CHICAGO — When Mick Abel first landed on the injured list in April, his expectation was that he was going to be out for two or three weeks.
But weeks quickly turned into months as that initial timeline went out the window. After two rehab outings, he was near ready to return in June. But after feeling renewed soreness, Abel finally underwent arthroscopic elbow surgery on July 1.
Now, it appears likely the starting pitcher will be out for the rest of the season, with general manager Jeremy Zoll saying Sunday in Chicago that Abel would have a check-up at the eight-week mark — right around Sept. 1 — to determine when he will be able to resume throwing.
That’s expected to happen sometime between eight and 12 weeks post-op, Zoll said, which means that even if everything goes perfectly, there’s not enough time to build him back up before the end of the season.
Abel, who beat out Zebby Matthews for the final rotation spot out of spring training, had a 3.98 earned-run average in four outings this season. In the two starts before the injury, he had thrown a combined 13 scoreless innings with 16 strikeouts.
While Abel began the season healthy, fellow right-hander David Festa has been dealing with shoulder issues since spring training and is also unlikely to pitch for the Twins this season. Festa had a stem-cell injection in his shoulder but was not able to progress from bullpens to facing live hitters.
“He had thrown a few bullpens and then had a reoccurrence of symptoms in his shoulder,” Zoll said. “We are thinking that they are actually now back to TOS-related symptoms, but not 100 percent certain on that.”
Festa, who has not pitched in a major league game in nearly a full calendar year, received Botox injections last year to treat thoracic outlet syndrome symptoms and was later diagnosed with a shoulder impingement this spring.
Zoll said Festa will see Dr. Robert Bowers this upcoming week in Atlanta, after which the Twins will have a better sense of his next steps.
While their starting pitching depth has been depleted primarily by injuries, the Twins are expecting to get one starter back soon. Rookie Connor Prielipp, on the injured list with a blister, made a rehab start on Sunday with Triple-A St. Paul. The Twins are currently utilizing a four-man rotation out of the break and have not named a starter for Tuesday’s game in Cleveland.
Reliever Marco Raya (right) is also with St. Paul on rehab. He threw Saturday, giving up two runs in one inning. Cole Sands (forearm) threw two scoreless innings for the Saints on Friday and is scheduled for a one-inning outing Tuesday, Zoll said.
“I don’t know if it’s going as far saying he’s re-simulating a full spring training, but obviously he has been down for a while,” Zoll said. “We’re trying to get him fully built back, workload wise, and check off a number of boxes.”
Briefly
Manager Derek Shelton said he was still hopeful that Byron Buxton (hip) is able to return during the Twins’ upcoming series in Cleveland. The Twins have a four-game set against the Guardians beginning Monday. … Victor Caratini on Sunday started his first game at first base since May 14. With three catchers on the roster, Caratini is likely to see more time there. … With Caratini at first, Royce Lewis shifted over to second base for the third time this season, moving Kody Clemens back to the outfield.
Mick Abel #20 of the Minnesota Twins delivers a pitch against the Detroit Tigers in the first inning at Target Field on April 09, 2026 in Minneapolis, Minnesota. (Photo by David Berding/Getty Images)
This is a 2024 photo of David Festa of the Minnesota Twins baseball team. This image reflects the Twins active roster as of Thursday, Feb. 22, 2024 when this image was taken. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert)