The Minnesota Twins are opening spring training with low expectations after last year's fire sale. With no Carlos Correa on the team anymore, trade rumors have been running rampant. But Twins starter Pablo Lopez put an end to those conversations, as he stopped his bullpen session on Monday with elbow soreness.
“Pablo López cut short his live batting practice session with elbow soreness. Twins say it was precautionary, especially this early in camp, but López will go for imaging on his elbow,” Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reported.
Lopez ended last season on the injured list with a right forearm strain. Now, the righty has questions lingering about his elbow. The rise of elbow injuries in pitchers has Twins fans fearing the worst, even this early into spring training.
In the 14 starts that Lopez did make for the Twins last year, he posted an incredible 2.74 ERA and walked only 20 batters. Paired with Joe Ryan at the top of the rotation, they could pick up some wins for Minnesota this year. But the lineup and bullpen are so barren that no one has expectations for the Twins this year.
A Lopez injury would not only impact the Twins but also play a big role in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. Lopez is slated to join Team Venezuela at the WBC as one of their top starters. If he is unable to go, it will put even more pressure on Ranger Suarez, who just signed a five-year contract with the Boston Red Sox.
Stick with ClutchPoints for all updates on Lopez's injury scare and the MLB world throughout spring training.
