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EspañolWhen the Twins entered camp, they were touting their starting pitching depth with eight major-league ready starters competing for five spots. In the couple of weeks that have followed, that depth has taken a major hit.
Pablo López injured his elbow in the early days of camp, requiring Tommy John surgery, which took place on Wednesday in Texas with Dr. Keith Meister. Then came news of Joe Ryan’s lower back inflammation. Ryan is still expected to be ready for Opening Day, but his participation for Team USA in next month’s World Baseball Classic is up in the air.
And on Thursday, head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta told reporters in Fort Myers, Fla., that David Festa, who was competing for a spot in the rotation, has a shoulder impingement for which he has received an injection. It now seems unlikely Festa will be ready for Opening Day on March 26 in Baltimore.
Festa dealt with a different shoulder issue throughout last season. He made just one start in the second half, in July, as he dealt with a mild case of thoracic outlet syndrome. Paparesta told reporters that the two injuries were unconnected.
With the Festa news, the Twins are now down to six potential starters — Ryan, Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, Simeon Woods Richardson, Zebby Matthews and Mick Abel — for five spots. One of the latter two pitchers is likely to break with the team with the other headed to Triple-A.
While the Festa news was a hit, the Twins did get some good news from López’s surgery, with Paparesta telling reporters that the starter underwent a repair of his ulnar collateral ligament rather than a reconstruction, which would have come with a longer recovery. López will miss the entire season, but the hope is that he will be healthy for a full 2027 season.
Twins make cuts
With a month to go before the season begins, the Twins began whittling down the number of players in camp on Thursday, reassigning right-handed pitchers Matt Canterino and Cory Lewis to minor league camp.
The first two cuts are not a surprise, as both are recovering from injuries. Lewis, a starter who spent last season at Triple-A, was diagnosed with a moderate subscapularis strain early in camp, while Canterino is still rehabbing from a shoulder surgery he underwent last March.
Canterino has an extensive injury history and is currently in month 11 of a 12-to 14-month rehab process. He has not pitched in a minor league game since 2022.
“There are not many people that have not thrown a regular-season inning in three-and-a-half years and still have a job in professional baseball. I think that’s a testament to how I carry myself, and I think it’s a testament to what I was able to do before my surgeries, as well,” Canterino said. “I know the past me is going to be super happy that I’m still as determined as I am now, because I think there is still a payoff coming.”
Prior to the string of injuries, Canterino was once among the Twins’ most-intriguing pitching prospects. In 26 career minor league games, he has a 1.48 earned-run average with 130 strikeouts in 85 innings pitched.
He was a starter before the Twins converted him to relief because of his injury history. Even with all the rotten, Canterino has pushed toward his goal of eventually making it to the majors.
“I want to be able to look my future kids, future family in the eye and tell them, ‘Hey, I chased my dream.’ That’s what I’m doing right now,” he said.