Anthony Banda’s season is over after lat surgery on Thursday, closing the book on a left-hander who had been trying to work back from a strain that sent him to the 15-day injured list on June 29.
The Minnesota Twins now lose one of the bullpen arms they had been counting on. Banda, 2-0 with a 4.46 ERA in 34 1/3 innings over 39 appearances, had been available often enough to matter, even if his numbers were uneven.
What makes the timing sting is that Banda had started to settle in before the injury took him out. He posted a 1.93 ERA in 9 1/3 innings across 11 outings in June, a stretch that suggested he might be finding better rhythm just as the injury cut him off.
Banda said he expects to be ready for next year’s spring training, which gives the Twins a clearer view of the recovery window even if the exact procedure is not detailed. A lat surgery can restore the damaged muscle, but it also ends the season immediately because there is no realistic path back for a pitcher once that operation is needed.
The loss lands on a relief group that entered Thursday with a 5.24 ERA, tied with the Kansas City Royals for worst in the majors. Banda’s absence does not explain that number by itself, but it removes another arm from a staff that was already absorbing too much damage.
The Twins acquired Banda in February after the Los Angeles Dodgers designated him for assignment, and he gave them a useful if imperfect season in return. He is 17-9 with a 4.44 ERA over 248 appearances and nine starts for nine teams, the sort of résumé that makes him a flexible bullpen piece rather than a fixed role.
When the Twins need an open roster spot, they can move Banda to the 60-day injured list, a transaction that simply reflects the rules of roster management once a player is done for the year. The larger question now is not whether he returns this season — he will not — but whether the same arm that was surging in June can carry that form into next spring.
