24 articles
MIN • Pitcher • #20
about 2 months ago
Abel scattered just three hits on the night — all of them singles — while issuing one base on balls. He generated 14 swings and misses on 73 pitches on the night — six of them on his fastball — while posting an elite CSW of 37 percent. The 24-year-old hurler finishes his 2025 season on a high note, though for the season he posted a miserable 6.23 ERA, 1.51 WHIP and a 39/16 K/BB ratio across 39 innings of work in 10 appearances (eight starts) between the Phillies and Twins. This outing could give him a leg up on a spot in the Twins’ Opening Day rotation in 2026.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
about 2 months ago
With Pablo López (forearm) landing on the injured list, Abel will take his place on the Twins’ active roster. It sounds like he’ll be available out of the bullpen over the weekend and if he’s not used he could be an option to start in López’s place on Thursday against the Rangers in Arlington.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
Abel, who was acquired from the Phillies in the Jhoan Duran trade, surrendered 11 earned runs over four innings in one start and one relief appearance in his first stint with the Twins. He might have to wait until 2026 for another shot.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
The Twins were hoping to get through this game just using Taj Bradley and Abel, with maybe someone closing afterwards, but while Bradley did well over the first five, Abel gave up two runs in the sixth and then retired no one in the seventh. He allowed seven hits, all of them singles, and walked one. Abel also got roughed up in his Twins debut as a starter last week, so he could be a candidate for demotion.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
The 24-year-old hurler walked two batters on the evening while striking out a pair. All of the damage done against him came in the second inning which was capped off by a grand slam off the bat of rookie sensation Colson Montgomery. Abel got six swings and misses on 63 pitches in the contest, registering a CSW of 22 percent. He’ll carry an uninspiring 6.43 ERA, 1.54 WHIP and a 23/11 K/BB ratio (28 innings) into Friday’s matchup against the Padres.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
Abel draws an extremely favorable matchup on Saturday against the rebuilding White Sox for his first big-league outing since coming over from the Phillies at last month’s trade deadline. The 24-year-old pitching prospect offers enough strikeout upside to merit consideration in all fantasy formats, especially deeper mixed leagues. He figures to get an extended opportunity with Minnesota over the final five weeks of the season as they pivot to a long-term focus.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
Zebby Matthews is starting Friday’s series opener at Wrigley Field. Abel is coming off a dominant outing last Saturday at Triple-A St. Paul where he punched out 11 batters over six innings. The 23-year-old pitching prospect showed some potential earlier this season in a handful of starts with the Phillies before being included in last month’s Jhoan Duran blockbuster at the trade deadline. There’s some streaming appeal here for fantasy managers in deeper mixed leagues, even though it’s a tough matchup in a hitter-friendly environment.
Source: Dan Hayes
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
It’s probably time for Minnesota to give Abel an extended look in the big leagues after he came over from the Phillies during last month’s trade deadline teardown. The 23-year-old prospect looked sharp in a handful of outings earlier this year with Philadelphia and could make an impact for fantasy purposes down the home stretch. He’s a worthwhile stash candidate, especially in deeper mixed leagues.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
He also walked four and struck out five while throwing 47 of his 83 pitches for strikes. Abel seemed to break out a sweeper in this start that was three mph slower than his regular slider and with 10 inches more horizontal movement. He threw only seven of them, and one for a strike, so the Twins are clearly still tweaking some things with his pitch mix, but he posted a solid 23 percent whiff rate and 27 percent CSW on the day.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
3 months ago
Abel struck out seven and walked two on the day while registering a 30 percent whiff rate and 33 percent CSW. The 23-year-old was traded to the Twins from the Phillies as part of the Jhoan Duran trade and was sent to Triple-A so the Twins could make a few tweaks to his arsenal. In his first outing, we saw his changeup sit one mph slower than it had all season, with four inches less arm-side movement but the same drop. We also saw his slider by almost one mph faster with less drop but more horizontal movement. The Twins will continue to make adjustments to Abel’s pitch mix, but it remains to be seen if they’ll do so at the big league level or in Triple-A.
