Injuries Already Impacting the 2023 Twins Roster

[Cody Christie]

Injuries were one of the main reasons the Twins couldn't hang on to the 2022 AL Central title. Entering this spring, the Twins hoped to enter the season with a healthy roster, but injuries are starting to mount.

Image courtesy of Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Every team will deal with injuries during the 2023 season, and that's one of the reasons the Twins added depth at nearly every position this winter. Here are the known injuries this spring and how each will impact the Opening Day roster. 

Jose Miranda: Right Shoulder Soreness
Miranda planned to join Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic, but a shoulder injury has forced him to withdraw his name. He was the talk of TwinsFest after spending the off-season getting in better shape to handle the rigors of a 162-game season. Last season, he hit .268/.325/.426 (.751) with 25 doubles and 15 home runs, but he tired down the stretch. The Twins are handing him the reins at third base, but his shoulder has limited him to designated hitter duties in recent games. He hit two home runs in a game over the weekend, so his hitting clearly isn't impacted by the soreness. 
Roster Impact: Miranda can switch to first base and DH if Alex Kirilloff isn't ready for Opening Day. The Twins have multiple third-base options, including Donovan Solano, Kyle Farmer, or Willi Castro.

Nick Gordon: Mild-to-Moderate High Ankle Sprain
High ankle sprains can impact players differently, but initial reports are that Gordon avoided a more severe injury. He was in a walking boot following Friday's game and will be off his foot to start the week. Gordon is looking to build off a breakout 2022 season where he was named the Twins Daily Most Improved Player. In 136 games, he hit .272/.316/.427 (.743) with 41 extra-base hits and a 113 OPS+. 
Roster Impact: Gordon was going to get time as designated hitter when the club was facing right-handed starters. He's also the backup at multiple outfield positions. If he's not ready to start the year, another left-handed bat like Trevor Larnach or Matt Wallner might make the roster.  

Byron Buxton: Right Knee Surgery
Buxton has yet to appear in a spring training game after having arthroscopic surgery on his right knee at the beginning of October. The Twins are taking it slow with Buxton while he ramps up for the season. Big league regulars see limited action in early spring training games, and that's one reason to hold Buxton out of these contests. He can get more focused work in the batting cages and on the back fields. Minnesota wants Buxton to play more than 100 games this season, which might mean he sees limited in-game action throughout the spring.  
Roster Impact: The Twins traded for Michael A. Taylor to provide depth in center field behind Buxton. In recent seasons, Taylor has been a starter for the Royals, and he can assume that role if/when Buxton is hurt. 

Jorge Polanco: Left Knee Tendinitis
Polanco was placed on the IL for the first time in his career last season, but that doesn't mean injuries haven't impacted him in the past. He's a player that has dealt with ankle and knee injuries for multiple seasons. Like Buxton, Polanco is taking things slowly at the start of spring training with more time in the training room. In 2022, he hit .235/.346/.405 (.751) with a 117 OPS+ and 32 extra-base hits. 
Roster Impact: Farmer or Solano can share time at second base if Polanco misses time. Two of the organization's top prospects, Brooks Lee and Eduoard Julien, have been praised this spring. Either player could be an option if Polanco has to miss significant time. 

Alex Kirilloff: Wrist Surgery
According to reports, Kirilloff continues to make progress from the wrist surgery that ended his 2022 season. It was the second consecutive season he missed time with a wrist injury. The Twins are taking it slow with him, and he likely will play in spring training games later in March. He is taking live batting practice with no pain in his wrist, which is a good sign from where he has been the last two years. Kirilloff was considered the team's top prospect before his debut, so hopes remain high for his future. 
Roster Impact: He's on track to be the team's first baseman or designated hitter to start the year. Solano, Miranda, Farmer, and Joey Gallo will get time at first base when Kirilloff isn't available. 

