Minnesota Twins Daily Clips. Sunday, March 12, 2017

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1 Minnesota Twins Daily Clips Sunday, March 12, 2017 Trevor May out for 2017 Twins season with arm injury. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 1 Twins crush Red Sox 13-0 as Kyle Gibson throws five scoreless innings. Star Tribune (Neal III) p. 2 Hartman: New bosses don't alter Paul Molitor's goal for Twins. Star Tribune (Hartman) p. 3 Minnesota Twins lose pitcher Trevor May to torn elbow ligament. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 4 Kyle Gibson on Trevor May s elbow injury: That s tough to hear. Pioneer Press (Berardino) p. 5 Gibson stingy as Twins' bats blister Red Sox. MLB (Bollinger) p. 6 Granite wall: Prospect makes amazing catch. MLB (Bollinger) p. 7 New delivery paying dividends for Gibson. MLB (Bollinger) p. 7 Twins' May diagnosed with torn elbow ligament. MLB (Bollinger) p. 8 Reports: Trevor May has a torn UCL in pitching elbow ESPN (Wetmore) p. 8 Trevor May Diagnosed With Torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament. MLB Trade Rumors. (Adams) p. 9 Twins May has torn UCL, likely out for season. Fox Sports North p. 9 Bats, bullpen shine as Twins blank Red Sox Fox Sports North p. 10 Trevor May out for 2017 Twins season with arm injury La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune March 12, 2017 FORT MYERS, FLA. Trevor May said he s pitched professionally for 10 years, and has never had problems with his golden right arm. I have literally not missed a day of baseball activity because my arm hurt, May said. When he felt something tug in his elbow Wednesday while throwing a pitch to Team USA s Andrew McCutchen, May thought nothing of it and kept pitching. It wasn t until Friday when May looked at test results and saw that his run of durability had abruptly ended. May has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his elbow. While a treatment plan has not been determined yet, May s 2017 season is over just as he was getting used to starting again. I m just trying to look forward, taking it one minute at a time right now, May said. It was a big blow, especially with how last year went, getting back to where I was, I was excited. Unfortunately I am not going to be able to do that this year. The diagnosis was made by Twins team physician Dr. Pearce McCarty, one of the several team doctors who rotate through Fort Myers during camp. Dr. John Steubs, the Twins director of medical services, was consulted. The Twins were encouraged that the rest of area revealed little wear and tear, suggesting the injury was acute. Most likely, this week, he will have a second opinion, said Twins General Manager Thad Levine, After which point Trevor will have a chance to regroup with his family, his agent and determine the exact course of action he wants to pursue. Tommy John surgery normally is the treatment for a torn UCL and takes months to return from. But there are new procedures that could the shorten the timeframe. Royals reliever Seth Maness underwent a primary repair procedure that could have him back in games after 7½ months. The Angels Garrett Richards is attempting to return in less than a year after undergoing stem cell therapy and platelet-rich plasma injections.

