FORT MYERS, Fla. (AP) — Minnesota Twins right-hander Pablo López has a significant tear in his right elbow’s ulnar collateral ligament, general manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday.
Zoll told reporters at the club’s spring training facility that López would get a second opinion, but that he is likely to need surgery that would cost him the entire season.
The news comes a day after the because of what manager Derek Shelton called “a little bit of elbow soreness.”
López, who turns 30 next month, threw two-plus innings before shutting things down Monday. He was considered ahead of schedule in preparations to join Venezuela for the World Baseball Classic.
López has been the opening day starter for the Twins the past three seasons. He was limited to 75 2/3 innings last year, with three stints on the injured list for hamstring, shoulder and forearm issues.
The 2023 All-Star made 32 starts in each season from 2022-24, the first of those with Miami before playing the last two with Minnesota.
Lopez was 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA last season. He won 10 games in each of the previous three seasons, capped by a career-best 15 in 2024.
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