spring Training. He went on two rehab excursions with Fort. Myers prior to being moved on May 7 to the Saints.
Winder has allowed at least one earned run in each of his five rehab appearances, so the results of his outings have not been encouraging. Over the course of his five appearances, he has pitched 8 ⅔ innings and given up nine earned runs, earning an ERA of 9.35. In his five appearances, he has at least 12 strikeouts and an 18.6% whiff rate.
Winder’s rehab assignment can be terminated as early as May 28, but because of his poor performance, it’s possible that, if activated, he will be optioned to stay in St. Paul.
Zack Waldman
Zack Weiss is the other player on the 60-day injured list who might be back before the All-Star break. On May 14, Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta gave reporters their last update on Weiss’s teres major strain. He said that Weiss had been throwing from 75 feet, but not off a mound.
Weiss hasn’t played since March 1st, but if he keeps up his current trajectory, he might be able to start a rehab assignment by mid-June.
Twins 40-Man List, Players on the 10- or 15-Day Injured List
Royce Lewis
Nobody is more eager to return to the Twins than Lewis, who may not be as far away as many had thought. After suffering a quadriceps injury, he was placed on the 10-day injured list, which has taken longer than anticipated. However, he may be able to return to the St. Paul Saints for rehabilitation as early as their upcoming series in Rochester, New York, which starts the day after Memorial Day.
The Twins recently snapped a seven-game losing streak that was primarily the result of offensive ineptitude, so Lewis’s absence has been felt in the lineup lately. Though there’s no guarantee he’ll hit the ground running upon his return, Mr. Grand Slam will have many chances to showcase his skills as summer approaches.
Topa Justin
Although Justin Topa is still listed as being on a rehab assignment with the St. Paul Saints, he will be called up from it due to a six-week setback and a slight tear in his right knee. The Twins have twenty whole days from Topa’s last outing to remove him from his rehab assignment.
On May 5, he played in his final rehab game against the Louisville Bats. Even though he only pitched one inning, gave up one hit, and recorded a strikeout, his fastball velocity was still only about 92 mph. Topa is expected to remain out of the major league bullpen until after the All-Star break due to the setback that will keep him out of the game for the next six weeks.
With any luck, Topa’s next rehab assignment and his plasma cortisone shot could make him a de facto trade deadline addition to the relief corps.
Stewart Brock
Due to inflammation in his right shoulder, Stewart has not been in the Twins bullpen since May 2. It was anticipated that he would begin his own rehabilitation assignment at this time. Unfortunately, setbacks.
Dan Hayes of the Athletic reported that Stewart has not yet thrown a baseball at all, so it’s possible that his return timeline will be longer than Lewis’s, for example. If so, Stewart’s eventual return to the Twins bullpen could come in the middle of June, if not later.
Triple-A Disabilities
Jairo Camargo
Fans of the Twins may not have heard much about Camargo recently because he has been sidelined since May 1 due to a contusion in his right forearm. Up until then, he had appeared in 17 games for the Minnesota Twins and St. Paul Saints. In Triple-A, he had posted respectable stats at the plate, including a.263/.354/.474 triple slash, three home runs, and thirteen runs batted in.
Camargo is one of four catchers on the Saints’ roster, so they haven’t been without one during his absence. The Saints offense has a Triple-A-worst batting average of.219, so his absence has been felt much more in the lineup. After sitting out three weeks of action, Camargo’s return to the meek Saints lineup is unclear in terms of when he will be activated.
Lee Brooks
The eagerly anticipated news broke early this week: Lee is, in fact, returning to Triple-A after starting a rehab assignment with the Florida Complex League Twins. Although Lee has only managed one hit in his eight at-bats thus far, his comfort level while playing is more important to him than outcomes.
He may decide to wait until the St. Paul Saints return to CHS Field to start the month of June, or he may decide to join them on their current two-week road trip through upstate New York. Lee will likely stay in Fort Lauderdale for a while longer if the Twins front office decides to take their time with him. Before joining the Saints, Myers played with the Mighty Mussels.
Canterino Matt
This spring, Matt Canterino suffered another regrettable setback when he strained his right rotator cuff during camp and had to start the season on the injured list. Fortunately, MLB.com Twins reporter Do-Hyoung Park provided a positive update on his health back on May 14.
If everything goes according to plan, Canterino, who can throw from ninety feet, could begin his rehabilitation assignment by the beginning of June. After recovering from Tommy John surgery, he missed the entirety of 2023 and appeared to be in good health when Spring Training started. It will be his first time pitching in a professional game since July 30, 2022, when he starts his rehab assignment.
Jeffery Brigham
In two games during the Saints’ opening week of the season, Brigham looked good. But after hitting Nashville Sounds right fielder Chavez Young with a pitch, he felt uneasy as he attempted to finish a second inning of work.
