Twins Place Kendry Rojas On IL With Oblique Strain

The Twins put Kendry Rojas on the minor league injured list with an oblique strain, per Aaron Gleeman of AaronGleeman.com. Rojas left his start on Friday with Triple-A St. Paul after one inning. The official timetable is unclear, but the nature of the injury puts the lefty’s season in jeopardy.

Rojas has performed well in his first taste of the majors. He’s delivered a 3.34 ERA with a 26.2% strikeout rate across 29 2/3 innings. Minnesota has used him as both a starter and a multi-inning reliever. The main red flag is a 16.9% walk rate, but control hasn’t been a huge issue for Rojas in the minors.

Minnesota sent Rojas back to Triple-A after acquiring Jeff Hoffman at the trade deadline. The club also added A.J. Minter, which forced some tough decisions with the roster. Rojas was operating as a starter after he returned to Triple-A. He was a candidate to contribute with the big-league squad in some capacity over the final six weeks of the season.

The Twins have been hit hard by injuries in the rotation. Joe Ryan was lost to a left glute strain in early August. Mike Paredes, who had functioned in a similar role as Rojas, is also dealing with a strained oblique. Mick Abel had elbow surgery in July and was lost for the year. Pablo Lopez and David Festa didn’t make it on the mound at all this season.

The addition of Dean Kremer has helped solidy the pitching staff, but its still a thin group relying on unproven options like Zebby Matthews and Connor Prielipp. The rotation certainly can’t afford any more injuries as the Twins look to stick in the AL Wild Card race. Minnesota sits just a half-game out of the final playoff spot.