Pablo López To Undergo Tommy John Surgery On Wednesday

[Cody Christie]

As expected, Minnesota Twins ace Pablo López will undergo Tommy John reconstructive surgery on Wednesday.

A second opinion confirmed the initial diagnosis of significant tearing in the ulnar collateral ligament in López’s right elbow, leaving little doubt about the path forward. The procedure will take place in Texas under the care of noted orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister. It will be López’s second Tommy John surgery, and while the Twins are optimistic about a full recovery, he is expected to miss the entire 2026 season.

The typical recovery timeline for pitchers following the procedure is roughly twelve months, which gives López a chance to return near the beginning of the 2027 campaign. That timeline would place his comeback in the final season of his four-year extension with Minnesota.

Minnesota acquired López in one of the franchise’s most impactful trades in recent memory when they sent batting champion Luis Arraez to the Miami Marlins prior to the 2023 season. Since then, López has been everything the Twins hoped for at the top of their rotation. Across three seasons in Minnesota, he posted a combined 3.68 ERA while striking out 26.8% of opposing hitters and walking just 5.8%. He also helped the club end their playoff losing streak that had stretched into a second decade. 

López looked poised to deliver another excellent season in 2025 before injuries began to mount. He carried a 2.82 ERA through his first 11 starts before suffering a Grade 2 strain of his teres major in early June, an injury that ultimately sidelined him for roughly 3 months. He returned for three strong starts in September, allowing four runs across 15 innings, but ended the year back on the injured list due to a minor forearm strain that he suffered after diving for a ball. He entered the offseason with a clean bill of health, making the sudden UCL tear that surfaced all the more surprising.

With López officially sidelined, the responsibility of leading the rotation will almost certainly fall to Joe Ryan on Opening Day. Bailey Ober and Simeon Woods Richardson should also slot into prominent roles, while younger arms such as Zebby Matthews and David Festa now find themselves with an opportunity to claim meaningful innings.

Minnesota built its pitching staff around stability at the top of the rotation. Losing López for the entire season changes the outlook in a significant way and puts immediate pressure on the club’s depth to respond. The Twins still believe they can compete this season, but that task became considerably more difficult the moment their ace’s elbow gave way.

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[Twodogs]

Every team out there now deals with these kinds of injuries.  The difference with most of the other teams is that they are deep enough to overcome 1 or 2 of these season long injuries.  Right now it doesn't appear that the Twins can afford to sustain one of these injuries and still compete.  As a Twins fan we hope they prove us wrong and Festa and Matthews come on in and throw 160 innings and have era's in the 3's.  We all have hope.  But many other teams have a plan in case this stuff happens.