Twins right-hander Tyler Mahle underwent an MRI today to determine the nature of an elbow impingement, and the results aren’t promising. Manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters (including Dan Hayes of The Athletic) that Mahle will be shut down for the next four weeks due to both a posterior impingement and a flexor pronator strain.
Assuming Mahle emerges from that shutdown period in good condition, it will still likely take a couple of weeks for him to rehab and rebuild his strength back up to regular levels, so the Twins might be without one of their rotation stalwarts until late June. Kenta Maeda also went to the 15-day IL just two days ago, but while Maeda’s strained right triceps issue seems slightly less serious, it seems like Maeda could also miss a big portion of May.
The Twins have an off-day on Monday, so Mahle’s own IL placement will likely be held off until prior to the team’s game against the White Sox on Tuesday. Bailey Ober was already called up from Triple-A to act as Maeda’s replacement in the rotation, so Minnesota will again have to dip into its starter depth. The silver lining might be that the Twins are better equipped than most teams to withstand rotation injuries, since Louie Varland is also on hand at Triple-A and seems the likeliest candidate to be called up in Mahle’s place. Simeon Woods Richardson and Brent Headrick might also be options, as both are on Minnesota’s 40-man roster.
The injury is a tough setback for Mahle, who looked good in posting a 3.16 ERA over his first five starts and 25 2/3 innings of the season. The righty’s 27.5% strikeout rate and 4.9% walk rate were both above league average, and the latter figure is of particular note given how control has often been an issue for Mahle throughout his six previous MLB seasons. A .266 BABIP and 80% strand rate have contributed to Mahle’s good numbers, but his 3.50 SIERA isn’t too far north of his actual 3.16 ERA.
In the bigger picture, Mahle is a free agent after the season, so any kind of lengthy injury layoff could certainly hamper his chances of maximizing his value on his next contract. It doesn’t help that Mahle also missed a big chunk of the 2022 season due to shoulder problems, as he pitched only 28 1/3 innings after July 2 due to three separate IL trips. Only time will tell if Mahle will be able to be able to return from this current injury in relatively short order and in good form, but an extended run of good health and quality pitching after his return could line Mahle up for a hefty multi-year deal this winter.
Is this bum ever healthy
A bum for a Steer. Seems fair
no
He’s a bum because he’s hurt often?? What a terrible comment.
He’s a guy who likes to go to emergency rooms on his day off to make fun of those bum losers getting hurt. Must be nice to be one of those people who is always healthy forever.
I think hospitals and insurance companies do more than enough making fun of those “bum losers getting hurt”, fraham barely moves the needle (literally).
If only they could just opt for the St. Paul saints to sweep the Sox and give everyone a few days extra.
Strange that so many, so many experts said white sox were so much better than the twins who would land in 3rd. Just like the analysts who will boost yankees in the power rankings because they lost versus a good twins team, while twins drop because they won against a struggling yankee team…
Uh oh spaghetti oh. Looks like someone’s triggered
I didn’t read anyone (who I take seriously) say the ChiSox were better than the Twins or the Guardians. The Sox have all noteworthy players on the field but they don’t make a coherent team.
Looks like Reds got the best of the trade so far. Steer looks legit and Encarnacion-Strand is mashing at AA.
Was just coming here to say this. The Twins have actually made a lot of good trades the past few years, but this was not one of them. Both CES and Steer look like potential studs. Can’t win ‘em all.
Not a bad trade to move those two – the Twins are stuffed to the gills with position players, currently having AK and Julien chilling in AAA and Lewis back soon. There was always gonna be a roster crunch.
The issue is what they got in return. Sometimes you buy a car and it’s a dud. Mahle certainly seems to have been one. Wish they’d gotten someone else but that’s the way the cookie crumbles.
The process was good on this one. They traded from strength to a position of need and whenever you trade position players for pitching, you tend to get value because pitching is much rarer.
The twins are 19th in fwar contribution and by position players and 15th in wRC+, seems like they have quite a bit of room for improvement regardless of the quantity they have.
A bunch of Twins fans here kept calling him an ace because of the peripherals, would not hear otherwise for several weeks after the trade. Super into a bunch of junk math stats predicting that he had just been “unlucky” with the Reds ballpark and defense. Good times.
His career FIP is higher than his ERA.
Also, WTF you talking about? Steer may end up a good player but he’s currently got a 93 OPS+ and is striking out 25% of the time. Last year he put up a 72 OPS+.
CES looks good but we’ll see if his K’s are under wraps. He’s the key to it. Steer seems like something between a utility guy and an average regular at 3B. CES has clear all-star potential but more bust potential as well.
Would have to believe at least one of the two will end up under the knife. Not good news.
Should have started the season with Ober and Varland.
An impending impingement could impart an imposing impediment.
No Maeda or Mahle, Twins need to take advantage of this week playing the White Sox and Guardians because may sees them play the Padres, Dodgers, Blue Jays, Angels, Astros, Giants and Cubs afterwards
Tyler Mahle has officially caught Buxtonitis
The only smart thing about the trade with the Reds was that Mahle’s wildness couldn’t break Buxton’s wrist again if he was on the same team. I guess the do nothing plan for rehab since he shut down last August 17 (except for 2 innings on September 3) was as ineffective as it seemed it would be.
I think this is not going to hurt the Twins that much and we might even be better now than before the injuries.
Ober belongs at the MLB level and in my humble opinion is better than Mahle and perhaps Maeda unless he can regain 2020 form. Varland I sense will someday be a reliever, but has shown promise as a starter.
Excited to see what this rotation can do with Lopez, Ryan, Gray, Ober and Varland.
He’ll be bÂcKKK!