Twins Place Mick Abel On Injured List
The Twins introduced this morning that they’ve positioned rookie right-hander Mick Abel on the 15-day injured checklist as a result of irritation in his proper elbow. A corresponding transfer wasn’t introduced, though it is already been reported that perspective Kendry Rojas is becoming a member of the key league roster tomorrow and that prime prospect Connor Prielipp has been added to the key league taxi squad. Abel’s IL placement is definitely associated to these upcoming strikes (which the workforce has but to formally announce). The Twins will benefit from in the present day’s off-day by transferring up right-hander Simeon Woods Richardsonwho’d been slated to begin Wednesday, to begin instead of Abel tomorrow, by Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press.
Selected by the Phillies with the No. 15 general draft choose again in 2020, Abel has lengthy been hailed as a high quality pitching prospect. He went from Philadelphia to Minnesota alongside prime catching prospect Eduardo Tait ultimately 12 months’s commerce deadline within the deal sending star nearer Jhoan Duran (additionally currently on the injured list) again to Philly.
Now 24 years outdated, Abel has seen his inventory rise and fall through the years. He slipped off most top-100 rankings previous to the 2025 season however loved a resurgent 12 months that noticed him each make his main league debut in Philadelphia and pitch properly sufficient to be included as a key element in one of many deadline’s most notable trades.
Abel has gotten out to a pleasant begin in 2026. He entered camp and not using a rotation spot assured to him however received a job with a dominant efficiency within the Grapefruit League: 22 innings, 2.05 ERA, 32.9% strikeout charge, 4.9% stroll charge. The right-hander was hit exhausting in his first two appearances with the Twins this season however bounced again with 13 shutout innings and a 16-to-3 Ok/BB ratio throughout his final two begins (towards the Tigers and Red Sox, respectively). He’s at the moment sitting on a 3.98 ERA, a 24.7% strikeout charge and a ten% stroll charge in 20 1/3 frames. Metrics like FIP (2.79) and SIERA (3.93) agree, to various extents, that he is been a high quality arm.
With Abel on the shelf, the Twins could have 4 starters locked into spots: Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Bailey Ober and Woods Richardson. Candidates to take Abel’s spot on the workers embody Rojas, Prielipp and Zebby Matthews — the latter of whom Abel beat for a spot on the Opening Day workers. Matthews, nonetheless, has pitched to a 7.71 ERA in his first 4 turns by means of the Triple-A rotation. The former top-100 prospect remains to be solely 25, however he is slid down the depth chart a bit with a tough spring and even rockier begin with Triple-A St. Paul. Minnesota additionally just lately recalled 24-year-old beginning pitching prospect Andrew Morris and plugged him into the key league bullpen. He’s nonetheless stretched out sufficient to make a begin, comply with an opener or work in some hybrid/piggyback function if the workforce appears match.
It’s not but clear how lengthy the Twins count on Abel to be sidelined. His IL placement is retroactive to April 17. If it is certainly only a minor bout of irritation — and the Twins have but to point the potential that something extra severe is at play — he’d be eligible to return as early as May 2. Presumably, the workforce will present extra info on Abel’s standing within the close to future, though with an off-day on the calendar in the present day, a proper replace might not occur till tomorrow, when skipper Derek Shelton addresses reporters previous to Tuesday’s collection opener towards the Mets in Queens.
