Canterino undergoes surgery; Twins set rotation

FORT MYERS, Fla. -- Twins right-hander Matt Canterino underwent right shoulder surgery recently and will miss the entire 2025 season. It’s yet another setback for the former second-round Draft pick, who has not pitched in a regular-season game since 2022 and has never pitched more than 37 innings in a professional season.

Canterino had dealt with recurring muscle strains in his shoulder, and after a consultation with Dr. Keith Meister, the decision was made to operate on his labrum. The idea is that the procedure should “tighten up” the labrum and help prevent future muscular injuries.

“Dr. Meister felt that due to the laxity he has in his shoulder, the best thing to help stop all of these muscles from straining constantly over and over again in his rotator cuff was to have this shoulder tightened back up a little bit,” said Twins head athletic trainer Nick Paparesta.

The typical recovery time for the surgery is about 12 months. However, Paparesta indicated that it could be longer for Canterino, who is a hard thrower and also has an extensive injury history.

Twins make cuts, set rotation

The Twins made their most noteworthy cuts of the spring to date on Sunday, trimming five players from Major League camp. Pitchers Zebby Matthews, David Festa and Kody Funderburk were optioned to Triple-A St. Paul, while pitcher Alex Speas and infielder Luke Keaschall were reassigned to Minor League camp.

With Matthews and Festa optioned, Minnesota has set a five-man rotation to start the season. Pablo López will start Opening Day, with Bailey Ober, Joe Ryan, Chris Paddack and Simeon Woods Richardson making up the rest of the starting five.

The first four were set coming into camp if healthy, but officially Woods Richardson was in a competition to retain the rotation spot he held last season. He has pitched very well all spring, making it a clear call.

That doesn’t mean it was easy to send out Matthews and Festa, however. Both showed impressive ability in their stints in the Majors last year, and both surely figure in the club’s future. Matthews in particular was arguably the best pitcher in camp, and gave the Twins a very encouraging impression in the event they need to dip into their rotation depth during the season.

“Both of these guys, they don’t just have upside,” said manager Rocco Baldelli. “They are already very good pitchers, and they have a chance to be exceptional. … But they really have to keep working and they have to keep getting better. They’re at the very beginning of their careers. And if they’re hungry and want to be here right now, good. I want them to feel like that and want to be here.”

Keaschall, the club’s No. 3 prospect and No. 60 on MLB Pipeline’s overall Top 100, received extensive playing time despite being unable to play the field as he recuperates from elbow surgery. His advanced approach, line-drive ability, speed and attitude impressed the club during his time in camp.

López goes six

Right-hander López had a bit of a strange line in the Twins’ 6-5 loss to Boston on Sunday, but he was seeing a lot more positives than negatives. López allowed four runs on seven hits, including a pair of home runs, but he was very pleased to go six full innings. And he struck out eight against one walk, another good sign.

It was less about the results for López, though, and more that he was pleased with the pitches themselves. He treated this game like a regular-season game, making pitch choices within at-bats like he would in a game that counted, rather than focusing on specific things to work on.

“I’m just really happy with how today went,” he said. “[Christian] Vázquez had such a good feel for calling the game as if it was a regular-season game. It’s not like, ‘OK, let’s emphasize on 0-2 something.’ It’s just like whatever the game told us, whatever the situation told us, we went for it. It felt really game-like, and then I’m really satisfied with that.”

López has one more Spring Training start before he takes the mound on Opening Day, March 27 in St. Louis.