A wrist injury derailed Alex Kirilloff's rookie season and is threatening to disrupt his sophomore campaign as well.
The Twins announced before Wednesday's game against the Dodgers the 24-year-old would head to the 10-day injured list because of right wrist soreness. Kirilloff had played in all five Twins games this season and was expected to be in the lineup Wednesday.
"He came in [to the season] in a pretty good spot, but it's something that has kind of crept into the situation," manager Rocco Baldelli said. "I don't believe it was one swing. I don't believe it was anything like that, but it's something where the soreness has just returned."
The Pittsburgh native first hurt his wrist playing Class AA ball in 2019, missing the start of the season. He returned after a month and played, but he ended up reverting to the IL for a couple of weeks in June as the wrist pain persisted.
Kirilloff said that injury, though, was in a different area of his wrist. A separate part bothered him in his 2021 rookie year last season, when he dived into second base in a game. He played for about three weeks after his mid-April call-up before the wrist issue sent him to the IL. He returned May 21 but was back on the IL a month later. And by late July, he had elected to have season-ending surgery to repair a torn ligament in that wrist.
Kirilloff had imaging done Wednesday and will make a trip to Ohio on Thursday to see the same orthopedic surgeon, Thomas Graham.
Since last season, Kirilloff said he hasn't been able to swing without pain. And while he did play through the discomfort a bit in 2021 after having a cortisone shot, he is more determined to actually fix the issue this time instead of masking it.
"It's just frustrating," Kirilloff said. "This is just one long, continuous puzzle to try to figure out. So just try to put the pieces together."
The Twins called up Trevor Larnach from Class AAA St. Paul in Kirilloff's stead. Larnach can play left field, while Baldelli said Luis Arraez is another utility player who can cover left field or first base, where Kirilloff also appeared on the depth chart.
Bullpen move
In addition to Kirilloff, the Twins had to make another roster move Wednesday after Tuesday's rain-delayed game finished after midnight. The Twins have an off day Thursday before embarking on a weeklong road trip to Boston and Kansas City and needed fresh arms after using seven relievers in the 7-2 loss to L.A.
The Twins designated Jharel Cotton for assignment and called up Dereck Rodriguez from Class AAA St. Paul. Rodriguez contributed four innings Wednesday, allowing three home runs. Cotton has pitched two innings in two games for the Twins this season, including allowing three walks in the final inning of Tuesday's 7-2 loss.
"We've talked about Jharel finding the zone and such, but also the fact that when you don't have options left, too, it becomes a very challenging situation for those guys," Baldelli said. "I wish that wasn't the case, but it is, and I think that's at least part of the thinking, too."
Taking a break
Given the length of Tuesday's game, Baldelli gave his two top players a bit of a break in Wednesday's matinee. Shortstop Carlos Correa did not play at all while center fielder Byron Buxton was 0-for-3 as the designated hitter.
