FORT MYERS, FLA. – Matt Canterino, the Twins righthander who has suffered from numerous injury setbacks, is facing another one.
Twins injury report: Hard-luck pitcher Matt Canterino sidelined again
Another pitcher, Chris Paddack, had to leave Saturday’s game after being struck in the head by a batted ball.
The Minnesota Star Tribune
March 8, 2025 at 11:34PM
Canterino, 27, is headed to Arlington, Texas, to have his shoulder examined by orthopedic surgeon Keith Meister. Twins trainer Nick Paparesta said Canterino will undergo an MR Arthrogram during which dye is injected into the shoulder to get a better of idea of the extent of his shoulder injury.
Canterino suffered a shoulder injury last season that kept out all year as well.
“Last year he had a fairly moderate right subscap strain,” Paparesta said. “This year it is a little bit of a milder subscap with a more moderate strain of his teres major and latissimus dorsi, which seems to be the soup du jour if you read any MLB news on injuries lately with pitchers.”
Canterino has thrown 85 innings since being drafted by the Twins in 2019, but none since 2022 when he reached Class AA.
Righthander Zebby Matthews will throw a bullpen session on Sunday. Matthews suffered a right hip flexor strain on Wednesday while chasing a grounder. It’s appears to be minor, as Matthews is well enough to get on a mound to make sure he’s healthy.
Righthander Justin Topa, dealing with right shoulder tightness, has made progress over the last couple days. He has not needed an MRI and will continue to be evaluated.
Top outfield prospect Emmanuel Rodriguez is recovering well from a sore ankle. The plan is to get him running the bases next week and then play in some games.
Rodriguez did take live batting practice on Friday for the first time since he underwent thumb surgery last season.
“He made the comment that, ‘I swung and miss and it didn’t hurt for the first time in seven months,’” Paparesta said.
Righthander Michael Tonkin has a strained shoulder and will be evaluated over the next 10 days while he receives medication.
And it’s bad news for righthander Erasmo Ramírez, who has made just one spring training appearance. He has a torn teres minor and lat and will miss significant time. He will be re-examined in several weeks.
Paddack departs after scary injury
Twins righthander Chris Paddack left Saturday’s game against the Red Sox after a line drive off the bat of Boston’s Kristian Campbell deflected off Paddack’s glove and hit him in the head.
There were two outs and one runner on base in the third inning — by way of a one-hop smash that deflected off of Paddack’s lower body for an infield hit — when Paddack threw an 0-1 fastball measured at 93.4 miles per hour toward the plate. Campbell connected and sent a liner with an exit velocity of 97.6 mph.
The ball ticked off the tip of Paddack’s glove before it struck him above his right ear. Paddack fell and rolled over, but ended up in a sitting position on grass next to the mound.
A Twins official provided an in-house recording of the play — the game was not televised Saturday — that showed the moment the ball reached Paddack. It ticked off the tip of Paddack’s glove before it struck him above his right ear. Paddack fell and rolled over, then ended up in a sitting position next to the mound.
He exited the game, and Twins medical staffers determined that he showed no signs of a concussion. But Paddack was not allowed to meet with the media, with the club citing an MLB policy.
“Well, it’s always scary,” Twins manager Rocco Baldelli said. “I mean, because no matter what we think we see in, you know, in fast motion, you never really know until you get out there, you talk to them, you hear what the medical staff has to say. So looks like we dodged something with Paddy out there getting hit twice.”
Three batters earlier, Paddack was struck in the triceps with a one-hop smash off Abraham Toro’s bat. Paddack had pitched 2⅔ scoreless innings, giving up three hits while striking out two, when he left the game.
Twins win wild one
Aaron Sabato singled home the winning run in the bottom of the ninth as the Twins beat Boston 9-8 at Hammond Stadium.
Jeferson Morales' homer in the eighth tied the game for the Twins, who gave up sixth in the top of the inning. Marco Raya was tagged for five of the runs and didn’t get an out.
Luke Keaschall and Ty France, who drove in four runs, also homered for the Twins (6-5).
Raya, one of the Twins' top pitching prospects, made his major league spring training debut Saturday after recovering from a strained quad. Five batters faced. Two walks. Three hit batters. Five earned runs. Nerves 1, Raya 0.
“Honestly, an outing like that can teach you a whole lot about yourself, and I would expect to see a different version the next time he faces major league hitters,” Baldelli said.
As analytics continue to play a role in MLB, the Twins have embraced it as a way to get the most out of their players.
