Fort Myers, Florida – Minnesota right-hander pablo lopez The Twins are expected to undergo Tommy John elbow surgery at the end of the season after being diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament.
Lopez will have surgery next week in Texas by Rangers team physician Dr. Keith Meister, the team said Friday. Lopez will turn 30 early next month.
This will be the second Tommy John surgery for Lopez. He went through the process as a minor leaguer with the Seattle organization and missed the 2014 season.
Lopez ended the bullpen session early during the Twins’ first full-squad workout on Monday. First-year manager Derek Shelton said he hoped the move was precautionary, but a day later general manager Jeremy Zoll told reporters about the UCL rupture.
López was the Twins’ opening day starter for the past three years and was planning to pitch for Venezuela in next month’s World Baseball Classic.
Lopez made his major league debut with miami marlins in 2018 and spent five seasons with them, then was traded to the Twins.
He made the All-Star team in his first year with Minnesota and helped the franchise end the 18-game postseason losing record for North American professional sports, going 2–0 with a 0.71 ERA in two starts in the 2023 playoffs.
Lopez is making $21.75 million this season and is under contract for next year.
A shoulder injury limited him to 14 starts last season, as he made 32 starts in each of three consecutive 10-win seasons, the first in his final season with the Marlins. Lopez was 5-4 with a 2.74 ERA in 2025 and is 59-53 with a 3.81 ERA for his career.
