Minnesota Twins outfielder/first baseman Alex Kirilloff is slated to undergo radical season-ending surgery on his right wrist on Tuesday, the team announced Sunday.
It marks the second straight year that Kirilloff's season ended early due to wrist surgery.
Kirilloff will undergo a procedure in which the ulna bone is shortened to create more space in the wrist.
"Any time you're talking about shaving a bone down or shortening a bone, I mean, that's a substantial procedure," Twins manager Rocco Baldelli told reporters before Sunday's game against the Toronto Blue Jays. "But we're hopeful that by getting it done now gives us a chance to use the offseason to get right, to start swinging the bat again, to feel good and to start getting ready for next year."
Kirilloff underwent surgery in July 2021 and twice went on the injured list this season due to issues with the wrist.
In May, he told reporters that this type of surgery would require breaking the ulna bone and shortening it. He said a metal plate and screws would be inserted to hold it together.
"Obviously, this isn't something that would be contemplated or done unless we thought it was absolutely necessary -- unless AK thought it was absolutely necessary, and the doctor, too," Baldelli said.
Kirilloff, 24, batted .250 with three homers and 21 RBIs in 45 games. A year ago, he hit .251 with eight homers and 34 RBIs in 59 games in his first season in the majors.
Kirilloff was a first-round pick by the Twins in 2016.
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