The Minnesota Twins will be without their top starting pitcher, Pablo López, for the next eight to 12 weeks. López was placed on the 15-day injured list last Thursday with a grade 2 shoulder strain.
After initial testing, the Twins’ Opening Day starter was hopeful to avoid an extended trip on the shelf, but further evaluation showed the severity of the injury.
The Venezuela native, who represented his home country at the 2023 World Baseball Classic, knows that staying off the field for several weeks will be a difficult mental challenge. The Twins announced López would not start a throwing program for at least four weeks.
“The mental side is what’s going to be eating me alive for a while. It’s just that itch, knowing that every day that passes is games I’m not participating in,” López told MLB.com’s Matthew Leach. “So, the options are simple. I either choose to drown myself in tears of sorrow, or I choose to power through, grow internally, externally, grow physically, grow emotionally, and just make sure that when the time comes, that I will be able to come back.”
According to Alejandra Razo of AlBat.com, for López to play for Venezuela in the 2026 WBC, he must avoid spending at least 15 of the last 60 days of the season on the injured list, per Major League Baseball rules and regulations.
“López was placed on the injured list retroactive to June 4, meaning he must be activated before August 12 to avoid this restriction,” wrote Razo. “With an estimated recovery time of eight to 12 weeks, the margin is tight.”
Of course, the Twins could advise López not to play or deny him the opportunity to play in next year’s WBC, looking out for the safety of a player they owe $21.5 million for each of the following three seasons.
Before López started his first All-Star season with the Twins in 2023, he provided three consecutive seasons with a 3.75 or lower ERA with the Miami Marlins. He took his stellar WBC performance to the regular season with him, striking out a career-high 10.9 batters per nine innings in 32 starts with the Twins.
His strikeout prowess is what Venezuela might miss at the top of their pitching staff. López struck out six and lasted 4 2/3 innings in Venezuela’s second game of Pool D in 2023, a 9-6 victory against Puerto Rico to improve to 2-0.
If López’s shoulder strain keeps him out of the WBC, there are other pitchers Venezuela can turn to. Still, losing him would be a tough pill to swallow.
Photo: Pablo Lopez #49 of the Minnesota Twins pitches against the Kansas City Royals on March 28, 2024 at Kauffman Stadium in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Brace Hemmelgarn/Minnesota Twins/Getty Images)
