Anthony Banda opened Monday's game for the Dodgers but could not retire lefty slugger Kyle Schwarber in the first inning. Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty Images
Former Los Angeles Dodgers left-handed reliever Anthony Banda will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery on his injured list, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes.
Banda, whom the Minnesota Twins acquired from the Dodgers for international bonus pool money in the offseason, expects to be ready for spring training.
Carlin Stiehl / Los Angeles Times via Getty ImagesAnthony Banda opened Monday's game for the Dodgers but could not retire lefty slugger Kyle Schwarber in the first inning.
Banda's injury is a tough blow for the Twins. He landed on the 15-day injured list with a lat strain a couple of weeks ago. Manager Derek Shelton said Banda would miss months rather than weeks when the left-hander landed on the IL.
Banda, who won two World Series (2024 & 2025) with the Dodgers, had a rough start to the season but picked things up over the past couple of months, recording a 1.33 ERA over 20 1/3 innings. Overall, he posted a 4.46 ERA over 34 1/3 innings.
Losing Banda is a major blow for Minnesota, which arguably has the worst bullpen in baseball. Entering Thursday, the Twins' relievers had a 5.24 ERA, tied with the Kansas City Royals for the worst among all 30 MLB teams.
Despite their awful bullpen, the Twins are still in the playoff race. Minnesota trails the Texas Rangers by just 1/2 a game for the third AL Wild Card spot and the Chicago White Sox by two games for first place in the AL Central.
The main reason the Twins are a playoff contender is their offense. As of Thursday morning, Minnesota led the entire American League in runs scored with 457. The New York Yankees rank second in the league with 443 runs scored.
While many media members have mentioned star Twins players such as Ryan Jeffers , Joe Ryan and even Byron Buxton , who has a full-trade clause, as top trade deadline candidates, Minnesota may be inclined to add, not subtract, to its big-league roster.
The Twins' starting rotation isn't awful, with Ryan and Taj Bradley being legitimate top-of-the-rotation arms for the club. However, Minnesota has dealt with numerous starting pitching injuries, with Connor Prielipp and Mick Abel on the IL, and Bailey Ober having just returned after being out for over a month. Not to mention, Pablo Lopez , a legitimate ace, is out for the year after undergoing UCL surgery in Feb.
So, the Twins could use another starting pitcher, but what they really need is bullpen arms. Banda's injury makes the team's need for bullpen help even greater.
The Dodgers have the best record in the National League at 61-33. They have a 14-game lead over the San Diego Padres in the NL East.
The team is off on Thursday after defeating the Colorado Rockies 4-3 at Dodger Stadium on Wednesday. The win gave the Dodgers the series victory after they won Game 1 8-7 and lost Game 2 4-3.
Next, Los Angeles will begin a three-game series against the Arizona Diamondbacks at Dodger Stadium at 7:10 p.m. PST on Friday.
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