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Twins' Mick Abel Set For Triple-A Rehab Outing...Against a Hall of Famer

Abel, out since mid-April, is getting closer to returning to the Twins' rotation.
Will Ragatz|
Feb 23, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Mick Abel (20) pitches during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium.
Feb 23, 2026; Lakeland, Florida, USA; Minnesota Twins pitcher Mick Abel (20) pitches during the third inning against the Detroit Tigers at Publix Field at Joker Marchant Stadium. | Mike Watters-Imagn Images

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Minnesota Twins

Wednesday's night's game between the St. Paul Saints and the Toledo Mud Hens isn't your average Triple-A contest, at least when it comes to the pitching matchup.

Starting for the home team will be future Hall of Famer Justin Verlander, as the 43-year-old three-time Cy Young winner progresses towards a return to the Detroit Tigers' rotation. Verlander, who jumped straight from Double-A to the big leagues in 2005, just picked up his first career Triple-A win last week.

Starting for the visiting Saints will be Mick Abel, who is also making a rehab start as he looks to return to the Twins' rotation. Abel, who has been out since mid-April with elbow and triceps issues, could provide a big lift to Minnesota's pitching staff when he's back to full health.

Abel's injury was a tough blow for the Twins because of how well he was pitching before getting hurt. After a couple tough outings to begin his regular season, he threw 13 scoreless frames with 16 strikeouts and 3 walks over his next two starts, looking like the highly-touted young pitcher who dominated in spring training this year.

That momentum came to a crashing halt when elbow inflammation landed Abel on the IL. Then came a setback related to his triceps, delaying his return. He's now missed almost two full months but is finally taking big steps towards coming back. Last week, Abel threw 37 pitches of live batting practice and touched 97 miles per hour with his fastball. Afterwards, he said he felt great.

Now he's scheduled to throw roughly three innings and 50 pitches on Wednesday night in Toledo. Abel will need another rehab start or two after this one to keep building up his strength, but he might be on track to return to the Twins' rotation before the end of June if all goes well.

Verlander, who threw five scoreless innings in his last Triple-A outing, is closer to an MLB return. He was shut down with a hip issue after making his season debut at the end of March.

On Wednesday, Verlander will be facing a Saints team that leads all of minor league baseball with 110 home runs this season. No. 2 Twins prospect Kaelen Culpepper, who is on the verge of a promotion, leads a fearsome Triple-A lineup, even with top prospects Walker Jenkins and Emmanuel Rodriguez sidelined. Kyler Fedko, Hendry Mendez, Matt Wallner, Gabriel Gonzalez, and Aaron Sabato are among the other impact bats for the Saints.

The game will be free to watch for anyone who wants to tune in. It starts at 6:05 p.m. central.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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