Minnesota Twins right-handed pitcher Mick Abel has encountered a setback in his recovery from elbow inflammation. The issue arose after a bullpen session on Friday, June 19, 2026.
Abel was scheduled to start Sunday against the Arizona Diamondbacks following two rehab appearances.
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However, according to Bobby Nightengale of the Minnesota Star Tribune, his arm did not bounce back after throwing 20 pitches on Friday.
The Twins have now scheduled an MRI exam to assess the severity of the injury. The imaging will take place once the team returns to Minnesota.
This setback adds to a Minnesota rotation already missing pitchers Bailey Ober and Kendry Rojas due to injuries.
Before the medical update surfaced on Saturday, Abel spoke about his lengthy recovery process that began in late April.
"The reason I love this game is because I love competing. There's nothing better in the world.
It's always what I've loved to do.
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It's very frustrating not being able to do that, but we're at the back end now," he said, via Betsy Helfand of the Pioneer Press.
Abel's recovery had already included a previous detour when he experienced soreness after a simulated session.
He required a cortisone shot during that phase before he could resume pitching.
"With anything injury-wise, I think sometimes there's a feeling you have in your gut when you know something's right (and) definitely when there's something wrong.
Coming out of that, it was just wrong, and we re-evaluated it," Abel added.
On Tuesday, Abel allowed one earned run over five innings while striking out five batters for Triple-A St. Paul.
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The MRI will determine the next steps for his return.
