The Twins’ offseason injury file is a long one, and it starts with the names that mattered most in 2026.
Byron Buxton, Pablo López and Joe Ryan all spent significant time on the shelf, and Minnesota now heads into the winter with a mix of recovery timelines that range from straightforward to much longer-term. Some players are already back on a path toward spring training. Others won’t be near game action for a while.
Buxton’s year ended with right hip surgery in September after a frustrating cycle of IL stints tied to the same issue. He had the stitches removed earlier this month and has started rehab work, according to The Athletic’s Dan Hayes.
Before the injury hit, Buxton was on his way toward another Silver Slugger Award, and he still finished with 2.6 fWAR and a .254/.319/.511 line - good for a 128 wRC+ - along with 25 homers, 46 RBI and seven steals in 93 games. He turns 33 in December and is expected to be ready when spring training opens.
Walker Jenkins is also on track for camp after right elbow debridement surgery following the regular season, per The Minnesota Star Tribune’s Bobby Nightengale. Minnesota’s consensus No. 1 overall prospect got a taste of the majors in late August and hit .226/.293/.393 with four homers and 10 RBI in 26 games. His last stretch of the season was especially loud: over his final 10 games, he batted .385/.400/.615 with three homers and five RBI in 40 plate appearances.
López missed the entire 2026 season after an internal brace procedure in February, but he began throwing in August and told Nightengale he expects to be back for spring training. Next season will be his final year of team control with Minnesota. Since arriving before the 2023 season, he has put up a 3.68 ERA with 505 strikeouts across 455 innings in 78 starts.
Jeff Hoffman’s injury timeline stretches much deeper into the next calendar year. The Twins put him on the IL on Sept. 23 with a right elbow injury, and he later had right arthroscopic elbow surgery, per Hayes.
He’s slated to start a throwing program in about two months and is expected to be ready for the beginning of the 2027 season. Minnesota got Hoffman from the Toronto Blue Jays at the trade deadline in a deal headlined by left-hander Dasan Hill, and he was excellent after the move, posting a 2.50 ERA with 27 strikeouts in 18 innings.
He’s under team control through next season.
Mick Abel’s season was interrupted early, then ended the hard way. He opened the year in the Twins’ rotation but made only four starts before going on the IL.
Minnesota nearly activated him in June, but more elbow discomfort led to a shutdown and eventually arthroscopic surgery on his right elbow. The right-hander, acquired with catching prospect Eduardo Tait from the Philadelphia Phillies at the 2025 deadline for Jhoan Duran, had made four appearances for Minnesota in 2025 before earning an Opening Day roster spot this spring.
He struggled in his first two outings this year, then closed with 13 scoreless innings over his final two starts. Hayes recently saw Abel throwing off a mound, which points toward a spring training return.
David Festa never got to the season at all. He underwent thoracic outlet surgery and a procedure for a shoulder impingement in July, ending his year before it really began.
In 25 outings between 2024 and 2025, he logged a 5.12 ERA with 130 strikeouts over 117 2/3 innings. He has mostly worked as a starter, though a move to the bullpen next year remains possible.
There is no official return date yet.
Cole Sands went through a stop-and-start season that ended with elbow surgery. The Twins first shelved him in early May because of a right forearm strain, then shut down rehab assignments in June and again after activating him in July.
He lasted just one outing after returning before landing back on the IL and ultimately having season-ending arthroscopic elbow surgery. He’s expected to be ready for spring training, and in limited action this year he posted an 8.25 ERA in 13 appearances.
Paredes was another important arm who got caught up in Minnesota’s pitching injuries. He spent much of the season helping hold down the back end of the rotation before a left oblique strain sent him to the IL in late July and ended his year.
In nine appearances, including five starts, he finished with a 4.72 ERA and 19 strikeouts in 34 1/3 innings. There’s no official return date, but because the injury did not involve his throwing arm, he has a strong chance to be ready for spring training.
In Other News...
Twins Just Opened A New Question At DH
Minnesotas offseason began with a clean little roster reset, and one of the first openings is at designated hitter. Josh Bell, who spent this past season as the clubs primary DH while also filling in at first base at times, is now a free agent after the Twins declined his mutual option. It is the kind of move that does not close the door on a reunion, but it does put one of the teams more familiar bats back on the market.
The same day brought another contract decision with a longer horizon attached to it, as the Twins moved on from Joe Ryans 2027 mutual option while keeping him under club control through arbitration for 2026. For now, the bigger short-term issue is Bells spot in the lineup and whether Minnesota wants to shop for a different answer there, or see if the market and its own plans line up again before spring. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Roster Cleanup Leaves One Bullpen Question Fans Will Watch Closely
The Twins used a roster-clearing move to open some space this week, parting ways with Anthony Banda, Aaron Sabato and Tristan Gray and trimming down a 40-man roster that is likely to keep shifting as winter progresses. Bandas situation is the clearest of the three, with the left-hander coming off surgery to repair a lat strain and expected to miss the rest of the 2026 season, a setback that makes his departure more a matter of practicality than surprise.
What comes next is the part Twins fans will be watching closest, especially in the bullpen, where the front office is weighing several ways to add depth. Taylor Rogers remains a possible reunion, while Adrian Morejon and Raisel Iglesias are among the other arms being discussed as Minnesota looks for help that can stabilize the relief corps rather than simply fill innings. [Read more 🡒]
Twins Suddenly Have A Rotation Decision Fans Will Notice
Michael Kings decision to decline his 2027 player option has put one of the markets more intriguing arms on the board, and the timing makes him worth watching for teams still sorting out their pitching plans. The right-hander can first negotiate exclusively with the Padres for a five-day window before he is free to talk with every club, and that has naturally raised the question of whether the Twins should even consider getting involved as they evaluate their rotation depth.
King has been one of the more effective starters in baseball over the past three seasons since arriving in San Diego from the Yankees, which is exactly why his name comes up when teams start looking for stability at the top and middle of a staff. Minnesota is not widely viewed as a likely landing spot, but the Twins have enough uncertainty on the mound that a proven arm like King would at least fit the profile of the kind of swing that can change a winter, even if the path to making it happen still looks long. [Read more 🡒]