Aidan Teel Opens Up on Health Scare That Nearly Ended His Career

Outfielder Aidan Teel had barely started his pro career with the Minnesota Twins when his life was turned upside down.

Teel shared on Instagram that he was diagnosed on Aug. 28 with an intramedullary spinal cord tumor, and he said he was told his career was over and that a return to baseball was likely out of reach.

Teel is now on the road back, and he said he has been cleared to begin rehab six weeks after surgery, and he thanked the doctors and staff at Columbia for giving him a second chance at a healthy life.

His post was reported by The Clarion Ledger on Monday.

One line from the post shows how fast his priorities changed.

"In that moment, baseball no longer mattered. All I wanted was the chance to live a long, healthy life," Teel wrote.

It is hard to read that and not root for him, especially since the 22-year-old had only been a pro for a few weeks when the diagnosis came.

The Twins picked him in the 11th round of the 2026 draft with the 317th overall pick.

Minnesota signed him on July 22 with a $210,000 bonus, and he joined Single-A Fort Myers on July 30.

In 19 games there, he hit .238 with a .364 on-base percentage, five doubles, five stolen bases and 12 walks.

Teel also thanked his family and the people who prayed for him, and he said he will be back on the field.

He did not give a timetable for that return, and the Twins have not shared one either.

Teel came to Minnesota with a strong college track record.

He hit .317 with 20 doubles and seven home runs at Virginia in 2025, then followed head coach Brian O'Connor to Mississippi State, where he hit .294 with five home runs this past spring.

A left-handed hitter who gets on base like that is the type of player who can climb quickly once he is healthy.

The Twins have been building up their young outfield, with outfielder Walker Jenkins already fighting for a roster spot next season.

Teel is a long way from that conversation right now, and the only goal for him this winter is to keep moving forward in rehab.

The Twins are coming off a 77-85 season and a third-place finish in the American League Central, and most of the talk this offseason is about trades and free agents.

It is easy to forget that the farm system is full of young players dealing with things that have nothing to do with baseball.

The organization has already had to handle offseason surgeries at the big-league level this fall, and some of the young arms will face more pressure next season, so the Twins will need every healthy prospect they can get.

I hope Teel gets every chance to show what he can do, and after reading how close he came to losing everything, a healthy return to the field would be one of the best stories in the Twins system next year.