Mick

Abel

Twins manager Derek Shelton told reporters all signs have been positive after Abel hit the injured list with elbow inflammation last week. All indications are that the issue is believed to be minor and the fact that he’s resumed throwing already is extremely encouraging. It won’t be a minimum stay on the injured list, but fantasy manager should anticipate Abel making it back to Minnesota’s rotation mix at some point in the next couple weeks.

It’s an extremely encouraging report after Abel unexpectedly hit the injured list earlier on Monday. The 24-year-old appeared to be in the early stages of a breakout campaign, reeling off 13 scoreless frames with a 16/3 K/BB ratio across 13 innings over his past two starts. He’s likely to face a multi-week absence, even in a best-case scenario, but it doesn’t sound like preliminary imaging turned up any structural damage that could’ve led to surgery. It’ll likely be intriguing prospect Connor Prielipp taking his spot in Minnesota’s rotation.

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.

Abel has turned in consecutive scoreless outings after giving up nine runs in 7 1/3 innings over his first two starts. He allowed nine hard-hit balls tonight, but seven of those were grounders and they produced a total of three singles. He also walked none after coming into the game with 10 bases on balls in 13 1/3 innings. Abel doesn’t seem trustworthy just yet, but the upside is obviously there. He’s 1-2 with a 3.98 ERA, and he’s slated to take on the Mets next.

Unfortunately the bullpen quickly blew the 1-0 lead he left with, leaving Abel with a no-decision. He allowed four hits, walked three, and averaged 94.9 mph with the fastball. When the secondaries play as well as Abel’s did today -- he generated six whiffs on 31 swings against non-fastballs -- his fastball is hard enough to hit that it ties together well. Now carrying a 6.08 ERA through two starts, Abel is probably a fringe start against the Red Sox next week.

Abel also struck out three and walked three while throwing 63 percent of his pitches for strikes. This was Abel’s first start of the season after he pitched in long relief in his first appearance. His four-seam fastball was great in this one. He has elite extension and vertical movement, which helps offset his mediocre velocity. The pitch had a 16 percent swinging strike rate and 31 percent CSW. The issue for Abel is that none of his other offerings helped much. He got some whiffs on his sweeper, but only threw five of them in total. Until those secondaries find some consistency, it’s going to be hard to trust Abel in most fantasy leagues, but there is a clear foundation for success here. We might take a chance on him next week against the Tigers if you’re in deeper formats.

Abel struck out four batters on the day, but he also issued four walks. Rather than starting on Monday which was the expectation, the Twins turned to Abel to piggyback Bailey Ober in this one, coming on to start the fifth inning. It didn’t work out well. He gave up a run on an RBI double in the sixth inning, then the O’s piled on with three more in the seventh to take control of the game. On the plus side, he got 14 whiffs on 81 pitches on the afternoon, posting a CSW of 30 percent. He’ll likely make his first start at some point next weekend against the Rays now.

Abel also struck out four and walked one while allowing an average exit velocity of 81.2 mph. It was an overall strong performance for Abel, who figures to start against the Royals next week in his first MLB start of the season. If you can wait until Sunday to add Abel, that’s great, but he is a priority waiver target for many right now, so you may need to add him now and hold him until that first start. He has a great foundation with strong fastballs and could be a plus starter for the Twins this season.

Zebby Matthews was optioned to Triple-A today, so it seems like Abel and Taj Bradley will take the final two spots in the Twins’ rotation. Abel was tremendous this spring, allowing four runs on 12 hits in 18 innings while striking out 23 and walking three. He also looked solid for stretches in his MLB debut last season and was stellar in the minor leagues. He should be a priority target in the later rounds of drafts now that he has won a spot in the rotation.

The 24-year-old hurler punched out six batters on the night while issuing a pair of free passes. He got through the first three innings without any difficulty but ran into trouble in the fourth as he loaded the bases with two outs as he allowed a single and a pair of walks. Ceddanne Rafaela then followed with a two-run single. Abel generated 11 swings and misses on 79 pitches on the night, registering a CSW of 28 percent. He has made a strong case for inclusion in the Twins’ Opening Day rotation, posting a 2.00 ERA, 0.83 WHIP and a 23/3 K/BB ratio over 18 innings. If that’s the case, Zebby Matthews could wind up being the odd man out.