Injuries Weren't Main Culprit for 2025 Twins, and That’s a Scary Proposition

[Cody Christie]

Image courtesy of Mitch Stringer-Imagn Images

For more than a decade, Minnesota Twins fans have trained themselves to use the injured list as a shield against disappointment. Every season, it felt like a key player was lost before things even started to click. Byron Buxton made IL trips so routine that it almost became a spring tradition. Joe Ryan seemed to always be on the shelf in the second half, while Royce Lewis saw multiple seasons end before he could establish himself as a cornerstone. In past years, the injury bug was always buzzing loudly enough to explain away missed opportunities.

But in 2025, something unusual happened. Injuries haven’t ravaged the Twins, compared to other teams. In fact, the numbers suggest they’ve been relatively healthy, and that makes the club’s struggles all the more alarming.

Looking at the Numbers
Earlier this week, FanGraphs rolled out a fascinating look at potential WAR lost due to injuries. The Twins checked in at just 7.2 WAR, with only three American League clubs losing less production. Across MLB, eight teams had fewer injury-related setbacks. That’s a far cry from the days when Minnesota was leading the league in disabled list days.

Spotrac tells a similar story. Their IL tracker indicates that Minnesota has $23.8 million in salary lost to injury this season, ranking 17th. The Twins’ total days lost to injury sit around 840, with only the Phillies, Giants, and Cardinals showing fewer. In other words, while other clubs have seen rosters shredded by injuries, the Twins’ key pieces have, for the most part, been available.

The Key Injuries That Did Happen
Of course, no season is entirely free of adversity. Pablo López’s absence was the most damaging blow. Losing the team’s ace for three months ripped a hole in the rotation, forcing less-experienced arms to shoulder innings. Even though the Twins had other options, it was clear that the pitching staff wasn’t the same without López’s presence at the top.

Bailey Ober’s case has been different. He hasn’t missed the same amount of time, but pitching through a hip injury has made him inconsistent. His command has wavered, and his velocity has dipped at times, leaving the Twins with a less reliable option in the middle of their rotation. This has been tough to swallow for a player who has been one of the team’s most consistent arms over the last two seasons. 

Luke Keaschall has been a breath of fresh air to the Twins roster, especially when he made his debut and was wreaking havoc at the plate and on the bases immediately. He broke his arm at the end of April and didn’t return until the beginning of August. To be fair, the Twins likely weren’t counting on him to have a significant impact this year, but he may have provided a spark for a team that fell out of contention while he was gone. 

There have also been other injuries throughout the season, including a freak collision. When Buxton and Carlos Correa ran into each other in the outfield, it was a collective gut punch. Both suffered concussions and spent time on the shelf. Ryan Jeffers (concussion) and Christian Vázquez (shoulder infection) both missed time after not being on the IL in 2023 or 2024. David Festa tried to pitch through a shoulder injury before being diagnosed with thoracic outlet syndrome. Not all of these injuries were major, but they did impact the team’s depth and on-field performance. Zebby Matthews's absence, particularly because it overlapped with López's and Ober's, stretched the rotation too thin to be viable.

A Different Kind of Problem
Even with those notable absences, the big-picture story is clear: Minnesota hasn’t endured the injury nightmare that defined other seasons. They haven’t lost Buxton for half a year, or Lewis for another torn ACL, or a full rotation crumbling at once. This year, the roster’s health has been closer to average—or better.

That leaves the finger to be pointed elsewhere. The Twins’ 2025 issues can’t be chalked up to health. They have more to do with underwhelming performances, inconsistent pitching depth, and an offense that has struggled to find balance outside of Buxton’s MVP-caliber performance. 

Why It Matters for the Future
If injuries had defined this season, there might be comfort in assuming better health could bring better results in 2026. Instead, the lesson is more sobering. Even with relatively good health, this roster hasn’t been good or deep enough to compete. That should force the front office to look inward at construction, depth, and player development, rather than shrugging and pointing toward the IL report.

For fans, it’s unsettling. The “injury excuse” has long been a crutch—one that was sometimes valid. But in 2025, it simply doesn’t apply. The Twins had the health to compete. They just didn’t have the performance. And that, more than anything else, is the scary truth heading into the offseason.

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What stands out about the team’s injuries this season? Leave a comment and start the discussion. 

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[Patzky]

The impact of Pablo's experience and expertise cannot be underestimated. Yeah the hitting inconsistencies earlier in the season were the primary culprit in getting us in a hole we never really dug out of. Even Buck was slumping to start the year off.

