The Minnesota Twins closed out their season Sunday with a 6-4 win over the Texas Rangers, but the offseason has already brought a couple of injury updates that will shape how two young players spend the winter.
Walker Jenkins is the headline name here. The Twins’ outfield prospect has already had a stop-and-start year, and now he’s headed for another procedure. Bobby Nightengale of the Star Tribune reported that Jenkins is scheduled to have bone chips and spurs removed from his right elbow on Wednesday morning.
Jenkins had earlier dealt with a shoulder injury in May, then returned for a rehab assignment and logged 69 games with Triple-A St. Paul before making his big-league debut on Aug.
- In all, he appeared in 26 games for Minnesota this season, hitting .226 with a .686 OPS while launching the first four home runs of his major league career.
That’s a lot for a 21-year-old to absorb in one season, and the timing is less than ideal. Instead of rolling straight into an offseason built around his first taste of the majors, Jenkins now has surgery on the calendar.
The other notable update involves Zebby Matthews, who finished his year with a start on Sept. 21 in a 5-2 loss to the San Francisco Giants. He worked five innings, allowed five earned runs and struck out nine. Nightengale reported that Matthews is dealing with a flexor pronator strain, and the Twins expect conservative treatment will be enough for him to be ready for the 2027 season.
Matthews finished 9-11 with a 4.90 ERA across 23 starts, and Minnesota still has work to do sorting out its pitching picture for next season. That uncertainty is part of the backdrop as the club heads into the winter and Derek Shelton and Jeremy Zoll try to get a better read on the arms they’ll have available.
In Other News...
Minnesota Gets A Rare Game Day Spotlight Before Michigan
The buildup to Minnesotas matchup with Michigan is starting well before kickoff, as FOXs Big Noon Kickoff will air from the University of Minnesota campus for the first time. The pregame show is expected to bring a fan pit, giveaways and a set inside Huntington Bank Stadium, turning what is already a major Big Ten stage into an all-day spotlight for the Gophers and their home environment.
For P.J. Fleck, the value goes beyond a single Saturday. He pointed to the exposure the university gets from hosting a national pregame show, noting the boost it can provide in front of recruits and the broader college football audience. With about 170 people involved in production, Minnesota is getting a rare showcase moment before one of its biggest home games of the season. [Read more 🡒]
Minnesota Gets A Rare Shot At Michigan With Doubt Growing Around The Wolverines
Michigans trip to Minnesota comes at an interesting moment, with the Wolverines coming off a loss to Iowa and now facing another Big Ten road test. The matchup has drawn a split in outside predictions, which says plenty about how unsettled Michigan looks right now and how much respect Minnesota is getting for having a real chance to make this a difficult afternoon.
Minnesota will be watching closely to see whether Michigan cleans up the issues that showed up against Iowa, because the margin in a conference game like this tends to come down to discipline and execution. Some analysts still see enough recent individual play and overall strength to trust the Wolverines, but the Gophers are in position to take advantage if the visitors are not sharp from the start. [Read more 🡒]
Michigan Weekend Just Got Bigger For Gophers Fans
Saturday on the University of Minnesota campus is turning into a full-blown football day before the Golden Gophers even take the field. FOX Big Noon Kickoff will air live from in front of 3M Arena at Mariucci beginning at 9 a.m. CT, giving fans an early start ahead of Minnesotas matchup with Michigan. Gates open at 7:30 a.m., and the setup comes with the kind of extras that turn a game day into an event, including giveaways and a P.J. Fleck lookalike contest.
For Minnesota fans, the timing adds even more juice to a matchup that already carried plenty of attention. The Gophers and Wolverines are set to kick off at 11 a.m., with the game airing on FOX 9, and the national pregame show should only amplify the atmosphere around campus. It is the sort of weekend that can make the whole area feel like part of the broadcast, even before the first snap. [Read more 🡒]