Twins Await MRI Results on Trevor Larnach’s Ailing Wrist

[Cody Christie]

The Minnesota Twins entered Monday’s series opener against the New York Yankees with an increasingly thin lineup. With roughly two weeks left in the regular season, Kaelen Culpepper, Royce Lewis, and Trevor Larnach were all unavailable, leaving Minnesota without several regular contributors.

Larnach’s absence could be the most concerning of the group. The outfielder underwent an MRI on his left wrist Monday after dealing with soreness for several days, leaving his availability for the remainder of the series uncertain.

Manager Derek Shelton explained that Larnach’s wrist became more problematic after a slide during Sunday’s game.

“He’s dealing with some left wrist soreness,” Shelton said, “so we sent him for an MRI. He has felt it for a few days, and then he felt it sliding yesterday. And then when he came in today, tried to go through his routine and just didn’t go kind of the way he wanted it to. So we’re just going to get it looked at.”

The Twins turned to Emmanuel Rodriguez in left field for Monday’s game. If Larnach needs to miss significant time, Rodriguez would appear to be one of Minnesota’s best options for taking on additional opportunities down the stretch.

That would be an important development for Rodriguez, who is out of minor league options for next season. More consistent playing time could give the young outfielder an opportunity to establish himself heading into the offseason.

Larnach, meanwhile, has put together one of his strongest seasons since reaching the majors. The 29-year-old entered Monday hitting .269/.352/.436 while serving as a regular presence in left field. His 2.2 fWAR and 123 wRC+ are both career bests.

For a Twins team already dealing with multiple injuries and limited lineup depth, losing Larnach for an extended period would be another difficult blow. The MRI should provide a clearer picture of the injury and how Minnesota will have to manage his workload over the final two weeks of the season.

 

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[wesnewy]

Just shut him down for the rest of the season ATP. It would be much more entertaining to watch an outfield of Jenkins, Erod, and Keaschall finish the year than have Larnach out there who probably wont even be a Twin next year. 

[bean5302]

Quote

For a Twins team already dealing with multiple injuries and limited lineup depth, losing Larnach for an extended period would be another difficult blow. The MRI should provide a clearer picture of the injury and how Minnesota will have to manage his workload over the final two weeks of the season.

Uhhh, what? Exactly what blow is this to the Twins? They're already out of the playoffs and they should be playing the rookies to get a sense of their talent at the MLB level, and Larnach probably shouldn't be tendered.

[thelanges5]

What are we talking about here? He has a .678 OPS in the last 30 games. Use the roster spot for someone else.

[Coach]

Careful what you wish for, one of our TD contributors was asking/hoping Larnach would be placed on the IL, before he was injured just to make room.  Get well soon Trevor, and best wishes for your future.  As for the contributor, keep your eyes in the back of your head.

[Coach JT]

Il and call up Sabato. 

[MeleMouth]

"For a Twins team already dealing with multiple injuries and limited lineup depth, losing Larnach for an extended period would be another difficult blow. The MRI should provide a clearer picture of the injury and how Minnesota will have to manage his workload over the final two weeks of the season."

Good summation of the thinking that drives the *promotion* process in Minnesota: veteran player who doesn't make a difference to the current fortunes of the team and will not be part of the future (and really wasn't much in the past, either) keeps his job until he's injured. Nobody playing in the minors earns his way to the majors on performance, but only on an unplanned basis when a job comes open because of injury.