KANSAS CITY, Mo. — Pablo López returned to the mound for the first time in three months after a shoulder muscle injury, a welcome sight to the Minnesota Twins amid more frustrating overall results.
López allowed two runs, six hits and a walk to go with four strikeouts over six innings, and left the game trailing by a run to the Kansas City Royals.
The Twins put the tying run on base multiple times in the late innings but lost 2-1, falling for the fifth straight time. They’re 28-52 since June 5, and their overall record dropped to 62-79. But since the team moved 11 players at the trade deadline, the standings are less of a concern than individual development, along with getting a jump on the 2026 season.
López sustained a Grade 2 strain of the teres major muscle in his right shoulder, a similar injury that Joe Ryan had a season ago. López made three rehab starts in the minors for St. Paul. Not having Lopez available since June 3 certainly helped to ruin the Twins’ season, but the team viewed his return as great news.
López reached 96.1 mph on his four-seam fastball and averaged 94.3 mph, two-tenths below his season average. He also registered 10 misses on 46 swings by Royals batters, throwing 92 pitches overall. He allowed some hard contact, including four swings between 103.5 and 106 mph. Maikel García dinged him for a two-run homer in the third inning.
The better news: López pitched out of a jam with the help of his defense in the sixth. After the first two batters reached, catcher Jhonny Pereda picked Garcia off second base.
Pereda, added to the roster before the game because of an injury to Ryan Jeffers, threw crisply to Brooks Lee, who positioned his foot to block Garcia from reaching the bag. Jeffers was held out because of a head contusion sustained the day before.
López followed by striking out Adam Frazier and getting weak contact by Michael Massey, who popped to Lee at short. López smacked his own glove and did likewise to Pereda’s mitt as he walked off the mound.
López started off effectively in the bottom of the first, throwing strike one to leadoff man Mike Yastrzemski, later retiring him and Bobby Witt on fly balls. Vinnie Pasquantino followed by lining a double to center field that fell just beyond the grasp of Byron Buxton, who made a full-out diving attempt but could only touch the ball with his glove’s fingertips.
The Royals did not score until Pasquantino singled with two outs in the third, and Garcia turned around a sweeper thrown right down the middle of the plate on the first pitch of his at-bat.
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