2 As far as I know it s pretty clear that some of that stuff may not work for me, May said. We don t know for sure, it s all part of the process. May felt fine after Wednesday s game, even gushing about the progress he s made with his curveball after tweaking his grip on the ball. But May felt soreness in his elbow over the next couple of days, and grew concerned. Second day not going to be able to throw again, something is wrong, May said. Let s figure out what it is. An MRI was conducted, revealing the tear. The hits just keep on coming, pitching coach Neil Allen said. May, who has allowed three earned runs over 7⅔ innings this spring, was one of the top contenders for the No. 5 starter s role. It was his best opportunity since coming over from Philadelphia with Vance Worley in the Ben Revere deal in He was used out of the bullpen the past two seasons but relished the opportunity to get back in the rotation this season after working out of the bullpen for most of 2015 and all of last season. He went 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA last season while dealing with back problems during the season. He found out late in the season that he had a stress fracture in his back. He reported to camp healthy and announced to the media that he no longer viewed himself as a reliever. May took it one step further when he met with Levine, Chief Baseball Officer Derek Falvey and manager Paul Molitor early in camp, telling them he wanted to start a game in the playoffs for the Twins. That goes to show the drive Trevor had coming into camp, Levine said. We view that as that goal doesn t change, the viewpoint doesn t change. Just maybe the year will change in when he will get to achieve it. May likes to write down his goals for the day. He know he has to add next year or in 2018 to some of them. But he s trying to remain positive, which makes it easier to understand the big picture. I anticipate going after my rehab unlike anyone else has before, he said. There is not going to be one extra day added because I wasn t working hard. Twins crush Red Sox 13-0 as Kyle Gibson throws five scoreless innings La Velle E. Neal III Star Tribune March 12, 2017 Fort Myers Twins righthander Kyle Gibson stayed out of hitters counts, induced plenty of ground balls and did what he needed to do against a Red Sox split squad lineup. Gibson made it look easy for five innings during the Twins 13-0 basting of Boston for their eighth consecutive victory. Gibson gave up four hits and walked one while striking out four and lowering his ERA to 2.19 this spring. He gave up just one fly ball out - on his changeup. And he retired eight of the last nine batters he faced after giving up a double to Marco Hernandez in the third inning. Only two of the 19 batters he faced got past first base. It s a good feeling to having things moving the way you want them to move, and having things feeling like it s coming out the way you want it to come out, Gibson said. I know it s still early. Four more starts and 32 more during the (regular) season. The Twins scored four runs in the first inning off Red Sox lefthander Henry Owens and never looked back. Miguel Sano tripled to the right-center wall, scoring two runs. ByungHo Park doubled to drive in Sano, and Jorge Polanco doubled to drive in Park. The Twins added two in third, and the rout was on against a Red Sox team full of backup players as many of the regulars played in a game at JetBlue Park. The last time the Twins won eight straight games was at the end of last year s camp - and we all know how the regular season turned out. 2

3 Hartman: New bosses don't alter Paul Molitor's goal for Twins Sid Hartman Star Tribune March 11, 2017 When the Twins made the decision during the 2016 season to remove Terry Ryan from his general manager duties, there was a lot of rumbling that manager Paul Molitor might not hold on to his job. Molitor had had two drastically different campaigns in his first two seasons as a pro manager going in 2015, making the Twins a surprise AL playoff contender, and then having the worst season in Twins history with a mark last season. Still there was a lot of positive reinforcement from the Twins ownership that Molitor would be retained, and when they hired Derek Falvey and Thad Levine to run the front office, they also supported bringing back Molitor. Molitor said he knew this offseason would be different with the addition of new bosses, but he also said that the main goal remained the same as ever, to get the team turned around. "It has been a little bit of a different winter in that we've been transitioning to the new leadership with Derek and Thad," Molitor told me before going to spring training. "So I have been down [in Minneapolis] a little bit more. So between exchanging information and bringing them up to speed on my opinion on our personnel, as well as trying to shape how we can turn