![\"MLB:](\"https:\/\/images.deadspin.com\/tr:w-900\/27120625.jpg\")
Sep 19, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Twins starting pitcher Pablo Lopez (49) throws to the Cleveland Guardians in the first inning at Target Field. Mandatory Credit: Bruce Kluckhohn-Imagn Images <\/span><\/div>\n<\/section>\nMinnesota Twins ace right-hander Pablo Lopez will be sidelined for an extended period while he recovers from a significant tear of the ulnar collateral ligament in his pitching elbow, general manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Season-ending Tommy John surgery is possible for Lopez, who is expected to get a second opinion.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n The news comes one day after Lopez cut short his live batting practice session due to what manager Derek Shelton labeled as “a little bit of elbow soreness.”<\/p>\n<\/section>\n <\/p>\n Preparing to pitch for Venezuela in next month’s World Baseball Classic, Lopez threw two-plus innings against live hitters at Hammond Stadium in Fort Myers, Fla., the Twins’ spring training home.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n Lopez, who turns 30 on March 7, made 32 starts per season from 2022-24 but endured three separate stints on the injured list in 2025, when he went 5-4 in 14 starts with a 2.74 ERA over 75 2\/3 innings. A hamstring injury, a muscle injury in the back of his throwing shoulder and a forearm strain landed him on the IL.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n In eight seasons with the Miami Marlins (2018-22) and Twins, Lopez is 59-53 with a 3.81 ERA in 172 games (all starts), with 994 strikeouts and 251 walks over 965 innings. The 2023 All-Star is entering the third season of a four-year, $73.5 million deal he signed in 2023.<\/p>\n<\/section>\n –Field Level Media<\/p>\n<\/section>\n<\/div>\n