NEW YORK -- It’s likely a short engagement for now, but the Twins will get a look at a pitcher who might be a big part of their future over the next few days -- and probably a couple of them.
As part of a series of moves, Minnesota recalled hard-throwing lefty Kendry Rojas from Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday and inserted him into the bullpen for a series against the Mets. In addition, the Twins activated Royce Lewis from the 10-day injured list while placing right-hander Mick Abel on the 15-day injured list and lefty Kody Funderburk on the paternity list.
There’s one more move to come on Wednesday. Lefty prospect Connor Prielipp (ranked No. 5 among Twins prospects, per MLB Pipeline) also joined the team from St. Paul but has yet to be activated, and he is expected to start Wednesday’s game at Citi Field. It’s unclear what the corresponding move will be to activate Prielipp, though it will definitely include the removal of a position player.
Prielipp would take the rotation spot of Abel, who had been pitching superbly before suffering right elbow discomfort between starts. He received an MRI exam on Sunday and was placed on the IL following the scan. The team sounds optimistic regarding his situation, even if it’s never good news when a pitcher has elbow inflammation.
“We felt like if we aggressively treat it, get him on some anti-inflammatories and play it safe on the front end, it’ll be something that will be relatively quick and short,” said general manager Jeremy Zoll. “Didn’t want to try to chase it and then make it potentially worse later by trying to prolong this.”
Simeon Woods Richardson moved up a day to take Abel’s originally scheduled start on Tuesday. The Twins have TBD listed as their Wednesday starter, but Prielipp expects to pitch that night. He was a second-round pick in 2022 who has a checkered health history but dynamite stuff when he’s available. He’s coming off an outstanding start, striking out eight over five innings for St. Paul on April 16.
Rojas, 23, has one of the biggest arms in the system and instantly becomes the hardest-throwing member of the Minnesota bullpen. The Twins' No. 10 prospect showed immense potential, though also some inconsistency, in Spring Training and has pitched well in the Minor Leagues this year after starting the season on the injured list with a right hamstring strain. Though Rojas is primarily a starter, manager Derek Shelton said the club will not look to engineer a multi-inning opportunity for him.
“I’m excited to get to watch this kid,” Shelton said. “I mean, this is a kid that when you got into camp, we traded for him, you hear all about him, and you want to watch, and then you watch him on the mound and you watch how hitters react to his stuff. It’s good to get him a short taste of the big leagues.”
Lewis, meanwhile, returns after missing the minimum time due to a left knee sprain. He homered in each of his two rehab starts at Triple-A, and Shelton said there will not be any significant restrictions on his availability upon his return. Lewis started at third base, batting eighth, in his first game back.