 

A critical eye must be applied to find the players who 1) stay healthy and 2) show improvement or at least consistency. That doesn't include, Julien, Wallner, Keirsey, Festa and Tonkin. That does include Martin, Keaschall, Lee, Lewis, Ryan, SWR, Funderburk and Topa. Obviously building around Buxton and Pablo as a core is very much needed. Spare parts like Clemens, Gasper, Lawyerson and Ohl can be useful but we would be wise not to lean too much on them. Partially injured guys like Jeffers, Ober, and Pablo can be expected to rebound. I'll leave out Larnach and Vazquez because I don't expect them to remain. Wild cards like Pereda, Taj, and Abel should be able to contribute early, followed soon enough by Jenkins, Emmy and Morris. 

Guess an infielder and a DH, and several competent relievers should be on our grocery list.

[ashbury]

Trevor Larnach stayed healthy.  Didn't matter much.

[DocBauer]

I refuse to use injuries as an excuse for a 2nd collapse 2 years in a row. OK, 2024 was a complete collapse, but here in 2025 the ship seemed to get right around May/June and optimism rose before everything collapsed again. So yeah, 2 yeas in a row of a collapse.

But I can't completely dismiss injuries this season, even though I don't lay blame entirely on that factor. There is a difference if your #4-5 SP get hurt vs your #1 and #3. And when your depth pieces of Matthews and Festa struggle with injuries, suddenly the depth you thought you had is also getting hurt, it does have an affect.

Again, I'm not making excuses, but if Lewis doesn't pull a hamstring before the season starts...and maybe came back to soon...does that change his season? Does Wallner have a much better season if HE doesn't also have an injury that derailed his season and just hasn't got his timing back and is underperforming? I had forgotten that Correa had a slight back injury until listening to the recent G&G podcast where they and Dan Hayes discussed how his defense suddenly had a turndown. Did that also affect his bat to some degree?

But when your offense has 4 major BATS to drive your offense...not that there weren't also solid players on hand...and only ONE, Buxton, was healthy and productive, your offense is in serious trouble. Especially for a lineup that was built shallow due to ownership cuts.

The loss of Lopez, IMO, was big. Ober getting hurt just piles on. Then when your 2 young arm replacements have their own issues adds to the issue.

I still think the biggest problem was the lineup. When you can't produce runs, the pressure on your staff increases tremendously. When the defense is marginal, that only adds to said pressure. 

Once again, the injuries the Twins had this season in regard to games missed is not nearly as poor as it's been in the past. Other teams had more games missed. But sometimes, on a roster that isn't deep, a couple key injuries can make a difference. 

That's what happens when your roster is limited by ownership. When France is your 1B and Bader as a platoon/complimentary piece are your best additions in the offseason you still really need that top 4 to come through. 

I do think the starting staff is in good shape with Lopez, Ryan, Ober, Sim, Matthews, Bradley, Abel, Morris, and a couple others. Yes, some are still developing, but the talent is there.

Borgshulte might be a good hitting coach. I honestly don't know. But it's beyond bizarre to me that Popkins gets burned as the problem in 2024 and gets a job a couple days later with the Jays who have one of the best offenses in the league. And the Twins offense, mostly with the same players, got worse. (Dan Hayes also reports Popkins brought in an assistant coach who was better with in game adjustments). 

The Twins need the lineup/offense to be better in the field, more athletic, and find more power. They've got a couple guys who have been affected to some degree due to injury. And they have some very good prospects who have debuted, or about to debut. And they can make a difference. 

But I remain concerned about the coaching staff and the APPROACH that the FO wants put in place. Injuries be damned. Matthews and others should only grow as rookie or young hurlers. But is the coaching staff in place to make that happen? There's a ton of talent sitting at AAA and AA about ready to make their mark. But is the coaching staff in place to make that happen.

I honestly don't know. Is the issue the coaches? Or is it the APPROACH the FO has in place that might be of issue? 

 

[mikelink45]

Interesting perspective - thanks

[Parfigliano]

Lack of hitting killed them.

[ziggy]

Falvey thought he had this team ready to win for 2024.2025,2026 an 2027.

The fact that he blew it up 2 and 1/2 years early tells us all we need to know about their ability to compete in he near future.

The AAA retreads that occupy the new look bullpen tell us all we need to know about the readiness of pitchers in St Paul and Wichita.

