FORT MYERS, Fla. — Before the Twins even played an inning in the Grapefruit League this spring, injuries sidetracked their top two starting pitchers.
The Twins announced Friday that Pablo López will undergo season-ending Tommy John surgery Wednesday. On Saturday, about 15 minutes before first pitch against the Boston Red Sox, the Twins announced Joe Ryan was scratched from his start.
Ryan’s injury is not nearly as serious — the Twins announced low back tightness on the right side for the all-star starter — but it does put his status for the World Baseball Classic in jeopardy. Manager Derek Shelton did not have an update after the game game on Ryan, who had left the ballpark to have imaging taken. The Twins expect to have more information on Sunday.
Shelton said Ryan felt something in his back when he was preparing.
“He was in a good spot,” Shelton said. “There is day-to-day soreness with everybody, but this is something that came up.”
In his place, the Twins called upon minor leaguer Eston Stull, whom they signed last year out of independent ball. Stull tossed two scoreless innings in the Twins’ 7-2 loss to the Red Sox.
Jeffers tests ABS
Ryan Jeffers didn’t wait too long to use the Twins’ first ABS (automated ball-strike) challenge this spring, tapping his helmet to challenge a pitch from Stull that he believed to be a strike.
Jeffers lost that challenge in an eventual walk to Masataka Yoshida. He won the next challenge, stealing a strike for Simeon Woods Richardson on the very bottom of the strike zone during Yoshida’s next plate appearance.
The Twins tested out the system last spring, and it has been in use in the minor leagues for years. But they’re still trying to figure out how best deploy it in-season.
Likely no one will end up challenging more than Jeffers, who is expected to be the Twins’ primary catcher. Pitchers, catchers and batters are allowed to challenge, though early indications are that the challenges primarily will not come from pitchers.
“I thought it was good. We knew last year in spring training from tracking it that he was really good at it,” Shelton said. “We have to figure out where this is at.”
Briefly
Royce Lewis started spring training with a bang, hitting a home run off Red Sox starter Payton Tolle. He singled in his second at-bat and stole a base. … Simeon Woods Richardson, who came on in relief rather than starting because Ryan was scheduled to start, threw two scoreless innings and struck out a pair. … Taj Bradley, who is ramping up to compete in the WBC for Mexico, is expected to start when the Twins take on the Atlanta Braves on Sunday afternoon in North Port, Fla.
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