Twins Reassign RHPs Cory Lewis, Matt Canterino to Minor-League Camp

The Minnesota Twins reassigned right‑handed pitchers Cory Lewis and Matt Canterino to minor‑league camp at Fort Myers, a move tied to injury recovery and early roster trimming. The team announced the reassignments on Feb. 26, 2026, as it pared down big-league camp depth while juggling medical questions across the staff.

Cory Lewis was shifted out of big‑league camp after being diagnosed with a moderate subscapularis strain that surfaced early in spring. Lewis spent the 2025 season at Triple‑A St. Paul; last year he posted a 7.27 ERA with 87 strikeouts and 68 walks in 87 innings, a line that underlines the control issues that followed him into camp. Lewis’ reassignment was listed among the Twins’ first wave of cuts as the club narrowed its options.

Matt Canterino’s move is squarely tied to a prolonged shoulder rehab. Canterino underwent shoulder surgery last March and is in month 11 of a 12‑to‑14‑month recovery timeline, a process that has kept him largely off the mound in competitive settings. He has not thrown a professional regular‑season pitch since 2022, and in his lone spring appearance this year he walked three batters and suffered a shoulder problem that prompted further evaluation. Matt Braun reported Canterino will meet with Dr. Keith Meister to clarify the injury and next steps; Braun added, “he’s going to be on the shelf for a while.”

Canterino’s minor‑league résumé still reads like a pre‑injury prospect: in 26 career minor‑league games he registered a 1.48 ERA with 130 strikeouts in 85 innings. Canterino framed his rehab in human terms when discussing the grind and the stakes: “I want to be able to look my future kids, future family in the eye and tell them, ‘Hey, I chased my dream.’ That’s what I’m doing right now.” He added a longer view on perseverance: “There are not many people that have not thrown a regular-season inning in three‑and‑a‑half years and still have a job in professional baseball. I think that’s a testament to how I carry myself, and I think it’s a testament to what I was able to do before my surgeries, as well. I know the past me is going to be super happy that I’m still as determined as I am now, because I think there is still a payoff coming.”

Roster math shifted with the reassignments. The camp now contains 64 active players, 24 of them non‑roster: 31 pitchers (11 non‑roster), eight catchers (five non‑roster), 11 infielders (five non‑roster), 11 outfielders (three non‑roster) and three utility players (zero non‑roster). The club also placed Pablo López on the 60‑day injured list and claimed right‑hander Zak Kent off waivers; Kent logged 12 major‑league appearances last year with a 4.58 ERA and posted a 2.84 ERA with 50 strikeouts and 21 walks in 38 Triple‑A innings, throwing a mid‑80s slider, a low‑90s four‑seamer, a low‑80s curveball and a low‑90s sinker.

Other early moves included cuts and reassigned players such as Emmanuel Rodriguez, Marco Raya and Travis Adams; Braun noted Adams allowed four runs in four spring innings and projects to begin the year in St. Paul. The club also scratched Royce Lewis from a recent game for “tightness on the right side,” a late scratch noted by Dan Hayes as done “out of abundance of caution.” With injuries to depth arms and a late winter IL move, the Twins’ early spring trimming is being driven as much by medical realities as by performance, and Canterino’s pending consultation with Dr. Keith Meister will shape how quickly the team expects to reclaim bullpen and rotation options.