Feb. 21: Twins agree to deal with INF Donovan Solano (source)
The Twins agreed to terms with Solano on Tuesday night, a source told MLB.com. It’s a one-year Major League deal, pending a physical, according to The Athletic’s Ken Rosenthal. The 35-year-old adds to the Twins’ robust infield depth that already includes Kyle Farmer and Nick Gordon, with prospect Edouard Julien also considered to be nearly MLB-ready.
Solano hit .284/.339/.385 in 80 games last season for the Reds, with the right-handed hitter appearing at every infield position but shortstop while mostly playing at first base and designated hitter. He posted a .770 OPS against left-handed pitching in 2022.
It’s an unexpected move because Minnesota’s position player group on the projected 26-man Opening Day roster already appeared to be mostly set, barring injury, with Farmer, Gordon, second catcher Ryan Jeffers and backup outfielders Michael A. Taylor and Trevor Larnach seemingly all bound for the roster. One member of that group currently stands to be pushed out, potentially Larnach considering he still has two Minor League options.
Jan. 10: RHP A.J. Alexy acquired from the Nationals for Minor League RHP Cristian Jimenez
Alexy, who was claimed off waivers by the Nationals in December, pitched in four games for the Rangers in 2022, going 1-1 with a 11.57 ERA. He spent most of last season with Triple-A Round Rock and recorded 103 strikeouts in 96 innings. The 6-foot-4 right-hander has gone 4-2 with a 6.30 ERA in nine career games, including four starts.
To make room on the roster for Alexy, the Twins designated Oliver Ortega, whom they had claimed off waivers from the Angels on Jan. 6.
Jan. 6: RHP Blayne Enlow designated for assignment
Minnesota designated Enlow, 23, a third-round Draft pick in 2017 who emerged as one of the club’s top prospects before undergoing Tommy John surgery in 2021. Enlow returned from the injury last year and recorded a 4.73 ERA across two levels, including a 4.40 ERA in 57 1/3 innings at Double-A Wichita.
RHP Tyler Mahle (right shoulder inflammation)
Expected return: Spring Training 2023
Things didn’t go as Mahle and the Twins had hoped for following the midseason trade that brought the right-hander from Cincinnati to Minnesota. The 27-year-old was shut down twice due to right shoulder inflammation that Mahle said is due to fatigue, and that he believes will go away with an extended period of time away from the field.
“I think the shortened Spring Training, and then a lot of my bulk was in the beginning of the year, throwing a lot of pitches,” Mahle said. “For a few starts there, I was skipping — I was just on a normal five days. We’d have an off-day, and I would just throw on a normal day. So I think the short offseason, just going right into it, may have affected it a little bit. I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the future. I was thinking about then and winning then.”
Mahle said that his medical examinations — including MRI exams and strength tests — revealed no structural damage, giving him encouragement that he could leave this issue behind in 2022. He has continued to play catch while on the IL, and expects to have a normal offseason buildup at home in California. (Last updated: Oct. 4)
RHP Chris Paddack (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Possibly August 2023
Paddack made five starts for the Twins after his arrival in an Opening Day trade with the Padres before he underwent a second Tommy John surgery in May. The right-hander said the recovery from this procedure would take him several months longer than the one following his first surgery.
Paddack hopes to be back in the starting rotation next August and make five or six starts during the regular season, he said — and he’s not daunted by the relatively sparse history of players making high-quality returns from a second Tommy John surgery.
“I never have had doubt in myself,” Paddack said. “I don’t have a B plan. That’s just how my mind works. I go chase something, and I won’t stop until I go get it. But yes, realistically, it’s real life. This is my second one. But the surgeons, they’re so good now. And if I do everything that I can control, that’s all I can ask for from myself. I’m going to do everything I can to come back and help this team win.” (Last updated: Oct. 3)
RHP Trevor Megill (left oblique strain)
Expected return: 2023
Megill’s season ended after he sustained a left oblique strain during his warmup pitches after he entered the Twins’ Oct. 2 game against the Tigers at Comerica Park, resulting in his placement on the 15-day IL. His initial warmup offering spiked in the dirt and ricocheted up to hit catcher Ryan Jeffers in the neck, and while an athletic trainer attended to Jeffers, it also became clear that Megill required attention. He left the game without throwing a pitch.
“I think he showed himself to be a good Major League pitcher and a guy you can bring in in different spots,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I liked what I saw from him, and he has the stuff to continue to get better. I don’t think we’ve seen the absolute best that he has to offer, but I think he showed that he can compete well at this level.” (Last updated: Oct. 3)
CF Byron Buxton (right hip strain)
Expected return: Spring Training 2023
Buxton, who was placed on the 10-day IL with a right hip strain Aug. 23, underwent a successful arthroscopic cleanup surgery on his right knee on Sept. 27, the Twins announced. Buxton has been dealing with pain and patellar tendinitis in the knee throughout the year, and with the Twins out of serious contention, they felt it was best to give Buxton the procedure before the end of the year and not push his return to the field.
