Twins lose Luke Keaschall to fractured forearm, trade for Kody Clemens

New York Times

26-04-2025

MINNEAPOLIS — Unbelievable.
In an unfortunate twist, another promising young Minnesota Twins player will be sidelined by injury after Luke Keaschall suffered a non-displaced fracture of his right forearm in Friday night's 11-4 win over the Los Angeles Angels at Target Field.
There's no initial timeline for Keaschall to return, the team said, after he was hit with a pitch in the first inning and later removed from the game. But any lengthy absence counts as a blow to the offense-starved Twins, who got a huge spark from Keaschall after he tied a major-league record with five stolen bases in his first five games and reached base in 14 of 26 plate appearances.
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'Tough news,' Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. 'He's settling in really well here and doing a really nice job for us, and he'll be back. He'll get it right, and he'll be back. I have no doubt he'll be running around the bases again soon. But tough news there.'
Already dealing with numerous injuries on the 40-man roster, the Twins acquired infielder Kody Clemens from the Philadelphia Phillies late Friday, according to The Athletic's Ken Rosenthal. The son of Roger Clemens, Kody Clemens, who plays first base, third base and the outfield, was designated for assignment by Philadelphia on Wednesday.
Buck took a visit to the upper DECK! pic.twitter.com/DwqThKmKaG
— Minnesota Twins (@Twins) April 26, 2025
Batting in the first inning, Keaschall was struck by Angels pitcher Kyle Hendricks with an 87 mph fastball flush on the forearm of his back arm.
Keaschall, ranked by The Athletic as the No. 62 prospect in baseball in January, didn't react as if he were in pain until he put on a running sleeve upon arriving at first base. The team's designated hitter Friday, Keaschall remained in the game for the rest of the first inning but was pinch hit for by Mickey Gasper in the third inning.
'I was a little angry,' Keaschall said of learning the news. 'But I've got to try and think of the big picture. Think about getting healthy as fast as possible and think about just trying to get back as fast as possible. … I thought I was fine. Like, I kind of got hit. Was running the bases, and I'm like, 'It's just going to be a little sore; I'll be good.' And then it wasn't.'
Keaschall has been a bright spot since joining the Twins last weekend in Atlanta. He singled and drove in a run in his first big-league at-bat on April 18 and stole second base later that inning before doubling in his next trip to the plate.
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A day later, the 22-year-old doubled off reigning National League Cy Young Award winner Chris Sale and continued to show no signs of difficulty adjusting to life in the big leagues.
Keaschall injected life into the Twins in wins over the Chicago White Sox on Tuesday and Wednesday, stealing two bases in each victory and reaching base five more times. He also walked and singled in a rain-shortened loss Thursday, extending his hitting streak to six games.
'(Keaschall) has settled in very quickly,' Baldelli said Wednesday. 'It's almost like there was no settling; he just came in ready to play.'
Young talents getting injured is nothing new to the Twins.
Royce Lewis, the first pick of the 2017 MLB Draft, has twice torn his anterior cruciate ligament and also suffered a devastating quad injury on Opening Day 2024. Electric center fielder Byron Buxton has suffered myriad injuries during his career, only twice playing more than 100 games.
Once a top-10 prospect in baseball, Alex Kirilloff required two season-ending wrist surgeries and retired this offseason because of a back injury, having played only 249 games in his career. Former top-five prospect Miguel Sanó fouled a pitch off his leg in August 2017 and shattered his tibia.
Already an MVP, Justin Morneau was amid another award-winning year in 2010 when he suffered a season-ending concussion after taking a knee to the head while sliding into second base in Toronto. Even Hall of Famer Joe Mauer tore a meniscus in his left knee in the second game of his career in 2004.
Beginning a rehab assignment at Triple-A St. Paul, Lewis had a double in three trips to the plate and played six innings at third base.
Lewis grounded out in his first at-bat against top Pittsburgh Pirates pitching prospect Bubba Chandler and struck out the next time up. In his third at-bat, Lewis, out since March 16 with a left hamstring strain, doubled past third base.
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'I got to test it out a good bit,' Lewis told reporters in St. Paul.
Out of action for five-plus weeks, Lewis will be tested thoroughly before returning to the majors. He is expected to sit out Saturday's game and play again Sunday. Baldelli said Lewis won't return to the majors until he has appeared in the field on consecutive days, which likely means he won't be back until the homestand that starts May 6 against the Baltimore Orioles.
LARNACH LAUNCH! 🚀 pic.twitter.com/Be9LP6Cgb5
— Twins.TV (@twinstv) April 26, 2025
Pablo López struggled with command but struck out six in a 101-pitch, five-inning effort Friday. Making his first start since he went on the 15-day injured list April 8 with a right hamstring strain, López allowed two earned runs and five hits while walking two batters. He needed to make several extra pitches in the first two innings after poor defensive plays by Edouard Julien and Ty France.
López made a rehab start for St. Paul at Triple-A Iowa on Saturday. Even with the recent effort, López said it felt like he hadn't pitched in months and thinks that played a part in his command issues.
'I was very excited, very anxious,' López said. 'I think that caused me to be rushed on the mound. I could have done a much better job of controlling that and slowing the game down. It was great to have the support from the offense. I had to grind. For the most part, I was behind in counts, always coming back. … But I knew that I still had the ability to execute pitches.'
López was welcomed back with open arms by an offense that finally broke out against the sleep-deprived Angels, who landed in the Twin Cities at 4:30 a.m.
Buxton homered, tripled and had a sacrifice fly. Trevor Larnach doubled in a run and belted a three-run homer. Carlos Correa had a nice night at the plate, hitting a sacrifice fly, walking and singling, and Julien walked four times and scored three runs.
Gasper went 2-for-3 with two RBIs after replacing Keaschall — and was also hit by a pitch.
(Photo of Luke Keaschall: Matt Krohn / Imagn Images)