Twins shut down starters Pineda, Mejia for rest of season

The Minnesota Twins effectively ended the seasons for a pair of starting pitchers on Tuesday, revealing that right-hander Michael Pineda and lefty Adalberto Mejia would both be sidelined for the rest of 2018.

Pineda, who has not pitched in the majors since 2017 after undergoing Tommy John surgery, had his minor league rehab assignment interrupted by a small meniscus tear in his right knee.

Mejia, out since early August, was originally diagnosed with a strained wrist before tests uncovered a nerve problem near the wrist on his pitching hand.

Pineda, 29, had been closing in on a return to the big leagues while rehabbing at Triple-A Rochester last week when he experienced discomfort in his push-off knee during a bullpen session. Team doctors in Minneapolis found the meniscus tear during an MRI over the weekend.

Twins manager Paul Molitor told reporters the team hopes Pineda can avoid another surgery, but that treatment options are still being explored.

"There's speculation, at least in the early stages, that it's an old injury that has begun to show up symptomatically in terms of pushing off that back leg," Molitor said, per MLB.com. "Hopefully, over the next couple of days, our doctors and other people will be involved in decisions about options he has in terms of trying to overcome that. Obviously, some of them require procedures."

Pineda had pitched well in four rehab appearances at three levels (Gulf Coast League, Class-A and Triple-A), recording a 1.50 ERA over 12 innings with nine strikeouts. His previously scheduled start on Sunday for Rochester was scrapped.

The Twins had signed Pineda to a two-year contract worth $10 million this offseason. He was slotted to earn $2 million in 2018 and $8 million in 2019. The organization inked the deal knowing it would likely receive little to no production from the right-hander this season, instead banking that Pineda could be a solid rotation piece for 2019.

Pineda has played five seasons in the major leagues: 2011 with the Seattle Mariners and 2014-17 with the New York Yankees, combining to go 40-41 with a 4.05 ERA (680.0 IP, 306 ER), 157 walks and 687 strikeouts.

Pineda started 17 games for the Yankees last season, going 8-4 with a 4.39 ERA (96.1 IP, 47 ER), 21 walks and 92 strikeouts. Pineda was placed on the disabled list in mid-July with a right UCL injury and eventually underwent Tommy John surgery on his right elbow on July 18.

The 6-foot-7, 260-pound Pineda was originally signed as a free agent by Seattle in December 2005. He was named to the American League All-Star team in his rookie season with the Mariners in 2011 and was acquired by the Yankees via trade in January 2012.

Mejia, 25, was not expected to come back this season after the nerve issue was discovered, with Molitor confirming the news. The southpaw finishes the season with a 2-0 record and a 2.01 ERA in five appearances (four starts).

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