this thing around in terms of what happened last year and moving into 2017." Molitor said that the team's performance in 2016 spring training, when the Twins went and a number of starters looked more than ready for the season, made it difficult to see the early-season struggles coming. The 2016 Twins began in a hole by losing their first nine games. "You think about those things," Molitor said. "We had a really healthy, productive spring training and thought we were in fairly good position to compete. I didn't anticipate getting off to the start that we did, and we spent the rest of the year trying to recover. Youlearn through those things. Sometimes it's baseball, but sometimes it's emphasizing things a little bit differently in camp and being prepared to start a season, especially with young players." Youth ready? The biggest improvement for the Twins, along with their starting pitching, is going to have to come from their everyday position players. The big question is whether the young talent the Twins have been cultivating for years finally will reach their potential. Five of their nine projected starters will be 25 years old or younger in outfielders Eddie Rosario, Byron Buxton and Max Kepler, third baseman Miguel Sano and shortstop Jorge Polanco. Kennys Vargas, who has a good shot to be the regular designated hitter, is 26. The Twins still will have veterans Joe Mauer at first base, Brian Dozier at second and newly signed catcher Jason Castro behind the plate. Molitor said he hopes Buxton's finish last year, when he hit.287 with nine homers, 22 RBI and 24 runs over his final 29 games, will have him in the right mind-set to start 2017 strong. "I think just the maturing and progressing of our young position players will be a big part of what we're trying to do here in the near term," he said. "Byron, not that we would expect him to hit nine home runs every month, but these young guys take time to adapt up here and just kind of settle in and let their games flow, whether it's him, Kepler, Rosario, Polanco, you know, we have a young nucleus that I think is very talented, very exciting, but we have to try to bring them along as quick as we can." Molitor also thinks that having Buxton, Rosario and Kepler patrolling the outfield should help make the pitching staff better. "It's a nice comfort, I think, for our pitching staff and really for our team, if we can improve our defense side of the game," he said. "And being strong up the middle with Byron in center field makes a huge difference in runs that we can save throughout the year." One issue last year was playing Sano in right field, a position he had never played before. He is now expected to be the starting third baseman. "I'm slating him there. I don't want to give too many of these young guys too much guarantee," Molitor said. "They all have to come in and work and play and perform. But I think mentally for him to come in to camp in the infield as opposed to transitioning like he did to right field last year, I think it's going to be better." 3

4 On the pitching staff, Molitor said the return of veterans Phil Hughes and hopefully Glen Perkins can bring some stability to a group that had an AL-worst 5.08 ERA last season. "Injuries are a part of the game and no excuses there. You hope that those guys can come back and contribute," he said. "Phil has a nice track record of being a guy who can pitch innings, and of course Glen has done remarkable things in terms of moving into the closer's role and being an All-Star out there for a few years. "Mainly, we have to get more innings out of our rotation. You talk about [Ervin] Santana and [Hector] Santiago, we need [Kyle] Gibson to step up a little bit, [Jose] Berrios hopefully will continue to improve at this level. Then we'll have some competition with Trevor May and Tyler Duffey and guys like that that are going to have to really work hard to make an impression and give themselves a chance to contribute when we break camp at the end of spring." It's hard to know what to expect from the Twins, but the front office, Molitor and the players have to hope that this season is a continuation of that 2015 campaign, instead of Minnesota Twins lose pitcher Trevor May to torn elbow ligament Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 11, 2017 FORT MYERS, Fla. For the second time this month, the Twins have received knee-buckling news regarding the elbow health of one of their core performers. Three days after 2016 first-round pick Alex Kirilloff underwent Tommy John surgery, the Twins announced Saturday that right-hander Trevor May also has a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. Dr. Pearce McCarty made the season-ending diagnosis after reading the magnetic resonance imaging exam. May, who had overcome a season-ending stress fracture in his back suffered last summer, will seek a second opinion next week but was