It seems to be a constant each season for a Minnesota Twins prospect. One player from the latest draft class goes down with some sort of injury at the beginning of the season, and 2026 is no exception. On Tuesday, the Twins placed right-handed pitcher James Ellwanger, their third-round pick from the 2025 draft class, on the 60-day IL with a right elbow sprain.
Multiple team officials confirmed Wednesday that Ellwanger will be shut down from throwing for 4-6 weeks. Ellwanger had made three starts with Low-A Fort Myers to start the 2026 season and did not disappoint. He threw 11 ⅔ scoreless innings, allowing just three hits and five walks, while striking out 15.
Ellwanger’s velocity had averaged around 96 MPH over these outings. It topped out at 98.7 MPH on his first start and dipped to 94.4 MPH in his second start. Still, it rebounded to 97.4 MPH in the third start, which dipped below 95 MPH for his final two outs in the fifth when he threw 24 of 67 pitches in the fourth inning of this start. Ellwanger did not leave his last start due to any indication of injury, according to one source.
The MRI the Twins got back after his last start on April 15 showed no significant difference in his elbow compared to how it looked in the MRI after the Twins picked Ellwanger out of Dallas Baptist, which Twins GM Jeremy Zoll told reporters in New York. That was an encouraging sign for Ellwanger and the Twins. However, they are opting to keep him shut down for the foreseeable future, with hopes he can make a late July or early August return to the Fort Myers rotation.
The downside is that Ellwanger will miss enough time that it’s unlikely he will have the opportunity to move up the farm system ladder before 2027. The good news is he still has an opportunity to return to game action and make around 5 starts, with an optimistic timetable for his return.
James Ellwanger ranked as the 19th-best prospect in the Twins system entering the season, and has been ranked as high as Minnesota’s 16th-best on others. His hot start before the injury is an encouraging sign for what’s in his future. However, for now, the Twins are resting one of their top pitching prospects so he can see time back on the mound before the 2026 season ends.
