Twins Await MRI Results on Trevor Larnach’s Ailing Wrist

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.