MINNEAPOLIS – The Twins have had plenty of injuries to their pitching staff of late, but there was some good news on the progress on Tuesday.
Starter Taj Bradley, who was placed on the injured list Saturday -- a day before his scheduled start -- with a right pec strain, began throwing from 90 feet. Bradley traveled to Texas to get a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister; the Twins will provide updates on Wednesday.
“He played catch up to 90 feet today,” said Twins manager Derek Shelton. “So I think from there we’ll make sure we appropriately put the program together.”
Reliever Cole Sands, who’s been out since May 2 with a right forearm strain, also had progress on his rehab plan, throwing a bullpen before Tuesday’s game against the Marlins.
The Twins do expect to have an additional update on starter Mick Abel on Wednesday, who suffered a setback in his rehab plans when he received a cortisone shot following a bullpen session on Saturday, May 2. Abel had a workout with plyo balls on Tuesday afternoon and will have a clearer idea of his next steps come Wednesday.
The Twins already had eight pitchers on the IL so far this year, including four starters: Bradley, Abel, David Festa and Pablo López. So having three pitchers trending in the right direction to return to their roles soon is encouraging news for the clubhouse.