{"id":674639,"date":"2026-04-13T08:03:37","date_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:03:37","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/674639\/"},"modified":"2026-04-13T08:03:37","modified_gmt":"2026-04-13T08:03:37","slug":"twins-lose-ace-pitcher-pablo-lopez-to-tommy-john-surgery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/674639\/","title":{"rendered":"Twins Lose Ace Pitcher Pablo L\u00f3pez to Tommy John Surgery"},"content":{"rendered":"

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a<\/a><\/p>\n

\"AThe Twins’ rotation takes a hit as their ace Pablo L\u00f3pez faces a lengthy recovery from Tommy John surgery.Minnesota City Today<\/p>\n

Pablo L\u00f3pez, the Minnesota Twins’ top starting pitcher, will undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, sidelining him for the entire 2026 MLB season. This will be the second Tommy John procedure for the 29-year-old, who was acquired by the Twins in a January 2023 trade. L\u00f3pez had been a reliable force atop the Twins’ rotation over the past three seasons, but a UCL tear discovered during spring training has now derailed his 2026 campaign.<\/p>\n

Why it matters<\/p>\n

The loss of L\u00f3pez is a significant blow to the Twins’ playoff aspirations, as he had emerged as one of the team’s most valuable pitchers. With the veteran sidelined, Minnesota will need to rely more heavily on younger arms like Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, and Simeon Woods Richardson to anchor the rotation, while also potentially exploring outside options to fill the void.<\/p>\n

The details<\/p>\n

L\u00f3pez, who will earn $21.75 million this season and next on a four-year, $73.5 million contract, initially sought a second opinion on the UCL tear, but the diagnosis was confirmed, leading to the decision for Tommy John surgery. He is expected to miss the entire 2026 season and hopes to be ready for the start of the 2027 campaign, which would be the final year of his current deal with the Twins.<\/p>\n

Pablo L\u00f3pez is scheduled to undergo Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, April 13, 2026.L\u00f3pez is expected to miss the entire 2026 MLB season and aims to return for the start of the 2027 season.<\/p>\n

The players<\/p>\n

Pablo L\u00f3pez<\/p>\n

A 29-year-old right-handed starting pitcher for the Minnesota Twins, who will miss the 2026 season due to Tommy John surgery.<\/p>\n

Joe Ryan<\/p>\n

A Twins starting pitcher who is likely to start Opening Day with L\u00f3pez sidelined.<\/p>\n

Bailey Ober<\/p>\n

A Twins starting pitcher who aims to rebound from a tough 2025 season.<\/p>\n

Simeon Woods Richardson<\/p>\n

A Twins starting pitcher who posted a 4.04 ERA across 111 1\/3 innings in 2025 and is a rotation candidate.<\/p>\n

Tom Pohlad<\/p>\n

The new executive chair of the Minnesota Twins, who has emphasized a commitment to competing despite the loss of L\u00f3pez.<\/p>\n

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\n What they\u2019re saying<\/p>\n

\u201cWe must explore all options to fill the void left by Pablo’s injury and give our team the best chance to compete this season.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u2014 Tom Pohlad, Executive Chair, Minnesota Twins<\/p>\n

What\u2019s next<\/p>\n

The Twins will need to determine how to best replace L\u00f3pez in the rotation, potentially looking to free agent options or further developing their young pitching prospects.<\/p>\n

The takeaway<\/p>\n

The loss of Pablo L\u00f3pez is a significant setback for the Twins, who must now rely more heavily on their depth and young pitching talent to remain competitive in the AL Central. This injury highlights the fragility of a team’s rotation and the importance of developing strong organizational pitching resources.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Got story updates? Submit your updates here. \u203a The Twins’ rotation takes a hit as their ace Pablo…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":674640,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2388],"tags":[5,822,60,3190,4,148],"class_list":{"0":"post-674639","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-minnesota-twins","8":"tag-baseball","9":"tag-minnesota","10":"tag-minnesota-twins","11":"tag-minnesotatwins","12":"tag-mlb","13":"tag-twins"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@mlb\/116396360710903318","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674639","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=674639"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/674639\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/674640"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=674639"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=674639"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/mlb\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=674639"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}