For more than a decade, Minnesota Twins fans have trained themselves to use the injured list as a shield against disappointment. Every season, it felt like a key player was lost before things even started to click. Byron Buxton made IL trips so routine that it almost became a spring tradition. Joe Ryan seemed to always be on the shelf in the second half, while Royce Lewis saw multiple seasons end before he could establish himself as a cornerstone. In past years, the injury bug was always buzzing loudly enough to explain away missed opportunities.

But in 2025, something unusual happened. Injuries haven’t ravaged the Twins, compared to other teams. In fact, the numbers suggest they’ve been relatively healthy, and that makes the club’s struggles all the more alarming.

Looking at the Numbers
Earlier this week, FanGraphs rolled out a fascinating look at potential WAR lost due to injuries. The Twins checked in at just 7.2 WAR, with only three American League clubs losing less production. Across MLB, eight teams had fewer injury-related setbacks. That’s a far cry from the days when Minnesota was leading the league in disabled list days.

Spotrac tells a similar story. Their IL tracker indicates that Minnesota has $23.8 million in salary lost to injury this season, ranking 17th. The Twins’ total days lost to injury sit around 840, with only the Phillies, Giants, and Cardinals showing fewer. In other words, while other clubs have seen rosters shredded by injuries, the Twins’ key pieces have, for the most part, been available.

The Key Injuries That Did Happen
Of course, no season is entirely free of adversity. Pablo López’s absence was the most damaging blow. Losing the team’s ace for three months ripped a hole in the rotation, forcing less-experienced arms to shoulder innings. Even though the Twins had other options, it was clear that the pitching staff wasn’t the same without López’s presence at the top.

Bailey Ober’s case has been different. He hasn’t missed the same amount of time, but pitching through a hip injury has made him inconsistent. His command has wavered, and his velocity has dipped at times, leaving the Twins with a less reliable option in the middle of their rotation. This has been tough to swallow for a player who has been one of the team’s most consistent arms over the last two seasons. 

Luke Keaschall has been a breath of fresh air to the Twins roster, especially when he made his debut and was wreaking havoc at the plate and on the bases immediately. He broke his arm at the end of April and didn’t return until the beginning of August. To be fair, the Twins likely weren’t counting on him to have a significant impact this year, but he may have provided a spark for a team that fell out of contention while he was gone. 

There have also been other injuries throughout the season, including a freak collision. When Buxton and Carlos Correa ran into each other in the outfield, it was a collective gut punch. Both suffered concussions and spent time on the shelf. Ryan Jeffers (concussion) and Christian Vázquez (shoulder infection) both missed time after not being on the IL in 2023 or 2024. David Festa tried to pitch through a shoulder injury before being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Not all of these injuries were major, but they did impact the team’s depth and on-field performance. Zebby Matthews’s absence, particularly because it overlapped with López’s and Ober’s, stretched the rotation too thin to be viable.

A Different Kind of Problem
Even with those notable absences, the big-picture story is clear: Minnesota hasn’t endured the injury nightmare that defined other seasons. They haven’t lost Buxton for half a year, or Lewis for another torn ACL, or a full rotation crumbling at once. This year, the roster’s health has been closer to average—or better.

That leaves the finger to be pointed elsewhere. The Twins’ 2025 issues can’t be chalked up to health. They have more to do with underwhelming performances, inconsistent pitching depth, and an offense that has struggled to find balance outside of Buxton’s MVP-caliber performance. 

Why It Matters for the Future
If injuries had defined this season, there might be comfort in assuming better health could bring better results in 2026. Instead, the lesson is more sobering. Even with relatively good health, this roster hasn’t been good or deep enough to compete. That should force the front office to look inward at construction, depth, and player development, rather than shrugging and pointing toward the IL report.

For fans, it’s unsettling. The “injury excuse” has long been a crutch—one that was sometimes valid. But in 2025, it simply doesn’t apply. The Twins had the health to compete. They just didn’t have the performance. And that, more than anything else, is the scary truth heading into the offseason.

What stands out about the team’s injuries this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion.