Kendry

Rojas

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.

Once again Rojas will get an opportunity to add a fresh arm to the Twins’ bullpen. The 23-year-old southpaw has made just one appearance at the big league level this season, working a pair of scoreless innings. Kody Funderburk was optioned to Triple-A in a corresponding move on Sunday.

The 23-year-old southpaw functioned as an extra bullpen arm for a few days while Kody Funderburk was on paternity leave. With Funderburk set to return on Friday though, he’ll head back to Triple-A where he’ll resume his regular role in the rotation. Rojas allowed two hits and three walks over two innings in his lone appearance with the Twins, though he did not allow a run.

Rojas is up with Kody Funderburk officially placed on the paternity list. The 23-year-old will make his MLB debut if/when he gets a chance to pitch in the next week.

With Mick Abel (elbow) landing on the injured list, Woods Richardson will have his start bumped up a day. As of now, the Twins have no starting pitcher listed for Wednesday, but one of Kendrys Rojas or Connor Prielipp, the Twins’ 2025 Minor League Pitcher of the Year, could be an option.

That’s a huge bummer. Abel had thrown 13 shutout innings over his last two starts and seemed to be emerging as a key cog in the Twins’ rotation. There’s no word yet on how long he will be out, but this now makes the news of Kendry Rojas coming up a bit more understandable. It seems like the left-hander may get the chance to pitch bulk innings on Tuesday, which would have been Abel’s spot in the rotation. However, Connor Prielipp could also be given a chance to fill in for Abel since he’s in New York on the taxi squad. Prielipp is a bit more exciting from a fantasy standpoint, so if he is given the start on Tuesday, he could be worth a waiver add, even if you just stash him on your bench for the first start.