Ugh: Twins to Place Mick Abel on 15-Day Injured List with Elbow Injury

[bunsen82]

You have pitchers throwing harder and with more velocity than they ever had.  Now - it didn't appear to be a any decrease in velocity - so if you want to take a good view that is one.  Now is there a motion change that has caused a little more torque on that elbow, that has caused the inflammation.  If so then the Twins may need to tweak his delivery.  If its a tear,  then Tommy John is potentially on the table. I'm not going to go overboard until we here more on if there is a tear or not.    

[laloesch]

On 4/20/2026 at 1:45 PM, thelanges5 said:

Per Bobby N:

Connor Prielipp will make his MLB debut Wednesday night, starting for the #MNTwins against the Mets. 

The Twins' rotation for the upcoming series is now:

Tues - Woods Richardson
Wed - Prielipp
Thurs - Joe Ryan

Wow.  Kinda exciting that Prielipp gets a start.

 

[D.C Twins]

13 hours ago, Chembry said:

It's not a Twins issue, it's a systemic issue that traces all the way back to high school aged pitchers. High School aged pitchers are chasing velocity to get college offers.  College pitchers are chasing velocity because stuff and velocity drive projections, which drives draft selection.  This isn't speculation either.  In 2014, 5 high school aged pitchers threw 95 or harder at the Perfect Game Showcase.  In 2024, that number rose to 36.

Ulnar collateral ligament (UCL) reconstruction surgeries in the major leagues jumped from 21 in 2010 to 46 in 2024. Minor league numbers paint an even bleaker picture, as procedures surged from 83 in 2010 to 240 in 2024.

To answer your question, yes it causes more strain on the elbow.  Baseball America wrote an article back in February on this topic.  A quote from an orthopedic surgeon in the article stated when asked what has changed "If you could take one factor, it’s velocity"

It's a good read if you are interested in learning more.

https://www.baseballamerica.com/stories/is-velocity-really-the-culprit-behind-rising-baseball-injuries/ 

Very well written and supported... thanks!

[laloesch]

On 4/20/2026 at 2:21 PM, LewFordLives said:

You can't pretend that there's no difference between an oblique strain (Duran) and elbow inflammation (Abel). One is a stint on the DL and the other has potentially career altering implications.

We don’t know the details of the elbow inflammation. I think it’s safe to say that not all the facts are known yet. Oblique strains are no laughing matter either