Mick Abel made his first rehab appearance on Wednesday and looked dominant.
Heading into the 2026 season, the Minnesota Twins’ starting pitching was projected to be one of their strengths. However, their rotation depth has been tested throughout the year.
With recent injuries to Bailey Ober and Kendry Rojas among others, the Twins could use all the help they can get in the rotation. As Mick Abel nears a return to the team’s rotation, his rehab program has been one that has encouraged the Twins.
Abel has been sidelined since April 20th with right elbow inflammation after making four appearances for the Twins this season. But on Wednesday, he took his first major step forward in his progression from injury in an encouraging rehab start.
At Triple-A St. Paul, Abel tossed three scoreless innings and allowed just two hits on 47 pitches. He struck out five batters and did not issue a walk, while displaying strong velocity in his first rehab outing.
The 24-year-old’s fastball averaged 96.3 MPH, topping out at 97.9. He complemented the fastball with a changeup and curveball that each looked very strong in the outing and occasionally mixed in a sweeper and slider.
The velocity numbers were especially encouraging for Abel. His fastball and changeup saw significant upticks in speed, both by at least one MPH. Overall, Abel felt great about the results he had on Wednesday.
“I’m very pleased. My body felt good. That was the whole goal of yesterday,” Abel said, according to Dan Hayes of The Athletic. “Felt good, executed good pitches. Another couple I wish I could get back, outside curveballs and stuff like that. For that being the first one, I’m pretty happy with it.”
Abel was one of two players traded to Minnesota from the Philadelphia Phillies in the Jhoan Duran deal at last season’s trade deadline. In the second half of his rookie season last year, Abel struggled in a brief stint with the Twins, allowing 14 runs in 14 innings pitched.
Once a highly touted pitching prospect, he has yet to find his stride in the major leagues. Across his 10 appearances in 2025, including six with the Phillies, Abel posted a 6.23 ERA. But in 2026, the Twins saw a brief glimpse of the productive starter Abel could be.
In three starts and one relief outing before his injury, Abel recorded a 3.98 ERA across 20 ⅓ innings. His return to the Twins should be fairly soon and is vastly needed, as injuries and inconsistencies have plagued Minnesota’s rotation over the past few weeks.
