Kenta Maeda

The Twins have been plagued by injuries in recent weeks, but they’re on the verge of getting several key players back. Right-hander Kenta Maeda will be activated from the injured list to start Monday night’s game against the Mariners, manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters, including Dan Hayes of The Athletic. He hasn’t pitched since May 22, when he went on the IL due to a groin strain.

Maeda allowed one run on three hits and three walks while striking out seven over four innings Monday against the Mariners in his first start back from the injured list. He did not factor into the decision. It's understandable that Maeda was on a pitch count -- he threw 78...

Maeda (arm) was activated from the 10-day injured list and will start Monday against the Mariners, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. The 33-year-old landed on the shelf with a right adductor strain May 23 and dealt with some right arm soreness while rehabbing, but he'll officially rejoin the starting rotation Monday. Maeda has struggled through nine starts with a 5.27 ERA, 1.48 WHIP and 80:10 K:BB over 42.2 innings this season, and he'll look to rebound now that he's healthy.

The Minnesota Twins activated right-hander Kenta Maeda from the 10-day injured list to start Monday night against the host Seattle Mariners. Maeda had been sidelined due to groin and arm issues. The 33-year-old last pitched for the Twins on May 22. Maeda is 2-2 with a 5.27 ERA in nine...

Injuries have probably been the defining story of this Fantasy Baseball season. If not the whole season, certainly the last month-plus or so, as we've seen a number of big-name stars hit the IL. In fact, if you've had to play the waiver wire more aggressively than usual, that's probably why.

Manager Rocco Baldelli said Friday that Maeda (arm) will be activated to start Monday's game against the Mariners, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. Maeda landed on the injured list May 23 with a right adductor strain and later suffered arm soreness as he resumed throwing at the end of May. The right-hander threw 54 pitches during a rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, allowing one run while punching out five across four innings. His next start will come with the Twins on Monday, though he likely won't be fully stretched out in his return to the big leagues.

Now that we’re a little over 60 games into the 2021 season, I think this is a good time to use this space to take a look at some year-to-year changes. We’ll never (at least I hope) have another season like the 2020 season, but it did end up being 60 games. We now have the exact same sample size in 2021, although these 60 games come with a semi-normal Spring Training and baseball games in April and May. It’s not apples-to-apples, but it’s at least the same sample size. So, we’re going to roll with it and see what sticks out. As always, we’ll cover pitchers and hitters, review some heat-mapped charts, and run through some notes.

With only three games on the schedule, it was our opportunity to get creative ... and then Jarred Kelenic was sent down. It's hard to argue with the Mariners' decision as Kelenic was 0 for 37 over his last 11 games, which included a 41% strikeout rate. He isn't the first high-profile prospect to struggle his first stint in the majors and he certainly won't be the last. If he takes a page out of Mike Trout or Alex Bregman's book, he'll be just fine.

Maeda (arm) worked four innings of one-run ball in his rehab start Wednesday for Triple-A St. Paul, permitting one hit and one walk while striking out five. Maeda looked good in his first outing since May 22, pumping in 33 of his 54 pitches for strikes while limiting the damage to a solo home run. The Twins have yet to decide whether Maeda will make his next start on a more limited pitch count as a member of the big-league rotation, or if he'll stick around at Triple-A for another turn. Whenever Maeda returns from the 10-day injured list, Matt Shoemaker or Randy Dobnak will likely be excised from the rotation.

Maeda (arm/groin) is scheduled to throw 50-55 pitches during his rehab start with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday, Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer Press reports. Given this update, Maeda will likely need at least another start after Wednesday in order to be fully stretched out. That being said, the Twins could opt to bring the right-hander back to the majors before building him all the way back up rather than extending his rehab assignment. The plan for Maeda should become more clear after his outing Wednesday.

Maeda (arm/groin) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Wednesday. Maeda threw 35 pitches in a bullpen session Sunday, and he'll return to game action during his rehab start Wednesday. The right-hander still doesn't have a clear timetable to return to the major-league rotation, but he could be reinstated from the injured list as early as next week if all goes well.

The month of May hasn't been easy on the Minnesota Twins and their fans. The Twins spent the majority of the month without centerfielder Byron Buxton, who was off to a ferocious start in 2021. Starting pitcher Kenta Maeda also went down with injury near the end of the month while the team sustained below-average baseball with a 13-16 overall record.

Maeda (arm) completed a 35-pitch bullpen session Sunday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. On the mound for the second time in three days, Maeda took a step forward Sunday in terms of intensity and volume from Friday's side session, which consisted of 20 pitches. The Twins haven't formally outlined the next step in Maeda's recovery program from a sore right arm, but the prevailing expectation is that he'll report to Triple-A St. Paul later this week to make a rehab start. If all goes well, Maeda could be on track to return from the 10-day injured list by next week.

Maeda (arm/groin) successfully completed a 20-pitch bullpen session Friday and is slated to throw another bullpen Sunday, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. It's still unclear what the full plan is for Maeda as far as a return to the Twins' rotation is concerned. A rehab assignment still figures to be a possibility, though the club could opt to build him up through simulated games instead. In either scenario, Friday's bullpen marks an important step toward returning for the right-hander, and he'll look to make further progress when he takes the mound again Sunday.

Maeda (arm/groin) completed a long-toss session Tuesday and could throw a bullpen session in Kansas City this weekend, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports. A right adductor strain initially landed Maeda on the injured list May 23, but a sore right arm seems to be the greater concern at the moment for the 33-year-old. The latter injury resulted in Maeda being barred from throwing over the past few days, but he's since gained clearance to start ramping up. The Twins will see how he fares in his upcoming side session before deciding whether to send Maeda out on a minor-league rehab assignment or to have him build up through simulated games prior to being activated from the IL. Regardless of what route the Twins go, Maeda is likely more than a week away from rejoining the active roster.

Maeda has recovered from the right groin strain that landed him on the injured list, but he won't resume throwing until general soreness in his right arm subsides, Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com reports. The 33-year-old has apparently been battling the soreness throughout the first two months of the season, so...