Injuries & Moves: Dobnak accepts outright assignment to Triple-A
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Sept. 19: RHP Randy Dobnak clears waivers, accepts outright assignment to Triple-A St. Paul
Dobnak will, again, remain with the organization after being outrighted off the 40-man roster, which will typically be the case with him due to the guaranteed contract extension he signed ahead of the 2021 season that will pay him a considerably higher salary than most Minor League players through 2025. He had been designated for assignment on Tuesday to make room for the acquisition of Cole Irvin and made four appearances in the Majors this season, his first MLB stint since '21.
Sept. 17: LHP Cole Irvin claimed off waivers from Orioles; RHP Randy Dobnak designated for assignment; RHP Jorge Alcala optioned to Triple-A St. Paul
Though Irvin will not be eligible to pitch in the postseason because he was not in the organization by Aug. 31, the Twins claimed the 30-year-old left-hander in the hopes that he could bolster the pitching group's depth for what remains of the regular season. Irvin had posted a 4.86 ERA with 76 strikeouts in 107 1/3 innings before he was designated for assignment by the Orioles on Sunday, pitching as both a starter and reliever at various points.
"It just gives us another option," president of baseball operations Derek Falvey said. "He could be your prototypical swingman who can pitch out of the bullpen. We don’t have a left-handed starter in the mix right now. Just adds another guy to the group that we think can help."
In a stunning corresponding move to open a spot on the 28-man roster, the Twins optioned Alcala following Monday's 4-3 loss to the Guardians. It came as a surprise because of the Twins' lack of reliable bullpen options at the moment, coupled by how Alcala had been part of the leverage corps for much of the season after he was called back up on May 24 -- though he had struggled heavily of late, with an 8.22 ERA and seven homers allowed in his last 15 appearances, spanning 15 1/3 innings.
In the corresponding 40-man move, the Twins designated Dobnak for assignment after he had made four appearances for the Twins earlier this season as part of his first stints in the big leagues since 2021.
10-DAY/15-DAY INJURED LIST
RF Max Kepler (left patellar tendinitis)
Expected return: Possibly Sept. 24
Though Kepler had hit live batting practice against Minor League pitchers as part of a makeshift rehab assignment during the week of Sept. 9, and the Twins had felt that his activation might have been imminent, he reported soreness in his hip and groin area and received a cortisone injection on Sept. 16, per president of baseball operations Derek Falvey.
With the knee still feeling better, Kepler is expected to play in rehab games for Triple-A St. Paul this coming weekend ahead of a possible activation to the Twins' roster in time for the final homestand of the regular season on Sept. 24.
Kepler had been dealing with the soreness in his left knee since he was scratched from the starting lineup on Aug. 25, but he had returned to play in four more games -- including three starts -- before he was once again scratched from the lineup on Sept. 2, after which he did not appear in another game as the Twins evaluated the knee ahead of his eventual IL placement on Sept. 5. (Last updated: Sept. 17)
OF Emmanuel Rodriguez (right thumb sprain -- Minor League IL, MIN No. 2 prospect, MLB No. 19)
Expected return: Spring Training 2025
Rodriguez's season came to an end when he was placed on the Minor League IL by Triple-A St. Paul following his exit from the Saints' Sept. 11 game. His early exit was due to another recurrence of the thumb sprain that limited him to 47 games this season. The initial injury led to an IL placement on June 7, and he also a flare-up as part of a rehab assignment in July.
President of baseball operations Derek Falvey said that as of Sept. 17, the Twins were still evaluating Rodriguez's thumb with specialists to see if it would require surgery -- but either way, the 21-year-old is expected to be ready for Spring Training 2025, as the expectation is that the procedures being discussed would carry recovery timelines of 4-6 weeks.
"[Surgery is] possible, I think, because of the unique nature of how that's become a little more chronic in nature with his thumb," Falvey said. "It's a bit of a weird one, because it's actually bottom hand, outside thumb, which is super rare." (Last updated: Sept. 17)
60-DAY INJURED LIST
RHP Justin Topa (left patellar tendinitis)
Expected return: Potentially late September
Topa's final bid to ramp up for the 2024 season reached a milestone on Sept. 14, when he threw 30 high-intensity pitches in two simulated innings in the bullpen, with both his fatigued right arm and his problematic right knee feeling the most normal they had felt in a long time, he said.
That was his third bullpen session of the week, and assuming he recovers well, Topa said he hopes to face live hitters his next time on the mound and progress to another rehab game with Triple-A St. Paul during the final week of the Saints' season before perhaps rejoining the Twins. Topa said on Sept. 14 that he thinks there "definitely is a route" to pitch in the Majors this season.
