Minnesota Twins pitcher Pablo Lopez will undergo Tommy John surgery next week to correct a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. The procedure will sideline him for the entirety of the 2026 MLB season the team announced.
Dr. Keith Meister, who is the Texas Rangers team physician, will perform the surgery in Texas. It will mark the 2nd time Lopez has had the procedure, having previously undergone Tommy John surgery while he was a member of the Seattle Mariners organization back in 2014.
The 30 year old has been the Twins opening day starter in each of the last 3 seasons, and was planning to anchor Venezuela’s pitching staff in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
The setback is latest instalment in what’s been an injury plagued year for Lopez. Limited to just 14 starts (75.2IP) in 2025 due to ongoing shoulder issues, the former All-Star will now need a strong performance in 2026 to secure another lucrative long term deal.
Currently earning $21.75M in 2026, Lopez is set to become a free agent following the 2027 MLB season. That is of course if there is one.
With the collective bargaining agreement set to expire after this year, and both sides digging in for what could be a long negotiation period, Lopez could be a victim of injury and circumstance heading into his free agent season.
With the right hander sidelined indefinitely, many expect Joe Ryan to take the mound for opening day for the Twins. Beyond him however, there could be plenty of jockeying for position amongst the Twins starting rotation heading into the season opener.
Bailey Ober, Simeon Woods Richardson, Debby Matthews, David Festa, Taj Bradley, and Mick Abel figure to compete to spots 2-5. Then there’s also the chance that the team opts to bring in another veteran arm to help eat some of the innings they were counting on from Lopez in 2026.
Lucas Giolito and Zack Littell remain unsigned and could be of interest to new executive chair Tom Pohlad & Co.
Minnesota will open their Spring Training with a 7 inning exhibition game vs. the Golden Gophers at 6:05pm ET on Friday.
Photo: Andy Witchger. This file is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 2.0 Generic license.