Things are going quite well for the Minnesota Twins this 2024 MLB season, which is why news of Alex Kirilloff's injury created some distraction among the fan base.
The outfielder was sent down to Triple A St. Paul last week after an observable decline in his play this month.
He started the season strong, slashing .444/.450/.667 in the first few weeks, but then saw a rapid decline in the following months. He posted 201/.270/.384 with a -0.4 WAR before getting the demotion to the minors.
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People thought the designation was only due to his poor form. It turned out that it was because he had been injured all along.
The Minnesota Twins confirmed Tuesday that Kirilloff had been suffering from a back injury, which he did not fully declare to the team and the medical staff.
The 26-year-old first baseman acknowledged that he made a mistake in not stating the full facts about his status and explained that he only did it because of his desire to be out there for his team.
"It's kind of hard to say something when you want to be out there every day, but at the same time, things need to be communicated at a high level here, especially when we're all trying to compete to win a championship," he said.
"So I just need to do a better job of communicating how I'm feeling and what's going on with that process so that something like this doesn't happen again."
Kirilloff, Twins' 15th overall pick in the 2015 draft, said he would look for a second opinion on his back injury as he returned to Minnesota for treatment.
He also promised to communicate better so as not to create confusion again.
How Rocco Baldelli uncovered Kirilloff's secrecy
A manager could not manage well if details are being kept from him.
Rocco Baldelli said he, too, was in the dark about Alex Kirilloff's injury.
He shared that he talked to the outfielder about his St. Paul designation. Kirilloff was surprised by the sudden decision but did not come clean about his back pain.
Baldelli hopes that the player will be better at communication moving forward.
"The communication on that, if that was something that was worsening and he was unable to play, does need to be better and something he needs to be able to bring up and say. He had the opportunity to do it," he told reporters.
Will Twins and Kirilloff be punished?
It is good that the injury was reported before Kirilloff made an appearance in Triple-A. This means he won't get optioned, and the Twins will have more flexibility in choosing who to send down.
The Twins can reverse their decision and place him on a 10-day injured list instead.
Once he recovers, trouble will come. For now, he has no spot in the 26-man roster, and the Twins will need to decide whether to send him to St. Paul to recover fully.
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