Twins right-hander Daniel Duarte will undergo an elbow surgery on May 8 and won’t pitch again in the 2024 season, the team announced. The type of the surgery wasn’t specified, which impacts a possible recovery timeline — an internal brace surgery could have Duarte ready for Opening Day 2025, while a Tommy John surgery would sideline him until July or August 2025.
This marks the second and most serious elbow-related injury of Duarte’s young career, as he previously missed most of the 2022 season due to inflammation in his throwing elbow. While he returned to pitch 66 2/3 total innings for the Reds at the MLB and Triple-A levels in 2023, a bout of shoulder tightness then sent him to the IL at the end of last season. Duarte’s 2024 campaign now will end after just two games and four innings for Minnesota, as he has been on the injured list since a retroactive April 4 placement.
Signed out of Mexico as an international free agent by the Rangers in 2023, Duarte took a long path to the majors before making his MLB debut with Cincinnati in 2022. He has a 3.99 ERA over 38 1/3 innings in the Show, despite a 17% strikeout rate and a high 14.5% walk rate. Some control problems occasionally cropped up in the minors for Duarte, but his overall minor league performance was pretty solid, including a 4.05 ERA across 46 2/3 innings of Triple-A ball. He has also posted some strong grounder rates, topping the 50% mark across both his big league and Triple-A work in 2023.
Duarte actually came to the Twins via the Rangers, who claimed Duarte off waivers from the Reds in January before designating him a couple of weeks later and losing him on another claim from Minnesota. The Twins then DFA’ed and outrighted Duarte off their own roster in February before selecting his contract just prior to Opening Day.
Duarte will be moved to the 60-day IL when the Twins next need a 40-man roster space. If there is any small consolation to what has to be a rough setback for Duarte, he’ll at least bank a year of MLB service time because the injury occurred while he was on the active roster.
How soon until the blame for al the ever increasing, from year to year of elbow injuries is lain at the feat of over analyzing every single thing done in the game? Spin rate, which now has evolved into the “sweeper” fad every pitcher must include into their repetoire to be “in”. Injuries, hurting careers, monetary gains by those not yet hit FA and doubt many fans look at it from that perspective, just wish to go along with whatever the latest gimmick is being pushed.
I was saying this when baseball was 1st going with the analytics only based narrative and dumping scouts in droves. It’s going to come at a great cost and frankly? believe it’s not done yet. Numbers crunchers, who mostly don’t even understand the game are going to eventually damage the game far worse than they already have.
MaThEmAtIcIaNs BaD
I think you missed a cloud.
No, I think I saw JohnSilver cursing at clouds.
It’s more than that. Nobody wants to see the game go back to the way it was when aces facing one another was like a heavyweight matchup. League does not want 2-1 games anymore. As long as hitters get what they want, wear what they want, crowd as much as they want without being held to account, pitchers will suffer.
But usually 2-1 games are quicker.
Correct. They are. Shows what the owners & commissioners office are willing to do to the game to get everything they want: offense, quick games, pitchers be damned.
This dude right here went back in time like he’s some T1000 to make his debut after being signed by Texas.
Guess we’ll be calling up Josh Staumont now…too bad Topa or Duran aren’t ready yet, though I did hear Duran is starting a rehab assignment soon.
why? Duarte was already on the injured list. this isn’t causing an opening on the 26 man roster