Cole Sands Nearing Return to Twins’ Bullpen

[Cody Christie]

The Twins have spent much of the season trying to patch together their bullpen without one of their most dependable relievers. Right-hander Cole Sands has been sidelined since early May with a right forearm strain, but after navigating a frustrating rehab process that included an unexpected setback, he appears to be trending in the right direction.

Minnesota placed Sands on the 15-day injured list on May 2 after forearm discomfort forced him out of action. The organization originally hoped he would return relatively quickly, and he was cleared to begin a rehab assignment in early June. Those plans were delayed when inflammation resurfaced, forcing the Twins to shut him down and allow the injury to calm before restarting the process.

After completing another throwing progression, Sands resumed his rehab assignment and immediately showed encouraging signs. During one of his recent appearances, his fastball averaged 93.7 mph, a noticeable improvement from where it had been earlier this season and an indication that his arm strength is continuing to return.

His latest outing may have been his most encouraging yet. Pitching for Triple-A St. Paul on Saturday, Sands tossed a scoreless inning while once again seeing all of his pitch velocities climb above his season averages. It marked the second consecutive rehab appearance in which his velocity ticked upward, another positive indicator that he is getting closer to full strength.

Even with the improved results, the Twins aren't quite ready to activate him. Saturday's outing came four days after his previous appearance, and Minnesota wants to see how Sands responds to a more typical major league workload before bringing him back. That likely means pitching on shorter rest, with back-to-back appearances a possibility, before the club is convinced he can handle the demands of a late-inning role.

Before the injury, Sands wasn't producing at the level Twins fans had become accustomed to seeing. Over 11 2/3 innings this season, he owns a 4.63 ERA with a 22% strikeout rate and an eight percent walk rate. Opposing hitters have also produced a hefty 51.4% hard-hit rate against him.

One of the biggest differences has been his fastball. Sands averaged 95 mph during the 2025 season, but that figure dropped to 93.1 mph before landing on the injured list. Even so, there were signs that better results could have been on the horizon. His 3.65 SIERA sits nearly a full run lower than his actual ERA, suggesting his underlying performance was stronger than the surface numbers indicate. It's also fair to wonder whether his forearm issue contributed to his rough final outing on April 28 against Seattle, when he surrendered two runs while recording just two outs.

Despite his uneven start to 2026, Sands has earned the benefit of the doubt. Since the beginning of the 2024 season, he has developed into one of Minnesota's most dependable relievers, regularly taking on high-leverage innings while providing valuable multi-inning flexibility.

The Twins have managed to survive his absence by leaning on relievers such as Yoendrys Gomez, Andrew Morris, and Anthony Banda before Banda's season-ending injury further thinned the bullpen. While several pitchers have stepped into larger roles, adding an experienced arm like Sands would give manager Derek Shelton another trusted option for the stretch run.

If Sands continues checking the remaining boxes during his rehab assignment, his return may not be far away. A healthy version of the right-hander could help stabilize a relief corps that has spent much of the season searching for consistency. With velocity returning and his workload gradually increasing, the Twins finally have reason to believe one of their most reliable relievers is nearing his return.

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[mnfireman]

Shelton said on the radio yesterday that Sands was going to be sent to Florida to keep working over the break, they are the only team with games over the All-Star break.

[amjgt]

I could have sworn that I just saw an update a couple days ago that he was shut down again. 

Hope I'm either making that up or the source where I saw that was wrong

[Possumlad]

21 minutes ago, amjgt said:

I could have sworn that I just saw an update a couple days ago that he was shut down again. 

Hope I'm either making that up or the source where I saw that was wrong

Current status per Twins: 
 

(https://www.mlb.com/news/twins-injuries-and-roster-moves)

LATEST INJURIES

RHP Cole Sands
Injury: Mild right forearm strain
IL date: May 2 (15-day IL, retroactive to April 29)
Expected return: July
Status: Will have rehab assignment moved to FCL Twins over All-Star break to continue build-up. (Last updated: July 12)

[Patzky]

25 minutes ago, mnfireman said:

Shelton said on the radio yesterday that Sands was going to be sent to Florida to keep working over the break, they are the only team with games over the All-Star break.

The demotion (not really one but technically) might have been interpreted as a setback. I also saw a similar report about Sands somewhere but I was caught up in draft and in game excitement 😬

[weitz41]

Bull Pen almost at full strength!!...🤪😜

[big dog]

Cole Sands would at least raise the floor. I’m ready any time. 

[Hawkeye Bean Counter]

Overall this has the potential to be the strongest the bullpen has been all year.  After the all-star break -

Closer - Gomez

Fireman- Morris

Good Reliever - Sands, Nance

Lefty - Funderburk,   fingers crossed on Coloumbe  

That is something you can build around.   

[Sjoski]

David Festa returns by mid August? 

I would love to see him pitch out of the pull.

Have there been any recent updates on his status?