"I think even if it's three or four games, whatever it is, a handful of innings at the end of the year, and then build that into a playoff push, see what happens," Topa said. "I think for me, the silver lining is just to get back into games and finish the year healthy."
Topa made five scoreless rehab appearances for Triple-A St. Paul from July 26-Aug. 7 before being pulled off his rehab assignment on Aug. 10. An MRI exam of Topa's left knee revealed a 25% torn left patellar tendon after soreness flared during his initial rehab assignment with St. Paul on May 5. After a second opinion from a doctor, Topa received a platelet-rich plasma injection in the knee with the hopes of avoiding surgery and salvaging some portion of his 2024 season. (Last updated: Sept. 14)
RHP Chris Paddack (right forearm strain)
Expected return: Potentially October
Imaging on Paddack's forearm showed a full healing of the strain that has sidelined him since mid-July, and the right-hander built up to his first bullpen session on Sept. 13, when he threw 20 pitches using only fastballs and changeups. Paddack had already acknowledged it will be unlikely for him to return in time for the regular season, but he reiterated that he hopes to ramp up in time to be a bullpen option for the Twins' first playoff series.
He hopes to keep throwing before he and the Twins' medical team convene again with Dr. Keith Meister during the Twins' final homestand of the regular season to make a determination on whether he will finish his ramp-up towards a possible playoff bullpen, considering both his health history and the Twins' position in the standings at that point.
"I think that's been our end goal," Paddack said. "I made it clear to them, 'Hey, this progression needs to be for October.' But I've been injured more than I would like in my career, to where I also know that I don't want to just pitch one October -- I want to pitch in multiple. Like I said, tomorrow, we'll have a lot of questions answered with how I'm bouncing back and what my body says to me tomorrow morning."
Paddack was placed on the 15-day injured list on July 20 (retroactive to July 17) after experiencing tightness in his elbow while throwing during the All-Star break and moved to the 60-day IL on Sept. 1. MRI exams of the area revealed that there were no issues with the twice-surgically repaired UCL, including his imaging that cleared him on Aug. 28. (Last updated: Sept. 13)
LHP Kody Funderburk (left oblique strain)
Expected return: September
Funderburk said he felt his oblique seize up while playing catch before the Twins' July 20 game against the Brewers, and following his recovery, he began a rehab assignment out of the bullpen for Triple-A St. Paul on Sept. 10, throwing a scoreless, hitless inning on 13 pitches with a strikeout.
The club placed Funderburk on the 15-day IL on July 21, and he was transferred to the 60-day IL on Sept. 5. He had been hopeful he could return in time to contribute in September and October, though he noted a timeline of six to eight weeks for similar injuries. (Last updated: Sept. 13)
RHP Joe Ryan (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: TBD
Ryan was transferred to the 60-day IL on Aug. 27, which ruled him out for the rest of the regular season. A second opinion by Dr. Neal ElAttrache confirmed the initial diagnosis of a Grade 2 teres major strain in his right arm area, head trainer Nick Paparesta said on Aug. 16.
Ryan pulled himself from the Twins’ Aug. 7 series finale against the Cubs after he felt pain. He is 7-7 with a 3.60 ERA in 23 starts with the Twins this season. (Last updated: Aug. 27)
1B/OF Alex Kirilloff (back strain)
Expected return: TBD
Kirilloff was returned from his rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul after only one appearance on Aug. 23 due to a flare-up of soreness in his back, the club announced on Aug. 24. He had hit second and started at designated hitter for the Saints, going 1-for-5 with a double and three strikeouts.
Kirilloff's worsening soreness and pain in his lower back and associated nerve issues down his leg ultimately sent him to the IL on June 13. He was transferred to the 60-day IL on July 30. (Last updated: Aug. 24)
RHP Brock Stewart (right shoulder strain)
Expected return: 2025
Stewart underwent season-ending arthroscopic shoulder cleanup surgery on Aug. 13, performed by Dr. Timothy Kremchek in Cincinnati. There's a five- to six-month recovery timeline that he hopes will put him on track to return for a full Spring Training next season.
“They went in and cleaned out the whole joint for him. Everything looked good in there, the rotator cuff and labrum,” head trainer Nick Paparesta said. “A lot of aggressive stretching for him moving forward, but Kremchek was really happy with what he saw on the inside as far as long-term health.” (Last updated: Aug. 16)
RHP Anthony DeSclafani (right elbow strain)
Expected return: 2025
DeSclafani underwent season-ending flexor tendon repair surgery with Dr. Keith Meister on March 29. There was no UCL involvement, meaning DeSclafani did not need Tommy John surgery, but the flexor tendon surgery also involves a 13-month recovery timeline. (Last updated: March 30)