Mick Abel’s Season Hits Another Roadblock as Twins Righty Heads for Elbow Surgery

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins received more disappointing pitching news on Wednesday when the club announced that right-hander Mick Abel will undergo arthroscopic surgery on his injured right elbow.

For a Twins team already navigating a rotation battered by injuries, Abel's latest setback adds another layer of uncertainty to a pitching staff that has spent much of the season trying to patch together innings.

The good news is that Abel's ulnar collateral ligament remains intact. This is not a Tommy John surgery situation, nor does it appear that an internal brace procedure is necessary. Instead, the operation is being recommended to address recurring discomfort that repeatedly halted his rehabilitation process. Unfortunately, that discomfort proved impossible to shake.

A Promising Start Cut Short

When the Twins acquired Abel along with catching prospect Eduardo Tait from the Phillies as part of last summer's Jhoan Duran trade, they were betting on upside.

The former first-round pick arrived with plenty of prospect pedigree but also questions after an inconsistent start to his professional career. While his rookie season in Minnesota featured some growing pains, there were legitimate reasons for optimism entering 2026.

Abel was one of the organization's standout performers during Spring Training. His fastball showed more life, his secondary pitches generated more swing-and-miss, and he looked poised to finally establish himself as a long-term rotation piece.

That momentum carried into the regular season. Over his first 20 1/3 innings, Abel struck out 23 batters and flashed the type of stuff that once made him one of baseball's most highly regarded pitching prospects. Command remained a work in progress, but hitters were expanding the zone more frequently and struggling to square him up consistently.

For the first time, it looked like the Twins were beginning to see the version of Abel they envisioned when they made the trade. Then came the elbow inflammation.

Rehab Progress Followed by More Frustration

Abel landed on the injured list in April after experiencing discomfort in his elbow. Initially, the injury didn't appear overly concerning, and the organization remained optimistic about a relatively quick return.

Twice during his recovery process, Abel appeared to be nearing a return to game action. Twice, the elbow had other plans. Most recently, the right-hander was tentatively lined up to start Sunday's game in Arizona. That possibility disappeared after a bullpen session on Friday led to renewed discomfort the following day, forcing the Twins to scratch him before he could take the next step in his progression.

Subsequent imaging provided some encouraging news. An MRI revealed no damage to either the UCL or the flexor tendon, two structures that often lead to season-ending surgeries for pitchers. Still, the recurring nature of the discomfort prompted consultation with renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, who ultimately recommended arthroscopic surgery to address the issue.

Specific details regarding the procedure have not yet been released. Arthroscopic elbow surgeries can involve removing loose bodies, cleaning up bone spurs, or addressing other sources of irritation within the joint. A return timeline won’t be established until following the surgery. 

The Twins currently have an open spot on their 40-man roster after designating Austin Voth for assignment earlier this week. Once that vacancy is filled, Abel could become a candidate to be transferred to the 60-day injured list, creating additional roster flexibility.

For now, the focus shifts to surgery and recovery. The organization can take some comfort in knowing that Abel avoided the worst-case scenario. An intact UCL leaves the door open for a return later this season and should preserve his long-term outlook.

Still, after a spring that hinted at a breakout and an April that showcased some of the best pitching of his professional career, Abel's season has become another reminder of how quickly pitching development can be derailed by health concerns.

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[thelanges5]

Pitching depth has been tested more than anyone could’ve predicted this season. No one thought Parades would be starting for the major league club.  
 

[darwin22]

Just another scissor kick to the cajones which shouldn't be a surprise to anyone supporting this team,

[bean5302]

58 minutes ago, thelanges5 said:

Pitching depth has been tested more than anyone could’ve predicted this season. No one thought Parades would be starting for the major league club.  
 

The Twins typically use about 8 significant starters for a season. I think the Twins have been fine on depth and are seeing normal results.

Trustworthy locks
1. Lopez
2. Ryan

Untrustworthy locks
3. Bradley
4. Ober

Untrustworthy possible rotation choices
5. Woods-Richardson
6. Matthews
7. Abel

MiLB Depth / Reliever
8. Prielipp
9. Morris

The Twins rotational depth has been touted all year, but it was honestly just "adequate" to begin with. Prielipp was not ready and the Twins told him to add/work on a pitch (curveball). He was looked at 50/50 as a starter / reliever anyway.

When Lopez went down in Spring Training, the Twins depth was immediately exposed as thin.

[bean5302]

Bummer for Abel. He'll almost certainly be headed for the 60 day IL with maybe an outside shot of making a short appearance or two in September.

[mickster]

Anyone want to put odds on the Sheriff signing a minor league contract and sliding onto the 40 man roster when Abel goes to the 60 to provide another arm when needed?

