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Sands will undergo arthroscopic surgery Tuesday to remove loose bodies and bone spurs from his right elbow, Jack Azoulay-Haron of ElEmergente.com reports.
Sands has battled elbow problems throughout the 2026 season and landed back on the 15-day injured list Tuesday. He has opted for season-ending surgery to repair the issue but expects to have a "pretty much normal" offseason after getting a PRP injection post-op. Sands allowed 11 runs with an 11:5 K:BB over 12 innings for the Twins this season. The 29-year-old has two more years of arbitration eligibility remaining.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Likely done for season
Rotowire
Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said Tuesday that Sands (elbow) is expected to miss the rest of the season, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Sands is scheduled to meet with team physician Dr. Chris Camp on Wednesday before deciding on a treatment plan for his strained right elbow, but even if surgery isn't recommended, the 29-year-old reliever doesn't appear likely to pitch again in 2026. He had previously been shelved for nearly three months with a forearm strain before being shut down again after making just one appearance following his reinstatement from the injured list Sunday.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Back to IL with elbow strain
Rotowire
The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list Tuesday with a right elbow strain.
Sands just returned from a nearly three-month absence with a right forearm strain, getting roughed up for five runs while retiring just one batter Sunday versus the Athletics. He's now shelved again with another injury to his pitching arm, and it could be a lengthy absence.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Back from IL
Rotowire
The Twins reinstated Sands (forearm) from the 15-day injured list Sunday.
Sands has been on the shelf since early May due to a forearm strain, but he's ready to rejoin the active roster after firing seven scoreless frames during a six-outing rehab assignment. The right-hander opened the campaign in a high-leverage role, recording one save and three holds in 12 appearances prior to the injury. Yoendrys Gomez has since settled in as Minnesota's closer, which likely positions Sands to fill a setup role.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Resumes rehab assignment
Rotowire
Sands (forearm) tossed a perfect inning in his rehab appearance with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday.
Initially placed on the injured list May 2 due to a right forearm strain, Sands was cleared to start a rehab assignment in early June but was pulled off of it after experiencing a setback following his lone appearance. Just over a month later, Sands was able to complete a throwing program and gain clearance to restart the minor-league assignment, and the results from his first outing on the farm were encouraging. He averaged 93.7 mph with his four-seam fastball Tuesday, just over a half-tick above his season average (93.0) over his 12 appearances with the Twins prior to landing on the shelf. Sands could be ready to rejoin the Minnesota bullpen following the All-Star break.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Completes side session
Rotowire
Sands (forearm) threw a bullpen session June 27, MLB.com reports.
Sands reportedly came away encouraged from that throwing session, but the Twins haven't confirmed whether the right-hander has gotten in any mound work in the week since. The 28-year-old reliever has been on the shelf since May 2 due to a mild forearm strain and still looks to be at least a few weeks away from making his return from the 15-day injured list.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Still dealing with forearm swelling
Rotowire
Sands underwent an MRI on Friday that showed healing in his injured forearm, though inflammation was still present, MLB.com reports.
The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list May 2 due to what the team described as a mild right forearm strain, resulting in the reliever being shut down from throwing for a couple of weeks. He made enough progress to begin a minor-league rehab assignment June 2, only to be returned to Minnesota after his forearm bothered him during his lone appearance with Triple-A St. Paul. While Sands appears to have avoided any sort of major setback, the Twins will once again have him pause his throwing program to allow the inflammation to dissipate. He now appears unlikely to return from the IL until at least early July.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Pulled off rehab assignment
Rotowire
The Twins returned Sands (forearm) from his rehab assignment Tuesday, Dan Hayes of The Athletic reports.
Sands made his first rehab appearance at Triple-A St. Paul last Tuesday, but his strained right forearm didn't recover quickly enough to allow him to continue pitching. The Twins will now shut down his rehab assignment and give him more time to rest and receive treatment before restarting a throwing program. He's without a clear timeline for returning from the 15-day injured list.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Starting rehab assignment
Rotowire
Twins manager Derek Shelton said Monday that Sands (forearm) will begin a rehab assignment with Triple-A St. Paul on Tuesday, Theodore Tollefson of Zone Coverage reports.