Trevor Larnach: Lower Body Injury
Larnach has been dealing with a lower-body injury, but the Twins expect him to play in games this week, including defensive duties in the outfield. In 2022, Larnach posted a 104 OPS+ but was limited to 51 big-league games because of a core muscle surgery. Larnach, a former first-round pick, was ranked as one of the team’s top prospects, and he’s shown signs of his powerful bat. The Twins hope he can put his injury concerns behind him and slide into the middle of the line-up. 
Roster Impact: Solano’s addition initially pushed Larnach out of the team’s Opening Day roster. With the other injuries on this list, Larnach can break camp on the 26-man roster if he is healthy.

Gilberto Celestino: Left Thumb Surgery
Celestino ruptured the ulnar collateral ligament in his left thumb, which has six to eight weeks of recovery. Injuries forced the Twins to use Celestino in 122 games last season. In his age-23 season, he hit .238/.313/.302 (.615) with a 80 OPS+ and 15 extra-base hits. He has seen limited action at Triple-A, and this season was his opportunity to establish himself at that level. It is an important season for him to reestablish his long-term value to the Twins, but now that's pushed back a few months. 
Roster Impact: Celestino was scheduled to start the year at Triple-A, but he's had plenty of big-league experience over the last two seasons. Minnesota can move Celestino to the 60-day IL if they need the roster spot for a waiver claim, a signing, or a non-roster invitee. 

Jordan Balazovic: Broken Jaw
The Twins made a statement when Balazovic became the first (and only) player in the team's first round of cuts. He broke his jaw in an incident at a bar in downtown Fort Myers. Balazovic has significantly fallen over the last calendar year as he entered 2022 as one of baseball's top-100 prospects. Last season, he arrived at spring training with a left knee injury and could never fully recover. In 23 appearances (72 2/3 innings), he posted a 7.68 ERA with a 1.97 WHIP. He ended the season on a high note, but now he will have to wait to build off that performance. 
Roster Impact: Balazovic wasn't in the running for the Opening Day roster, but he is entering a pivotal season in his professional career. He saw multiple starters pass him on the way to the big leagues last season, and he didn't need another setback. 

Austin Martin: UCL Sprain
Martin has a UCL sprain in his right elbow, which means the team will shut him down from throwing and hitting. Sometimes this injury results in Tommy John surgery, which happened in recent years with players like Alex Kirilloff and Edouard Julien. Martin had a redeeming September and showcased those improvements in the Arizona Fall League, where he posted a .936 OPS. He was having a solid start to his spring, and the team expected him to impact the big-league roster at some point in 2023.   
Roster Impact: Martin was likely scheduled to start the year at Triple-A, but he was an injury or two away from making his debut. Now he will have to wait and see if rest and rehab can help him avoid going under the knife.

Ronny Henriquez: Right Posterior Elbow Soreness
Henriquez made his big-league debut last season after the Twins acquired him as part of the Mitch Garver trade. He made 24 appearances (95 1/3 innings) at Triple-A with a 5.66 ERA and a 1.39 WHIP. In St. Paul, Henriquez was five years younger than the average age of the competition so some struggles can be expected against older hitters. The Saints rotation is set up to be loaded with top prospects, so finding him innings in a starting role might be challenging.
Roster Impact: Henriquez had an outside chance to make the team as a reliever, but the team may want him to continue to start. He’s only made 16 appearances at Double-A, so the team could send him to that level to start games.  

Which injuries will impact the Twins the most in 2023? Leave a COMMENT and start the discussion. 

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[Monkeypaws]

It would have almost been shorter to write an article about who is healthy.....

[chpettit19]

Kirilloff is a concern until July for me. If he's still feeling good then I'll start to relax about the wrist.

Larnach is a little concerning that he's turning into a Buxton type and just has injuries to various parts of his body constantly bugging him. 

TJ for Martin would be a real bummer, but if it's done soon it'd be possible/likely that he could return to DH at the end of the season (in the minors) and then go DH in the AFL so it isn't a completely lost year.

Otherwise, I'm not concerned about any of these situations. Buxton is Buxton. Henriquez is young and a missed year doesn't kill his career (especially being on the ML 60-day and getting those ML checks all year). Most pitchers get TJ now so it just is what it is, unfortunately. Polanco has hit the IL once in 9 years. Not concerned about him (he's only 29, not 35). Balazovic isn't a baseball related injury. Celestino was pegged for a year in AAA anyways, and won't miss much game time there. Gordon should be back before the season starts. Nothing really to write home about here.