It wasn't injuries that doomed them this year, it was philosophy.

[Rik19753]

It's hard to lose production due to injury when you don't have players that produce in the first place.

[Pykkman]

Correa, Lopez, and Ober performing as expected would have kept this team in the playoff hunt.  Seems injuries impacted them all? 

[Dave Borton]

9 hours ago, DocBauer said:

I still think the biggest problem was the lineup.

Rick Monday, in the Dodger/Giants game last night made an interesting comment. He stated the importance of a constant order in the lineup.

Batters in a constant lineup order can develop relationship with the guy on deck. Observations by a trusted teammate. "Was that a strike I missed or was it the ump?...What do you see about my swing that I am missing; am I flattening it too much on the fast ball...What am I doing on the curve..."

Baldelli's roulette fashion lineup order defeats the "camaraderie" (Monday's term for this) that develops over the season with a constant order.

[Dave Borton]

Injuries and age. Buxton turns 32 this winter. 

Ober and height. Taller athletes duration diminishes in ball. His hips are giving out. Hips are needed for pitching as seen in his declining velocity.

Both athletes are at greater risk to injuries in 2026.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Dave Borton said:

Rick Monday, in the Dodger/Giants game last night made an interesting comment. He stated the importance of a constant order in the lineup.

Batters in a constant lineup order can develop relationship with the guy on deck. Observations by a trusted teammate. "Was that a strike I missed or was it the ump?...What do you see about my swing that I am missing; am I flattening it too much on the fast ball...What am I doing on the curve..."

Baldelli's roulette fashion lineup order defeats the "camaraderie" (Monday's term for this) that develops over the season with a constant order.

13 guys can’t develop camaraderie?  13 batters can’t get along. Will there be a player that is difficult to work with? Yup. A set lineup is not going to change that. 

[Riverbrian]

Injuries are never an excuse.

Everyone look at that Fangraph chart. 

Go to the bottom... the 4 most healthy teams are not in the playoffs. Only 2 of the 10 most healthy teams are in a playoff spot. 3 if Cleveland makes the playoffs.  

Go back to the top... 3 of the 4 most injury inflicted teams are playoff teams. 7 of the 10 most injury inflicted teams are playoff teams. 

Injuries are never an excuse. Injuries are a constant.

If you are not prepped for a constant. It's your fault. 

[Riverbrian]

19 minutes ago, old nurse said:

13 guys can’t develop camaraderie?  13 batters can’t get along. Will there be a player that is difficult to work with? Yup. A set lineup is not going to change that. 

A set lineup isn't even possible.

There are literally two charts in the original post showing that a set lineup isn't possible. 

502 PA's are necessary to qualify for a batting title. An average of 3.1 PA's per game is necessary to reach 502 PA's. 

Only 144 players in the majors qualify. 30 teams divided by 144 is an average of 4.8 per team.

A constant lineup can't be achieved. 

 

[Riverbrian]

2 hours ago, Dave Borton said:

Rick Monday, in the Dodger/Giants game last night made an interesting comment. He stated the importance of a constant order in the lineup.

Batters in a constant lineup order can develop relationship with the guy on deck. Observations by a trusted teammate. "Was that a strike I missed or was it the ump?...What do you see about my swing that I am missing; am I flattening it too much on the fast ball...What am I doing on the curve..."

Baldelli's roulette fashion lineup order defeats the "camaraderie" (Monday's term for this) that develops over the season with a constant order.

I get it. 

Monday likes following Sunday and he likes Tuesday following him. 

Doesn't mean Sunday isn't a problem, Doesn't mean we won't need to completely remove Sunday or swap Sunday with Wednesday. 

[karcherd]

23 minutes ago, Riverbrian said:

A set lineup isn't even possible.

There are literally two charts in the original post showing that a set lineup isn't possible. 

502 PA's are necessary to qualify for a batting title. An average of 3.1 PA's per game is necessary to reach 502 PA's. 

Only 144 players in the majors qualify. 30 teams divided by 144 is an average of 4.8 per team.

A constant lineup can't be achieved. 

 

Baseball has always been a game of routine and consistency, analytics especially as used by this team refuses to acknowledge this.  Players get comfortable hitting in the same spot in the lineup, Dozier fought moving out of the leadoff when he was struggling, Buxton likes hitting leadoff, they are comfortable.  Gardy used to hit Redmond third when he replaced Mauer in the lineup so he wouldn't have to move everyone around, keep consistency in the lineup.

