Twins trade for Michael Tonkin; Max Kepler placed on injured list

Kepler is the latest Twins player bitten by the injury bug.

Mar 16, 2024; West Palm Beach, Florida, USA; New York Mets starting pitcher Michael Tonkin (51) / Jim Rassol-USA TODAY Sports

The ball Max Kepler fouled off his right knee in the March 28 season opener has become a problem as the Minnesota Twins placed him on the 10-day injured list Tuesday.

Kepler is officially on the IL with a right knee contusion. The bruised knee caused him to miss the second and third games of the season in Kansas City before he returned for the two-game series in Milwaukee and then two games against Cleveland last Thursday and Saturday. But the issue kept him out of the lineup the last two games.

It's unclear how much the knee has impacted Kepler, but he has just one hit in 20 at-bats to start his 2024 season – a season that came with high hopes after his sensational second half of 2023 in which he hit .306 with a .926 OPS in 66 games.

Kepler landing on the injured list wasn't the only move the Twins made Tuesday as they also traded with the New York Mets for right-handed relief pitcher Michael Tonkin. In exchange, the Twins sent the Mets cash considerations.

Kepler joins star third baseman Royce Lewis (quad) and relief pitchers Jhoan Duran (oblique), Caleb Thielbar (hamstring), Josh Staumont (calf), Justin Topa (knee), Daniel Duarte (undisclosed) on the injured list. Right-hander Jorge Alcala is also day-to-day with arm soreness.

The good news is that Thielbar and Staumont are starting rehab assignments at Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, so they could bolster the big league bullpen later this week.

Meanwhile, the Twins also sent cash considerations to the Mets in exchange for right-handed reliever Michael Tonkin.

Tonkin has allowed eight runs in three appearances out of New York's bullpen this season, though just two of the eight runs are earned. The 34-year-old started his MLB career with Minnesota, pitching out of the Twins bullpen from 2013 to 2017.