After allowing just two runs (one earned) on six hits and no walks while collecting 10 strikeouts in eight innings over two rehab appearances for Triple-A St. Paul , Twins right-hander Mick Abel appears on the verge of returning from the IL. The 24-year-old landed on the IL on April 20 due to right elbow inflammation. He seemed ready to return in early May before lingering soreness in his right triceps led to a cortisone shot, slowing his recovery.
Abel will join the Twins for this weekend's series against the Diamondbacks in Arizona , according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes . He's scheduled to throw a light bullpen, with his next steps yet to be announced. As Hayes pointed out, the fact that Abel is flying from Minnesota to Arizona and Sunday will mark five days since his last outing suggests he will start for Minnesota in the final game of the series against Arizona.
Left-hander Connor Prielipp is slated to start on Friday, and right-hander Taj Bradley is scheduled to start the next day. Meanwhile, Sunday's starter has yet to be announced. One would assume that means Abel will be starting in that game.
When Abel returns, he will likely be on a pitch limit. He threw 61 pitches in his Tuesday outing, with 18 of his 61 pitches registering at over 95 mph.
This is a complete guess, but it seems he should be able to throw around 75-85 pitches on Sunday. Holding onto Mike Paredes , who started and threw 4 2/3 innings for Minnesota on Monday, seems like a smart idea for Minnesota, at least for now. That way, if Abel can only throw a few innings on Sunday due to his pitch limit, the Twins can count on Paredes to record multiple innings out of the bullpen.
When Abel, who threw 13 scoreless innings over his last two MLB starts, is reinstated from the IL, he will join a rotation of Bradley, Prielipp, Joe Ryan and Zebby Matthews . Bailey Ober is currently on the IL due to a right flexor strain in his right elbow and is expected to be out for the rest of the month. He is expected to throw off the mound in Arizona and should hopefully be back in early July. When he returns, the Twins will have to decide who's the odd man out of the rotation unless they want to roll with six starters. Of course, an injury could make the Twins' decision for them.
This article was originally published on www.puckettspond.com as All signs point to Twins' Mick Abel returning from IL in this weekend's Diamondbacks series .