[jmlease1]

That's a real shame about Austin Martin. He had a nice AFL stint and I was really hoping it would lunch him into this season. Hope his elbow comes around.

I know we're trained to presume the worst at all times, but a lot of these injuries aren't new so for guys like Buxton, Kirilloff, and Polanco they're just working their way back. There really isn't any new or bad news on them that i can see?

[cHawk]

Buxton's absence will be a bigger ailment on the team than any other injuries listed in the article, as I didn't notice any mention of Carlos Correa, Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez, or Jhoan Duran.

Taylor is a backup. Oftentimes backups do not easily fill in the shoes of starters. His offensive ceiling is approximately the height of the IDS Center shorter than that of Buxton.

[LonelyseatinMOA]

50 minutes ago, jmlease1 said:

That's a real shame about Austin Martin. He had a nice AFL stint and I was really hoping it would lunch him into this season. Hope his elbow comes around.

I know we're trained to presume the worst at all times, but a lot of these injuries aren't new so for guys like Buxton, Kirilloff, and Polanco they're just working their way back. There really isn't any new or bad news on them that i can see?

Another lost season for him would be a gut punch. He's fortunate to have many people around him who've gone through windy roads to their MLB career (Rocco, Royce) 

[Nashvilletwin]

Sorry, but the Twins injury situation is already so bad it’s close to being like the woman who backed into the airplane propellor.

Its getting much more clear that the FO has known for a while that Buxton, Polanco, and Kiriloff would need to be eased in at best - thus, Gallo, Taylor and Solano.

 

[Verified Member]

Does rest ever "cure" a sprained UCL?

[Rosterman]

At some point you might have to cut and move on. The Twins took a gamble with Buxton, see how that will play out longterm. But how many times can you see hope in, say, Kirilloff or Lewis, and not just move forwards with...someone else.

Always shades of Jim Eisenreich (remember him) who couldn't play, then ended up making a modest comeback, but with a different team.

You start to realize how precious those 40-man roster spots can be, especially if you have numerous players that aren't...healthy.

[RickOShea]

While every team has injury issues, the Twins seem to have more and more serious issues.  I feel their approach to individual's physical health and rehabilitation has to come into question.  The way Baldelli babies these guys with what seem to be minor injuries, it seems even more confusing.  His resting of players throughout the season isn't the answer.  Maybe they need to  play through the minor aches and pains to build up some stamina or resistance.  It's really confusing.  so much so, that it seems to be more than a coincidence.

[stringer bell]

2 hours ago, RickOShea said:

While every team has injury issues, the Twins seem to have more and more serious issues.  I feel their approach to individual's physical health and rehabilitation has to come into question.  The way Baldelli babies these guys with what seem to be minor injuries, it seems even more confusing.  His resting of players throughout the season isn't the answer.  Maybe they need to  play through the minor aches and pains to build up some stamina or resistance.  It's really confusing.  so much so, that it seems to be more than a coincidence.

It seems to me that the Twins chose to blame the injury woes on the training staff. I don't know if this is scapegoating or if last year's head trainer did a poor job. Baldelli seems to be a players' manager and there hasn't been scuttlebutt of discontent from the players. I do think that the teams that he has had since taking over fit with his plan to rest everybody in the course of the season. 

However, every single year Rocco's teams have staggered at the end. This is particularly true of the two playoff teams and 2022. They weren't healthy going into postseason and didn't really have a chance to advance. Apparently, resting didn't get the desired result of having the players stay healthy through the season. Bad luck? Bad training staff? Poor management? I think it is a little bit of all three.

[Althebum82]

Well, if we are trying to make the list complete here, we need to include the two guys already on the 60 day IL.  Royce Lewis got off to such a terrific MLB start last year that an argument could be made for the significance of his injury.  While the rotation appears to be rich at this point, it sure would also be nice to see a healthy Paddack come back to give us more of a return than Pagan (sigh) on the Taylor Rogers trade.

