Minnesota Twins right-handed starter Chris Paddack underwent Tommy John surgery on Wednesday, the club has informed reporters. As a result, Paddack will miss the remainder of the 2022 season and presumably a significant portion of the 2023 campaign.
The Twins acquired the 26-year-old Paddack from the Padres in a five-player trade that was completed just prior to the start of the regular season. He wound up making five starts for Minnesota, and over that span he pitched to a 4.03 ERA/90 ERA+ with 20 strikeouts and two walks in 22 1/3 innings. For his career, Paddack owns an ERA+ of 97 and a K/BB ratio of 4.93 across parts of four MLB seasons.
Paddack isn’t eligible for free agency until after the 2024 season, so the Twins will presumably still get value from him before he’s no longer under team control. That said, this marks the second time that Paddack has undergone Tommy John surgery — he previously had his elbow reconstructed as a minor leaguer in 2016 — which adds a layer of uncertainty to his recovery prospects. Paddack’s injury likely increases the chances that the contending Twins will add rotation depth prior to this year’s trade deadline.
At present, Minnesota holds a three game lead over the White Sox in the American League Central.