still gathering information along with his agent before selecting the orthopedist for that exam. It s a big blow, especially with how last year went and trying to get back to where it was, May said. I was excited. Unfortunately I m not going to be able to do that this year. May, 27, said he felt a little grab in his elbow while making an 0-2 pitch to Andrew McCutchen in the second inning of his last start on Wednesday night against Team USA. May ended up walking McCutchen but rebounded to throw 34 more pitches in a 58-pitch outing over four effective innings. I downplayed it in my head, he said. I thought it was some tightness in my flexors, something I ve felt before. A lot of times it s a coin flip for whether or not it s nothing or it s bad. He was his usual upbeat self afterward while meeting with the media, but when his elbow remained inflamed over the next few days he decided to seek medical evaluation. May, a valued part of the Twins bullpen the past season and a half, was making inroads on regaining a spot in the starting rotation. Through three starts, he had posted a 3.52 earned-run average across 7 2/3 innings; he had allowed six hits, four walks, a wild pitch and a hit batter while striking out five. Originally acquired from the Philadelphia Phillies in a trade for Ben Revere after the 2012 season, the 6-foot-5, 240-pound May had never missed a single day with an arm injury of any consequence since beginning his professional career in I ve literally never missed a day of baseball activity because my arm hurt, he said. You hear these stories all the time, especially with Tommy John. It s just, One day I showed up and it happened. We don t know exactly what causes these things, and still don t. If May requires Tommy John surgery, he would likely be out 12 to 14 months, which would put his availability in question through the early part of the 2018 season. He will consider all options, including modified Tommy John, which former St. Louis Cardinals pitcher Seth Maness is attempting to return from; and platelet-rich plasma injections, which Garrett Richards (Los Angeles Angels) and Aaron Nola (Philadelphia Phillies) have used within the past year to avoid surgery. 4

5 May s injury removes him from a widespread competition for the fifth rotation spot that still includes Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey, Adalberto Mejia, Ryan Vogelsong, Nick Tepesch and Rule 5 pick Justin Haley. Vogelsong, 39, will get his first start of the spring on Sunday in a split-squad game at the Pittsburgh Pirates, with whom he spent two prior stints. I m here competing for a spot, and I thought I made a statement that I m supposed to be throwing in that capacity as a starter, May said. That vision I had for this season was starting to manifest itself. That makes the blow a little bit harder to take. May, eligible for salary arbitration for the first time next winter, had been experimenting with different grips on his curveball and had made changes to his workout program and delivery in order to take stress off his lower back. In addition, he had bounced from starting to relieving roles since the first conversion in July 2015, after which his velocity spiked to 98 mph. There s a lot factors that were different, let s just put it that way, he said. Maybe the ball came out of my hand a little wrong. Sometimes when you rely too much on your UCL, that s what it is. You can t take that much stress, and it goes. That s why you have everything else in your arm. Twins general manager Thad Levine said he and chief baseball officer Derek Falvey were impressed by May s confidence in an early spring meeting, where his stated goal was to start a postseason game for the Twins this fall. That just goes to show the drive he had coming into camp, Levine said. I think we view this as that goal doesn t change, that viewpoint doesn t change, just maybe the year changes in which he ll get to achieve it. Kyle Gibson on Trevor May s elbow injury: That s tough to hear Mike Berardino Pioneer Press March 11, 2017 FORT MYERS, Fla. Having returned from Tommy John surgery in September 2011, Twins right-hander Kyle Gibson offered support for fellow right-hander Trevor May, who is assessing repair options for a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow. I feel bad for the guy, having gone through it and knowing what it entails, Gibson said. That s tough to hear. He was throwing the ball really well. You could tell he was excited about being in the rotation and having that chance to be the guy he felt like he could be. He was looking really, really good. Boston Red Sox first-base coach Ruben Amaro Jr., managing the split squad that fell 13-0 to the Twins on Saturday, was sorry to hear the news about a player his former organization, the Philadelphia Phillies, drafted out of high school in That s a shame because he was really starting to