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Lopez (elbow) will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery next Wednesday, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
It's a massive loss for a Twins team that was already thin on talent, as Minnesota will now be without its ace for the entirety of the 2026 campaign. Lopez suffered a torn UCL in his right elbow earlier this week and had hoped to avoid the dreaded Tommy John operation. With Lopez's season done before it even got started, the Twins will now head into Grapefruit League play with Joe Ryan atop the rotation, followed by Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, Simeon Woods Richardson and Taj Bradley.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Diagnosed with torn UCL
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Lopez has been diagnosed with a UCL tear in his right elbow and could require Tommy John surgery, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports.
Lopez will seek out a second opinion before a decision is made, but season-ending surgery is highly probable. The right-hander was limited to just 75.2 innings in 2025 due to shoulder and forearm issues and now faces the prospect of a year-plus long absence. Lopez is owed $21.75 million this season and will make the same amount in 2027 in his final year under contract.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Undergoing MRI on sore elbow
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Lopez will undergo an MRI after cutting his live batting practice session short due to right elbow soreness, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Lopez missed two months last season with a Grade 2 teres major strain and his campaign ended in late September due to a right forearm strain. He had an MRI at the time following the latter injury, which came back negative, but an early-camp setback is a troubling sign. The Twins should have the results of Lopez's MRI later this week.
Twins president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said Tuesday that Lopez (forearm) is fully healthy and projected to have a normal offseason, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Lopez's 2025 season ended in late September with a mild right forearm strain, and he also missed two months earlier in the year with a Grade 2 teres major strain. However, there are no current concerns with Lopez's pitching arm entering the offseason, and he will not face restrictions at the beginning of spring training. The 29-year-old pitched well in 2025 when healthy, posting a 2.74 ERA and 73:20 K:BB over 75.2 innings. Lopez is owed $43.5 million over the next two seasons, and with the Twins shedding payroll, he's a trade candidate this winter.
Lopez (forearm) recently underwent an MRI that showed no concerns with his elbow or his ulnar collateral ligament, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lopez was placed on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a mild right forearm strain. He won't pitch again this season, but it sounds like this injury won't be a major concern for his status for the 2026 season.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Lands on IL
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The Twins placed Lopez on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a mild right forearm strain.
Lopez had to make an early exit from his start Friday after diving for a ball in the third inning, and although the damage to his forearm was deemed mild, the Twins have decided to put him on the shelf for the remainder of the season. The 29-year-old righty will end 2025 with a 2.74 ERA and 1.11 WHIP through 75.2 innings. Mick Abel was recalled from Triple-A St. Paul in a corresponding move.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Exits with forearm tightness
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Lopez was removed from Friday's game against Cleveland with right forearm tightness, Phil Miller of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lopez tweaked his forearm while making a diving play on a ball in the third inning, and he was eventually pulled after making it through four frames. The Twins haven't offered any information regarding the severity of his injury, so it remains unclear if he'll make his next scheduled start.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Five strong innings in no-decision
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Lopez didn't factor into the decision Friday against the Diamondbacks, allowing two unearned runs on four hits and three walks in five innings. He struck out six.
A pair of Minnesota errors prevented the two runs from being earned, which gave Lopez his third start of the season of zero earned runs. The right-hander has gone at least five innings in 12 of his 13 outings on the campaign, and he's conceded greater than two runs on just two occasions all season. Lopez will bring an excellent 2.64 ERA, 1.10 WHIP and 71:18 K:BB over 71.2 innings into his next appearance, which is tentatively scheduled to come against the division-rival Guardians.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Fires six strong innings in return
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Lopez (5-4) took the loss Friday against the Royals, allowing two runs on six hits and one walk in six innings. He struck out four.
Lopez was sharp in his first major-league start since June 3, working six strong innings in his return from the injured list. The right-hander has now tossed at least five frames in all but one of his 12 outings in 2025, and he's given up greater than two runs on just two occasions all year. Lopez threw 92 pitches Friday, so he shouldn't have any workload restrictions in his next scheduled appearance against the Diamondbacks. For the campaign, he has a 2.85 ERA, 1.09 WHIP and 65:15 K:BB.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Activated ahead of Friday's start
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The Twins activated Lopez (shoulder) from the 60-day injured list ahead of his scheduled start Friday in Kansas City.
Lopez will rejoin the Twins after missing the last two months of action due to a Grade 2 teres major strain. The righty recorded a 14:2 K:BB over 11.1 frames in three rehab starts and tossed 5.2 scoreless innings and 82 pitches in his final outing with Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Expected back Friday
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Lopez (shoulder) is expected to return from the 60-day injured list to start Friday's game against the Royals, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Lopez appears ready to rejoin the big club for the first time since early June after tossing 5.2 scoreless innings and 82 pitches in his third and final rehab start for Triple-A St. Paul this past Sunday. He's been sharp overall across three outings in the minors, compiling a 14:2 K:BB in 11.1 frames. Prior to landing on the shelf, Lopez went 5-3 with a 2.82 ERA, 1.07 WHIP and 61:14 K:BB over 60.2 innings in 11 starts for Minnesota.
Twins' Pablo Lopez: Excellent in final rehab start
Rotowire
Lopez (shoulder) pitched 5.2 scoreless innings in a rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Sunday, allowing four hits and one walk while striking out seven batters.
Lopez was sharp in what will likely be his final rehab outing, giving up just one hard-hit ball. He topped out at 95.6 miles per hour and averaged 93.9 mph with his fastball. Lopez totaled 82 pitches in the outing, so he appears set to handle something close to a normal workload upon his activation from the 60-day injured list. Assuming the Twins are satisfied with Lopez's condition coming out of Sunday's appearance, he'll likely line up to make a start against the Royals on the road next weekend.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: One more rehab start Sunday
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Lopez (shoulder) will make what's expected to be his final rehab start Sunday at Triple-A St. Paul, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Lopez struck out five and allowed three earned runs over four innings in his second rehab outing Tuesday with St. Paul. He threw 68 pitches in that start and will get stretched out a bit more before returning from the 60-day injured list and likely slotting into the Twins rotation during next weekend's series in Kansas City. Lopez has been shelved since early June due to a Grade 2 teres major strain.
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Twins' Pablo Lopez: Hits 68 pitches in rehab start
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Lopez (shoulder) struck out five and allowed three earned runs on six hits and no walks across four innings in his rehab start Tuesday with Triple-A St. Paul.
Making the second start of his rehab assignment with St. Paul, Lopez got stretched out to 68 pitches (46 strikes) and induced 12 swings and misses. He averaged 93.8 miles per hour with his fastball in the outing, about one tick behind his season average prior to landing on the shelf June 5 due to a right teres major muscle strain. The Twins will likely have Lopez get further stretched in one more rehab start before he potentially returns from the 60-day injured list during the team's series in Kansas City that begins Sept. 5.
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