Updates on Key Twins Pieces Progressing in Their Return from Injuries

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of © Jesse Johnson-Imagn Images

 

The injury bug has not been kind to the Minnesota Twins in recent weeks, but over the weekend, the team provided a fresh batch of updates on some key players working their way back to the field. While injuries have tested the club's depth, there is cautious optimism that several contributors could rejoin the roster in the coming weeks. Let’s take a closer look at where things stand.

3B Royce Lewis
Injury: Left hamstring strain
IL date: June 15 (retroactive to June 14)
Expected return: Early July
When Lewis pulled up with a hamstring strain on June 13, it was a familiar frustration for a young star who has battled more than his share of health setbacks. But the 25-year-old third baseman has remained upbeat during this process, and the latest reports suggest he’s inching closer to a return.

Lewis has ramped up his running progression and started incorporating change-of-direction movements, an important milestone for an injury that requires caution. He’s also been active in other baseball activities, including fielding work and taking batting practice on the field. A return in early July appears realistic if he avoids setbacks.

“I think things are going really well,” Lewis said. “I’m taking this as a really good mental break, kind of like an All-Star break for me and my body and more so my mind. I feel really, really good right now.”

This is a much different tone from Lewis compared to last week when he said, “I’m tired of being the one who’s being bullied and picked on by this game.” His bat and energy remain sorely missed in a Minnesota lineup that has struggled for consistency during their recent poor play.

RHP Pablo López
Injury: Right teres major strain
IL date: June 11 (60-day IL, retroactive to June 5)
Expected return: August
Perhaps the most concerning injury development came earlier this month when López was diagnosed with a grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle near his right shoulder. The right-hander was placed on the 60-day IL on June 11 and will be shut down from throwing for at least four weeks, making a return before August unlikely.

The Twins’ rotation has been stretched thin without López, who has been the club’s most reliable top-of-the-rotation arm. Still, the front office believes this is a manageable injury as long as López progresses as expected.

“I feel confident that, based on the diagnosis we have, the multiple opinions we have on the return, that this is pretty straightforward in terms of what we should expect coming back,” said Twins President of Baseball Operations Derek Falvey. “But you know, obviously, it remains to be seen how he progresses. … My expectation, as I sit here right now, is I have no reason to believe we aren't counting on him down the stretch this season.”

The hope remains that López can build up in time for a meaningful late-season and potential postseason role. However, the Twins will need to stay in contention during his absence. 

2B Luke Keaschall
Injury: Right forearm fracture
IL date: April 26 (transferred to 60-day IL on May 18)
Expected return: July
Keaschall was a breath of fresh air to a Twins lineup early in the season but has been sidelined after fracturing his right forearm in late April. The 22-year-old was transferred to the 60-day IL in May but has started swinging a bat again and hitting off a tee as part of his rehab. 

Keaschall’s timeline points to a potential return sometime in July, but the team will likely take a cautious approach with one of its more promising young hitters. Complicating matters is his return from Tommy John surgery on the same arm that he broke. The Twins had hoped that he could progress to getting outfield reps later this season, but Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said that Keaschall will now likely stick to infield for 2025. His offensive tools and versatility in the field could provide a second-half boost.

RHP Zebby Matthews
Injury: Right shoulder strain
IL date: June 8 (retroactive to June 5)
Expected return: July
Matthews, one of the Twins’ breakout pitching prospects over the last two seasons, landed on the IL earlier this month with a shoulder strain. The good news is that he has already resumed playing catch on flat ground.

This is a positive early step, and the Twins expect him to be ready to pitch again sometime in July, provided his progress continues uninterrupted. Minnesota’s rotation has suffered with inconsistencies in recent weeks, but there are no guarantees that Matthews can help those struggles. However, he adds another layer of depth that will be needed for the second half.

Injuries have disrupted the Twins' depth on both sides of the ball, but the recent updates offer a reminder that help could be on the way soon. Lewis’s return could provide a needed jolt to the offense, while López looms as a potential second-half difference-maker for the rotation. Keaschall and Matthews could provide a much needed spark in the months ahead

For a team trying to stay afloat in the AL Wild Card race, every bit of health news matters, and this week brought more good news than bad.

---

Which player will have the most significant imp

act on the 2025 Twins? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

View full article

[S Bart]

They need ALOT of help....it may be too late. These constant double figure runs produced by the opposing teams is getting to be too much.

[LambchoP]

The fact that the twins keep picking up pitchers from the waiver wire who have been released by even worse teams than us shows how desperate we are to find pitching...

[jmlease1]

Can't wait to get Keaschall back and push Clemens to the bench where he belongs. Would love to have Lewis back and push Bride off the roster.

Going to have to be patient on Pable & Zebby, and that sucks, because we need them both right now.

[ziggy]

Quote

Lewis said. “I’m taking this as a really good mental break, kind of like an All-Star break for me 

Is he kidding? He had 99 at bats and needs a mental break. SMH

[farmerguychris]

1 hour ago, S Bart said:

They need ALOT of help....it may be too late. These constant double figure runs produced by the opposing teams is getting to be too much.

The only response I have to that is a loss by 15 runs counts the same as a loss by 1 run.  With the currently playoff format - only need to get to the post season to make a run.

[Hubie29]

Twins and key pieces don't belong in the same sentence. 

[Patzky]

33 minutes ago, farmerguychris said:

The only response I have to that is a loss by 15 runs counts the same as a loss by 1 run.  With the currently playoff format - only need to get to the post season to make a run.

The good? None of the named players are expected to be out for the year. 

The not so good.. the year will only need to be played out by the time they all return.

[Patzky]

32 minutes ago, Hubie29 said:

Twins and key pieces don't belong in the same sentence. 

Cmon even your junk drawer has key pieces.

