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MN Twins Ace Removed from Team’s First Spring Training Practice
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- MN Twins Ace Removed from Team’s First Spring Training Practice
Dennis Lee-Imagn Images Dennis Lee-Imagn Images
Monday marked the Minnesota Twins first official full squad workout. Pitchers and catchers have been in camp since February 12. Derek Shelton is looking to run a new ship throughout Grapefruit League action this year, and the team needs to be better than 2025's 70-92 record .
There are plenty of question marks for the Twins and it's worth wondering if they did enough this offseason. Although the bullpen isn't the dominant force it once was, they have continued to add pieces .
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The strength of the roster should be the starting rotation. of course that hinges on the success of Pablo Lopez and Joe Ryan . Unfortunately there may already be trouble in paradise.
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Pablo Lopez leaves Minnesota Twins practice
Last season Pablo Lopez made just 14 starts for the Minnesota Twins. He missed months with a grade 2 teres major strain , and then finished on the injured list thanks to a forearm injury. Not even making it through the first full-squad workout, the Twins ace is headed for an MRI.
It's not at all surprising that pitchers would already be throwing to hitters. That is commonplace early in Spring Training. Lopez has also been going through a throwing program all offseason. With intentions to compete for Venezuela in the World Baseball Classic next month, it makes sense that he would be ahead of some teammates as well.
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Unfortunately none of those realities saved Lopez from feeling a level of uncertainty on Monday. It's not worth speculating what the actual severity is, but imaging just days after reporting to camp is not a good outcome.
Lopez owned a 2.74 ERA (3.19 FIP) last season . He struck out 73 in just 75 2/3 innings, and had he stayed healthy, the numbers would've warranted Cy Young consideration. Since coming to Minnesota in the Luis Arraez trade , he's been every bit as imagined.
Shelton needs his starting pitching to pace the squad, and Lopez being lost for Opening Day would be tough to swallow. Any level of uncertainty revealed from the MRI will take Lopez out for the World Baseball Classic, and part of Grapefruit League action as well.
Starting depth for Minnesota Twins is big
As the Minnesota Twins have brought more relief pitchers into big league camp, the more plausible it is that starters won't need to immediately transition to bullpen roles. Liam Hendriks , Dan Altavilla , and Andrew Chafin are all veterans on minor league deals. Health and production in Florida should earn them a roster spot.
New #MNTwins reliever Andrew Chafin will make $2M plus have a chance to earn up to an additional $1.25M in performance bonuses if he makes the roster. Learning some stuff about him and please have him make it. Clubhouse interviews would be epic! pic.twitter.com/AnCDKHwMHF
— Darren Wolfson (@DWolfsonKSTP) February 14, 2026
By having those veterans onboard out of the gate, arms like David Festa , Zebby Matthews , and Connor Prielipp can all remain starters for the time being. It will be interesting to see how St. Paul juggles all of the starting arms, but that's a good problem to have.
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Marco Raya has already been confirmed to make the move into a relief role, but he too can use seasoning. The former top pitching prospect posted a 6.02 ERA in 98 2/3 innings at Triple-A last year. Even in shorter stints, it would be a lot to immediately lean on him in the bullpen.
Last season the Minnesota Twins had a whopping 16 pitchers make starts . They'd certainly love to see less arms needed this season, and while the depth is nice, health and productivity is a much more welcomed path.
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