Twins' Alex Kirilloff dealing with more wrist issues
The Minnesota Twins are shutting down oufielder/first baseman Alex Kirilloff after he experienced more problems with his troublesome wrist.
Rocco Baldelli told the media after Saturday's win over the San Diego Padres that Kirilloff has been dealing with the injury over the past couple of weeks and has gotten to the point where he can't swing a bat.
The 24-year-old is hitting .250/.290/.361 with three homers in 44 games this season but has been battling through a wrist injury initially suffered in May 2021.
Kirilloff underwent surgery on his wrist last July and got off to a slow start this season before being sent down. After dominating Triple-A St. Paul, Kirilloff returned to hit .307/.328/.548 with three homers in his first 18 games but has slumped to hit .226/.281/.245 over his last 16 games -- including an 0-for-3 performance on Saturday night.
Alex Kirilloff...
— Do-Hyoung Park (@dohyoungpark) July 31, 2022
Ground-ball rate:
June - 35.1%
July - 64.2%
Average launch angle:
June - 16 degrees
July - 2 degrees https://t.co/IEPlcZfhv9
If Kirilloff is forced to miss extended time, it puts further strain on the Twins' options in the outfield and at first base.
The Twins placed Max Kepler and Miguel Sanó on the injured list prior to Saturday's game and Trevor Larnach has been out since June 23 after undergoing core muscle surgery.
Minnesota will look to wrap up a three-game set with the Padres on Sunday afternoon.
