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Minnesota Twins

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Royce Lewis Royce Lewis MRI on side comes back negative Fri, Feb 27, 2026, 8:35 AM An MRI on Lewis' right side came back negative, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Analysis: Lewis had to be scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Pirates due to tightness in his side, but he has managed to sidestep a serious injury. The Twins are likely to keep Lewis out of game action for at least a few days to be safe, but he should be considered day-to-day.
Pablo Lopez Pablo Lopez Placed on 60-day IL Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 2:07 PM The Twins placed Lopez (elbow) on the 60-day injured list Thursday. Analysis: Lopez underwent an internal brace procedure Wednesday -- rather than a full Tommy John surgery -- in an effort to shorten his recovery process, but he will still be forced to miss the entire 2026 season. His move to the 60-day IL will create a spot on the 40-man roster for Zak Kent, who was claimed off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday.
Zak Kent Zak Kent Claimed by Twins Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 2:00 PM The Twins claimed Kent off waivers from the Cardinals on Thursday. Analysis: After being DFA'd on Saturday to make room for Ramon Urias, Kent will now enter the competition to make a Twins bullpen that has several open spots to fill. The 28-year-old righty posted a 4.58 ERA and 1.42 WHIP over 17.2 innings with the Guardians last season in what was his first taste of major-league action.
Royce Lewis Royce Lewis Scratched with right-side tightness Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 11:39 AM Lewis was scratched from Thursday's Grapefruit League lineup against the Pirates with tightness in his right side, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Analysis: Lewis suffered the injury while running the bases during pregame warmups. He was scratched "out of abundance of caution," according to the team. Consider Lewis day-to-day for now, but it's yet another injury for the third baseman. Lewis appeared in a career-high 106 regular-season games last season, slashing a disappointing .237/.283/.388 with 13 home runs, 52 RBI, 36 runs scored, 12 stolen bases and a 25:80 BB:K across 403 plate appearances.
Julian Merryweather Julian Merryweather Shut down with Grade 1 strain Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 9:45 AM Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said Thursday that Merryweather has been diagnosed with a Grade 1 left hamstring strain and will likely need about 3-to-4 weeks to recover before being available in games, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. Analysis: While Merryweather could resume full baseball activities in about two weeks, he doesn't look like he'll be on track to pitch again before the Twins' Grapefruit League slate comes to an end. With that in mind, the injury effectively ends Merryweather's bid for a berth in the Opening Day bullpen, as he had been attending camp as a non-roster invitee and likely needed a strong spring to clinch a spot. Expect Minnesota to reassign Merryweather to minor-league camp in the coming weeks.
Pablo Lopez Pablo Lopez Opts for internal brace surgery Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 9:40 AM Twins head trainer Nick Paparesta said that Lopez underwent a successful UCL repair surgery with an internal brace Wednesday, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports. Analysis: Lopez previously underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow in 2013, but he was able to avoid a full reconstructive procedure this time around. Though Lopez will miss the entire 2026 season, the Twins are hopeful that the UCL repair with an internal brace will expedite his recovery process and allow him to be ready to go for the start of the 2027 campaign. Paparesta noted that Lopez is scheduled to meet with his surgeon in five or six months, and if a follow-up MRI shows that the right-hander has healed as expected, he could be cleared to begin a throwing program.
Joe Ryan Joe Ryan Set to throw bullpen session Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 8:40 AM Ryan (back) will throw a bullpen session on Saturday before advancing to facing live hitters next week, Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. Analysis: Ryan had been scheduled to make his Grapefruit League debut this past Saturday before being scratched from the start due to a back issue. With an MRI revealing inflammation and no other damage to his back, Ryan wasn't shut down from throwing for more than a couple of days. He still should have plenty of time to get fully ramped up ahead of Opening Day, but his availability for Team USA in the World Baseball Classic is in question.
David Festa David Festa Shut down with shoulder issue Thu, Feb 26, 2026, 8:24 AM The Twins announced Thursday that Festa will be shut down for a couple of weeks due to a shoulder impingement, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. Analysis: Festa has received an injection to address the injury, but even if it yields the desired effect, his availability for the start of the season could be in jeopardy. The Twins were already in the process of easing Festa along during spring training after he dealt with a compressed nerve near his pitching shoulder last season, as he had only recently started to face hitters in live batting practice. On a positive note, Festa's shoulder impingement is considered unrelated to the previous injury.
Joe Ryan Joe Ryan Throwing after MRI Tue, Feb 24, 2026, 4:33 PM Ryan (back) played catch from 90 feet Tuesday, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. Analysis: Ryan experienced lower back tightness Saturday and underwent an MRI the next day that revealed just inflammation. It still remains unknown when Ryan will take the mound in spring training, but the setback isn't keeping him from using his arm.
Julian Merryweather Julian Merryweather Exits with strained hamstring Tue, Feb 24, 2026, 2:14 PM Merryweather was removed from Tuesday's Grapefruit League appearance against the Rays with a left hamstring strain, Bobby Nightengale of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune reports. Analysis: Merryweather walked the first batter he saw in the third inning and then struck out the next hitter before being pulled. That the Twins are already calling the injury a strain suggests he could be out a while. Merryweather is in Twins camp as a non-roster invitee.
