A former Phillies pitcher prospect is now on the shelf following a solid start to the 2026 season with his new club. The Minnesota Twins announced that right-handed pitcher Mick Abel will go on the 15-day Injured List (retroactive to Friday) with right elbow inflammation, a tough blow for the rookie pitcher in his first full season in the pros. This would keep him out at least until May 2nd and possibly longer given the nature of his injury.
After a rocky start to his tenure in Minnesota last season, the right-hander has turned a corner as of late, pitching 13 shutout innings over the course of his last two starts while striking out 16. This is a major improvement over the start of the season, when he gave up nine runs in 7.1 innings in his first two appearances. All in all, Abel has compiled a 1-2 record with a 3.98 ERA in 20.1 innings of work.Â
Coincidentally, Abel lands on the Injured list at the same time as Jhoan Duran, whom he was traded for last year at the deadline by the Philadelphia Phillies. He was thought to have been one of the cornerstones of the Phillies' future rotations alongside Andrew Painter, but with a need for a closer, the Phillies opted to ship the young pitcher to Minnesota.
Abel spent the first five years of his professional career with the Phillies organization, which drafted him 15th overall in the 2020 MLB Draft. He made his major league debut just months before he was traded, outdueling future Cy Young Award winner Paul Skenes in the process in a 1-0 win over the Pirates in his finest moment in red pinestripes. Overall in Philadelphia, Abel went 2-2 with a 5.04 ERA in six starts. He finished the season with a 3-4 record to go along with a 6.23 ERA between the Phillies and the Twins in 10 games pitched.
Mick Abel's injury deals a big blow to the Twins rotation
Abel was scheduled to start on Tuesday for Minnesota against the New York Mets, but that spot is now occupied by Simeon Woods Richardson. The Twins also promoted left-handed pitcher Connor Prielipp to the taxi squad, and he could be a possibility to take the fifth starter spot while Abel is sidelined. Zebby Matthews, who Abel beat out for the fifth spot in the rotation with a strong spring training performance, could be another candidate for the position. He is currently in Triple-A, however, and would have to be promoted to the team.
In the meantime, Abel will look to get healthy and continue his strong performance upon his return.
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