The Twins have placed starting pitcher Ricky Nolsasco on the 15-day disabled list with a strained right elbow.
Nolasco informed the team on Monday that he has been battling elbow soreness during his starts this season. 1500 ESPN reports Nolasco underwent an MRI Tuesday in Minneapolis that revealed the strain.
Ricky Nolasco is headed to the 15-day DL with a right elbow strain. C/OF Chris Herrmann recalled from Triple-A Rochester.
— Rhett Bollinger (@RhettBollinger) July 8, 2014
Nolasco’s stint on the disabled list is retroactive to Monday, so he’ll be eligible to return on July 22. He was expected to make a start in Colorado, before the All-Star break.
The Twins have not announced who will replace him in his next scheduled start in Colorado. It likely will go to either Samuel Deduno or Anthony Swarzak.
According to the Star Tribune, the Twins could also call up Kris Johnson from Triple-A Rochester. Like Nolasco, the lefty last pitched on Sunday and would be on the same schedule.
After the All-Star break the Twins could look to promote either Alex Meyer or Trevor May. They are the two highly-touted pitching prospects in the organization, that fans are excited to see.
Nolasco has been struggling on the season: He went 5-7 with a 5.90 ERA in 104 innings before he was shut down. He had allowed the most runs and most hits in the American League so far this season – not exactly the results the Twins had in mind when they signed him to a four-year $49 million contract this offseason.
The team had concerns about Nolasco following Sunday’s 9-7 loss to the New York Yankees. His fastball velocity had dropped below 90 miles per hour, and he was removed after giving up six runs on seven hits, in two innings.
After flying with the team to Seattle, Nolasco told Twins manager Ron Gardenhire he had been dealing with the soreness all season. Nolasco was then sent back to Minnesota to undergo the exam and MRI Tuesday.
According to Hardball Talk, one of the reasons the Twins signed Nolasco is because of his durability. He had started at least 30 games and logged at least 185 innings in each of the last six seasons.
Herrmann is hitting .314 for Rochester. He batted just .122 in 41 at-bats for the Twins earlier this season.