make his mark in the big leagues, said Amaro, who as Phillies general manager traded May to the Twins for Ben Revere in December I feel badly for him. Tell him I wish him the best. That s unfortunate. Acknowledging it was hard to part with the former fourth-rounder and one-time Phillies top prospect, Amaro corroborated May s recollection of a clean arm history throughout his pro career. Oh, my God, said Amaro, who was Phillies assistant GM when May entered the organization. Never had any issues. I don t remember any (injury) history at all about him. GIBSON ROLLS Gibson recorded a spring-high 15 outs on Saturday against the Boston Red Sox. Just two of those came via the air, another indication the career-long sinkerballer hasn t lost his best asset in remaking his delivery with the help of the Florida Baseball Ranch. When I went to see this guy (Randy Sullivan) in Plant City, that was one thing I was kind of worried about, Gibson said after lowering his spring earned-run average to Was it going to still sink? As Gibson transitioned from extension to pronation with his pitching hand, Sullivan said he would likely experience late launch, a hand position that actually has been known to improve a pitcher s natural sink. I don t think it s sinking more but it s still there, Gibson said. 5

6 Gibson, who struck out four and walked one, opened 13 of 19 batters with a strike en route to a 64-pitch afternoon. He produced five swingand-miss strikes, all on offspeed offerings, and extended his attack-in-three-pitches efficiency to 28 of his past 34 batters over a two-start span. Going back to his days at the University of Missouri, Gibson has been taught to either reach two strikes or force the batter to put the ball in play within the first three pitches of each duel. Gibson again worked to new Twins catcher Jason Castro, whose pitch-framing skills figure to benefit someone with Gibson s approach more than most. They have a good thing going on, Twins manager Paul Molitor said. BRIEFLY Twins closer Glen Perkins (shoulder surgery) threw his latest bullpen on Friday but wasn t sure when he would next take the mound. His next fourth-day side would normally fall on March 14 s off day, but Perkins will not be asked to throw that day. Twins lefty Stephen Gonsalves continues to treat the soreness behind his throwing shoulder with anti-inflammatory medication and rest. He long-tossed from 150 feet on Wednesday with no issues but remains day to day. The Twins 2016 minor league pitcher of the year said this discomfort is in a slightly different area than what sidelined him for four weeks at the Arizona Fall League in October. Nick Gordon, again playing second base, went 0 for 3 but is still hitting.300 (3 for 10) with a walk this spring, including Wednesday s meeting with Team USA. Miguel Sano had two of the Twins 15 hits, including a triple. Freight train running, when he gets going, Molitor said. Brian Dozier opened the game with an eight-pitch walk in his first look at his preferred leadoff spot. Dozier told me it was about time I led him off, Molitor said. Right-hander Justin Haley, the Twins Rule 5 pick from the Red Sox, will make his first start of the spring on Monday at home against Tampa Bay. May was originally due to start that game. Lefty Ryan O Rourke rebounded from a tough last outing to retire the side in the seventh. He knows he s in a fight, Molitor said. Veteran reliever Matt Belisle, who broke the bat of No. 1 overall prospect Andrew Benintendi with a cut fastball, has been working on a splitchange with bullpen coach Eddie Guardado. Belisle threw the pitch four or five times on Saturday. Shortstop prospect Nick Gordon, again playing second base, went 0 for 3 but is still hitting.300 (3 for 10) with a walk this spring, including Wednesday s meeting with Team USA. Gibson stingy as Twins' bats blister Red Sox Rhett Bollinger MLB March 11, 2017 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Right-hander Kyle Gibson tossed five scoreless innings, and Miguel Sano went 2-for-3 with a two-run triple to lead the Twins to a 13-0 win over the split-squad Red Sox on Saturday at Hammond Stadium. Left-hander Henry Owens started for the Red Sox and struggled, allowing six runs on five hits and four walks with four strikeouts over 2 1/3 innings. The Twins got out to an early 4-0 lead in the first, keyed by Sano's triple to right-center to score Brian Dozier and Joe Mauer. ByungHo Park continued his strong spring with an RBI double before scoring on a two-out double from Jorge Polanco, who went 2-for-3 with a pair of RBI doubles. "Felt great out of the stretch, out of sync out of the windup," Owens said. "Still obviously some work to be done. Frustrating, but at the same time, you've got to understand this is a grind. Everyone is out here grinding. I'm not going to feel sorry for myself. I've got teammates out there trying to do their best." Minnesota tacked on two more runs in the third, keyed by a run-scoring error by first baseman Sam Travis on a pickoff throw. Jason Castro added an RBI double to right. The Twins scored again in the fifth on Polanco's second RBI double of the game. 6

