Twins Injury Concerns to Monitor in Spring Training

Winder, SWR and Varland should get themselves ready - they are going to get lots of chances this season….

The two I will be watching most closely is Mahle, primarily due to the fact that nobody has said what exactly was causing his shoulder issue nor what, if anything, they have done to repair it.

The second one is AK because it was a rare procedure, he has had multiple issues with the wrist, and FB is key to how the infield and outfield musical chairs are arranged.

My hope is that all the previously injured players get past their injuries and they all have a good year of development while playing entertaining baseball.

The ones that concern me are the Mahle and shoulder soreness.  Is this a strength issue?  A breakdown of shoulder components issue?  Mechanics?

AK-47's issues only because of the back-to-back surgeries.  

Most soft tissue issues, (Gray for example), I'm not as concerned about as the new trainer has the onus on him to prevent/minimize these types of injuries.

The last issue that is of concern to me is JP's patellar tendonitis, only because I have had this and it didn't heal quickly.  Although I did NOT have an organization with the staff the Twins have, nor the money JP has to get specialized treatment.

The AK injury seems very worrisome, although as a previous article pointed out, the procedure has been done successfully before.  Between AK and Larnach, this would seem to be the year that they either take a very large step forward or get passed in the pecking order.  For all of their potential, they have yet to show any solid sustained production at the major league level. 

As for the pitchers, it seems likely that at least one them won't work out (wish I could tell you which) because that's how pitchers go.  My hope is that there is enough depth to anticipate that happening and to be in place to prevent the number five starter from being a dumpster fire. 

IMO the medical training staff has a handle on what to do. They have a specific plan on how they are dealing with how to get Buxton ramped up for MLB. I imagine they have a plan on each one. Hope they also have a good plan to keep all of them fresh & healthy thru the post season.

My biggest question mark is Maeda. He says his 100% but he was never been a big inning pitcher and in '21 his 1st full season w/ the Twins, they over stretched him & he got hurt. Now coming back from 20 months of not facing MLB pitching & surgery. I'm afraid they may try to rush him, which could be counter productive.

While the others are important to have healthy and contributing, to me is begins and ends with Buxton.  What a healthy Buxton brings to this team in terms of offense and defense is enormous.  He could be a top 5 WAR player IF he can stay healthy.

The biggest injury concern for me is Buxton, though having Taylor on the roster may alleviate the issue a little. Over the course of his career, the team's winning percentage is .548 in games he plays in, 89 wins per season, including 48-44, .521, last year. In games he starts, the team's winning percentage is .537 for his career, 87 wins per season, including 47-39, .546, last year. Having him in the line-up for 140+ games this year is a must for this team to succeed.

Lot of strains. No wonder there is a new trainer

Mahle is one to watch closely. He supposedly just had "inflammation" in his shoulder last season. Well, Frankie Montas also had inflammation in his shoulder and was shut down last season. The Yankees just announced that Montas is going under the knife next week for shoulder surgery. No word yet as to exactly what the surgery is. Let's hope Mahle doesn't have the same result. Aside from that, Kirilloff's wrist is also a big concern, and of course we'll need to keep an eye on Buxton too.  

From Do-Hyoung Park:

Falvey reaffirmed that Kenta Maeda will not have any restrictions this spring following his recovery from Tommy John surgery, and that Tyler Mahle “feels fantastic” after making some changes to his offseason programming following a visit to Driveline.

34 minutes ago, old nurse said:

Lot of strains. No wonder there is a new trainer

Like the Vikes going from losing numerous one score games to winning them this year with a change in coaching the Twins shall go from many injuries to few this year with a change in trainers.

Hey.  It could happen.

Jeffers could be added to list missing 10 weeks with a broken thumb. Probably should add Lewis and Paddock to the list also.

I thought this article was going to be much, much longer.

Hopefully the new trainers can limit all the soft tissue injuries this season. I still worry about Alcala and Maeda, whether they'll be the same pitchers again. One has to also consider Alcala's mental outlook. If he's not confident in the elbow he won't pitch as well. When he's confident you can see it in his face and he is definitely dangerous when he is.

The most difficult player to replace is Buck. Therefore I agree with Puckstopper1, it begins and ends with Buck.  However, I worry most about Kirilloff, because his career is at stake, more so than any of the others.  And poor Royce Lewis who has had terrible luck. For all its beauty, baseball can be a cruel  game.

As long as we are discussing injuries, has anyone else noticed that  Carlos Correa's metal plate in his ankle began to vibrate 4 months and 8 days before the Chinese spy balloon was first sighted over the US?  * I suppose with some of the folks who have been elected to our current congress, I should post a disclaimer and say that I was trying to be funny here.*

I am trusting the news that AK is fine going into the season so he should be good moving forward as far as his wrist is concerned.  Once we see him on the field we will know with even more certainty but for now I choose to believe the news he is fine.

Buxton is my biggest concern with the knee injury as that can sap his speed.  

Maeda is my second big concern in that his control may not be back and he may be on an innings limit.  

Gray and Ober are more of a when will the knicks get to them and how long they will miss because of them.  I don't expect a serious injury from either but something nagging that will keep them out for a month.  Will that come at an inconvenient time?

I expect Correa's ankle will be fine for a few years.  check back with me in years 4, 5, and 6 of his contract.  

There are always going to be sprains and minor injuries, and we are stacked in depth for them so i am ok with those types of injuries.  just hope to keep the out for the rest of the year injuries to a minimum.  

If all of the pitchers are healthy (a big if for every team not just the Twins), I think the best move is to put Maeda into the BP. He has a lot of experience there during his Dodger years. In addition, it would probably help limit his innings total and overall workload. Switching between starting and relieving can be very difficult, especially for young pitchers. The difference in mindset and day to day prep seems to mess with some younger players. Ober, Winder, Sands, and others are currently potential MLB starters, one of the most valuable commodities in a system. Switching a young pitcher is generally not a temporary move  Duran, Jax, and others are not moving back to the rotation. You hear the theory that teams should use them to reinforce the bullpen early in their careers and then return them to the rotation later. I am sure there are examples of that working, but I can think of a number of situations where it didn’t go well. Moving back and forth seems to be tough on arms and careers. 

More than likely health concerns will dictate who  breaks camp in the starting rotation. But if not, my preference is to see Maeda in the pen rather than one of the younger players, unless the decision makers clearly see no future as a starter for the youngster. 

Buxton is not a worry.  He is entering year 8 with the Twins.  He's only played one full season in his previous 7.  That was 140 games in 2017.  To count your seasons success on his availability if foolish   IF he is healthy and IF he plays a full season, and IF he performs at a high level with high level results it will be a luxury not an expectation.  The Twins do need him to be successful but he's not the only player on the team.

20 hours ago, ashbury said:

I'll be keeping an eye on Kyle Farmer.  He spent time on the Reds paternity list in 2021.  In my experience, there's a chance for this to be a chronic condition that flares up every year or two.

Ashbury wins the Comment of the Week Award!