Ulna-Shortening Surgery Will Solve Kirilloff's Chronic Wrist Issues

Twins’ outfielder and first baseman Alex Kirilloff will undergo an elective but necessary procedure Tuesday to shorten the abnormally-long ulna bone in his right forearm that is causing chronic soreness and cartilage damage in his right wrist. 

Despite the barbaric nature of the surgery – in which surgeons will purposefully fracture and shorten the bone with a saw and place plates and screws to reset it – the Pro Baseball Docs say that it has a reliable and straightforward recovery and that Kirilloff will be ready for Opening Day 2023 with an SIC score of 94 for next season.

The 24-year-old left-handed power hitter has been plagued by wrist issues since the 2019 season and this will be his second procedure in as many years, a last-ditch effort to prevent further future injuries and redirect his burgeoning career. 

Kirilloff mentioned to Do-Hyoung Park of MLB.com in May that the surgery was a “possibility,” but that he wanted to avoid it if he could. 

While it's unclear what originally caused the issue – it could be a congenital disorder or stemming from a childhood injury – according to the Docs, once it was discovered, surgery was a matter of when, not if. 

The Twins are electing to send Kirilloff to the operating table now so that he can have ample time to rehab in time for spring training next Spring. 

Once his newly-shortened and plated ulna has healed, Kirilloff will shed the lingering injuries and be in a position to regain his power at the plate. 

After suffering a wrist sprain on a nondescript slide into second base in May 2021, Kirilloff spent three weeks on the IL and eventually underwent season-ending surgery in July to repair the ligament, clean up damaged cartilage, and separate the ulna and radius. 

Because his ulna and radius are rubbing together, Kirilloff has likely suffered damage to his triangular fibrocartilage complex (TFCC), which is similar to the meniscus that protects the bones in the knee. 

If left untreated – as it has been to this point – the bones rubbing will decimate whatever cartilage is remaining and cause chronic inflammation in the wrist. 

The issue is exacerbated because the right hand is Kirilloff’s base hand and the excess stress from swinging will cause further damage and limit the power on his swing, as has been the case for the last two seasons.

In 104 games in the majors the last two seasons, the combo leftfielder and first baseman is batting .251 with a .694 OPS, 11 home runs, 55 RBI, and 37 runs in 159 at-bats but has been on-and-off the injured list and up-and-down between Minnesota and AAA. 

Kirilloff, along with sidelined shortstop Royce Lewis, is considered a cornerstone piece of the Twins' future and will be healthy and primed to take a major step in 2023.