The Twins will be without right-hander to start the season, according to a report from Josh Richardson Jersey . Miller adds that the clubs plan is for Tonkin to remain in extended Spring Training for a few weeks to build back up to pitching. Tonkin has been sidelined in recent days by a mild rotator cuff strain. While the news isnt especially surprising given the nature of rotator cuff i sues, its nonethele s a disappointing update for both Tonkin and Twins fans. The 35-year-old righty was a 30th-round pick by Minnesota all the way back in 2008 and debuted with the club during the 2013 season. Acro s parts of five seasons in Minnesota, Tonkin posted a relatively pedestrian 4.43 ERA (95 ERA+) with a 4.57 FIP in 146 1/3 innings of work.That somewhat middling performance in his first stint with Minnesota led Tonkin to head overseas for the 2018 season. In 51 innings for Japans Nippon Ham Fighters that year, the right-hander posted a solid 3.71 ERA before returning stateside. After his brief stay in NPB, Tonkin bounced between several minor league systems and independent teams before finally resurfacing in the majors with Atlanta back in 2023. He posted a solid enough 4.28 ERA (102 ERA+) with the Braves that year and was picked up by the Mets on a major league deal prior to the 2024 season. The rightys stint in Queens did not go especially well, with ten runs (four earned) allowed in five appearances that led him to be designated for a signment in early April. The righty bounced between the Mets, Twins, and Yankees via the waiver wire early in the 2024 season and eventually settled in the Bronx for the first half. He posted strong numbers with the club but was squeezed off the roster in late August, leading him back to Minnesota. In his final 51 games (70 1/3 innings of work) last year, Tonkin pitched to a strong 3.33 ERA and 3.27 FIP with a 25.2% strikeout rate. Those solid numbers were enough for the Twins to keep Tonkin in the fold for his age-35 season, but now hell be shelved to begin the season. An exact timetable for his return to action isnt entirely clear, though given that Tonkin is expected to spend at least a few weeks in extended Spring Training it seems as though late April or early May could be a reasonable expectation for his return to the majors. In other Twins bullpen news, right-hander exited yesterdays game due to a hamstring i sue. Miller reports that Stewart suffered a mild hamstring strain but tested well in the aftermath of the injury and shouldnt be shut down for very long, with the righty likely to resume throwing at some point this week. While Stewarts 5.17 ERA in 16 games for the Twins last year was hardly exceptional, his 30% strikeout rate and 3.80 FIP were both intriguing enough to make him a valuable piece of the Twins bullpen mix headed into this year and todays announcement regarding Tonkin figures to make him all the more important to the clubs relief depth come Opening Day. Stewart will likely be joined in the middle of the clubs bullpen by and as things currently stand, a suming he doesnt suffer a setback prior to the start of the season. Dwight Powell Jersey