7 Polanco's second RBI double Gibson was efficient, scattering four hits and a walk with four strikeouts, while becoming the first Twins pitcher this spring to reach five innings. He retired eight of the last nine batters he faced, needing only 64 pitches. "I avoided a lot of 2-0 counts," Gibson said. "For the most part, it was a lot of 1-1, and 0-1, which is what I need to do. When I struggled the last three years, it's been games where it's been 2-0 or 2-1 quite a bit. So I've been attacking the zone." Minnesota loaded the bases in the sixth, and Ehire Adrianza, competing for a bench spot, came through with a bloop two-run single to left. Zack Granite, ranked as the Twins' No. 22 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, made a spectacular catch as he crashed into the wall to start the eighth, robbing Tzu-Wei Lin of extra bases. Red Sox Up Next: The Red Sox travel to Clearwater to face the Phillies on Sunday at 1:07 p.m. ET, live on MLB.TV. Left-hander Eduardo Rodriguez is scheduled to make this third Grapefruit League start. In five combined innings, he has allowed two runs on four hits with one walk and four strikeouts. Twins Up Next: The Twins have their first and only split-squad action of the spring on Sunday, as right-hander Phil Hughes will start at home against the Orioles, while right-hander Ryan Vogelsong will take the mound against the Pirates in Bradenton. Hughes is coming off surgery to alleviate thoracic outlet syndrome, while Vogelsong is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation. Both games can be seen live on MLB.TV at 12:05 p.m. CT. Granite wall: Prospect makes amazing catch Rhett Bollinger MLB March 1p, 2017 ORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins prospect Zack Granite, Minnesota's reigning Minor League Player of the Year, showed off why the organization is so high on him, as he made a great leaping catch at the wall to rob Boston's Tzu-Wei Lin of extra bases in the eighth inning of Saturday's 13-0 win at Hammond Stadium. Granite, ranked as the organization's No. 22 prospect by MLBPipeline.com, is known for his speed and displayed impressive range getting to the deep drive in right-center field off reliever Ryan Pressly. Granite got to the ball and made the leaping catch before crashing into the wall. "He ran a long way," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "It looked like he did the right thing of finding where he was, and then he timed his jump. It was a very nice play." Granite, 24, hit.295/.347/.382 with four homers, eight triples, 18 doubles and 56 stolen bases in 127 games with Double-A Chattanooga. He's expected to open the season with Triple-A Rochester, but remains intriguing because of his speed and defense. New delivery paying dividends for Gibson Rhett Bollinger MLB March 11, 2017 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- With the news that fifth-starter candidate Trevor May was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament that could lead to season-ending Tommy John surgery, the Twins will lean even heavier on veterans such as Kyle Gibson, Hector Santiago and Phil Hughes to bounce back this season. Gibson continued his strong spring, tossing five scoreless innings in the Twins' 13-0 win over the Red Sox on Saturday at Hammond Stadium. Gibson, who lowered his ERA to 2.19, scattered four hits and a walk with four strikeouts, but he was more excited about the way his revamped delivery feels than the results. "It's a good feeling to have things moving the way you want to move and the ball coming out the way you want," Gibson said. "The last two starts have been a lot better. I felt like I got away from it, but I feel like the last two starts I made that adjustment." Gibson, who has worked with weighted balls and a balloon-shaped connection ball that rests on his shoulder while throwing between starts, said he's already starting to see the benefits of his new throwing motion. The sinkerballer didn't allow a ball hit into the air until the fifth inning, which was a sign that his ball is moving. "One thing I was kinda worried about was if my ball was still going to sink," Gibson said. "As you get more of what you call a late launch, your arm gets into better position to get a better or later sink." Gibson, though, acknowledged it was a tough day in the clubhouse with the news about May, especially considering Gibson underwent the operation himself, missing the 2012 season. 7

