The Minnesota Twins lost another player to injury on Saturday.
The Minnesota Twins starting rotation has seen nearly every starting pitcher on the roster deal with some sort of setback in 2026. It began with right-hander Pablo Lopez, who underwent season-ending right elbow surgery before the season even started.
All-Star Joe Ryan has dealt with multiple injury scares early in the year, although he has fortunately avoided the injured list. Depth option David Festa has not made his debut this season due to injury, and Mick Abel, who was breaking out, is also currently sidelined with right triceps soreness on the 15-day injured list.
Now another pitcher is joining that list, this time right-hander Taj Bradley. “Taj Bradley is going on the IL with right pec muscle inflammation. MNTwins are promoting Travis Adams,” reported Dan Hayes of The Athletic.
This is a tough development for Minnesota for several reasons. The Tampa Bay Rays traded Bradley to the Twins at last year’s trade deadline in exchange for reliever Griffin Jax, and this season marked his first full year in Minnesota.
Bradley was once a top pitching prospect, but he never fully broke through during his first three seasons with Tampa Bay. With the Twins, however, he has finally looked like the pitcher many expected him to become.
Through eight starts in 2026, Bradley has posted a 2.87 ERA, 4-1 record and 52 strikeouts in 47 innings. He had been the best arm in the rotation and one of the main reasons the Twins have been able to win any games at all.
Minnesota sits at 16-23, and without Bradley they would likely be even lower in the American League Central standings. His emergence had given the Twins a reliable arm at a time when nearly every other starter on the roster was dealing with injuries or inconsistency.
His absence is a significant loss for a team already dealing with so much adversity. The Twins called up right-hander Travis Adams to take his roster spot. Adams made two starts for Minnesota last season, although he was primarily used in relief. He struggled with a 7.49 ERA.
It is unclear whether he will be used in the same role now or whether the Twins will just use Adams as a bullpen arm. It is also unclear when Bradley suffered the setback. The only slight positive is that it is not an elbow or shoulder injury, which gives Minnesota hope that his absence will not be a long one. The Twins will now have to wait for another key player to return to the mound.