Kenta Maeda He will undergo elbow surgery next week, Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters. Thu-Hyoung Park from MLB.com. Exactly what procedure Maeda will require won’t be known until she undergoes surgery, but she may need a full Tommy John surgery.
Obviously, Maeda’s schedule will depend on the type of procedure she ultimately undergoes. If Maeda requires a full reconstruction, that would likely rule him out for the entire 2022 season, as Tommy John surgeries generally require rehab periods of more than 14 months. Even minor surgery could threaten your readiness for the start of the next season.
For example, the left-hander of the Astros Kent Emanuel he had an indeterminate amount of elbow ligament damage at the time he underwent surgery in June. As with Maeda, it was unclear at the time whether Emanuel would need a full rebuild. During the operation, it was determined that he did not need to undergo TJS, but the procedure that did I have it still came with a payback period of nine months. That is just one example, and it is not a fact that Maeda is facing the same options as Emanuel. But it is illustrative that even avoiding Tommy John surgery in these situations could require a significant recovery period.
The Twins are playing chain for the remainder of 2021, so the effects of losing Maeda for the rest of this season are relatively minimal. His absence, which could extend into 2022, would be devastating for a Minnesota team hoping to return to contention next season. With Jose Berríos Traded to the Blue Jays before this summer’s deadline, Maeda is by far the most successful member of Minnesota’s starting corps.
Miguel Pineda is scheduled to hit free agency this offseason, leaving Bailey Ober, Charlie barnes, Griffin jax, Lewis thorpe other Randy dobnak like the other controllable starters in 2022. That’s an unproven pool not enough for a hopeful contender. Prospects like Jordan balazovic or Joe ryan They could work their way into the mix sometime soon, but the initial pitch already seemed to be the area of greatest need for Minnesota this winter. Even if Maeda doesn’t require Tommy John surgery, the front office will have to carry on through the offseason without the comfort of seeing that their best inside pitcher has logged any game action after an elbow procedure of any note.
It’s a disappointing end to the toughest season in Maeda’s six-year major league career. The right-hander consistently posted above-average numbers from 2016-19 with the Dodgers. Minnesota acquired him during the 2019-20 offseason, and he had the best season of his career in last year’s short season. Maeda worked for a 2.70 ERA in 66 2/3 innings, earning a second-place finish in the AL Cy Young Award voting.
Maeda couldn’t replicate that success this season, as that ERA soared to 4.66, the worst of his career, at 106 1/3 frames. The 33-year-old has seen significant declines in strikeout and groundout rates relative to last season, which seems a bit unusual. But Maeda’s strikeout and walk numbers remain solid, and her SIERA of 3.97 suggests she is at least still a quality arm as she was during her two seasons in Los Angeles.
If Maeda is forced to lose significant time in 2022, that would have serious financial consequences. Its original eight year contract with the Dodgers he was heavily incentivized because of Los Angeles front office concerns about his medical outlook. Maeda is guaranteed just $ 3.125 million a year, with millions of dollars in bonuses available through the buy-in and game-started thresholds.