Fans of the Minnesota Twins had reasons to be optimistic as the 2024 MLB season approached. They had a nice blend of veteran and dynamic young hitters. They had a youthful rotation whose members all were on an upward spiral. And they had a refortified bullpen that would take up some of the slack after the team lost two veteran starters in the offseason.
Add to that a few carefully selected free agents and you had a recipe for a team that should win the American League Central Division. And hopefully, make an even deeper playoff run this season. But when fans read through their sports pages today, they were faced with a sobering reality. That their Twins own a record of 6-10 and are currently in fourth place in their division. All over the Twin Cities, you can hear the cry “Dude, Where’s My Team.”
Twins Off to Rough Start
Disaster struck even before the first pitch of the new season was thrown. Just before the Twins came north, it was reported that fireballing closer Jhoan Duran was being placed on the 15-day injured list as a result of a right oblique strain. He has just recently started throwing again and the team knows that they need him back soon to help them dig out of their hole.
Later that day, it was announced that starting pitcher Anthony DeSclafani, who the Twins acquired in the Jorge Polanco was being evaluated due to a right elbow flexor strain. The next day, it was reported that DeSclafani would undergo surgery for the condition and that he would be out for the entire 2024 MLB season. His recovery period will be roughly thirteen months.
And to make matters worse, setup man Caleb Thielbar did not throw an inning during spring training as he was nursing a strained left hamstring. He just returned to the active roster two days ago.
Opening Day Blues
But hope springs eternal and the Twins started their regular season with gusto. Their budding superstar Royce Lewis opened his season with a solo home run and a single. However, in the third inning of that same game, he came up limp running the bases and had to be removed from the contest.
Tests would reveal that he would be out of commission for one to two months with a right quadriceps strain. Huge blow for Lewis and the Twins as they had hoped to see what the young star could do throughout an entire Major League season.
More Bad News for the Twins
Then, nine days later, outfielder Max Kepler fouled a ball off of his right knee and the Twins soon announced that he also was headed to the injured list with a knee contusion. It was just reported that he is on his way to Triple-A St. Paul for his rehab assignment.
And finally, star shortstop Carlos Correa was the healthiest he had been in two years and was playing excellent baseball. He was leading the team in hitting and playing his usual Gold Glove-caliber defense. That is until April 12 when a right oblique strain landed him on the 10-day injured list. Ugh!
It got so bad that even prized prospect Brooks Lee started the season in St. Paul on the injury list with back spasms.
What’s Next
What’s next? Well, the Twins certainly hope no more injuries. The positives to take out of this are that many of the walking wounded are returning to rehab assignments. And also the fact that the team dodged a huge bullet as Correa’s injury was feared to be more severe than what was diagnosed. They hope to stay close to the leaders in the AL Central and make their big move when their emergency room is much smaller in size.
And hear no more cries of “Dude, Where’s My Team.”
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Greg Simbeck covers a variety of sports for Total Apex Sports. He specializes in MLB coverage. Greg has covered various sports for numerous other publications over the years.
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