Twins' Alex Kirilloff placed on injured list with recurrence of last season's wrist issue

Kirilloff had season-ending wrist surgery last July

The Minnesota Twins have placed outfielder Alex Kirilloff on the 10-day injured list with right wrist inflammation, the team announced Wednesday. Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters, including MLB.com's Do-Hyoung Park, it is a recurrence of the same wrist issue that hampered Kirilloff much of 2021. He had season-ending surgery last July and is heading for further evaluation.

Kirilloff, 24, was once billed as one of the best pure hitting prospects in the minors. He was off to a 1 for 17 start this season, with seven strikeouts and zero walks. Last season he authored a .251/.299/.423 line with eight home runs in 231 plate appearances prior to wrist surgery. Kirilloff is not a great defender, so he has to hit to have value, and it's hard to hit with a troublesome wrist.

"If there was any concern at this point for him taking swings on the medical side, he wouldn't have been out there," Baldelli told Park about Kirilloff's wrist in spring training. "There isn't. He's out there, getting ready for his season. I think that's got to be a good feeling for him, too, after what he's dealt with." 

To replace Kirilloff, the Twins called up outfielder Trevor Larnach. Larnach, like Kirilloff, is a former first round pick. Last year he hit .223/.322/.350 with seven home runs in 301 plate appearances during his MLB debut, when he was among those to take the at-bats that became available following Kirilloff's surgery. Our R.J. Anderson tabbed Larnach as a breakout pick:

Larnach had a disappointing introduction to the majors, finishing last season with an 88 OPS+ that can be blamed on a swollen strikeout rate. We think he's worth keeping tabs on heading forward, with a chance at developing into a middle-of-the-order slugger. Indeed, we inadvertently made the case for Larnach breaking out back in January, when we analyzed Seiya Suzuki's ball-tracking data. The short version is that he has a patient approach and he hits the ball hard. There are worse foundations for a young hitter to have.

Luis Arraez, a career .314/.374/.407 hitter in parts of four seasons, has left field experience and figures to see time out there while Kirilloff is sidelined. He has started only two games this season because the Twins are committed to Jorge Polanco, Carlos Correa, and Gio Urshela at the three non-first base infield positions.

The Twins are 2-3 in the early going this season. Their new-look lineup has scored 10 runs in one game and no more than four runs in the other four games.