[sampleSizeOfOne]

Sigh.

 

Why can't we have nice things?

[Minny505]

9 hours ago, Verified Member said:

Does rest ever "cure" a sprained UCL?

There was a book called The Arm written by Jeff Passan that came out in 2016. It is entirely on this very topic.

It's a little old, and even outdated. My memory is a little hazy on the specifics, but i remember being shocked by the high rate of success that rest had on avoiding surgery. I believe rest worked in something like 72% of cases.

Hopefully someone with the book can comment here and correct or verify that info. 

[Doctor Gast]

6 hours ago, Minny505 said:

There was a book called The Arm written by Jeff Passan that came out in 2016. It is entirely on this very topic.

It's a little old, and even outdated. My memory is a little hazy on the specifics, but i remember being shocked by the high rate of success that rest had on avoiding surgery. I believe rest worked in something like 72% of cases.

Hopefully someone with the book can comment here and correct or verify that info. 

Really sad to hear about Martins injury. I love his hitting, his spark on the bases and his upward trend. He could make an impact on the Twins very soon. His injury so soon makes me skeptical and make me anxious to get that TJ while he's not needed. But I hope you're right, Minny and that he can back strong soon & hope to see him play some OF.

Sorry I don't have that book.

[saviking]

Well, looks like we are already in mid season form. 

[Minny505]

14 minutes ago, saviking said:

Well, looks like we are already in mid season form. 

Meh. Go look thru the MLBTR page for any team. Most of them read similarly to the Twins. It's par for the course in MLB spring training. 

I think we are just oversensitive to it because of leading the league in 2022 in projected WAR lost to injury.

 

[Minderbinder]

So, how's the new trainer and his staff working out so far?  

One word:  yoga....

[JD-TWINS]

20 hours ago, cHawk said:

Buxton's absence will be a bigger ailment on the team than any other injuries listed in the article, as I didn't notice any mention of Carlos Correa, Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez, or Jhoan Duran.

Taylor is a backup. Oftentimes backups do not easily fill in the shoes of starters. His offensive ceiling is approximately the height of the IDS Center shorter than that of Buxton.

Taylor is solid v. 25% of the games when there’s a lefty starter…….pinch hitter - pinch runner - late inning Defense. A true back up!;

[JD-TWINS]

Kirilof has to be the most concerning guy! Big potential - poor health history - essentially at the final step in potentially making it or not. If he can play daily, the team’s success is looking good.

Gallo is Kirilof’s LH hitting replacement at 1B. This gets Gordon/Larnach into LF…..not a terrible thing. 

Gordon & Taylor can cover CF if Buxton goes down.

Solano/Farmer/Lee can cover for Miranda at 3B if arm issues linger.

[Verified Member]

8 hours ago, Doctor Gast said:

Really sad to hear about Martins injury. I love his hitting, his spark on the bases and his upward trend. He could make an impact on the Twins very soon. His injury so soon makes me skeptical and make me anxious to get that TJ while he's not needed. But I hope you're right, Minny and that he can back strong soon & hope to see him play some OF.

Sorry I don't have that book.

Thanks for the response.

[Bodie]

On 3/7/2023 at 9:35 AM, Minderbinder said:

So, how's the new trainer and his staff working out so far?  

One word:  yoga....

I eat yogurt every morning and I'm still a broken down, fat bast...

Oh, yoga.  As long as as it is led by Kent Hrbek w/ a cig dangling from his lips and a beer (or2...) in his hand.  (Actual 1987 WS post game 7 (WAY post game) memory)

[joefish]

On 3/6/2023 at 10:04 AM, cHawk said:

Buxton's absence will be a bigger ailment on the team than any other injuries listed in the article, as I didn't notice any mention of Carlos Correa, Sonny Gray, Pablo Lopez, or Jhoan Duran.

Taylor is a backup. Oftentimes backups do not easily fill in the shoes of starters. His offensive ceiling is approximately the height of the IDS Center shorter than that of Buxton.

But our backup must he a better option than playing an injured starter.