Injuries to Track on the Twins Opening Day Roster

The Twins hoped to enter the regular season with a relatively healthy roster. Unfortunately, injuries started mounting in the team’s final days in Fort Myers. Some players will begin the year on the injured list, while others seem healthy but have previous issues to follow. Minnesota has already announced multiple players who will open the year on the IL, including Jhoan Durán (oblique), Caleb Thielbar (hamstring), Justin Topa (knee), Josh Winder (scapula), and Anthony DeSclafani (forearm). Let’s examine the Opening Day roster, the injuries to track, and the logical backup options. 

Byron Buxton, OF/DH
Twins fans will track every play Buxton makes in the outfield and every slide he takes into a base. His knee has been a chronic issue in recent years, but the club believes this offseason’s surgery might have fixed the biggest issue. His back also bothered him this spring, so the Twins will be cautious with him in his return to center field. 
Backup Options: Manuel Margot, Willi Castro, Austin Martin (Triple-A)

Carlos Correa, SS 
Correa dealt with plantar fasciitis throughout the 2023 season, resulting in the worst season of his career. It’s an injury that takes time to heal, but some players deal with it throughout the remainder of their careers. The Twins are confident that Correa is past this injury and can return to being one of the league’s best shortstops.
Backup Options: Farmer, Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee (Triple-A)

Royce Lewis, 3B
Lewis has missed large chunks of two seasons while recovering from knee surgery. Last year, he jumped immediately into the Twins’ lineup and impacted the team on both sides of the ball. Late in September, he strained his hamstring, landing him on the injured list for the rest of the regular season. Minnesota would love to have Lewis play in over 130 games, which would be a career-high as a professional.  
Backup Options: Farmer, Castro, Lee, Yunior Severino (Triple-A)

Alex Kirilloff, DH/1B
The Twins will be playing Kirilloff at DH for most of the season, partially because of his recent injury history. Last season, he suffered a shoulder injury and underwent offseason surgery. Kirilloff has also previously battled a wrist injury, resulting in multiple surgeries. To stay at DH, Kirilloff needs to stay healthy and produce offensively.  
Backup Options: José Miranda (Triple-A), Severino, Lee

Chris Paddack, SP
Paddack is in his first full season since returning from his second Tommy John surgery. The Twins will find ways to give him extra time off throughout the season by skipping starts, pushing him back, or putting him on the IL (even if it be more for maintenance than to address an acute issue). Last season, Minnesota followed a similar plan with Kenta Maeda, who pitched 104 innings across 21 appearances. 
Backup Options: David Festa (Triple-A), Simeon Woods Richardson (Triple-A), Brent Headrick (Triple-A)

Brock Stewart, RP
The Twins have multiple relievers already hitting the IL, so keeping Stewart on the field will be critical. He returned last season from Tommy John surgery and bone spur surgery and missed time while tending to a sore elbow. However, he was dominant on the mound with a 0.65 ERA in 28 appearances. With Durán out, he will get the opportunity to close out at least some games. 
Backup Options: Cole Sands (Triple-A), Daniel Duarte (Triple-A), Ronny Henriquez (Triple-A), Jordan Balazovic (Triple-A)

Josh Staumont, RP
Staumont’s 2023 season ended last July when he underwent surgery for thoracic outlet syndrome. According to reports, his fastball velocity has been rising this spring, which is a good sign for someone returning from that operation. Pitchers returning from TOS have seen mixed results, and now the team’s bullpen desperately needs him to move up the bullpen hierarchy before the season starts.   
Backup Options: Sands, Duarte, Henriquez, Balazovic

Jorge Alcalá, RP
Last week, Alcala had a comebacker deflect off his pitching hand and was removed from his appearance. He’s looked great this spring after missing time in the last two seasons. Elbow and forearm issues can have long-lasting effects and have limited him to fewer than 20 big-league innings since 2021. Now, he needs to prove he can be consistent again. 
Backup Options: Sands, Duarte, Henriquez, Balazovic

The Twins must continue to rely on their depth throughout a 162-game season. Few players can stay healthy for the entire year, but Minnesota needs strong performances from multiple players on this list. Which player(s) should fans be most worried about? Do the Twins have enough bullpen arms? Leave a comment and start the discussion.