Many winning teams have a fairly set lineup, but the Twins think they can win every single matchup in a game and try to out smart the other team.  Get the best players, put them in a position to be successful, have good role players and you will win more games than not.  And if the players aren't good enough, replace them.  This front office thinks they are smarter than everybody and that they can win the games, so when injuries happen they don't have enough depth to overcome the injuries.

[Whitey333]

Good article.  If analytics are so great and helpful, why then do the Twins suck? There is very little talent on this team and has been like that for a couple of years.  It's Falvey. 

[NYCTK]

Nor is it why last year either. But a lot of people wanted to believe it was so they could convince themselves this team was significantly better than it actually was.

If you require perfect health to be a good team, you're a bad team. 

Oh well. Back to the drawing board. 

[Trov]

The question of are they hurt or injured for baseball sometimes is a very fine line.  In baseball, being hurt can affect you so much more than being injured.  Little pains here or there that you can "play through" really can affect your output so much more.  When fractions of inches on your swing can mean the difference between a hit and an out, little things can add up to big issues. I am not saying injuries had a huge impact, but when a couple of your guys you are really counting on have soft tissue issues can have long term effects. 

[Riverbrian]

1 hour ago, karcherd said:

Baseball has always been a game of routine and consistency, analytics especially as used by this team refuses to acknowledge this.  Players get comfortable hitting in the same spot in the lineup, Dozier fought moving out of the leadoff when he was struggling, Buxton likes hitting leadoff, they are comfortable.  Gardy used to hit Redmond third when he replaced Mauer in the lineup so he wouldn't have to move everyone around, keep consistency in the lineup.

Many winning teams have a fairly set lineup, but the Twins think they can win every single matchup in a game and try to out smart the other team.  Get the best players, put them in a position to be successful, have good role players and you will win more games than not.  And if the players aren't good enough, replace them.  This front office thinks they are smarter than everybody and that they can win the games, so when injuries happen they don't have enough depth to overcome the injuries.

I'm not trying to be difficult as I do appreciate your response but a fairly set lineup would require definition.

And regardless of the definition... I'll contend that a fairly set lineup is pretty much impossible so if players require getting comfortable hitting in the same spot in the lineup. Injuries and Poor Play are going to make it almost impossible. So... the better approach would be making the players comfortable being uncomfortable in order to get your best hitters at the top of the lineup in the anticipation of consistency being impossible.   

Even with Buxton consistent in the leadoff spot not every AB is going to be the same. He may leadoff with the bases empty and nobody out and the next AB... there's runner on third with one out. The game situation is never consistent, the injuries are never consistent... nothing about baseball is consistent. I fail to see how Buxton needs Vazquez in the 9 hole in front of him. Or why Bader should remain in the 9 hole even if he is hitting better than Brooks Lee. 

If they are creatures of routine... OK... I was sleeping in Psychology Class but here's the routine they can lock into...

Watch the game: Notice what the pitcher is doing. Listen to what teammates are saying when they walk back to the dug out... asking questions if you have any. Share intel with everyone including the guys on the bench.  

Your In The Hole: Get your batting gloves on... Get your mind right.  

Your On-Deck: Grab the bat go to the on deck circle. Do your routine... Try time the pitcher. Put the donut on if you like, Get loose... let the ball boy pick up foul balls that trickle past you. 

Your Up: Compete

The team with the best record in Baseball at this point of the season is the Milwaukee Brewers. 

Here are the top three in terms of AB's at each batting order for the Brewers.

Batting Leadoff/AB's:

Turang 274  

Frelick 223

Chourio 129

 

Batting 2nd

Chourio 311

Contreras 155

Collins 71

 

Batting 3rd

Yelich 291 

Conteras 213 

Chourio 46 

 

Batting 4th

Yelich 215 

Contreras 181 

Hoskins 70 

 

Batting 5th 

Frelick 164 

Vaughn 115 

Hoskins 87 

 

Batting 6th

Hoskins 111 

Collins 109 

Durbin 69 

 

Batting 7th

Turang 93

Collins 88 

Durbin 87 

 

Batting 8th

Durbin 155

Ortiz 103 

Perkins 55 

 

Batting 9th

Ortiz 289 

Monasterio 56 

Durbin 53 

It's debatable who is the best hitter on the Brewers is but I'd say that Yelich and Turang are strong candidates for that designation. 