Connor Prielipp Connor Prielipp Likely to remain a starter Tue, Feb 24, 2026, 8:53 AM Prielipp threw 1.2 scoreless innings with two strikeouts and three walks in his spring debut Monday. He's likely to remain a starter at Triple-A to start the season, considering the Twins signed three veteran left-handed relievers in the offseason, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Analysis: He's a darkhorse candidate for the bullpen this spring given his arsenal, which includes a fastball that hit 97.5 mph during Monday's outing and a new slow curveball, according to Matthew Leach of MLB.com, to add to an off-speed mix that includes a slider and changeup. The 48th overall draft pick in 2022 had Tommy John surgery in 2021 and then needed internal brace surgery on the same elbow in July 2023. The Twins limited him to pitching less than five innings in any start last season until late September.
Mick Abel Mick Abel Shines in spring debut Tue, Feb 24, 2026, 8:36 AM Abel threw three scoreless innings with five strikeouts and no walks in his spring debut Monday against Detroit. He reached 97 mph with his fastball during the outing, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Analysis: Abel is competing for one of three open spots in the Minnesota rotation with Pablo Lopez out for the season after Tommy John surgery. Abel has not lived up to his No. 15 overall draft pick selection in 2020, as before last season he had unimpressive ERAs and troubling walk rates (4.76 ERA the previous two seasons in Triple-A and Double-A with Philly). He did have a 2.20 ERA and 10.4 K/9 at Triple-A in 2025 but struggled with a 6.46 ERA in the majors. A high walk rate (6.5 BB/9 in the majors last season) has been a problem, so it was a good sign he didn't issue any free passes Monday.
Liam Hendriks Liam Hendriks Throws live batting practice Mon, Feb 23, 2026, 11:02 AM Hendriks (elbow) threw a live batting practice session Monday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Analysis: Hendriks underwent right elbow ulnar nerve transposition with posterior interosseous nerve release surgery last September, and this appears to be the first time he's faced hitters since that operation. The 37-year-old made only 14 appearances for the Red Sox in 2025, collecting a 6.59 ERA and 12:7 K:BB over 13.2 innings. Hendriks is in Twins camp as a non-roster invitee, but if he looks sharp this spring he could push for a leveraged bullpen role.
Alan Roden Alan Roden Delivers grand slam Sun, Feb 22, 2026, 6:32 PM Roden went 2-for-3 with a grand slam during Sunday's Grapefruit League game against Atlanta. Analysis: Roden put his team in front during the top of the fifth inning by smacking a grand slam. It was evident he was seeing the ball well at the dish throughout the day, as he lined out to third base and singled to center in his other two at-bats. Roden's lack of power was a concern during his rookie campaign, so Sunday's showing is a promising start to the spring for the Creighton product.
Joe Ryan Joe Ryan MRI shows only inflammation Sun, Feb 22, 2026, 7:43 AM An MRI on Ryan's back revealed only inflammation, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Analysis: This is a best-case scenario for Ryan and the Twins after the right-hander was scratched from his first scheduled spring training start Saturday. It's uncertain when exactly Ryan will be able to resume mound work.
Marco Raya Marco Raya Moves to bullpen Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 10:08 PM Raya, who was moved to the bullpen late last season, will be used as a reliever going forward, Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports. Raya struck out three batters in one inning against the University of Minnesota in an exhibition Friday in his spring debut. Analysis: Raya had a 22.6% strikeout rate last season at Triple-A, but a 12.6% walk rate helped result in a 6.02 ERA. If Raya can reduce his walks at Triple-A he could be a candidate for the major league bullpen this summer.
David Festa David Festa Throws against hitters Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 9:58 PM Festa (shoulder) threw live at-bats against hitters Saturday and was sitting at 91-92 mph with his fastball, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reports. Analysis: Festa had a compressed nerve near his pitching shoulder last season and is working his way back to full strength. He still has a chance to win a rotation spot this spring despite being eased back into action. Saturday's session is a sign he's making progress as he had previously only been throwing bullpen sessions.
Joe Ryan Joe Ryan Slated for MRI Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 3:23 PM Ryan will undergo an MRI on his lower back Saturday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports. Analysis: Ryan was originally scheduled to start the Twins' Grapefruit League opener against Boston on Saturday, but lower-back tightness caused him to be scratched shortly before the game. The Twins will now bring him in for imaging to confirm whether he's dealing with any structural damage, and more information on his condition will likely come Sunday.
Joe Ryan Joe Ryan Scratched from spring start Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 11:56 AM Ryan was scratched from his scheduled start in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox due to lower-back tightness on his right side, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. Analysis: The severity of Ryan's injury remains unknown, but the Twins didn't feel it was worth risking the 29-year-old's health during the first game of their Grapefruit League schedule. He'll now have to wait a bit longer before making his first start of the spring; meanwhile, Eston Stull will take the mound to begin Saturday's game.
Luke Keaschall Luke Keaschall Starting Saturday's exhibition Sat, Feb 21, 2026, 8:26 AM Keaschall (thumb) will start at second base and bat second in Saturday's Grapefruit League game against the Red Sox. Analysis: A left thumb injury ended Keaschall's 2025 season and required surgery in October, but he is ready to roll this spring. While he didn't flash a ton of over-the-fence pop as a rookie with four homers in 49 games, Keaschall displayed an intriguing combination of contact, gap power and speed. The 23-year-old projects as Minnesota's starting second baseman to begin 2026.