8 "I feel bad for the guy, having gone through it and knowing what it entails," Gibson said. "As a rotation, you feel like you're a group that works together, and it's tough to hear. It's tough. He was throwing really well and was excited about having that chance to be in the rotation." Twins' May diagnosed with torn elbow ligament Rhett Bollinger MLB March 11, 2017 FORT MYERS, Fla. -- The Twins received a blow to their pitching staff on Saturday, as right-hander Trevor May was diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, general manager Thad Levine announced. May, who is competing for the fifth spot in the rotation, will get a second opinion on Sunday, but season-ending Tommy John surgery is a possibility. If May has the surgery, he's expected to be out about 12 months. "Your first thoughts go to the player having to deal with something like that," Twins manager Paul Molitor said. "We know the work he put in this winter for his back, and then to have his elbow blow like that. It's a tough blow for our team." May, 27, has a career 5.14 ERA with 214 strikeouts and 65 walks in 203 innings. He moved to relief during the 2015 season and remained there last year, but he was getting the chance to return to starting this season. He dealt with back issues each of the past few years, but he had worked to shorten his delivery to take stress off his back. "It's a big blow, especially with how last year went and trying to get back to where it was," May said. "I was excited. Unfortunately, I'm not going to be able to do that this year." He's been upbeat with the way this camp had been going and was likely the frontrunner for the fifth spot with what he had been showing, especially his solid outing against Team USA on Wednesday night. "I'm here competing for a spot, and I thought I made a statement that I'm supposed to be throwing in that capacity as a starter," May said. "That vision I had for this season was starting to manifest itself. That makes the blow a little bit harder to take." May said he felt something grab in his elbow while pitching against Andrew McCutchen and Team USA on Wednesday. An MRI exam revealed the tear. "When the results of the MRI came back, it was a little bit unique in the sense that it sounded as if the wear and tear component, or the cumulative impact, was very minimal," Levine said. "It really was an acute injury." With May potentially out for the season, it gives right-hander Jose Berrios a leg up on the competition to be the fifth starter. Berrios is competing with Tyler Duffey, Ryan Vogelsong and Adalberto Mejia. "I don't think you ever have any misgivings that you're going to go through the process without needing significantly more than five starters," Levine said. "You hate to have it happen at this point to a player who's put in the work that he's put in, but the reality is that's why we built up some of the depth we did coming into camp, and it's going to give other guys opportunities." Reports: Trevor May has a torn UCL in pitching elbow Derek Wetmore 1500 ESPN March 11, 2017 In the midst of sorting out their starting rotation this spring, the Twins might have lost one of the more promising candidates. Trevor May has a torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament in his pitching elbow, according to multiple reports Saturday morning. The reports also say that May will seek a second opinion before deciding a course of action. By far the most common course of action with a torn UCL is to have Tommy John ligament replacement surgery. That would mean May will miss the entire 2017 season. That s too bad for May, who finally looked ready to grab hold of a starting job and run with, and that s too bad for the Twins, who could use all the pitching help they can get. Building a pitching staff is in some ways a war of attrition. When the inevitable injuries come along and they will who do you have ready to replace the injured? 8

9 In this case, I believe May was in line to be in the opening day rotation, edging out several other candidates vying for a spot. The most promising among that group is J.O. Berrios, who is currently pitching for Puerto Rico in the World Baseball Classic. When he returns to Twins camp, his pathway to a starting spot just got a little easier. He has electric stuff and has dominated in the minor leagues. Last year, in his first taste of the big leagues, he struggled to command his fastball, which led to a lot of walks, a tough time limiting damage, and an ERA higher than But his talent level is considerably better than that unsightly ERA, and if he can straighten out his command problem with that pitch he has the chance to be a star. Trevor May Diagnosed With Torn Ulnar Collateral Ligament Steve Adams MLB Trade Rumors March 11, 2017 Twins right-hander Trevor May has been diagnosed with a torn ulnar collateral ligament, per Mike Berardino of the St. Paul Pioneer Press. He s slated to receive a second opinion next week, Berardino adds, but certainly Tommy John surgery is now a strong possibility for the 27-year-old. It s dejecting news for