Twins right-hander Pablo Lopez is making steady progress in his comeback from the February elbow procedure, and his path back now points toward spring.
Lopez got back to playing catch in August, and the current plan has him aiming to be ready for Spring Training. If everything stays on track, there’s at least a chance he could break camp on the Opening Day roster.
The operation he underwent wasn’t full Tommy John surgery. Lopez had an internal brace procedure instead, which typically comes with a shorter recovery window. A 12-month rehab timeline would line him up for a return in a Twins uniform for spring work.
“ In my case, chronologically speaking, I’m going to go straight into spring training, straight into the fire,” Lopez told Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune.
This was Lopez’s second Tommy John-related surgery. The first came back in 2013, when he was still a minor leaguer in Seattle’s system. That one followed the standard recovery path, ending his 2014 season after the surgery was done at the close of the 2013 campaign.
“ I’m going to have to find ways to make sure that I’m listening to my body, make sure I’m keeping an eye on things that I didn’t have to experience with my first Tommy John because I was done with rehab, and I had a normal offseason where I had rest and recovered,” Lopez said.
His injury was one piece of a chaotic winter for Minnesota. The Twins brought in new minority owners in December, Tom Pohlad became the team’s control person, and Derek Falvey left his post as team president in January. After that came Lopez’s setback, and then a Joe Ryan scare that ultimately turned out to be lower back inflammation.
Minnesota could use Lopez back in the rotation. The staff had uneven results in 2026, even with Joe Ryan turning in another strong season and Taj Bradley settling in as a mid-rotation option.
Bailey Ober, Zebby Matthews, and Connor Prielipp all had trouble finding consistency, while Mick Abel flashed before an elbow issue ended his year. In the end, the Twins’ pitching staff finished 22nd in ERA.
Dean Kremer Kendry Rojas.
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