[ziggy]

9 minutes ago, mickster said:

Anyone want to put odds on the Sheriff signing a minor league contract and sliding onto the 40 man roster when Abel goes to the 60 to provide another arm when needed?

As Terry Ryan said, "someone has to play those innings".

[Parfigliano]

1 hour ago, mickster said:

Anyone want to put odds on the Sheriff signing a minor league contract and sliding onto the 40 man roster when Abel goes to the 60 to provide another arm when needed?

Noooooooooooo!!!!

[bean5302]

5 hours ago, mickster said:

Anyone want to put odds on the Sheriff signing a minor league contract and sliding onto the 40 man roster when Abel goes to the 60 to provide another arm when needed?

I mean, this front office seems very incompetent so maybe? I'd hope not. Dude's been DFA'd 2x this year and cleared waivers both times.

[laloesch]

At least it's not TJ.  I just hope he doesn't come back and then has to go under the knife again for internal bracing.  That would be devastating.

[Sjoski]

Bummer for Mick.....he put his head down, and worked his way back to throwing 97 mph with the Saints, and was slated to return. 

I can only hope all ends well for this young man. 

 

[DocBauer]

While this news is a MAJOR bummer and immediate blow to the rotation, the most important thing is Abel's overall health and future. The fact that two different experts have seen the same thing...no ligament damage...is a silver lining despite the overcast skies currently. 

While ANY surgery is never good, most arthoscopic procedures are usually relatively minor issues. Look, I'm by no means an expert here, but as the OP has pointed out, it could be a bone spur or a piece of loose material providing discomfort. Remember, he WAS dealing and feeling good initially before waking up with irritation. So until/unless his surgery offers up something bad that the MRI didn't pick up, I'm going with anything from a spur to a nerve or muscle a little out of place, or something similar that is not a "big deal" but just needs to be addressed.

If that's true, we can probably still bank on seeing him in August, or September at the latest, to at least finish the season healthy and strong.

But it really makes me hope that Ober is ready to go before too long. His velocity may never come back. But his smarts and pitching intelligence had him performing really well...most games...right up until the last appearance or two before he ended up on the IL. I'm betting he was "gutting it out" those last couple of starts. But even if Ober is no longer that really good #3 SP that he was, he just might end up being a hell of a #5. And there's real value in that! And no offense to Paredes, who's done way better than expected...and might have secured a serious look as a future long/middle man in the bullpen...but we could use Ober back.

But again, the most important thing here is Abel's elbow looks SOLID from two separate reports. Glass half full? Without exact details, it appears he is only having a "minor" procedure. That's usually the case when we're talking about an orthoscopic procedure.

[jmlease1]

Super bummed about this, as Abel had made a real leap forward this year. He wasn't looking like a back of the rotation guy, but a playoff-caliber starter who could really kick butt.

Hope that it's a relatively minor clean-up procedure and there's nothing structural found in there. Maybe one of these days we'll catch a break on this stuff. But better to do it now than try and grind through the season on and off the IL and try and deal with it in the off-season..

[h2oface]

What? Not another “the new Ace” article? Great value for Duran. And Tait is all the way up to A ball and .227. Elusive prospect value that everyone wants to always trade our best players for……. always the next core, The core that you trade when they almost get there ….. for prospects again. Prospects that never core up, so you start the cycle again.

[h2oface]

4 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

Super bummed about this, as Abel had made a real leap forward this year. He wasn't looking like a back of the rotation guy, but a playoff-caliber starter who could really kick butt.

Hope that it's a relatively minor clean-up procedure and there's nothing structural found in there. Maybe one of these days we'll catch a break on this stuff. But better to do it now than try and grind through the season on and off the IL and try and deal with it in the off-season..

A couple good starts didn’t erase the 9 earned in 7 innings before them, did it?

[jmlease1]

13 hours ago, h2oface said:

A couple good starts didn’t erase the 9 earned in 7 innings before them, did it?

You can choose to look at it however you want. If you want to look at the negative and presume that no Twin can possibly be good, go ahead. His stuff looked incredible in spring training and his last two starts were dominant. You want to believe that the first two are who he is rather than the last 2, go ahead.

[h2oface]

6 hours ago, jmlease1 said:

You can choose to look at it however you want. If you want to look at the negative and presume that no Twin can possibly be good, go ahead. His stuff looked incredible in spring training and his last two starts were dominant. You want to believe that the first two are who he is rather than the last 2, go ahead.

The point is, he is ALL he has done. We all are. What will be is to be witnessed. History should be as complete and accurate as possible. If you want to believe complete history is negative instead of factual, go ahead.