the Twins and for May, who was in competition to reclaim a spot in the Twins rotation after spending the past season and a half in the bullpen. Originally acquired in the trade that sent Ben Revere to the Phillies, May had a solid first half of the 2015 season in the Twins rotation before moving to a setup role when Glen Perkins went down with an injury. May thrived in that bullpen role in 2015 but struggled in the same role last season, missing significant time due to back injuries. May totaled just 44 2/3 innings out of the Twins bullpen last season due to the aforementioned back issues, pitching to a 5.00 ERA but posting an impressive 60-to-17 K/BB ratio while averaging 93.9 mph on his fastball. A year prior, May logged a 4.43 ERA in 83 1/3 innings as a starter but delivered a much more encouraging 3.35 FIP and 3.96 xfip. Upon shifting to the pen in July, May turned in a 2.87 ERA with 10.6 K/9 and 2.3 BB/9 in 31 1/3 innings to finish out the season. Earlier this spring, May suggested to Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star Tribune that the move to a relief role might ve adversely impacted his health. Now, in the wake of this latest, devastating injury, that question will be up for even further debate. The injury, it seems, occurred during May s most recent start, when he tossed 3 2/3 innings against Team USA s World Baseball Classic lineup. As May explains (video link via Berardino), he felt a grab in his elbow on a single pitch. I downplayed it in my head, said May. I thought it was some tightness in my flexors, something I ve felt before. May went on to throw another 34 pitches after the initial grab and felt continued soreness the following day, which prompted an MRI. It s of course possible, albeit unlikely, that May can avoid Tommy John surgery. We ve seen pitchers such as Masahiro Tanaka and Garrett Richards opt for platelet-rich plasma injections and stem cell injections in recent years and avoid the operation. And, depending on the extent of the tear, May could be a candidate for the primary repair surgery that Seth Maness underwent last August. However, any of those treatments could very well sideline May for the entire season anyhow, perhaps making the more traditional Tommy John route the most logical course of action. The loss of May means that the competition for the fifth spot in the Twins rotation will now come down to Jose Berrios, Tyler Duffey, Adalberto Mejia and, perhaps, non-roster invitees Ryan Vogelsong and Nick Tepesch. Minnesota still controls May through the 2020 campaign, so he could play an important role in future Twins clubs should he make a full recovery. May will presumably spend the entire 2017 season on the 60-day disabled list and accrue a full year of service time, making him eligible for arbitration next winter. Twins May has torn UCL, likely out for season Fox Sports North March 11, 2017 The Minnesota Twins announced Saturday that starting pitcher Trevor May suffered a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his throwing elbow while pitching against Team USA on Wednesday. May will get a second opinion Sunday, but failing a different diagnosis he is looking at having Tommy John surgery. The procedure would be expected to sideline May for months. last season, May had back issues which forced an early end to his season. He made 44 relief appearances in 2016 with a 5.27 ERA, WHIP and 12.7 K/9. May had been battling for a spot in Minnesota s rotation this spring and had made two starts in the exhibition season, allowing one run in four innings on two hits and two walks with three strikeouts. 9

10 It s a big blow, especially with how last year went and trying to get back to where it was, May told reporters in Fort Myers, Fla. I was excited. Unfortunately I m not going to be able to do that this year. May said the injury occurred on a 0-2 pitch to Team USA s Andrew McCutchen. The pitcher said this is the first time in his 10 years of pitching professionally that he s had any arm issue. May, 27, came to the Twins in a deal with Philadelphia for outfielder Ben Revere in December He had pitched in 102 games with 25 starts for the Twins in three seasons. Bats, bullpen shine as Twins blank Red Sox 13-0 Fox Sports North March 11, 2017 Kyle Gibson struck out four hitters and didn t allow a run in five complete innings, and the Twins collected 15 hits in a 13-0 rout of the Boston Red Sox. Miguel Sano had two hits, including a 2-RBI triple in the first inning to open up the game s scoring. Minnesota hit 9 of 21 with runners in scoring position as Robbie Grossman, Daniel Palka, ByungHo Park and Leonardo Reginatto all scored two runs. Park s RBI double improves his spring training batting average to.400. The bullpen shined once again Matt Belisle, Ryan O Rourke, Ryan Pressly and Buddy Boshers all pitched a scoreless inning. The Twins improve to 8-4 in spring training. 10