“The more we talked about it with him trying to push through it, with having dealt with the knee and the hip a little bit that he’s had as well, we felt like the best course here was not to try and rush him back,” president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. “We’re running out of calendar here.” (Last updated: Sept. 27)
RHP Jorge Alcala (right elbow inflammation)
Expected return: Spring Training 2023
Alcala underwent season-ending arthroscopic debridement surgery on his right elbow on Aug. 3, the Twins announced. He said on Sept. 27 that he had started to throw from 90 feet, and he is expected to be ready to pitch by Spring Training.
Alcala, who has been out since April 12, began an initial rehab assignment with Single-A Fort Myers in a one-inning appearance on June 1, but his throwing progression was temporarily halted due to stiffness in his right elbow. He tried to build up again in late July, but was again unsuccessful.
“It’s been a difficult road, especially because I wasn’t able to be with my team this year,” Alcala said. “Just watching from home has been hard. The rehab process was tough on me as well because I’ve never been hurt this long and going through a process like this. But thank God here we are and I’m healthy.” (Last updated: Oct. 4)
RHP Kenta Maeda (Tommy John surgery)
Expected return: Spring Training 2023
Maeda underwent Tommy John surgery last September with the hope that he could potentially return as a bullpen option late this year. But late in the season, Maeda and the Twins determined that they didn’t want to rush his return for a few games’ worth of contributions. Instead, their full focus will go toward ensuring a normal and healthy Spring Training and 2023 season.
Indeed, Maeda said that he has been told to prepare himself for a normal offseason schedule, especially now that he has completed his bullpen progressions and has progressed to throwing live sessions to hitters at the Twins’ Minor League complex in Fort Myers, Fla.
“For any other given offseason, I like to take some time off from throwing,” Maeda said through interpreter Dai Sekizaki. “But going into this offseason, I’d like to pick up the ball a little earlier than usual and get my arm ready for next spring.” (Last updated: Oct. 4)
SS Royce Lewis (partially torn ACL in right knee)
Expected return: 2023
Lewis was cleared to walk for the first time on July 12, three weeks after his June 21 procedure to repair the torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee with Dr. Steven Singleton in the Dallas area. Though he and the Twins originally estimated a 12-month timeline for a return to play, Lewis said on July 12 that his medical team was being “aggressive” with his recovery, though he later stated a 9-15 month timeline for his recovery.
Lewis partially tore the ACL again on May 29, while running into the center-field wall at Target Field making a spectacular catch. Lewis will be rehabbing the same knee on which he underwent surgery to repair a torn ACL in February 2021. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on June 11.
“It’s really early unfortunately,” Lewis said in late September. “You can’t rush ligament tears. You’ve got to just be patient, so either way, whatever I do, it’s 9-15 months, right? So I think right now, I’m in a stage where I’m starting to transition to do more, which is cool, but it’s just happening so slow. Just take it day by day week by week.” (Last updated: Oct. 4)
OF/1B Alex Kirilloff (right wrist inflammation)
Expected return: Spring Training 2023
Kirilloff was transferred to the 60-day IL on Aug. 23. He underwent season-ending ulnar shortening surgery on Aug. 9 in Los Angeles after experiencing continued flare-ups of pain in his right wrist despite continued courses of cortisone injections. Though there weren’t any serious structural issues revealed by MRI scans taken of the area, Kirilloff couldn’t swing a bat, and the Twins had no choice but to put him on the IL and assess further courses of action. (Last updated: Aug. 23)
RHP Cody Stashak (torn labrum in right shoulder)
Expected return: 2023
A second opinion with Dr. Neal ElAttrache in Los Angeles revealed a torn labrum in Stashak’s right shoulder, so the 28-year-old underwent season-ending bicep tenodesis surgery to repair the bicep and labrum on June 16. He said the standard recovery timeline for the procedure is 9-12 months, and though he won’t be sure of his prognosis until the surgery occurs, he said he doesn’t expect to be ready to pitch until May 2023.
Stashak was moved to the 60-day IL on June 13.
“They’ve got to cut the part off the bicep that split and reattach that and clean up the labrum,” Stashak said. “The labrum is not fully torn, it’s more the bicep.”
Stashak was initially placed on the 15-day IL with a right shoulder impingement on May 22 and will finish his ’22 campaign with a 3.86 ERA, 15 strikeouts and no walks in 16 1/3 innings.
“It’s kind of been going on since Spring Training,” Stashak said. “We called it biceps tendinitis. It just led to throwing through it and trying to throw through it on pain meds. It just gave out.” (Last updated: June 16)
