Francisco Liriano was scratched from his first scheduled throwing session of the spring last week because of shoulder soreness, but an MRI exam gave him a clean bill of health and he’s expected to take the mound later this week.
However, in the meantime Twins pitching coach Rick Anderson revealed to LaVelle E. Neal III of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that Liriano did not engage in his team-recommended workouts during the offseason. Neal writes that “Liriano’s shoulder problems stem from him not keeping up with strengthening exercises” and he didn’t start throwing until “the weeks leading to the start of camp.”
Anderson explained that “now his shoulder is strong” because “he’s been doing [the exercises] here,” but clearly the Twins aren’t happy with Liriano’s lack of offseason effort. His work ethic has been questioned previously by the Twins and the situation is particularly noteworthy now because last week Neal’s colleague Joe Christensen reported that the team isn’t interested in signing Liriano to a long-term contract and may look into trading him.