[Hubie29]

15 minutes ago, Patzky said:

Cmon even your junk drawer has key pieces.

It definitely has keys.... without the pieces

[mickster]

1 hour ago, ziggy said:

Is he kidding? He had 99 at bats and needs a mental break. SMH

he needs to go

[Patzky]

15 minutes ago, Hubie29 said:

It definitely has keys.... without the pieces

Paper clips are the Jonah Brides of your junk drawer.

[Cody Christie]

1 hour ago, ziggy said:

Is he kidding? He had 99 at bats and needs a mental break. SMH

I think he was trying to put a positive spin on a negative situation. That's what he has done throughout his career. 

[tarheeltwinsfan]

Thanks for this article Cody. I needed to read this encouraging news today. Baseball is a funny  game. 

[Guest]

Glad Royce feels he can take a mental break in mid-season, we should all be so lucky.

This team has a motivation problem.  This team has an instruction problem.  How can a TD writer diagnose Wallner's swing plane changes before the staff?  Lewis went o-fer a few dozen before the staff said, hey, what happened to your foot-tap to set-up?  Pitching depth, conditioning and stamina have been very overrated.  And all those breakout prospects?  Kinda fragile, seemingly waiting to float up to the majors so they can take some Lewis-style mental breaks....

Generally, I'm a positive forward person, but this team, its streaky, uneven approach and coddling management have left me cold as a mackerel.

[T.O.]

2 hours ago, Cody Christie said:

I think he was trying to put a positive spin on a negative situation. That's what he has done throughout his career. 

I think it would be better if Lewis just learned to keep his mouth shut.

[jorgenswest]

2 hours ago, Cody Christie said:

I think he was trying to put a positive spin on a negative situation. That's what he has done throughout his career. 

Couldn’t agree more. Thanks for adding that.

[T.O.]

2 hours ago, tarheeltwinsfan said:

 Baseball is a funny  game. 

That was the title of a 1960 book written by Joe Gargiola but now I'm just showing my age.

[harmlessharmon]

"The hope remains that López can build up in time for a meaningful late-season and potential postseason role. "

Post season?  If the Twins somehow made a miraculous end-of-season run to make the playoffs, they would 100% let down in the playoffs.  Their only choice now is to totally clean house for top prospects, round out the good prospects they have.  Trade the top dollar guys now!  Stop limping along with no future.  Losing with future potential is waaay better than just losing.

[S Bart]

8 hours ago, farmerguychris said:

The only response I have to that is a loss by 15 runs counts the same as a loss by 1 run.  With the currently playoff format - only need to get to the post season to make a run.

True...but the sting to me hurts more when they perform so poorly

[tarheeltwinsfan]

5 hours ago, T.O. said:

That was the title of a 1960 book written by Joe Gargiola but now I'm just showing my age.

I  remember that book. I used to own it. 

[Jeff K]

I am hopeful that Royce Lewis returns, plays well and remains healthy.  Referring to him as a star player is difficult to comprehend given his limited track record.

[saviking]

Year, after year, after year. Injures derail the Twins. Can't we just enjoy one season without too many players going down? It really is exhausting.

[tony&rodney]

28 minutes ago, saviking said:

Year, after year, after year. Injures derail the Twins. Can't we just enjoy one season without too many players going down? It really is exhausting.

Injuries occur with every team. The Twins have been healthier than many teams, including Detroit within our division.

[AKTwinsFan]

I really wish we would have moved Jax to starter, or at least tried him out at starter again. With the free fall the team has been on we should sideline Lewis the rest of the season and send him to see a specialist somewhere. Its unfortunate that we lost Matthew's and Lopez at the same time, but the rest of the guys just seemed to give up or something. All is lost. Trade for pitching and some veteran hitters or top hitting prospects. 

[Mike Sixel]

4 minutes ago, AKTwinsFan said:

I really wish we would have moved Jax to starter, or at least tried him out at starter again. With the free fall the team has been on we should sideline Lewis the rest of the season and send him to see a specialist somewhere. Its unfortunate that we lost Matthew's and Lopez at the same time, but the rest of the guys just seemed to give up or something. All is lost. Trade for pitching and some veteran hitters or top hitting prospects. 

I agree with everything but the Jax part.

[TwinsAce]

2 hours ago, tony&rodney said:

Injuries occur with every team. The Twins have been healthier than many teams, including Detroit within our division.

That might be true, but also if Detroit lost Skubal for two months, I would venture a guess that they would start to taper off their current pace.

[Mike Sixel]

14 minutes ago, TwinsAce said:

That might be true, but also if Detroit lost Skubal for two months, I would venture a guess that they would start to taper off their current pace.

skubal and his backup, and also their 3rd or 4th best hitter/fielder (if that is what Lewis is). Yes, they would. Now, the Twins have FALLEN off a cliff, and bounced off rocks on the way down, so I'm not sure Detroit would be this bad, but yes. 

[tony&rodney]

33 minutes ago, TwinsAce said:

That might be true, but also if Detroit lost Skubal for two months, I would venture a guess that they would start to taper off their current pace.

I get your point and Pablo is very important to the Twins. While Skubel has been healthy though, the Tigers have had the rough equivalent of Ryan, Ober, Paddack, Woods Richardson, Festa, Sands, Stewart, Jeffers, Lee, Castro, Buxton, and Wallner plus minor reserves spend various stints on the IL. The Tigers have only recently become more healthy. The Detroit position players are almost all back but they are still missing 3 RP and 3 SP. 

It will not be surprising at all for the Tigers to win 100 games this year. It might be surprising if the Twins win 90 games this year even if they get everyone back and do not have any more injuries.

[big dog]

I would add something here, but I’m using this current periodic of horrible Suckage as a time for a mental break, to reset myself.