What happened to Mick Abel? Why Twins' 24-year-old landed on IL originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.

The Minnesota Twins' start to the 2026 season was a major surprise for all of Major League Baseball. They sat atop the AL Central with an 11-7 record.

While they've fallen back down to earth a bit with a four-game losing streak, the Twins are still showing a lot more promise this season than most would've expected.

However, as Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports, Mick Abel, one of the team's bright spots this season, is hitting the injured list. But why is the 24-year-old righty hitting the IL? He's dealing with a concerning elbow injury early this season.

"#MNTwins rotation takes a bit hit as they're placing Mick Abel on the 15-day IL with right elbow inflammation," Hayes reports.

This is some tough news for the Twins, as they're losing a key starter for the team this season for an extended amount of time.

As a right-handed pitcher, a right-elbow injury is a concerning issue. This could be a short stint on the IL, or he could be out for quite some time.

Pablo Lopez is already on the injured list due to a season-ending injury, and while Abel's issue isn't fully known, and it's too early to call it season-ending, it's hard not to worry with Lopez's issue also being an elbow problem.

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Now, Abel is hitting the injured list, and will miss some time after starting off the 2026 season with a strong four-starts.

He posted a 3.98 ERA across 20.1 innings pitched in four starts for the Twins. He struck out 23 batters, including 10 in a seven-inning shutout against the Boston Red Sox.

The Twins will now be down another key starter, as Abel joins Lopez on the injured list this season.

He's also the second player from the trade-deadline deal with the Philadelphia Phillies to hit the IL this season, with Jhoan Duran also residing on the IL right now.

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