The Minnesota Twins are down one of their major pieces for 2026. Pitcher and the man penciled-in as the opening day starters since he arrived in Minnesota, Pablo López, will miss the entire season.
The Twins confirmed López will have surgery on a torn UCL in his right, throwing arm, next Wednesday in Dallas, Texas. And that officially puts him on the shelf until at least 2027.
General manager Jeremy Zoll told WCCO's Jason DeRusha Thursday that they'll miss his arm in the rotation, but just as big for the team is his leadership.
"Yeah, Pablo is definitely one of the leaders of the group, and the presence he has is really, really impressive in his ability to connect with our English speaking players, Spanish speaking players, across how thoughtful he is," Zoll explains. "He leads by example. He leads through, his words. He's a special person."
The team’s opening day starter in each of the last three years, López was grappling with a double disappointment with the probable loss of not only the upcoming major league season but the World Baseball Classic next month, when he was scheduled to pitch for his native Venezuela.
“I already feel I’m letting a lot of people down,” said López, who was limited to 75 2/3 innings last year because of injuries. “I’m letting myself down. I’m letting the Twins down. I’m letting my family down.”
López, who turns 30 on March 7, is making $21.75 million this season. He is signed through next year.