Minnesota Twins Reliever Daniel Duarte Set to Undergo Season-Ending Elbow Surgery

The Minnesota Twins announced Saturday that relief pitcher Daniel Duarte would miss the rest of the 2024 season due to an elbow injury.

Duarte is set to undergo surgery with Dr. Keith Meister on May 8. It is unknown if he will need Tommy John surgery or some other variant, per The Athletic's Aaron Gleeman.

#MNTwins announced reliever Daniel Duarte is scheduled to undergo elbow surgery on May 8.

Yet to be determined if he'll need Tommy John surgery or a different variant.

Duarte made the team out of spring training as a non-roster invite, but pitched just twice before being hurt.
— Aaron Gleeman (@AaronGleeman) April 20, 2024

Duarte hit the 15-day injured list on April 8, retroactive to April 4, after making just two appearances out of the Twins' bullpen. He was 1-0 with a 2.25 ERA, a 0.750 WHIP and a 0.1 WAR when he went down.

Minnesota brought Duarte to Spring Training as a non-roster invite. In Grapefruit League play, Duarte went 1-0 with a 2.92 ERA and 0.811 WHIP across 12.1 innings to earn an Opening Day roster spot.

Duarte was previously a reliever for the Cincinnati Reds, making his big league debut in 2022. He went 3-0 with a 3.69 WAR, 1.389 WHIP, 6.5 strikeouts per nine innings and a 0.6 WAR in 2023.

The Reds designated Duarte for assignment in January, then traded him to the Texas Rangers, who designated him for assignment two weeks later.

The 27-year-old Mexican right-hander is under team control through the end of the 2028 season. If he undergoes Tommy John surgery, Duarte will likely be out until midway through 2025, but an internal brace procedure might have him ready in time for the start of next year.

Minnesota currently has five relief pitchers on its injured list – Duarte, Jhoan Duran, Justin Topa, Zack Weiss and Josh Winder. Those who have stayed healthy have managed to keep things afloat, however, as the Twins rank fourth in baseball with a 2.70 bullpen ERA.

Follow Fastball on FanNation on social media

Continue to follow our Fastball on FanNation coverage on social media by liking us on Facebook and by following us on Twitter @FastballFN.

You can also follow Sam Connon on Twitter @SamConnon.