Twins' Starter Aiming for End of Season Debut


Minnesota Twins starter Kenta Maeda is aiming to begin facing live hitters sometime in August.

The thirty-four year old said he threw 85 mph in the bullpen this past week, matching his goal. He plans to return Fort Myers to face live hitters, follwing the All-Star break.

Maeda is over 10 months removed from Tommy John reconstructive surgery, putting him on track to return to the Twins sometime in the last weeks of the 2022 regular season. 

In 106 innings pitched last season, Maeda posted a 4.66 ERA, 1.30 WHIP, and 113 strikeouts. He held a 6-5 record on the season. 

Maeda will likely be used out of the bullpen, upon his return, as a long reliever, but that's purely speculation at this point. 


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