The Twins announced to reporters, including Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribunethat first keeper/midfielder Alex Kirilloff will undergo season-ending wrist surgery on Tuesday.
Kirilloff, 24, is a highly regarded prospect, picked by the Twins 15 overall in 2016. As he works his way towards the major leagues, he is considered one of the few. Top 35 prospects in baseball for three consecutive years from 2019 to 2021.
However, he was constantly plagued by wrist problems, even going back in time to his teenage years. After making his MLB debut in early 2021, he landed at IL in May of that year with a wrist sprain. He returned a few weeks later but went to IL again in July with five carpal ligaments, ending his season. Here in 2022, he hit shelves in April due to wrist inflammation and returned in May, although a wrist injury caused him to go to IL again in August.
Having played 104 games at this point in his career, Kirilloff hasn’t impressed much, scoring just .251 / .295/ .398. That equates to a wRC+ of just 90, 10% below the league average, though it’s fair to wonder if these nagging wrist problems are preventing him from reaching his full potential. mine.
Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com recounted some details from Kirilloff about the surgery, which he first discussed the possibility in May. It would seem to involve manually breaking up his ulna, shortening it to create more space, then fitting a plate and screws in.
The Athletic’s Aaron Gleeman message from the manager Rocco Baldelli About the situation:
“Whenever you talk about shaving or shortening, it’s an important procedure,” says Baldelli. “But we hope that by taking it down now, it will give us a chance to use the season to get on the right track, start swinging again, to feel comfortable and start getting ready for the year. next.”
Kirilloff and the Twins hope that the surgery will be beneficial in the long run. In the immediate future, it is likely that the club will use Luis Arraez and Jose Miranda to cover the first base, with Miguel Sano was recently placed on IL 60 days. For the yard painting, Byron Buxton is suffering from knee pain and was DHing, last playing about a week ago. Max Kepler just returned from IL and can have a location, with Nick Gordon will likely take a different time on most days, with Jake Cave and Gilberto Celestino also included in the mix.
