López faces season-ending surgery after a significant UCL tear, casting doubt on his future with the Twins.
The Minnesota Twins got the worst possible news on Tuesday when general manager Jeremy Zoll announced that ace right-hander Pablo López has significant tearing of the ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow, and that season-ending surgery is very much on the table.
López felt discomfort during a live batting practice session on Monday, which was only the first full day of spring training, and an MRI later revealed the damage to his pitching elbow.
A Crushing Blow for Minnesota
The 29-year-old is seeking a second opinion from noted surgeon Dr. Keith Meister, but most UCL tears require surgical repair, whether that means an internal brace procedure or a full Tommy John reconstruction, and either path would end his season before it even starts.
López was limited to just 14 starts in 2025 due to a hamstring strain, a shoulder injury, and a forearm strain, but he was great when healthy and posted a 2.74 ERA with 73 strikeouts and a 1.110 WHIP in 75.2 innings that showed why Minnesota traded a batting title winner in Luis Arráez to get him before the 2023 season.
Zoll stressed that the UCL damage is a new injury that showed up in camp, as his MRIs from early 2023 and late 2025 looked the same.
What This Means for the Rotation
Without López, the weight of the rotation falls on Joe Ryan, who had a career year in 2025 with a 3.42 ERA and 194 strikeouts across 31 starts and earned his first All-Star nod.
After Ryan, the Twins will be looking at some mix of Bailey Ober, Taj Bradley, Simeon Woods Richardson, Mick Abel, David Festa, and Zebby Matthews to fill out the staff, but none of those names carry the same track record as a healthy López.
Minnesota already entered 2026 with questions about its ability to compete after going 70-92 last season, their worst record since 2016 and a major fall from the team that won the AL Central in 2023, and losing their ace before the season begins only makes things harder.
Is López Done in Minnesota?
López is owed $21.75 million this season and $21.5 million in 2027, after which he becomes a free agent, so if he has surgery and misses all of 2026, the Twins would be paying him over $21 million to rehab while getting nothing on the field.
That leaves Minnesota in a tough spot because López would only have one guaranteed year left when he returns, and there is a real chance the Twins never see him pitch in a meaningful game for them again if the 2027 season becomes a rehab year too.
The Twins had been open about wanting to keep López, Ryan, and Byron Buxton together as the core of a team that new manager Derek Shelton could build around, but this injury throws a wrench into those plans and could force the front office to rethink its timeline for getting back to the postseason.
Spring training is only three days old and the Twins are already in scramble mode, which tells you everything about how important López was to whatever hopes Minnesota had for 2026.