The Minnesota Twins have had a nightmare season, and it doesn't appear their luck is changing. On Wednesday, the Twins announced that rookie outfielder Alex Kirilloff will undergo surgery this week to repair a ligament tear in his right wrist. Kirilloff had been dealing with the injury since May, but had been playing through it rather than undergoing season-ending surgery, according to The Athletic's Dan Hayes.
Kirilloff, who will celebrate his 24th birthday in November, hit .251/.299/.423 (101 OPS+) with nine home runs in 231 plate appearances. He's perhaps best known for making his big-league debut last postseason, as part of Minnesota's series against the Houston Astros. Kirilloff went 1 for 4 in that series, which saw the Twins lose the best-of-three set by a 2-0 margin.
With Kirilloff joining Byron Buxton and Jake Cave on the injured list, the Twins are likely to trot out a starting outfield that includes some combination of Max Kepler, Trevor Larnach, Luis Arraez, Gilberto Celestino, and Nick Gordon. The Twins opted against bringing in another outfielder as part of a corresponding move; rather, Minnesota recalled catcher Willians Astudillo from Triple-A St. Paul. Astudillo has appeared in 40 games with the big-league team this season, hitting .254/.276/.385 (84 OPS+) with four home runs.
The Twins' roster figures to undergo further changes over the next week-plus heading into the July 30 trade deadline. Designated hitter Nelson Cruz is a logical candidate to be traded, while third baseman Josh Donaldson, starting pitcher José Berríos, and the aforementioned Buxton have all surfaced in rumors.
The Twins entered Wednesday with a 40-55 record on the season, good for fourth place in the American League Central. The Twins, the divisional favorites entering the spring, have yet to author a winning month this season.