MIN • Pitcher • #20
4 months ago
Abel heads to Triple-A St. Paul for the moment, but figures to get a look in Minnesota at some point down the home stretch. The 23-year-old pitching prospect had some extremely encouraging moments with the Phillies earlier this season, finishing with a pedestrian 5.04 ERA and 21/9 K/BB ratio across 25 innings in six starts.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
4 months ago
Although he was pitching for the first time in eight days, Abel was very sharp and needed just 64 pitches to get 18 outs. He walked only one, which was a nice turnaround from some of his recent major league outings.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
5 months ago
Abel’s ugly outing Wednesday has cost him his spot for now. He could return as the Phillies’ fifth starter after the break, but the team will also have Andrew Painter as an option then. First, Taijuan Walker is expected to get the call Tuesday, which is the one remaining time the Phillies will need a fifth starter before the break. It ended badly, but Abel did show some promise in his six major league starts. He heads back to Triple-A with a 5.04 ERA, but he had a 2.21 ERA and a 17/4 K/BB over 20 1/3 innings in his first four outings.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
5 months ago
Two of the walks came with the bases loaded. That Abel had walked just four batters in 23 1/3 innings as a major leaguer coming into the day was an extremely nice surprise for the Phillies. Unfortunately, he unraveled in this one and went back to looking like the guy who finished 3-12 with a 6.46 ERA and 78 walks in 108 2/3 innings in Triple-A last year. The Phillies will need a fifth starter just once more before the break, so we’ll have to wait and see if they stick with Abel then or maybe send him down for a fresh arm and go with a bullpen game next week. It’s possible they’ll want to turn to Andrew Painter as their fifth starter after the break.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
5 months ago
Abel was Friday’s scheduled starter, but didn’t throw a pitch in the Phillies’ blowout victory. The 23-year-old right-hander went through his complete warm-up routine for the 7:15 start, but the Phillies opted to go with a bullpen game following a rain delay that lasted longer than two hours. Abel remained in the dugout for the duration of the game. It’s unclear at this time when he might pitch next.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
5 months ago
Three of those came consecutively in the third inning. It figured that walks would get Abel into trouble in the majors, but he’s been stunningly good there, having issued just four in his five starts and none tonight. Instead, it’s been the home-run ball. He’s given up seven in 23 1/3 innings, making it pretty remarkable that he’s allowed only nine runs in total. He’s due to make his next start in Atlanta against the Braves.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
5 months ago
It was a nice bounce-back performance for Abel after getting rocked for three homers by the Cubs his last time out. He piled up three strikeouts and only handed out one free pass. The 23-year-old rookie right-hander will carry a pristine 2.21 ERA, 1.03 WHIP and 17/4 K/BB ratio across 20 1/3 innings (four starts) into a tough home matchup on Saturday against the division-rival Mets to close out a two-start week.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
5 months ago
Abel also walked three and allowed three hits besides the homers, so far more damage to his ERA could have been done tonight. As is, he’s at 2.35 after three big-league starts. With Aaron Nola likely done through the break, Abel will remain in the rotation and likely face the Marlins on Monday. We’re not sold on him in mixed leagues, but his upcoming two-start week will make him a streaming option.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
6 months ago
Abel was pumped up and averaged 97.3 mph with his fastball in his major league debut last month. Tonight, he was at 95.3 mph, which is just south of the 95.7 mph he averaged in Triple-A. The drop makes even more sense after factoring in that he was pitching on four days’ rest, something he’d almost never done in the minors. Abel had nice results anyway, even if he did settle for two strikeouts, and with Aaron Nola experiencing a bit of a setback, Abel should stick around and face the Cubs next week.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
6 months ago
Abel, 23, takes the roster spot of Zach Wheeler after Wheeler was placed on the paternity list, and he’ll make the start Wednesday against the Blue Jays. He was impressive in his MLB debut with six scoreless innings and nine strikeouts, and he’s worthy of streaming consideration for Wednesday’s tilt.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
6 months ago
He’s back. Taijuan Walker is heading to the bullpen with Abel coming up this week to take the ball on Thursday against the Blue Jays. The 23-year-old prospect was shipped back to the minors following a stellar nine-strikeout debut on May 18 against the Pirates and has looked extremely impressive in a handful of Triple-A starts following the demotion. He’s worthy of a speculative roster spot in all fantasy formats based on the progress he’s shown this season as he reclaims his former top prospect status. It’s an exciting time in Philadelphia with Abel and Andrew Painter seemingly ready to break into the big leagues for good and join a loaded rotation mix.
Source: Scott Lauber
PHI • Pitcher • #20
6 months ago
Abel didn’t skip a beat in his first outing back in Triple-A, allowing just three hits and handing out four passes over six strong frames. There isn’t exactly a spot for him in Philadelphia’s overcrowded rotation mix, but the 23-year-old prospect figures to get an extended look at some point in the second half. He struck out nine over six scoreless innings last Sunday in his major-league debut against the Pirates, who have been one of the worst lineups in baseball this season.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
6 months ago
Outdueling Paul Skenes is not a bad way to start your MLB career. Abel didn’t walk a single batter in this outing and posted a 38 percent whiff rate and 38 percent CSW. He sat 97.3 mph with his four-seam fastball and racked up eight whiffs in 11 swings on his curve. He also showed good command of the slider and sinker as part of a deep five-pitch mix. It’s hard to imagine the Phillies sending Abel back to the minors, but they have already announced that Taijuan Walker will take Aaron Nola’s place in the rotation while Nola is on the IL with an ankle sprain. At this time, Abel is not scheduled to make another MLB start.
PHI • Pitcher • #20
6 months ago
Abel will make his major-league debut on Sunday with a favorable matchup against the Pirates at Citizens Bank Park. His prospect stock has rebounded this season as he’s pitched to an encouraging 2.53 ERA and 26.6 percent strikeout rate across 46 1/3 innings (eight starts) at the Triple-A level. The 23-year-old former first-round selection from the 2020 MLB Draft is still handing out too many free passes, which amplifies the immediate risk for fantasy managers as he faces major-league hitters. He’s talented enough to make an impact in deeper mixed leagues, but he’s not a recommended streaming option right out of the gate, despite a favorable home matchup against Pittsburgh’s lineup, which has scored the fewest runs in baseball this season through 46 games.