Jhoan Duran Injury Update: Twins pitcher to start Opening Day on IL following right oblique strain

Opening Day is just a few days away but there are already injury reports coming from every major league camp. This time it's Jhoan Duran of the Minnesota Twins.

According to Betsy Helfand of Pioneer Press, Duran felt discomfort in his right oblique during warm-up, which was later confirmed by medical reports to be a moderate strain. He will thus start the season on the IL and await further reports.

“Jhoan Duran was supposed to throw a live yesterday but felt some cramping in his right oblique while warming up. He had an MRI this morning, which revealed the moderate strain. They expect to have a better sense of his timeline over the course of the next week or so,” Helfand tweeted.

Duran was traded from the Arizona Diamondbacks to Minnesota in 2018 with Gabriel Maciel and Ernie De La Trinidad for Eduardo Escobar. He signed a $700,000 contract with the Twins in 2022 and will remain under the team's control until 2028.

The 26-year-old Dominican reliever has established himself as one of the most dependable late-inning pitchers with his saves and game-finishing ability, despite having only two seasons of experience. Last year, Duran played 59 games, finishing 41 of them and saving 27 games in 62.1 innings.

Jhoan Duran has played five games in the Grapefruit League so far and pitched 4.2 innings. His last game was against the St. Louis Cardinals on March 13th.

The Twins’ options for Jhoan Duran

Although Jhoan Duran appears to be healthy and might return to the game soon, the Twins management should prepare a substitute for him in case of any unforeseeable situations. Fortunately, they have several players who can fill the role.

One option is Griffin Jax, who has played six games in the spring training, threw six innings, and only gave up two hits without conceding any runs.

Another option is Brock Stewart, who pitched for 27.2 innings in 28 games last year with a 0.65 ERA. Although Jorge Alcala had a tough season last year with a 6.23 ERA in 17.1 innings in 11 games, he could bounce back this year if given the chance.

The list of potential substitutes also includes Steven Okert, Justin Topa and Jay Jackson. Additionally, the Twins can always give a chance to young talents from the minor leagues.

The Twins' next game is against the Detroit Tigers on Wednesday at the Lee Health Sports Complex, where they’ll focus on securing another victory before the season starts.