Twins Provide Encouraging Injury Updates on Walker Jenkins, Mick Abel, and Kendry Rojas

[Cody Christie]

For much of the 2026 season, the Twins have been forced to navigate an endless stream of injuries. While the club continues to battle through those setbacks, Friday brought several pieces of positive news.

Three notable names—top prospect Walker Jenkins, right-hander Mick Abel, and left-hander Kendry Rojas—are all progressing toward returns. Each player reached a significant checkpoint in his recovery process this weekend, offering hope that reinforcements could soon be on the way.

Walker Jenkins Nearing Return to Game Action

The Twins expect Jenkins to begin a rehab assignment with Low-A Fort Myers on Saturday, marking his first game action since suffering a Grade 2 AC joint sprain in his left shoulder on May 5. The injury occurred while he crashed into an outfield wall while making a catch for Triple-A St. Paul.

Minnesota's top prospect was still finding his footing early in the season after arriving at Triple-A, but he entered the injured list on a much stronger note than he started. Before getting hurt, Jenkins had improved his season line to .256/.396/.389 (.785) across 111 plate appearances. That followed a 2025 campaign in which he posted a .286/.399/.451 (.850) slash line while climbing all the way to Triple-A.

Since being selected fifth overall in the 2023 MLB Draft, the 21-year-old has dealt with a series of injuries. A hamstring strain cost him significant time in 2024, while an ankle sprain sidelined him for nearly two months in 2025. He also battled another hamstring issue during spring training this year.

When healthy, Jenkins has consistently looked like one of baseball's premier prospects. If he returns from this latest injury and performs well at Triple-A, the possibility of a major-league debut later this season remains very much alive. At minimum, he appears poised to put himself in a position to contribute in Minnesota sometime during 2027.

Mick Abel Closing In on Return to Rotation

Abel's next step comes Saturday when he is scheduled to throw a light bullpen session following an impressive rehab outing earlier this week.

Pitching for Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Abel tossed three scoreless innings, striking out five while allowing only two hits. Perhaps most encouraging was the quality of his stuff. His fastball averaged 96.3 mph and topped out at 97.9 mph, looking much like the weapon that helped him dominate before landing on the injured list.

The Twins shut Abel down on April 20 because of inflammation in his right elbow. His recovery appeared to be nearing completion in early May before lingering soreness in his right triceps after a simulated bullpen session temporarily halted his progress. The setback eventually led to a cortisone injection and additional recovery time.

Before the injury, Abel was pitching some of the best baseball of his young career. He had thrown 13 consecutive scoreless innings over his final two starts and looked increasingly comfortable against major-league hitters.

His return would arrive at an ideal time for Minnesota. Bailey Ober remains sidelined with a right flexor strain, leaving the Twins scrambling to piece together a rotation. The club has relied on multiple bullpen games in recent weeks, with Joe Ryan, Taj Bradley, Connor Prielipp, and Zebby Matthews carrying the workload. If Abel continues progressing without issue, he could soon provide the stability Minnesota desperately needs in the fifth spot.

Kendry Rojas Taking Another Step Forward

Rojas is scheduled to face hitters in a live batting practice session Saturday in Fort Myers as he works his way back from left triceps inflammation. The 22-year-old has been sidelined since May 29.

Few pitchers have exceeded expectations this season the way Rojas has. He quickly established himself as a valuable multi-inning weapon. In 14 1/3 innings, Rojas has posted a sparkling 1.26 ERA while striking out 14 hitters. He has also demonstrated the flexibility to help in multiple roles. Earlier this season, Rojas made a spot start against the Houston Astros and responded by throwing four scoreless innings at Target Field.

That versatility has become increasingly important as injuries continue to pile up throughout Minnesota's pitching staff. Whether he returns as a long reliever, spot starter, or bulk innings option, Rojas would give the Twins another reliable arm capable of reducing the burden on an already stretched pitching corps.

After weeks of discouraging injury news, Minnesota finally has reason for optimism. None of these returns is guaranteed to happen immediately, but the progress of Jenkins, Abel, and Rojas offers a reminder that help may finally be on the horizon.

 

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[FlyingFinn]

Thanks for the updates.

[terrydactyls]

Cody - Just a clarification, please.  This article dropped 17 hours ago; sometime around 3:00PM on Saturday.  So when you say that something will happen on Saturday, do you mean the Saturday on which you posted this, or the following Saturday?  The former implies that activation could happen in a day or two.  The latter implies the activation could be in ten days or longer.

[tony&rodney]

Walker Jenkins played last night for Ft. Myers and hit a home run. The line drive swing looked really good. Unless he is stiff or something, we should hope he is back playing with the Saints on Tuesday. If Abel feels great after his throwing session following his last start the Twins should bring him back because Mick has nothing to learn from pitching at the AAA level unless the club feels strongly that he needs another start to prove himself. 

[saviking]

Jenkins went 4 for 5 I believe. Woukd live to see him called uo in September at the latest. 

[TNtwins85]

1 hour ago, tony&rodney said:

Walker Jenkins played last night for Ft. Myers and hit a home run. The line drive swing looked really good. Unless he is stiff or something, we should hope he is back playing with the Saints on Tuesday. If Abel feels great after his throwing session following his last start the Twins should bring him back because Mick has nothing to learn from pitching at the AAA level unless the club feels strongly that he needs another start to prove himself. 

Not just the HR. He was 4-5. A typical Jenkins single up the middle. A perfectly placed blooper into right center, then he took a breaking pitch off a lefty away a smashed it opposite field. The homer looked middle in off a righty that he just turned on. All good controlled hits. He looked himself for sure!

[Old Twins Hat]

14 minutes ago, saviking said:

Jenkins went 4 for 5 I believe. Woukd live to see him called uo in September at the latest. 

I saw that in the boxscore and I was scratching my head:  who the hell is Jenkins?

Oh, that guy.

I know all the deep stats look good for him, but, so far it's been a pretty vanilla run through the minors.