Kendry

Rojas

Rojas allowed one run over two innings in a spot start against the Dodgers on Tuesday. He had recently been on the injured list with elbow inflammation, so the Twins may try to stretch him out a little more in a lower-stakes environment in Triple-A.

Rojas was making his first appearance since missing three weeks with elbow inflammation and coming off the IL on Sunday. He pitched only 1 1/3 innings in his one rehab appearance, so no one was expecting him to go deep at all tonight. Austin Voth replaced him in the third and went on to give up six runs — five earned — in four-plus innings, which will probably lead to his removal from the roster on Wednesday.

There’s zero indication that Ryan has been traded despite speculation running rampant on social media. The 30-year-old will get a reprieve from facing a loaded Los Angeles lineup and should be ready to take the ball again in a couple days once he’s feeling better. It’ll be intriguing rookie southpaw Kendry Rojas taking the ball against the Dodgers in his place.

Rojas returns to Minnesota’s pitching equation after missing just over three weeks with elbow inflammation. The 23-year-old prospect has posted an encouraging 1.26 ERA, 1.47 WHIP and 14/10 K/BB ratio over 14 1/3 innings for the Twins since coming up in late April. He projects as a swingman-type option for the Twins for the next few months, but could wind up getting a look in the rotation if Mick Abel (elbow) is facing an extended absence following a setback.

Rojas has been sidelined since May 28th with elbow inflammation. He had looked good in his first 14 1/3 MLB innings this season, posting a 1.26 ERA, but he did have some issues with command. With Mick Abel (elbow) ahead of him in his rehab process, there may not be a rotation spot open for Rojas in Minnesota. Perhaps he will return to his multi-inning role out of the bullpen.

Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters Monday that Rojas is already feeling better and could be cleared to resume throwing at some point this week. It’s an encouraging update after the 23-year-old rookie hit the injured list with elbow inflammation last Friday. He’s going to miss at least a couple weeks, but it doesn’t appear that he’s headed for an extended absence.

No surprise after Rojas was scratched from Wednesday’s start against the White Sox due to soreness on the outer side of his elbow. The 23-year-old southpaw will undergo imaging to rule out any potential structural damage. There should be a definitive return timeline at some in early June.

Elbow soreness is never something we want to see, of course. More tests are likely incoming, and we’ll have better information after the Twins provide an official update. Rojas had looked promising in the early going with a 1.26 ERA in 14 1/3 innings pitched, albeit with 10 walks over that span.

Rojas’ previous two outings for the Twins came out of the bullpen, though he threw multiple innings in each appearance. He took the rotation spot of Simeon Woods Richardson, who was the first man out of the bullpen and threw a scoreless fifth inning. It’s unclear what the Twins plan to do going forward, but it’s difficult to imagine them putting Woods Richardson back in the rotation right away given these results.

It’s unclear if Woods Richarson will work behind him of if the Twins might try to get through the game without him. Woods Richardson was lit up by the Marlins last time out, leaving him 0-6 with a 7.71 ERA in nine starts this season.