Turang  

1st 274 AB's

2nd 19 

3rd 13

4th 4

5th 73

6th 27

7th 93

8th 9

9th 42

Turang is one of their best hitters... He should hit leadoff because he one of their best hitters and he earned the leadoff spot due to performance. However... in the end... it adds up to 274 AB's hitting leadoff and 280 AB's at every other spot in the order. Turang has started the last 12 games and in those 12 games... Here is where he hit in the order: 1,3,1,1,1,1,3,3,5,5,5,2

Since Bichette got hurt... I can see that Blue Jays go Springer, Lukes, Vlad, Barger, Kirk, Varsho on most nights

Before Bichette got hurt, Bichette was typically in the 4th spot. Barger was in the 2 spot. Lukes slid into the 2 and Barger moved to the 4 with the Bichette injury. Before the Bichette injury and Vlad was out for a few games. Bichette moved to the three to cover for Vlad. This is a consistent lineup with inconsistency cause by injury. There is player movement. At the end of the day... though... when you look at the lineup. The top 6 hitters are pretty much their top 6 hitters.

It's Chicken or Egg. Do the best teams remain consistent because it's working or is it working because they are consistent.

I'd say lineup consistency is a result of something working.   

 

 

[Riverbrian]

12 hours ago, Rik19753 said:

It's hard to lose production due to injury when you don't have players that produce in the first place.

Yep

There are times when injuries help. 

[stringer bell]

I agree that the volume of injuries has been more than tolerable this year. I also agree that the López injury was key in what turned out to be a forgettable season. For two consecutive years a Teres Major has ended up dooming what looked like a positive season--Ryan in '24 and Pablo in '25--although it didn't appear to be the case either time. Top of the rotation starters really are important to a team's fortunes. 

The other injury that probably had more impact than the number of games lost was Lewis' injury (as well as the second soft tissue injury) in Spring Training. Lewis didn't recover his athleticism until well past mid-season and he's continued to have a difficult season throughout the year. It isn't all on injuries, but I think his gimpyness did contribute to his lack of production. 

The Twins got much better than expected health from Buxton and Correa's health was about what was expected before he was traded. Lee missed the start of the season and Wallner was injured in April. Both players have had disappointing seasons, maybe from getting going later than others, but again the injuries really can't be the whole reason for their struggles. 

The two ticking time bombs in the Twins bullpen exceeded expectations--Stewart made it past the trade deadline and was injured as a member of the Dodgers and Topa made it to mid-September before being shut down when the season was basically over. 

 

[Dave Borton]

7 hours ago, old nurse said:

13 guys can’t develop camaraderie?  13 batters can’t get along. Will there be a player that is difficult to work with? Yup. A set lineup is not going to change that. 

Monday was talking about a special relationship, as he experienced it in his 19 years of MBL, between mates in the on deck circle. Of course there can be camaraderie in the clubhouse; of course there is always a Piercynski around on many clubs.

[old nurse]

1 hour ago, Dave Borton said:

Monday was talking about a special relationship, as he experienced it in his 19 years of MBL, between mates in the on deck circle. Of course there can be camaraderie in the clubhouse; of course there is always a Piercynski around on many clubs.

And of course anybody can honestly tell the batter if they think the pitch was a strike or not.  

[Blyleven2011]

Injuries weren't the main culprit , as posted by riverbrian , 7 out of 10 teams with the most injuries are playoff bound , I have to agree that injuries weren't the problem  , 1 problem was depth  and the number one problem is ...

I wish you Cody could have the guts to say the real problem is our field manger and his coaches , FO's incompetence doesn't help ....

I've stated many times since FO and Rocco have been in place that we will never win and so far they have proven me right that the organization is a dysfunctional organization  ...

They don't play baseball the way baseball should be played,  the players are failing at the major league level because they don't take the talent that has earned promotion ( or in our case promoted to soon ) , these players need to be taught again and again at the hardest level of baseball for the player and team to succeed , take te talent and make that talent better , I just don't see that happening with our organization  , some of our traded players at the deadline are thriving with their new teams atmosphere ..

We need a better atmosphere and better coaching at the major league level  , I don't blame the minor leagues development  , I blame the twins level of development in the MLB ...

THE EYE TEST DOESN'T LIE ....

[Morland]

The problem with a team with a limited payroll like the Twins is that there is little depth and just one or two injuries to important players (Lopez and Keaschall) can derail your season. When you need perfect health to compete, you're not likely to achieve it.