Subscribe
Follow Us
Despite the Minnesota Twins being virtually out of the playoff picture, Pablo Lopez still wants back in. After being shut down in early June due to injury, Lopez is aiming to return to the mound this season. It's a surprising return, for sure, as the pitcher would risk another injury even though they won't be playing for the title.
For Lopez, though, it's more of a personal challenge for himself. In a recent interview, the Twins pitcher says that he wants to be able to pitch late into the season to maintain his usual offseason routine and perform at a satisfactory level for him.
“I want to do it,” López said, per Dan Hayes of The Athletic. “I want to be able to tell myself I was able to come back from this injury and pitch and perform at the level I know I can perform. … I want to have a regular offseason where I can follow the progression I’ve been following the last couple of years.
Lopez went through a live batting session yesterday, his first experience against live batters since the injury. If Lopez and the Twins are satisfied with the results of the batting practice and the pitcher's health, he'll most likely go through a few rehab stints in the minors before coming back to the full-time roster.
Lopez suffered a Grade 2 Teres Major sprain in June this year and was shut down subsequently. With the Twins sporting a 57-64 record, most teams in this situation would elect to sit their injured stars for the year. Since the next games are “meaningless” for their title hopes this year, they elect to save their best players the trouble and protect them from injury. Considering Lopez's status as one of the Twins' best starting arms, one would expect the star to sit out.
However, Lopez doesn't want to enter the offseason cold and pitch to the best of his ability until the season ends. The Twins righty holds a 2.82 ERA this season, his best mark in his career (albeit in only 11 games due to injury). He struck out 61 batters and walked just 14 people, great marks for him/
