Monday is supposed to be a day of excitement and hope across Twins Territory. Pitchers and catchers reported last week, and now the remaining position players have joined them. However, there was a noticeable shift in energy at Twins camp on Monday morning.
After the first full squad workout of the spring, some concern crept into the clubhouse when Pablo López walked off the mound during a live batting practice session and reported elbow soreness. The right-hander had been scheduled to throw three simulated innings, which represented a heavier workload than most pitchers in camp as he prepares to pitch for Team Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic.
According to the Star Tribune, everything appeared routine until the second pitch of his third inning. That was when López alerted pitching coach Pete Maki to how his elbow felt. Moments later, he walked off the mound, and the session came to an abrupt end. Manager Derek Shelton told reporters that López will undergo an MRI to determine the severity of the issue.
“Obviously, it’s February 16,” Shelton said. “After he and Pete talked, we decided, out of an abundance of caution, let’s get him off the field and make sure he’s OK. We’ll get some imaging on it, just because of how important it is and he is to us. I think we’ll have more information as we go along.”
If López is forced to shut down from throwing, it would likely take him out of participation in the World Baseball Classic and could put his Opening Day availability in jeopardy. That would be a significant development for Minnesota, given that López has taken the ball on Opening Day in each of the past three seasons and has established himself as the anchor of the rotation.
Last week, López spoke on Inside Twins about how excited he was to represent Venezuela on an international stage. He reflected on his youth and the disappointment of being left off All-Star teams earlier in his career and noted how meaningful it would be to pitch for his country alongside a strong roster and coaching staff.
On that episode, López was asked about how he felt entering the season. He reiterated that many of the tests he was doing this winter proved that he was “in the best shape of his life.” That can become a cliche during early spring workouts, but it was clear that he felt better than he had in a long time, especially after injuries limited him to 14 starts last season.
Shelton recently emphasized just how vital he is to the Twins’ pitching puzzle this spring as the club works through multiple moving pieces on the staff.
“I don’t know if anybody in that room takes care of himself as well as Pablo does, not only during the season, but in the offseason,” Shelton said. “The fact he has awareness of his body, and he and Pete have a strong relationship, and they were able to have a conversation that was like, ‘Let’s hold off, and take a look here.’ ”
Spring training injuries always feel amplified, especially when they involve the arm of a frontline starter. For now, the Twins will wait on imaging results and hope that an early February scare does not turn into a March setback.
The organization built its rotation around López’s reliability and presence atop the staff, and any missed time would create a ripple effect throughout camp. The best-case scenario is that Monday becomes a reminder of why caution matters in February rather than the first chapter of a much larger concern for Minnesota’s pitching plans in 2026.
Check back at Twins Daily for more updates as they become available.