Twins hit with injuries to top prospects

Graterol (shoulder) to IL; Gonsalves shut down; OF Baddoo to undergo Tommy John surgery

May 25th, 2019

MINNEAPOLIS -- Brusdar Graterol, the Twins' No. 3 prospect and No. 61 prospect in baseball per MLB Pipeline, is going on the injured list with right shoulder impingement, as announced by chief baseball officer Derek Falvey on Saturday.

Graterol's injury headlined a string of tough news for four of the Twins' top 30 prospects, which also impacted No. 11 prospect Stephen Gonsalves (left elbow/forearm stress reaction), No. 12 prospect Akil Baddoo (Tommy John surgery) and No. 26 prospect Luke Raley (left ankle surgery).

The 20-year-old Graterol, who had a 5-0 record with a 1.89 ERA with 46 strikeouts in nine starts for Double-A Pensacola this season, originally felt general soreness two starts ago, on May 14, but later felt OK playing catch. The Twins decided to shut him down when he felt the soreness again following his start on Sunday.

The Twins will continue to evaluate Graterol and learn about his next steps in more detail in the coming days.

"Any time you have a shoulder injury in a young pitcher, you certainly have concern," Falvey said. "Elbow and shoulder are the two that pop up. I think the fact that he's felt some pain and it's more significant of late, we definitely have some concern."

Gonsalves had missed the beginning of the season with a left elbow flexor/pronator strain, and though he completed his rehab and returned to the mound on Tuesday for Triple-A Rochester, he will be shut down again with a stress reaction in his elbow/forearm area for what the Twins hope will be three to four weeks.

The club will have more specifics on Gonsalves' timeline over the coming weeks when they receive second opinions from more doctors and get a better read on the situation.

"The UCL and otherwise are intact, so everything's in a good place there," Falvey said. "So, specifics as to what that means going forward likely requires more rest and time down."

The 20-year-old Baddoo, who had primarily been playing center field for Class A Advanced Fort Myers this season, will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery at an undetermined time in the coming days. The Twins hope to have him back by Spring Training next year. He had been hitting .214/.290/.393 with four homers, three doubles, three triples and six steals in 29 games this season before going on the injured list on May 14.

"We've had a couple of these before, whether it's Miguel Sano or Alex Kirilloff," Falvey said. "Our hopeful expectation is that he'd have it here soon."

Raley, who joined the Twins' organization last season in the trade that sent Brian Dozier to the Dodgers, will miss "a few months," per Falvey, following surgery in the coming days to repair a dislocated peroneal tendon in his left ankle. Falvey did not anticipate Raley's injury being a long-term issue.

The power-hitting outfielder had been hitting .302/.362/.516 with seven homers and 21 RBIs in 33 games for Triple-A Rochester this season.

"He was one of the better hitters there in the Rochester lineup, playing really well, taking good steps," Falvey said.