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MN Twins’ Top Pitching Prospect Ready for MLB Debut
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- MN Twins’ Top Pitching Prospect Ready for MLB Debut
Jim Rassol-Imagn Images Jim Rassol-Imagn Images
The Minnesota Twins were were forced to place starting pitcher Mick Abel on the injured list Monday. After the the best star of his career, where he held the Boston Red Sox scoreless through 7 innings (4 H, 0 BB, 10 K) , Abel came out of a regularly scheduled bullpen session Saturday with elbow soreness.
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Pablo Lopez is already out for the season, after undergoing Tommy John surgery. Youngster, David Festa , remains on the IL, as well . Through a month of the 2026 MLB regular season, the MN Twins pitching depth has already been called into question.
Earlier this week, the Twins promoted two left-handed pitching prospects — Kendry Rojas to the bullpen ( 7 1/3 innings in 2026 at Triple-A), along with the No. 5 overall pitching prospect in Minnesota's minor league system, (MLB Pipeline), Connor Prielipp.
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Connor Prielipp to start for Minnesota Twins
On Wednesday, the hard-throwing lefty will make his MLB debut at Citi Field , against the New York Mets , the Twins.TV broadcast announced after the Twins comeback win in game one of the series, Tuesday. He will face Mets RHP, Clay Holmes — who is off to a hot start in 2026.
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After Simeon Woods Richardson coughed up a three-run homer to Francisco Lindor in game one against the Mets on Tuesday , the Minnesota Twins ripped off five unanswered runs to end their four-game skid and extend the Mets' losing streak to 12.
Originally, Tuesday was supposed to be Mick Abel's turn in the rotation. After he hit the IL, the Twins moved SWR up a spot, making room for Prielipp's debut on Wednesday night. Prielipp had been placed on the Twins taxi squad for the road trip, which makes him an easy activation, before game two in Queens.
At Triple-A St. Paul, Prielipp has pitched just 15 2/3 innings this season , posting a 2.30 ERA, allowing four runs on 11 hits. The 25-year-old flamethrower struck out 22 minor league batters, while walking eight and allowing a single home run.
Connor Prielipp set a new professional career high in strikeouts last night in the @StPaulSaints win ⚔️
5 IP / 4 H / 1 R / 1 BB / 8 K
The LHP now has a 2.30 ERA and 2.96 FIP across 4 outings this season 📈 #MNTwins pic.twitter.com/fveRGCYoap— Twins Player Development (@TwinsPlayerDev) April 17, 2026
The addition of Prielipp gives the MN Twins one left-handed pitcher in their starting rotation. We'll likely see a lot of fastballs ( 94.8 MPH average ) and sliders tonight, as Prielipp has backed off his sinker usage this season, opting instead for more breaking balls and a plus-changeup.
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MN Twins have high expectations for Connor Prielipp
Given the recent skid and the roster shuffle, it feels as though the promotion of Prielipp may be overlooked. Considering his prospect pedigree , and potential place in a starting rotation, it cannot be overstated how big of a debut this is.
If he pitches well, it will put pressure on guys like Simeon Woods Richardson to step up their mound game, or face being left out of the rotation, once it gets healthy again.
Prielipp is the best pitching prospect to make his Major League Debut since Jose Berrios took the MLB mound his first time, back on April 27, 2016 . Eventually, Berrios carved out a nice career in Minnesota, before he was ultimately traded for Austin Martin and Simeon Woods Richardson.
Maybe it will set in when the Twins make the move official, or announce Prielipp as the starter, but I think it's being severely overlooked how big of a deal he could be for Minnesota.
This is the best pitching prospect to debut for the franchise since April 27, 2016.
Jose…— Ted (@tlschwerz) April 21, 2026
At 25 years old, Prielipp has three years on Berrios, when he made his debut. However, thanks to injury issues throughout his time in college and the MN Twins organization, Connor has thrown just 156 1/3 innings since he left high school in 2019.
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A Mets team on a 12-game losing streak could be the perfect landing spot for Prielipp. He may not have a long leash, topping out at 77 pitches this season with the Saints, but the youngster out of Alabama has an opportunity to claim his spot in a rotation that could use a hard-throwing lefty.
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