KANSAS CITY, MO. – Alex Kirilloff returned optimistic from a visit with his wrist surgeon.
Alex Kirilloff likely headed to St. Paul to rehab injured wrist before returning to Twins
The outfielder only played in 59 games last season before having wrist surgery. The wrist still causes him some pain, but a checkup found no structural damage.
April 22, 2022 at 5:25AM
The left fielder/first baseman departed for Ohio on the injured list while the team went to play Boston. Kirilloff ended last season early to have a torn ligament in his right wrist surgically repaired, but he never was fully pain-free after the operation. The 24-year-old played in five games this season, with only one hit in 17 at-bats, before deciding he needed to have his wrist checked again.
The doctor didn't find any more structural damage, and Kirilloff had a cortisone injection to help him with the pain. He did the same last year prior to the surgery in hopes he could make it through the season, but the shot eventually wore off and made the surgery a more attractive option.
Kirilloff said the day he had the injection, his wrist hurt a lot, but that began to ease through the next couple days. And while he still doesn't know for sure why his wrist is still bothering him, he has started the return process.
Since being in Kansas City, he's done some defensive drills and throwing. He's had no limitations in the gym, so has made the most of those workouts as well as general rehab and strengthening maintenance off the field. He started swinging again Thursday in the cage during the game.
Kirilloff will likely head off to a rehab assignment at Class AAA St. Paul early next week before returning to the Twins by the end of that week.
"There's a fine line between having an injury and being able to either play effectively with that injury or not, and then playing not 100 percent," Kirilloff said. "Of course, 162 games, there's going to be a lot of games where you're not 100 percent, and you're playing, and that's expected.
"… All I can do is make the best of what I have right now, the wrist I have. So I personally think I can still be effective with my wrist the way it is now. It's just about managing the pain."
The Twins might have a couple of players returning about a week from now: starter Sonny Gray, who is on the IL because of a hamstring injury, and reliever Jorge Alcala, on the list because of elbow inflammation. Alcala started throwing again for a short period, stretching out to about 90 feet, but felt some pain again, so the team shut him down once more.
The Twins also have a May 2 roster deadline coming, when teams must trim their 28-man rosters back to 26.
Grateful Dead night
When the Twins return home to Target Field on Friday night against the White Sox, a crowd of Deadheads will welcome them.
The Grateful Dead Tribute Night ticket package includes a pretty cool Twins/Grateful Dead T-shirt that manager Rocco Baldelli personally approved. Baldelli is a noted Phish fan, but said the Grateful Dead are among his favorite bands.
Starting pitcher Joe Ryan's walk-up song this season is the Grateful Dead's "Fire on the Mountain." Ryan pitched six shutout innings in the series finale in Kansas City on Thursday, though Baldelli joked maybe he should have reconsidered the rotation just so Ryan could headline Friday.
"Hopefully, it's a good night with some good tunes," Baldelli said. "And a good win."
Minor league news
- The Twins completed their April 6 trade with the Padres, selecting starting pitcher Brayan Medina as the "player to be named later." The initial move sent All-Star reliever Taylor Rogers and outfielder Brent Rooker to San Diego in exchange for starter Chris Paddack and reliever Emilio Pagan. The 19-year-old will report to the Florida Complex League. The righthander is a Venezuela native and ranked as the Padres' No. 14 prospect.
- The Twins released lefthander Lewis Thorpe. The 26-year-old Australian has been in the Twins' system since 2013, most recently making one short and run-heavy start for St. Paul this season. He played in 24 MLB games with the Twins from 2019-21, accumulating a 5.76 ERA.
- Twins affiliate High-A Cedar Rapids will partake in MLB's Field of Dreams Game festivities, with the Kernels facing the Quad Cities River Bandits on Aug. 9 in Dyersville, Iowa, two days before the Cubs play Cincinnati at the iconic field.
The Texas Rangers have accomplished one of their primary offseason goals with a deal to re-sign Nathan Eovaldi, the winning pitcher in their 2023 World Series clincher.