With a left oblique strain, Brigham left the game and was placed on the injured list for the following day, April 6. The Saints’ bullpen has been one of their stronger units, but it is unclear when he will be back.
Brent Headrick
In the Saints’ starting lineup to begin the 2024 season, Brent Headrick looked excellent in his first two starts. In eight and a half innings, he struck out fifteen batters and walked just three, posting a 2.08 ERA. He strained his left forearm flexor after his second start against the Nashville Sounds on April 6.
After being shut down on April 8, it will probably take a while for Headrick to be activated from the 60-day IL. Although his return date is unclear, it is not out of the question that he will return in 2024. Although it seems like the best time frames for a return are late July or early August, surgery may be a real possibility if this injury doesn’t improve with rest.
Double-A Trauma
Lewis Cory
Known across the country for adding a knuckleball to his repertoire, Cory Lewis was one of the most prominent pitchers in the Cedar Rapids Kernels rotation. But because he started the 2024 season on the injured list due to a right shoulder impingement, he hasn’t thrown a pitch yet.
Since the Wind Surge’s Opening Day on April 5, there haven’t been many updates regarding his health, but before the 2024 season is out, he should still be in their starting lineup.
Cody Laweryson
Since April 10th, Cody Laweryson has not been able to play due to an undisclosed injury. The Bingham, Maine native, 26, pitched in just one game this season before being shut down after spending the entire previous season in the Saints bullpen.
Sean Mooney
Another pitcher from the Twins’ minor league team who started the season on the injured list is Sean Mooney. He underwent surgery on March 20 to repair his right rotator cuff. Mooney has not been ruled out for 2024, but it will take him four to six months to heal completely from the surgery. There is currently no indication of where he stands in that timeframe.
High-A Trauma
Gabriel González
Due to a lower back strain, the Twins’ top prospect, who was acquired in exchange for Jorge Polanco, hasn’t played since May 8. Before being sent to the IL, he had a strong first 20 games with the Kernels, registering a.265/.315/.456 line.
The 20-year-old outfielder’s setback is anticipated to be minor, and if his recuperation proceeds as planned, he could rejoin the Kernels lineup this coming weekend.
Danny De Andrade
On May 16, De Andrade suffered a serious roll on his left ankle while playing shortstop for the Kernels. The next day, the Kernels put him with a sprained left ankle on the seven-day injured list.
It’s unclear when De Andrade will be returning at this point. Prior to his injury, he had appeared in 29 games and had a.243/.333/.359 batting line with two home runs and 19 runs batted in.
Connor Prielipp
Since being selected by the Twins in the 2022 draft, Prielipp has been plagued by an unfortunate story of injuries. Only two starts in 2023, separated by two months, have he made. He started the 2024 season on the injured list while still recovering from an internal brace placement last July.
After the surgery from last summer, he isn’t anticipated to start playing baseball again until June at the latest. It is hoped that he will end the summer in the rotation somewhere in the Twins system’s lower half, even though there is no official word on when he will return.
Low-A Trauma
Jenkins Walker
With regard to Jenkins’ health, the Twins’ string of unfortunate events persisted. Attempting to catch a fly ball in center field, he pulled his hamstring in the second inning of the Mussels’ opening game.
Thankfully, he’s started working with Lee in the Florida Complex League on a rehabilitation assignment. He was 0–4 at the plate in the one game that he played on Monday. Jenkins’s season is unfortunate, but he will return to the Mighty Mussels before the dog days of summer.
José Rodríguez
Rodríguez suffered an injury recently; on Friday, May 17, he went down with a contusion to his right thumb. Even though his 33 games played haven’t produced particularly impressive numbers, he has one of the biggest hits of the Mighty Mussels’ season thus far: on May 7, he hit a walk-off grand slam to give the Mussels an 8-7 victory over the Dunedin Blue Jays.
His estimated time of return to the Mussels lineup is early July, as thumb contusions can take up to six weeks to heal.
Carlos Aguiar
Aguiar’s right intercostal strain has kept him out of action since April 20. Before suffering an injury, the 22-year-old outfielder for the Mighty Mussels went hitless in three games.
It usually takes three to seven weeks for an intercostal strain to heal. Aguiar’s strain occurred almost five weeks ago, so it’s possible he will require an additional two before he can return.
Numerous other Twins players and prospects are also injured and may miss the rest of the season. However, the season is likely not over for these 19 players, and the team will be happy to have them back when it is possible.
Theodore, an ABC affiliate in Rochester, Minnesota, works full-time as a multimedia journalist and news producer. He was born and raised in Minnesota. In his spare time, he writes about the Twins for TD, providing a younger generation with an old school viewpoint.
Theodore Tollefson can be followed on Twitter at TheodoreTollef1.
Do you think you could write something similar? Twins Daily wants you to grow as a voice and discover a following. Our users’ blogs section serves as a source for our paid front page writers. Launch your blog right now!
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