'Frustrated, Disappointed, and Powerless': Pablo Lopez Shocked By Injury

The Twins' ace will likely need season-ending surgery to repair a ligament that he partially tore in his throwing elbow on Monday.

Pitcher Pablo Lopez, left, walks to the dugout after taking part in live batting practice during the Minnesota Twins first full-squad workout of spring training at Lee Health Sports Complex in Fort Myers, Fla., on Monday, Feb. 16, 2026. | Jonah Hinebaugh/Naples Daily News/USA Today Network-Florida / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Barring a miraculous result from a second opinion, it's highly likely that Minnesota Twins ace Pablo Lopez will miss the entire 2026 season after suffering a torn ligament in his right elbow.

"Unfortunately, that MRI showed significant tearing in the UCL in his elbow," general manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday. "If we do go down the surgical route, he would miss the entire 2026 season."

Lopez said he's hoping for a miracle, but understands that one pitch during a bullpen session on Monday might've ended his season. Now, he's frustrated, disappointed, and feeling powerless.

"Talk about going from 100 to a zero, from the scale of being excited, being pumped, being just ultimately happy to be here, and then you get to hear news like that," Lopez said Tuesday. "We're all adults. We all know what certain scenarios look like, so trying to navigate a lot of emotions."

Lopez, who started only 14 games last season due to a forearm strain and a shoulder strain, said there were no warning signs before he felt something in his elbow during Monday's bullpen session in Florida.

He said it felt like his elbow "was right behind the ball" when he threw the pitch, similar to what he experienced when he suffered an elbow injury that required Tommy John surgery in October 2013.

"I felt it on the one pitch," Lopez said. "Things like this, they tend to just happen. I remember when I first got my first surgery, people would tell me these things come with an expiration date. Some guys have it — sometimes may need to have it again after 4, 5, 6 years. Once I cleared that six-year mark in 2019, I'm like, maybe I'm the exception. I mean, I was to some extent. I had 12 good years of a foreign ligament, a foreign graft in the elbow. Now it's partially damaged."

Once the results of a second opinion are in, he'll know for sure whether he needs surgery. As he put it, the second opinion would need to provide a "miracle" for him to avoid season-ending surgery.

"For it to come down in one pitch, it's a little disheartening, but it's the reality of being a baseball player or an athlete in general," Lopez said. "Things can change within seconds, within single movements, single motions, and you just have to face the music, understand that it's a part of what we do, and just go from there."

More Twins coverage