Twins reliever Cody Stashak to undergo season-ending shoulder surgery

Twins reliever Cody Stashak will undergo surgery to repair a labrum tear in his throwing shoulder, the club informed reporters, via Phil Miller of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. He’ll miss the remainder of the season.

Stashak hasn’t pitched since May 21, when he landed on the 15-day injured list with what the team called a shoulder impingement. Unfortunately, further testing has revealed a more serious issue that’ll cost him the remainder of the 2022 campaign. Minnesota is sure to transfer him to the 60-day IL whenever they have a need for a spot on the 40-man roster.

The 28-year-old Stashak has emerged as a unheralded but productive member of the Minnesota relief corps in recent years. A former 13th-round draft choice, the St. John’s product didn’t draw much prospect attention. He’s nevertheless had a decent run at the big league level, pitching to a 4.13 ERA with excellent strikeout and walk rates (27.6% and 4.7%, respectively) through 72 innings since debuting in 2019.

That aggregate run-prevention number is inflated by an outlier 2021 season in which Stashak was tagged for nearly seven earned runs per nine innings. He’s posted a sub-4.00 mark in each of his other three years, including a 3.86 across 16 1/3 frames this season. Stashak struck out 15 batters and didn’t issue a single free pass in that time.

The only silver lining is that he’ll collect MLB service time and pay for the rest of the season while rehabbing. Stashak will surpass the three-year service threshold and reach arbitration-eligibility for the first time next winter, and he’s controllable through the end of the 2025 campaign.

In other Twins’ bullpen news, the club announced that righty Jorge Alcalá has halted his rehab process after experiencing elbow stiffness, via Betsy Helfand of the St. Paul Pioneer-Press. The 26-year-old had made one rehab appearance with Low-A Fort Myers last Wednesday but hasn’t pitched in a game since that point. Alcalá went on the shelf after just two MLB outings, and Minnesota moved him to the 60-day IL in late April. He posted a 3.92 ERA across 59 2/3 innings last season, earning some higher-leverage opportunities late in the year.