Sands hasn't pitched in more than a month as he recovers from a right forearm strain, but he'll be ready to take a big step forward Tuesday. He will likely require at least a couple rehab appearances before rejoining the active roster. Once he does return, Sands should be thrown back into the late-inning mix as part of an unsettled Twins bullpen.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Starts up throwing program
Rotowire
Twins general manager Jeremy Zoll said that Sands (forearm) played catch on consecutive days last week and is expected to spend about a month on the injured list, Bobby Nightengale of The Minnesota Star Tribune reports.
Minnesota placed Sands on the IL on May 2 due to a right forearm strain, so the Twins appear to be viewing early June as a rough target date for the 28-year-old reliever's return. Before landing on the shelf, Sands had collected one win, one save and three holds while posting a 4.63 ERA, 1.37 WHIP and 11:4 K:BB in 11.2 innings across 12 appearances.
The Twins placed Sands on the 15-day injured list Saturday with a right forearm strain, Aaron Gleeman of The Athletic reports.
Sands gave up two earned runs in just two-thirds of an inning during his last appearance Tuesday, and he'll now have to wait at least a couple of weeks to redeem himself after coming away from his outing with a forearm injury. John Klein will come up from Triple-A St. Paul to take Sands' place in Minnesota's bullpen.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Stuck with loss against Cincy
Rotowire
Sands (0-1) took the loss Saturday, giving up one run on two hits in the ninth inning as the Twins were downed 5-4 by the Reds. He didn't walk or strike out a batter.
None of Minnesota's high-leverage relievers were particularly effective while trying to protect the 4-2 lead they got handed by Taj Bradley, and Sands got left holding the bag after allowing a pair of singles that were sandwiched around a sacrifice bunt. Sands headed into the season as the nominal favorite to close for the Twins and did convert his only save chance so far back on March 28, but since then he's collected three holds in eight appearances while posting a 4.91 ERA, 1.64 WHIP and 5:3 K:BB over 7.1 innings.
Twins' Cole Sands: Converts first save opportunity
Rotowire
Sands walked one and struck out two over a scoreless and hitless inning to earn the save in Saturday's 4-1 win over the Orioles.
The Twins' closer competition was one to watch during spring training, and manager Derek Shelton called on Sands in the ninth inning for Minnesota's first save opportunity. The situation will likely remain fluid, but Sands appears to be the preferred choice out of the gates to begin the 2026 season.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Twins still undecided on closer
Rotowire
Sands will have a prominent role in high-leverage situations in the Minnesota bullpen, but manager Derek Shelton said he'll figure out who will close games as the season progresses, the Minnesota Star Tribune reports. "It's going to be a little bit of a meritocracy. Guys are going to pitch themselves in or out of certain roles. We have to monitor that as the season starts," said Shelton.
The Twins closer situation remains a mystery even after spring training has concluded, but Sands may get the first chance to close games as the most prominent right-handed pitcher in the bullpen. However, Taylor Rogers and Justin Topa will likely also figure into the mix.
Twins manager Derek Shelton said he has no idea who his closer will be this season, but Matthew Leach of MLB.com reports that Sands is still a possibility. "I'm still trying to figure it out. Sometimes, that's the answer where you're trying not to answer it," Shelton said. "I've probably done that before. But right now, I'm trying to figure it out. I don't think we have an idea of what's going to happen."
We wouldn't read too much into this report as Sands is one of a handful of candidates to close or share a committee along with Taylor Rogers, Liam Hendriks, Justin Topa and a series of lefties including Anthony Banda and Andrew Chafin, but he has a chance to finish games. Sands had a breakout season as a reliever in 2024, but he took a step back last season with just a 21.4 percent strikeout rate, down from 29.1 percent. Sands has given up three runs in five innings with a 4:2 K:BB this spring.
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