What is the status of these 3 Twins?

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The 2022 season clearly made for an injury-riddled and disappointing result for the organization, and if things are to improve in ‘23, they’ll need to hope, first and foremost, for better health around their roster -- because on paper, at least, it shapes up to be a much more complete and talented group than what the Twins carried entering this past offseason.

For seemingly the first time in recent memory, the Twins already have a reasonably full complement of options to fill out their starting rotation, with Kenta Maeda, Tyler Mahle, Sonny Gray, Joe Ryan, Bailey Ober, Chris Paddack, Josh Winder and Louie Varland all expected to return -- and that’s not to mention the continued dominance in the Minors of Simeon Woods Richardson, the organization’s No. 6 prospect.

But here’s the thing: If there’s any lesson to be learned from this season, it’s that there’s no such thing as too much pitching depth, particularly in the starting rotation -- and several of those options will come with considerable injury questions. What’s the status of those players?

RHP Kenta Maeda: Expecting a normal offseason
Maeda underwent Tommy John surgery last September with the hope that he could potentially return as a bullpen option late this year. But late in the season, Maeda and the Twins determined that they didn’t want to rush his return for a few games’ worth of contributions, and instead, their full focus will go toward ensuring a normal and healthy Spring Training and 2023 season.

Indeed, Maeda said that he has been told to prepare himself for a normal offseason schedule, especially now that he has completed his bullpen progressions and has progressed to throwing live sessions to hitters at the Twins’ Minor League complex in Fort Myers, Fla.

"For any other given offseason, I like to take some time off from throwing,” Maeda said through interpreter Dai Sekizaki. “But going into this offseason, I’d like to pick up the ball a little earlier than usual and get my arm ready for next spring.”

RHP Tyler Mahle: Expecting a normal offseason
Things didn't go as hoped for Mahle and the Twins following the midseason trade that brought the right-hander from Cincinnati to Minnesota, with the 27-year-old shut down twice due to right shoulder inflammation that Mahle says is due to fatigue, and that he believes will go away with an extended period of time away from the field.

“I think the shortened Spring Training, and then a lot of my bulk was in the beginning of the year, throwing a lot of pitches,” Mahle said. “For a few starts there, I was skipping -- I was just on a normal five days. We’d have an off-day, and I would just throw on a normal day. So I think the short offseason, just going right into it, may have affected it a little bit. I wasn’t necessarily thinking about the future. I was thinking about then and winning then.”

Mahle said that his medical examinations -- including MRI exams and strength tests -- revealed no structural damage, giving him encouragement that he could leave this issue behind in 2022. He has continued to play catch while on the IL, and expects to have a normal offseason buildup at home in California.

RHP Chris Paddack: Hoping for a return in August
One pitcher the Twins won’t be able to count on immediately in 2023 is Paddack, who was acquired with Emilio Págan in the Opening Day trade that sent Taylor Rogers and Brent Rooker to San Diego.

Paddack made five starts for Minnesota before he underwent a second Tommy John surgery in May, and the right-hander said the recovery from this procedure would take him several months longer than the one following his first surgery.

Paddack hopes to be back in the starting rotation next August and make five or six starts during the regular season, he said -- and he’s not daunted by the relatively sparse history of players making high-quality returns from a second Tommy John surgery.

“I never have had doubt in myself,” Paddack said. “I don't have a B plan. That's just how my mind works. I go chase something, and I won't stop until I go get it. But yes, realistically, it's real life. This is my second one. But the surgeons, they're so good now. And if I do everything that I can control, that's all I can ask for from myself. I'm going to do everything I can to come back and help this team win.”

Among others to return from a second Tommy John surgery, Nathan Eovaldi needed a 21-month recovery before he made it back to a big league mound, Daniel Hudson took 15 months, Jameson Taillon pitched in a regular-season game 20 months after his second and the timeline was ultimately 17 months for Mike Clevinger. A return in August would put Paddack at 15 months.