The twins put their left hand Anthony Banda on the 15-day injured list today. The right hand Cody Laweryson remembered as a parallel movement. Manager Derek Shelton tells MLB.com’s Matthew Leach that Banda’s injury is significant, and that his recovery will take months rather than weeks.
Banda, 32, was acquired from the Dodgers in a trade in February. He threw 34 1/3 innings for the Twins with a 4.46 earned run average. His 21.2% strikeout rate and 9.6% walk rate are both very close to the league average.
He’s not the best relief arm in the league, but Minnesota’s losses are significant regardless. They traded most of their bullpen at last year’s deadline, with John Duran, Griffin Jax, Louis Varland, Brock Stewart again Danny Coulombe they are all shipped out of town. They did little to strengthen the team heading into 2026 and, predictably, their bullpen was one of the worst in the league. Minnesota pitchers have a combined 5.45 ERA on the year, the highest in the majors.
Despite that bullpen, the club is still hanging around in the weak American League race. Their 40-45 record doesn’t look like much but the Twins are just two games out of a playoff spot at this point. While the injury to a pitcher with a 4.46 ERA may not be apparent at first glance, it takes on more significance when considering the bigger picture of the roster and playoff run. As they try to keep the season moving, Taylor Rogers again Kody Funderburk now they form a club team that helps the southpaw.
For Banda personally, it may have an impact on his career. He was already a fringe roster guy, depending on the show. He was part of the Dodger’s playoff team last year but struggled in the postseason. The Dodgers offered him a 2026 arbitration contract, agreeing to a salary of $1.625MM, but designated him for assignment in February. That led to the aforementioned trade to the Twins.
The Twins could keep Banda through 2027 through a trade, but it’s fair to wonder if they’ll do that. As mentioned, Banda’s numbers have been impressive this year. Now you will miss a great episode of the second half. There are only three months left in the preseason, so it’s possible he won’t return from this injury before the offseason. In the arbitration process, the players’ salaries are about to go down, so it’s possible that the Twins will have to decide if Banda deserves a small raise.
Photo courtesy of Jeffrey Becker, Imagn Images
