Twins All-Star pitcher Pablo López likely will miss the 2026 season because of elbow injury

FORT MYERS, FLA. – Pablo López is expected to miss the entire 2026 season after an MRI exam revealed a torn ligament in his right elbow, a devastating blow to the Twins after they completed their first full-squad workout at spring training.

López, the Twins’ Opening Day starter for each of the past three seasons, will seek a second opinion from Dr. Keith Meister in Texas to confirm the “significant tear,” but it’s likely he will require season-ending Tommy John surgery to repair the ligament.

López felt soreness in his elbow when he was pitching in a live batting practice session on Monday, Feb. 16, and he left the mound after he threw a pitch in his third simulated inning.

“I already feel I’m letting a lot of people down,” said López, who had hoped to play for Venezuela in the upcoming World Baseball Classic. “I’m letting myself down. I’m letting the Twins down. I’m letting my family down.”

Even with a forthcoming second opinion, López fully expects he will undergo reconstructive surgery. He had Tommy John surgery in 2014, and he remembers people telling him that the new ligament usually had an expiration date after six more years of pitching.

There was a part of him, when he cleared the six-year mark in 2019, that hoped he was an exception.

“When you have some tear on any ligament that you need it to pitch, you need it to perform, then you want to go for the option that is going to fix that issue from the root,” said López, adding that he’s the type of person who overanalyzes things and the procedure “brings disappointment or makes you feel like you failed.”

“For it to come down in one pitch is a little disheartening, but it’s a reality of being a baseball player, an athlete in general,” López said. “Things can change within seconds.”

López credited the Twins training staff for setting up his MRI and reading the results on Monday during the Presidents’ Day holiday, because he didn’t think he would have slept without knowing the status of his injury. He spent the night reading about the new techniques and recoveries for Tommy John surgery compared to when he had his last surgery 12 years ago.

López developed a reputation as one of the most routine-oriented players in baseball. He spent hours every day preparing his arm to pitch, meticulous about finding ways to keep his arm healthy.

“He’s here at the crack of dawn every day, works his tail off, and does the same thing in season,” fellow starting pitcher Joe Ryan said. “He just set such a good example for everyone, myself included.”

It’s not easy for any team to replace the staff ace. The Twins felt strongly about their starting pitching group all winter, believing it was the strength of the team. In the aftermath of likely losing López for the season, the Twins will rely more on one of their younger starters. It creates an extra spot in the rotation for someone like Zebby Matthews, David Festa, Mick Abel or Andrew Morris.

“In a lot of ways, we view this as a real opportunity for someone to step up and take advantage of that,” Twins General Manager Jeremy Zoll said. “We’ll pick up the pieces once we have a better handle on things.”

There was some whiplash of emotions inside the Twins clubhouse. They were excited for the first full-squad workout after speeches from manager Derek Shelton, owner Tom Pohlad and other staff in a morning team meeting.

By the end of Monday’s workout, they watched their staff ace walk off the mound with an injury. One day later, they learned they will likely have to navigate the upcoming season without arguably their best pitcher.

“To me,” Ryan said, “it doesn’t feel real in a sense. It’s just a shock.”

In 2023, López was an All-Star and was seventh in Cy Young Award voting in his first season as a Twin after coming over from Miami in a trade for Luis Arraez. In three seasons in Minnesota, he is 31-22 with a 3.68 ERA and 505 strikeouts in 455 innings.