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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
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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
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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
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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
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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.
The Twins and Sands avoided arbitration by agreeing to a one-year, $1.1 million contract Thursday, Joel Sherman of the New York Post reports.
Sands had been in his first year of arbitration eligibility. The 28-year-old finished 2025 with a 4.50 ERA and 64:19 K:BB over 72 innings, collecting three saves along the way. Sands is in the mix for save chances with the Twins in 2026.
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Twins' Cole Sands: Earns save Tuesday
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Sands tossed a perfect ninth frame to earn a save Tuesday over the Rangers.
Sands needed just nine pitches to retire the side for his third save of the season and his first since May 16. Sands had blown his previous two save opportunities and Tuesday marked only his second scoreless outing in his last seven appearances. Saves are far and few between for the Twins, but it seems Sands is in the mix for more in the final week along with Kody Funderburk.
