What happened to Mick Abel? Why Twins' 24-year-old landed on IL
What happened to Mick Abel? Why Twins' 24-year-old landed on IL originally appeared on The Sporting News . Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here .
The Minnesota Twins ' start to the 2026 season was a major surprise for all of Major League Baseball. They sat atop the AL Central with an 11-7 record.
While they've fallen back down to earth a bit with a four-game losing streak, the Twins are still showing a lot more promise this season than most would've expected.
However, as Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports, Mick Abel , one of the team's bright spots this season, is hitting the injured list. But why is the 24-year-old righty hitting the IL? He's dealing with a concerning elbow injury early this season.
Twins lose Mick Abel to IL due to elbow issue
"#MNTwins rotation takes a bit hit as they're placing Mick Abel on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation," Hayes reports.
This is some tough news for the Twins, as they're losing a key starter for the team this season for an extended amount of time.
As a right-handed pitcher, a right-elbow injury is a concerning issue. This could be a short stint on the IL, or he could be out for quite some time.
Pablo Lopez is already on the injured list due to a season-ending injury, and while Abel's issue isn't fully known, and it's too early to call it season-ending, it's hard not to worry with Lopez's issue also being an elbow problem.
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Now, Abel is hitting the injured list, and will miss some time after starting off the 2026 season with a strong four-starts.
He posted a 3.98 ERA across 20.1 innings pitched in four starts for the Twins. He struck out 23 batters, including 10 in a seven-inning shutout against the Boston Red Sox .
The Twins will now be down another key starter, as Abel joins Lopez on the injured list this season.
He's also the second player from the trade-deadline deal with the Philadelphia Phillies to hit the IL this season, with Jhoan Duran also residing on the IL right now.
