Twins’ pitching depth tested by injuries to Jhoan Duran, Anthony DeSclafani, Caleb Thielbar
No news is usually good news at spring training. Regretfully, following a rather quiet first five weeks of training, the Minnesota Twins made a lot of announcements on Monday.
Instead, closer Juan Duran, setup man Caleb Thielbar, and fifth starter Anthony DeSclafani—three of the thirteen pitchers expected to be on the Opening Day roster—will open the season on the injured list, which will immediately test the depth of the staff.
None of the three players’ projected return dates were provided by the Twins.DeSclafani will see a specialist for additional testing, President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey said reporters in Florida.
Despite playing well in just a few spring games, Duran—who missed the IL in his first two seasons—has been diagnosed with a moderate oblique strain. Although Duran’s right arm isn’t the problem, this is good news because oblique strains can linger and are unpredictable.Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart
diagnosed with a mild oblique strain following some unusually difficult performances in a few spring games. Although Duran’s right arm isn’t the problem, this is good news because oblique strains can linger and are unpredictable.Griffin Jax and Brock Stewart are the front-runners to succeed him.
Early in camp, Thielbar hurt his left hamstring. Last week, he was able to participate in live batting practice, but it was decided that the 37-year-old left-hander would not be ready for Opening Day on March 28 in Kansas City. His absence probably gives youngster Kyle Funderburk the opportunity to join the team as the bullpen’s second lefty, pushing offseason newcomer Steven Okert to the starting southpaw position.
Due to DeSclafani’s right forearm and elbow issues that date back to last summer, the Twins will only be responsible for $4 million of the 33-year-old’s $12 million contract following his deal for Jorge Polanco with the Seattle Mariners. The righty has struggled with stiffness throughout camp and missed the majority of the second part of the previous season due to an elbow ailment.
The Twins’ front management found it challenging to add significant rotation reinforcements this winter due to ownership cutting $30 million in payroll, and now their lone starter signing might need season-ending surgery. Though the Twins had wanted to avoid delving too far into their minor-league depth so quickly, Louie Varland is slated to take over as the No. 5 starter and he is more than capable of handle the task.
On Monday, a shoulder stain sidelined prospect Matt Canterino’s recovery from Tommy John surgery, further hurting the starting depth. Although Canterino, a 26-year-old right-hander, looked fantastic early in camp and demonstrated that his explosive raw stuff persisted 18 months after surgery, the right-hander will start the season on the Triple-A injured list due to yet another health issue.
Due to ownership’s budget cuts, it is unclear how much room the front office has to spend. However, there are a number of unsigned veteran starters available on the free-agent market who could at least prevent the Twins from having to rely on prospects David Festa, Sean Woods Richardson, and Brent Headrick as their depth behind the 26-year-old Varland in the rotation.
The Twins are undoubtedly unable to afford front-line lefties Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery, but they still have access to mid-rotation righties Michael Lorenzen and Mike Clevinger. Additional experienced free agents that could be open to low-cost one-year contracts are Dallas Keuchel, Vince Velasquez, Rich Hill, and Noah Syndergaard.
If, as expected, DeSclafani is lost for the season, the Twins will most likely be looking for some sort of rotation support, whether through a trade or free agency.
